Even on a summer evening I can be found covered in a knitted throw so it’s somewhat surprising I have only just purchased an electric blanket. And I flipping love it.
There’s something distinctly ‘nannish’ about the sight of a controller sticking out from beneath your mattress but I’m not embarrassed in the slightest about what’s going on beneath my sheets.
I’ve become accustomed to a hot water bottle of an evening but it wasn’t until a few weeks ago I was reminded of the merits of the plugged in device.
I’d mentioned to my mum I’d been having trouble sleeping due to a chilly bed so when I was home in Sheffield she urged me to have a demonstration of her new purchase from Morrisons. In fact she was so keen for us to give it a whirl she practically tucked in James and I. Once we’d got over the inappropriateness of both of us laying in my parents’ bed we were unanimously convinced. It was positively balmy.
An evening of Amazon research later we’ve ended up with a very low cost Lloytron BEAB Approved Double Superior Under Blanket
with dual controls and a toe warming feature. I feel like I’m in heaven with my hat on even if I am sleeping on a layer of polyester and other man-made fibres.
I thought the dual control switches would be a must-have but I was gutted the other day when I realised I’d put mine on heat setting ‘one’ and James on ‘three’. He was gutted when he came to bed five minutes later to find me on his side of the bed.
Times have most definitely changed. I now own an electric blanket, a slow-cooker and a pair of sheepskin slippers. I even listed to Classic FM on the way to work the other week. This was mostly due to the fact I had got completed confused with the buttons on my radio but you get the idea.
Anyone else enjoying their electric blanket? Any other purchases you’ve bought that you originally thought were age-inappropriate?
I LOVE my electric blanket! Ours has dual controls too, it’s amazing because I can roast myself without bothering the Mr’s sleep!
Glad you’re feeling the electric blanket love too Nicola! x
I’d *love* an electric blanket!!! However I think I’d never get out of bed with one, which probably wouldn’t be great… I don’t really have any age-inappropriate purchases, but a lot of my friends have commented that my love for my Kenwood K-Mix is bordering on unhealthy.
Hi Gracie,
I don’t leave me on during the night, it just takes off the ‘edge’ when you first get in, so perhaps you’d still be able to get up in the morning 😉
I’d love a Kenwood x
I had an electric blanket in my old flat that had single pane sash windows and NO heating. Bed was so cosy. We don’t have it anymore as we have the wonderful central heating now in the new place but I still have a selection of heaty wheaties and just invested in a lovely cable knit hot water bottle. Granny, eat yer heart out!
Ahhh heaty wheaties. Unfortunately I had something similar and managed to blow it up in my microwave!
Lauren this post made me laugh! I’ve also recently purchased an electric blanket (love it but haven’t told anybody). And I also own a slow cooker & sheepskin slippers too!! So glad I’m not the only one.
You’re definitely not the only one Kirsty.
I got an electric blanket for Christmas from my parents, my husband laughed when I asked for it but it has been on most nights since! Also have a slow cooker and sheepskin slippers!
I think you can easily convert people when they give it a try Louise. I was dubious to start with but now I think it’s amazing!
I used to have an electric blanket and I loved mine….why don’t I have one anymore!!!!???? I had completely forgotten how amazing they are! I am going to have to purchase one!
I’m exactly the same Amy. I had one at uni and then completely forgot they existed. They are marvellous.
I couldn’t live without our electric blanket and we live in Australia! But believe me the winter evenings are chilly!
Ha ha Charlotte, so there is one downside of living in Australia 😉 x
In our old flat, I dreamed of having an electric blanket as the bedroom was absolutely freezing! However, since moving we now live at the top of the block and the heat from everyone below us seems to keep our flat at sauna temperature! There have been times this winter where I’ve had to sleep without the duvet as I’ve been sweltering. I can’t sleep if I’m too hot so would rather be cold… Is that weird?!
However, I started to listen to Radio 4 a few years ago – Today programme every morning and also tend to listen around 10-10.30 in the evening too. I may have also started to listen to The Archers every so often too… I blame my parents for the constant R4 diet as a child!
I used to be fascinated by the sound effects in the Archers Jo. My friend’s parents used to have it on all the time.
I can’t believe you’ve been sweltering this winter, you lucky thing!
Have the same one! It’s amazing! Turn it off to sleep but makes winter in a single glazed Victorian flat more bearable 🙂 xx
Defo turn off to sleep. I find half an hour on ‘two’ is perfect if I’m watching a bit of television in bed.
I invested in an electric blanket this winter too and have been singing its praises to anyone who will listen. The dual controls are perfect for us as husband is always too hot, even if it’s freezing outside, so I can heat my side and he can remain “pleasantly” chilled! Love this post 🙂
Yay for electric blankets Katie! Glad to hear you liked the post x
I have one too! I only got a single one that goes on my side of the bed as hubby runs very hot and couldn’t even bear the thought of having it on!! However it has not been used for a few weeks as my 2 sausage dogs have been residing in bed with us at night and they are like 2 furry hot water bottles!!! 🙂
Haha Jenny. You can’t beat a living, breathing hot water bottle! x
I’m also in love with a domestic appliance – our roomba. I totally anthropomorphise it – it’s a he, and he’s called Bobby. My husband complains that when I come home I check how Bobby is before I check how he is (he once got caught up in the electric toothbrush lead and I felt very guilty). It’s not surprising, anything that does my chores for me is always going to get some love, and he’s very endearing. When he’s done he gives himself a triumphant little fanfare.
I did try to write the above in a way that doesn’t make me sound like a total nut job, but I gave up – I’m not sure there is one…
Kate, you’re the only person I’ve heard of with an robot hoover. This makes you very fancy and hi-tech! I quite fancy one myself they are such a good idea.
It seems like an insane amount of money but we have a ridiculous carpet that looks dirty instantly so it’s really worth it to me! In a small london flat it’s great because he can do the whole thing while we’re at work. I just do a quick ‘floor check’ before I leave in the morning and empty him when I get home.
Not good to do while you’re at home though, because you follow him around, fascinated, and getting frustrated by his seemingly random cleaning pattern.
I got a cheap version of a Roomba from Aldi, he’s called Dave and he’s ace! I’m taking him into work next week as the girls want to meet him. I love following him around and I even talk to him. I know, I’m nuts.
I love my roomba too! He is great and sometimes I talk to him!
I am secretly a nan I think with my love of a blanket, slippers and gin! I love my electric blanket – the dual controls are a must! It has given a bad habit of getting in to bed when I get back from work to get warm though…
Oh Fran, I know the feeling. So far I haven’t given it yet but I know I’ll succumb next winter x
This made me giggle. My electric blanket is my new obsession. My husband is also hooked. He always makes a point to switch it on a couple of minutes before we get into bed so it’s super cosy as soon as we get in. I generally turn it off before going to bed, but have once or twice fallen asleep with it still on. Needless to say I woke up roasting an hour later! It is a very “granny” thing to have but I just love it (and I’m 27!). I have started recommending it to all my friends. It’s also a good way for me to determine the change of seasons; having the blanket off for several weeks straight means it must be summer 🙂
I wish I’d bought mine earlier in the winter Mrs G so I’d got more use out of it. The nights are definitely getting less cool so I’m not sure how much longer it’ll be on the bed. Roll on summer though!
Lols – my mother in law just surprised us with an electric blanket last weekend! We’d been relying on hot water bottles but this is a whole new level of warmth and comfort! We were like two kids on Christmas morning – figuring out the settings and putting it back on in the morning and 20 minutes before getting in! Other granny-ish items we’ve recently added to the home are the slow cooker and we are on the look out for a footstool (which always remind me of my Granny having to keep her feet raised)! Xo
Footstools are great Helen. I like to use my moroccan pouffe to elevate my feet after a hard day x
I used to have an electric blanket when I was at uni, I’d forgotten about it until reading this post! It was awesome but now I have a human heat radiator in bed in the form of the husband.
Taking of age appropriate or perhaps inappropriate items, I realised I was becoming a grown up when my 29th birthday presents consisted of a sewing machine, potato ricer and cath kidston cake tins!!
How are you getting on with your potato riser Claire, do you use it much?
I have such heat issues. I spend most of my life freezing, including that first half-hour in bed, but then when I’m actually asleep I’m like a furnace and need to have all limbs poking out just to make it bearable. Weirdly I used to be deathly cold at night but then I got malaria and something changed in my internal thermostat.
I have cashmere slippers, a slow cooker, AND an electric blanket and I love them all very dearly. I also recently bought a nebuliser/vaporiser to help sleep – not particularly age-inappropriate in itself, but the smell from the lavender essential oil I use definitely reminds me of my Grannie!
Oooooh Anna, cashmere! You fancy thing you.
My house mate had a heated fleece throw which she used in the living room on the sofa, it was amazing! I think it was from Lakeland. Great for if you just needed a wee bit of a warm up or didn’t want to heat the whole house. I’m so tempted to get one for myself as my internal thermostat is very weird. My temperature is always the opposite extreme to everyone else!
My Mother-in-Law has an electric blanket that goes in the duvet so it lays on top of you. A marvellous invention.
This heated throw sounds like a genius idea.
Oh me too, me too! I had to take mine back to the shop and swap it for a dual control as hubby is just not into a toasty bed… but it causes bickering on especially cold nights when he creeps over to my side with his ice toes!
Years ago I lived in Japan and they had the best ever invention – called a Kutatsu http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kotatsu a coffee table with a heater on the underside, and a blanket built in! It was like a day time equivalent of an electric blanket! Sooo toasty (until your legs went numb from sitting on the floor the whole time!)
The Kotatsu looks brilliant Maddy! Like you say though not sure how long I could use it without having numb legs.
Ruth I suffer the same. I believe its called being inappropriately hot/cold
I love our electric blanket and wouldn’t be without it! We have recently replaced our basic one with a duel control one and it’s the best thing ever! Hubby likes his side to be like climbing into a cheese toasty, whereas I just like to take the chill off. The girls at work laugh at me and say that we have only been married a couple of years and shouldn’t need an electric blanket! It might sound grannyish but I don’t care because it makes climbing into bed after a long day even more lovely.
The cheese toastie commment made me laugh out loud. Now that is HOT!
Oh, totally me too! Well, us too, actually! We live in a little 100 year old cottage, so draughts are an issue for us, and my folks bought us an electric blanket for Christmas about five years ago. It’s just The. Best. Thing. Ever. On these chilly nights! Who cares if it’s Nan-ish – ladies, if you haven’t got one, you so need to go shopping! Oh, and in other news, our second best purchase recently is a modern electric heater for the living room. No gas here, so it was either bottles of Calor gas (too dangerous) or storage heaters (too unresponsive and uncontrollable) so a friend of ours installed a wall-mounter electric heater with something called kinetic gel inside it, and we’re totally warm and toasty even in the middle of a country winter!
oooh Denise how expensive is it to run your electric heater? Sounds like such a good idea.
A toe warming feature whattt?? I haven’t had an electric blanket since I used to go to my Gran and Granda’s a long long time ago
I am glued to my hot water bottle all through winter, we are about to move from an old flat to a new one so I’m thinking it’s going to be a whole lot warmer hurrah!
I think it just gets a bit warmer at the bottom of the blanket to keep your tooties warm.
Good luck with the flat move x