Green home improvement paying off?

Is anyone out there patting themselves on the back right now for making green home improvements that are paying off during this winter to end all winters?

We added insulation in our attic last spring and have noticed that we hardly have any icicles hanging from the roof while some of our neighbors’ homes look like icebergs.

We also installed blinds throughout our house last summer after living here for about a year without window coverings. The privacy is a plus, but we’re also noticing that the heat seems to be staying inside better this year, too.

In the master bedroom, the coldest room of the house, I hung wool blankets over the windows for extra insulation. I just sewed ribbon tabs at one end of each blanket and hung them on a normal curtain rod. Easy cheesy.

In all the bedrooms we placed a clear plastic film over the window frames, again to trap the warm air inside and keep the cold out. The film looks a bit tacky, like our house is a giant bowl of leftover mac and cheese, but it seems to be working.

Now if we could just afford to replace our 1954 single-pane windows, we might really be doing some good.

Anyone else have tips to share to keep your homes warm and running efficiently this winter?