Honestly, it’s life changing is a regular series where we talk about the weird and wonderful possessions we can’t imagine life without. Think of it as an ode to the mundane, bizarre and, sometimes, wholly unnecessary products in our lives.
When I overheard a colleague complaining about being unable to sleep in the cold weather, I forgot myself, eagerly looked up from what I was doing and shouted: “Get an electric blanket! Honestly, it’s changed my life.”
Not only did I unwittingly out myself as prematurely middle-aged to the entire office, but I landed myself a commission to write about my beloved electric blanket for our Honestly, It’s Life Changing series. That’ll teach me.
My nan had an electric blanket in her spare room when I was little. I can still remember her getting up from the sofa to make sure it was switched on a couple of hours before bed, and always switched off before we got into it – presumably because she’d bought it in 1969 and it wasn’t totally safe to grill your grandchildren. I grew up in a relatively warm, modern 1960s house, but my nan’s house was old, with windows that rattled and let in the cold. There is truly nothing quite like jumping under the covers in a freezing cold bedroom, to find the duvet and mattress are snug and warm.
I’d filed that away as a childhood memory, particularly when I was living in a modern council block with incredible insulation (we used to sleep with the windows open in December). But when I moved into a Victorian terrace and discovered that it’s absolutely baltic from October to March, I remembered those nights at my nan’s house.
It started as a bit of a joke with my boyfriend, until one day I went into our local Argos and bought the Silent Night Electric Blanket. Reader, we’ve never looked back. You can tie it to your mattress to hold it in place (yes, they do move around, and no, not for any dodgy reasons... presumably I just kick a lot in my sleep), and it has three heat settings. That means you can put it on a low setting if you’re just hunkering down to watch Netflix on the laptop for an hour or two, or whack it up to the top if you want a blast of heat while you clean your teeth and get ready to dive into bed.
I’ll admit, I’m slightly embarrassed by my sudden evangelistic love for something I hitherto associated with my ageing grandmother. Five years ago (okay, maybe seven) I was probably hitting the sack (happy) drunk four nights a week, and having far too much fun to remember to warm up my bed before I ended up in it.
The true moment of acceptance came when I admitted, sheepishly, to a close friend that I’d got really into my electric blanket and he replied, “no way – me too!”.
But let it be known that there are probably many electric blanket fans among your friends and family. And believe me, they are living happier, warmer lives... even if they won’t admit it.
We all work hard to earn our money – so it shouldn’t feel like hard work to spend it well. At HuffPost Finds we’ll help you find the best stuff that deserves your cash, from the ultimate lipstick to a durable iron to replace the one that broke (RIP). All our choices are completely independent but we may earn a small commission if you click a link and make a purchase.