A moist and thrifty winter.

Winter brings us many a wonderful things - the perfect time of year for fireplaces & fantastic holidays - but with it comes dry air that chaps and cracks the skin. Ouch. I had a little electric humidifier in college that worked fine enough, but it is no more. I didn't want to go out and buy a new one...my room is already full enough with stuff and it costs dollas. Instead, I have found a few thrifty moist makers:

Put a container filled with water on your radiator.

Same principle as boiling water on the stove, but here you are using heat you are already paying for AND it is sustained 24/7. Sweet! Just make sure to use metal or glass, no one wants a melted plastic winter. If you don't have radiators placing water next to your heat source works well too.

The best affordable lotion I've found:

I've used better lotions in my lifetime, but Neutrogena's Norwegian hand cream is the best thrifty choice I've found. Admittedly, it can feel a bit sticky, but it really does seal moisture in.

Add a plant to your home decor. 

These visually appealing buddies not only add moisture (and oxygen!) into the air, they also provide Minnesotans like me the joy of nature in an otherwise barren season.

That my friends is a total of $7 ($4 for the lotion, $3 for the plant), assuming you own a radiator friendly container. A few other ideas I've come across: dry your laundry in your room or shower with the door open.

Does anyone else have any winter survival tips, moisture or otherwise?

a snowflake.

A light dusting of snowflakes greeted me this morning as I got into my car. I almost passed them by without noticing, but today I leaned in a little closer and this is what I saw. As the cold chill of winter sets in I tend to forget that each mound of snow I pass along the street contains millions and millions of these lovely, delicately intricate marvels. 

And to think, this fell from the sky today.