Well, I wasn't trying to be humorous here to be sure.

My first winter, up here from NY where we had those wonderful steam radiators and hot water that comes out of the taps whenever you want it, all paid for as part of the rent or the maintenance charges, to a place where the tenant's apt. carved out of a stately old house had electric baseboard heat and a propane tank for the hot water, both paid for separately by the tenant who hadn't quite realized what she was getting into--

I turned the heat on, to the minimum possible, that November when three pairs of socks weren't keeping my toes from aching. My winter months' electric bills averaged close to $600/mth.

Next winter started coming around, I sat in my place crying because I didn't know how I was gonna afford to stay alive.

Things are better now, I moved once I was eligible for Medicare and could stop paying COBRA rates for my health insurance and could put that money towards rent instead.

Many other people here are gonna freeze this coming winter, no exaggeration. Their babies are gonna be sick from now until May.