H is for hatred. And heating, which is convenient, because I really hate heating.

Okay, maybe not heating in general (I’m not into the whole “frostbite” thing, that’s so last winter), but dealing with it is a hassle. When you have your own apartment, you usually have to pay for your heat. And heat isn’t cheap— our electricity and heating bill was more than $200 in December, and we weren’t even home to be using electricity. Our thermostat was set to 65 degrees, at the request of our landlord. We thought we’d be getting off easy and thought they must have made a mistake, but freezing temperatures made our furnace work hard. Staying warm is costly.

I despise this fact, because every time I bump up the thermostat up a couple degrees, I picture movie tickets and mugs of Espresso floating away. Is the switch from 70 to 72 degrees really worth losing the new jeans I want? I may be wearing three sweaters, but if I keep it cool, I could probably purchase a fourth. If I turn blue, I’d match those ballet flats in Urban Outfitters’ window perfectly.

This leads to a silent struggle that spanned over five degrees. One of my roommates’ has the “perpetually freezing” room in the apartment, so she’d emerge, teeth chattering, and turn up the heat a few degrees.

A couple of hours later, I’d turn it back down. Rinse and repeat for a few days, until I woke up to find a cheerful star-shaped Post-It on the thermostat that read: IF YOU TOUCH THIS I WILL KILL YOU.

I realized two things in that moment. First of all, I am turning into my father. Second of all, people are not penguins. Neither of these things relates to you, but I’ll tell you what does.

If you live in the dorms, it can be tricky deciding how hot or cold to keep the room. Rather than sneakily shutting the windows every time your roomie goes to the bathroom, talk about it. Maybe your roommate on the top bunk is sweltering up by the vent and doesn’t know you’re freezing, but a well-aimed fan could help things. It could be that there’s no compromise that works, but if you keep mum you’ll never know.

If you’re in an apartment and you think there’s a problem with your heating, check it out.

Our bill probably wouldn’t have been so high had we noticed that the front door wasn’t sealing properly and wind was coming through— oh, and the fact that our furnace wasn’t working right. A quick call to the landlord or a maintenance request can save you money — and keep you toasty.

Rachel Small is a sophomore in Media.