We'd like to remind Forumites to please avoid political debate on the Forum... Read More »
PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING
Hello Forumites! However well-intentioned, for the safety of other users we ask that you refrain from seeking or offering medical advice. This includes recommendations for medicines, procedures or over-the-counter remedies. Posts or threads found to be in breach of this rule will be removed.We're aware that some users are experiencing technical issues which the team are working to resolve. See the Community Noticeboard for more info. Thank you for your patience.
📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!
Preparing for Winter
Options
Comments
-
Netto have got cheap 15 tog duvets in all sizes at the moment, I have been looking for a reasonably priced one for ages for my motorhome. I bought the king size one for £10 yesterday and as I haven't any heating and live in a very exposed situation out in the wilds it was heaven to sleep under last night - with a white duvet cover it looked like a big deep snow drift - but warm, so warm.
Temp has gone up to minus one this morning (but minus 7 windchill) which is the warmest for weeks, maybe things are looking up.
DS0 -
Too late for most of us this winter but I'm wondering if it might be useful to have a list of things to do and things keep in the CAR for winter emergencies. I know there are suggestions throughout this thread but I thought it might be useful to compile a list in one place. I don't have a car now but this is basically what I used to do when I was driiving long distances to work
get a pre winter service
check tyres
check oil and water and keep top-up supplies in the boot
check antifreeze
de-icer spray
scraper
shovel
torch + spare batteries
chocolate! and maybe a couple of cereal bars
drinking water
blanket - keep in the car, not in the boot
wellingtons
gloves/hat/scarf - keep in the car, not in the boot
a small piece of old carpet
spare mobile phone charger (lighter socket)
at one point I had a little heating element thing that plugged into the lighter socket that would heat a mug of water so I kept a couple of cuppa soups. Not even sure if new cars have lighter sockets?
that's all I can think of at the moment, please post any suggestions and anything I've forgotten and I'll add them to the list. 
Edited to quote a few suggestions given below - please thank the original poster below if you find their idea useful.I keep little hottie handwarmers in the car,I saw them in costco.I cant remember how much they cost because I have had them a few years.
www.littlehottieswarmers.com they give upto 8 hours of heat.I keep a few old newspapers in the back of the car, together with two 2ft x 4ft pieces of sacking, though old carpet or even these cheap cotton rugs at 99p each would be fine. These are for slipping under the tyres to get some traction when I'm out in muddy situations and they work just as well for snowy conditions.Confuzzled wrote: »i remember when i lived in the states many moons ago, the norm then was to put a few big bags of kitty litter in the boot of your car
not only was that good for giving you a bit of weight to help your traction but if you did get stuck you could get into the bags and shove the litter under the tyres for traction! ...
Thanks Frosty, valk and Confuzzled
edited 24th to add: some great advice from blueberrypie (post #3646 in this thread)... don't throw the string away. You always need string!
C.R.A.P.R.O.L.L.Z Head Sharpener0 -
I keep little hottie handwarmers in the car,I saw them in costco.I cant remember how much they cost because I have had them a few years.
www.littlehottieswarmers.com they give upto 8 hours of heat.0 -
I keep a few old newspapers in the back of the car, together with two 2ft x 4ft pieces of sacking, though old carpet or even these cheap cotton rugs at 99p each would be fine. These are for slipping under the tyres to get some traction when I'm out in muddy situations and they work just as well for snowy conditions.Val.0
-
Went into town to stock up on essentials and both Sainsburys and Aldi have empty shelves in the salt and porridge sections. Looked like the next thing to run out would be flour and the cashline was out of cash. Just as well Aldi here accepts cards.I reserve the right not to spend.
The less I spend, the more I can afford.
Frugal living challenge - living on little in 2025 while frugalling towards retirement.0 -
Carrie, we thought we were sooo smart having 2 coalboxes, one was for emergencies only and never used. Tried to open it this morning ( minus 9 here) and the bl**dy thing is a frozen block of wood with a frozen block of coal inside it !
if we get desperate I suppose we could just shove some firelighters in & have a barbecue ...:)
:rotfl::rotfl:oh mardatha (aka "favourite pagan granny") - we'd SO miss your comments if you werent here....:rotfl::rotfl:0 -
downshifter wrote: »Netto have got cheap 15 tog duvets in all sizes at the moment, I have been looking for a reasonably priced one for ages for my motorhome. I bought the king size one for £10 yesterday and as I haven't any heating and live in a very exposed situation out in the wilds it was heaven to sleep under last night - with a white duvet cover it looked like a big deep snow drift - but warm, so warm.
Temp has gone up to minus one this morning (but minus 7 windchill) which is the warmest for weeks, maybe things are looking up.
DS
Oh yes...I HUGELY recommend duvets...got 'em on my bed and got a cheapie single duvet amongst my stock of throws.....WELL worth it...I was totally astonished at JUST how cheaply I could get a cheapie single duvet from Arg*s some months back. I couldnt believe my luck basically - and duly bought one:D Ooh....it just feels SO comforting to wrap oneself up in a duvet and hotwater bottle or two - bliss....
I just LU...R...V...E duvets/hotwater bottles/fleece dressing gowns and halogen heaters....LU....R...V...E....0 -
Nippyone, try equestrian or smallholders suppliers, they usually have salt in stock
Our council don't give it away unfortunately.
well...I've been wondering whether to throw "exhausted" compost from my foodgrowing containers over the pavement or no....
would it actually help to keep the pavement a bit easier to walk on on the one hand - or would it make it harder and people might slip and fall and I'd be wondering whether my insurance cover might "take a hit" on the other hand?
Does anyone know?0 -
Watch out for Halogen heaters folks. I learned to my cost that although theoretically cheaper to run that's because they give off less heat than other heaters so you need to crank them up and then you're using 1200 watts and you still have to sit very close to it to get any heat.
Just a warning if you were going to donate them to an elderly neighbour as they may not end up thanking you when they get their bill.
0 -
I think compost might get very slippery and messy once the thaw starts?Official DFW Nerd No 096 - Proud to have dealt with my debt!0
This discussion has been closed.
Confirm your email address to Create Threads and Reply
Categories
- All Categories
- 351K Banking & Borrowing
- 253.1K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
- 453.6K Spending & Discounts
- 244K Work, Benefits & Business
- 598.9K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
- 176.9K Life & Family
- 257.3K Travel & Transport
- 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
- 16.1K Discuss & Feedback
- 37.6K Read-Only Boards