Preparing for winter II

saveabobortwo

been up at the crack of dawn this morning as have been under the weather with a wicked sore throat and stomach ache thought cant lay awake anymore got things to do so been up with skylark taking christmas tree decs down and cleaning keeps mind of ailments,going to get all my wood i collected and cones in the shed from the summer and start making up some fires instead of having heating on so much collected loads last year. house looks bare without christmas sparkle so givingit a good clean and will get some pretty scented candles i collected last year to light with the fires will do this now as january gloomy month and ds and dh and myself always miss xmas decs. something about an open fire and candles creates lovely warm feel so hopefully this will cheer everyone up especially as they have been under the weather too. makes me cross a bit as tried very very hard this year to keep everyone warmer and prepare with warming foods and homemade cough and cold remedies but still have caught the lergy but have coped with it much better than last year have cleaned everything now making a hot drink and going back to bed.

mardatha

Keep warm and take lots of vitC We are back to snow and a white world again. I dont get fedup after New Year though, because I know the year's on the turn. Spring is on the way LOL! bit of a long road though lolol

marmiterulesok

free4440273 wrote: »

very often, people complain about cold feet and that in turn can make the body feel cold/ a hot water bottle at night is often a very good cure I find/ often, you only need it in the bed for an hour or two -- makes a huge difference and feels snug /

I agree,having cold feet will keep you awake!

I wear a knee-length pair of thin woollen socks and a lined pair of thicken woollen bed socks when I turn in.Very toasty.

(I also have a fleece blanket under the fitted sheet,a winter duvet plus three blankets on top.I wear a brushed cotton vest under my pyjamas.).

With all this I don't need a hot water bottle.;)

downshifter

Here we go again, surrounded by that white stuff so housebound again today. I'm very fed up with it, I keep prodding the ground where I just know there are snowdrops and willing them to show themselves, but so far - nada zilch and nothing! I do however have a couple of bulbs in the bed right next to the house which are peeping through - so there's hope yet!

I've had the offer of a free house energy audit, apparently it will be in depth. Has anyone ever had one of these and can tell me what's involved? In other words, do I have to start the cleaning now?

I wonder what he will make of the bubble wrap on windows/ triple curtains / clingfilm everywhere /pillow stuffed up chimney etc as well as all the other things we on this thread know and love!! Maybe he'll give me a job!

Anyone ever had this done?

Thanks

DS

mrssnowy_2

Frugal_Dreamer wrote: »

My New Year OS resolutions (more objectives for Jan/Feb really) are:
Make patchwork cushions from fabric samples (free) I have been acquiring
Turn foraged fruit in my freezer into jam.
More country walks and nature outings with son (age 5).
Make much more HM food.
Read more.
Clear house of clutter.

Lovely resolutions/objectives FD,I was thinking along those lines
-but I only have grandchildrenx3,age 5 down to take walking:D(wish they lived closer,nearest is over 150miles away!)
We have had over 2 inches of snow this morning,glad I went and did a HUGE shop yesterday-but forgot the salt,again.Our local Sp#r ran out of it 10 days ago.
Ah well back to Yaktrak,nordic poles and walking boots as well as assorted layers,very fetching.
House has been lovely and warm,no probs there.
Only had 1 small power cut,and water disruption for a few days but never without.
B washing machine just packed up tho',gone through all cycle but drum not moving.:(WM engineer may come today but he is snowed in 12 miles away!!

hey ho

mrss

sexki11en

Grrrrr.....despite the fact that our boiler has frozen regularly and we never have the thermostat above 18 degrees in the house (only when we're in and we work all day) Eon inform us yesterday that they're upping our DD's from £88 a month to £137 a month :eek:

Windows are bubblewrapped, draught excluders under every door, log/coal fire going in the evenings and we're still hit with this. It's got to be due to price rises as we were fixed until November and have gone onto the next best deal, but last year £88 kept us in credit.

This 1/4 we used £314.46 gas and £95.60 electric.

Luckily, I start my new job in a few weeks so we'll have more money and we're moving as soon as we can find a new place but how can they justify prices like that when we're not even warm most of the time in our own homes?

I know the house isn't insulated as when the bolier went off over Christmas, the pipes in the attic burst (3 of them) as they weren't even lagged!!! We rent tho and refuse to put money into a property that's not ours.

SK x

redlady_1

Why not cancel the direct debit and put the money in a savings account so you earn a bit of interest on it? That is a flipping big jump SK!

downshifter

sexki11en wrote: »

I know the house isn't insulated as when the bolier went off over Christmas, the pipes in the attic burst (3 of them) as they weren't even lagged!!! We rent tho and refuse to put money into a property that's not ours.

SK x

But if you pay to have the roof insulated (mine cost £99) then you will get back in heat and more importantly quickly get back the money you've invested. My house is rented and the difference that doing the loft has made is phenomenal! You will earn it back in no time. You'll be putting money in your own pocket.

DS

sexki11en

downshifter wrote: »

But if you pay to have the roof insulated (mine cost £99) then you will get back in heat and more importantly quickly get back the money you've invested. My house is rented and the difference that doing the loft has made is phenomenal! You will earn it back in no time. You'll be putting money in your own pocket.

DS

It's too late to bother now, we're moving as LL is selling the house. TBH, we didn't realise how bad it was until the pipes burst. The whole heating system is really inefficient as it's a real bodge job (as are the electrics and everything else) We're glad to be getting out of there!

SK x

rachbc

snowing here today - took us by surprise tbh as no time to watch the forecast last couple of days. Hubby working late so very glad there is a box of blankets, warm clothes, water and snacks in the back of the car already just in case - all thanks to this thread