Preparing for winter II

wattapain

Well sorry to all you poor people who are suffering, but here in Essex ( !!!), it is dry as a bone - having to water the veg patch 2 or 3 times a week.

Everything is weeks early, and we really need rain - wish you could send us some of yours!!

bluebag

mardatha wrote: »

Somebody tell me to get on with knitting socks for the winter. I canny be bothered

Sack it man, just buy 'em. Life is just too short for some things!

jamanda

I've just been a bit naughty. Littlewoods have offers on BOGOF on bedding. They have flannelette (sp?) duvet cover sets. Now thinking about how cold it was last year, I've been hankering after these but decided they were too expensive.

However, BOGOF caught me, and I've bought a duvet set and also sheet, bogof = 2 duvet sets + 2 sheets for £51. I don't think that is bad at all. I seem to recall they were more than this for one set when I was pricing them before.

oldtractor

we now have hot water bottles and a spare duvet for snuggling on the sofa. I intend to hang a door curtain on the living room door. i could do with a thick rug for the living room. havent saved up for it yet though. must try freegle.ETA we bought half a tonne of coal last week. will buy some more in July when I have saved up for it.

jamanda

Glad its not just me sorting out winter in June. We've been buying a few bags of coal every month around pay day as well.

seafarers_wife

I really need to get started on this as am in the process of moving to a new house. its bigger and older with a back boiler and a really old hideous hot water tank so im assuming my bills are going to skyrocket :mad:, especially as i will be on maternity leave from november.

I do still have plenty of grit from last years stock pile when i went out an bought a pile so at least i have enough to see me through this winter if needed. I also have lots of fleece bedding and throws so all the bedding is set for winter.

I suppose the plan is as follows

curtain up in hall over front door
buy rug for front room
buy rug for our bedroom
boiler and fire to be serviced
stock up on freezer stuff as will have much bigger freezer than last year.
stock up on baby stuff, napies etc so dont run out if weather really bad
buy curtains x 2 for hall windows
buy curtains for patio doors
buy extra clothes horse/heated rail due extra washing because of baby
buy new slippers for me
buy new dressing gown for me
make new emergency box for house: torch, candles, matches, chocolate, corded landline
make new emergency box for car: nappies, wipes, blanket x 2, wind up phone charger, cereal bars, bottles of juice/water, £20 in mix of notes and change, torch, warning triangle and walking boots.

think thats it to be getting on with.

lushlifesaver

Ah,an almost major bit of winter dread just hit me...this will be my first winter where I will be driving having passed my driving test (test in a month or so, getting a car thanks to a donation from my lovely parents!) I already have a few things I'll throw in the back (fleece blanket/s, old cushions, bin bags, 2 waterproof jackets spare socks and shoes, cereal bars, water etc) but I have no idea what sort of motoring related supplies I'll need/are good to keep. Can any one point me towards a list?

Petlamb

Thinking ahead to winter, I have to say I really hope we'll have moved, as this flat is a nightmare to heat.

Even in the summer it's chilly, in the winter it's near arctic. I honestly don't know what it is that does it, with the thick walls of this place you'd think it's retain heat not be a perma-fridge...

Regardless of where we are though, I'm happy we have our leccy blanket (my christmas pressie last year from my folks) as that was a godsend in the latter part of last winter. I'll need to have a think about what else we can do. I know it sounds daft, but facing a second winter in this ice fortress really makes me nervous.

[Deleted User]

I can see autumn racing on just in the plants, all the berries which are forming, blackberries, damsons and so on. It makes you take stock really and I am sure the seasons are coming quicker year on year now. I just received some fab fleeces by post, its a great time to get them very much reduced. Also got the barbeque fuel in just in case we have long power cuts as we are all electric.

I have been planning for winter for some time now wrt veg and have got great loads of winter veg on the go as salads are very plentiful in the garden but winter veg are the staples ie parsnips, cabbages, kales, swedes, potatoes, carrots. Just add a few tinned beans to a veg stew and that`ll be another days food sorted, so I am making sure I have dried/tinned beans in and also staples like tinned tomatoes and lots of grains as the farmers here are wringing their hands. Some have used their field margins this year as wheat is already up to approx £200 a tonne, double last year so think food as well as warmth

bramble1

I need find a way to make the bottom floor of my house keep the heat in. We've got a long corridor, a small bathroom and a large kitchen. All are aboslutely freezing in the winter, so the point where i don't like to go down there!! What can i do to keep some heat in? There are no radiators in the hall, a large on in the bathroom and a tiny one in the kitchen.

The bathroom has a skylight, then kitchen normal windows and back door.