Preparing for winter II

newworld_2

thanks to everyone who has posted and suggested ideas to prepare for winter. it better be freezing coz im looking forward to winter now. :j

so far i have
- bought two brand new hot water bottles with covers reduced to half price from a charity shop, i pink and one blue perfect for my me and my son
- got a draft excluder from netto in their closing down sale reduced to 2 pounds. i had seen a few from other shops costing more than 6 pounds and i jus wasnt willing to part with that much. i had decided i was going to make one with some old sheets and pillow cases so have now saved myself some time.
- bought insulated gloves from netto for 2 pounds and they only had one pair left.
- also bought one of those clothes airers to dry clothes on as i find that sometimes i put the heating on jus to dry clothes used it yesterday coz it rained and i bought it for 3 pounds in netto
- knitted my son a scarf and bought myself a coat
- ordered hats, gloves, scarves and slippers off sports direct

am going to miss netto so much coz it helped me save loads of money over the years. i still have loads to do. i was planning on chucking my quilt and my curtains coz i needed new ones but thanks to you guys they are not going anywhere i am going to double them to keep ourselves warm.

keep the suggestions coming ladies and gents

metherer

Thats a great start newworld. And far better to think about getting ready now, rather than leaving it til Autumn and thinking you wish you'd got bits in summer when you saw them cheap.

Kitchenbunny

After this weekend, we've discovered another few things to add to the winter to do list.

- DH needs new waterproofs. In spite of finding DH's old ones, they're not really up to scratch and new ones are needed. He'd rather have a two piece, so I'll keep my eyes open for that.
- We need additional gas canisters for the camping lantern and stove. If I can hold off until the end of the camping season I'll get some when the money off everything offers start.
- New candles are needed, and some more matches. As a last resort, I want to get some of the windproof/waterproof matches so that even if the matches get flooded or soaked they should still strike.

Have a good weekend, everyone.

KB xx

paidinchickens

I rarely go shopping in non food stores but I had to go to town and thought I would price up wellies ready for the coming winter. All the boys have moved up a size! so went in a price search for two pairs of gogs (youngest gets the hand me downs:o)

Am I the only person who goes shopping and only sees price tags???:eek:
I saw people laden with bags and bags of stuff.......kids with burgers,sweets and wafting notes (yes notes:eek:) around.

Well I am not paying a stupid amount on a two pairs of wellies which they will only wear a week or two and if I have a garage full of outgrown gogs then so must other people so I am going to have an ask around swap wellies week!

Things I have done so far
candles/torches in key place round the house
wind up radio
generator serviced by DH and running fine
salt/grit four large bag of (scrounged for free)
Door curtains still up from last year:o
jumpers still in wardrobes as have not put them away yet lol
stack of Mr S value hot choc

Things to do

Three of us have wellies just two more pairs needed
snow shovel (DH has had an eye on an old one at work they have bought new so hopefully free)
gloves three pairs needed
window fleece for front room (bedrooms get too hot)
check guttering when it stops raining
switch water off and check for any leaks or drips

candie_gill

thought i would let everyone know about some curtain hooks i have found. Wilkos do them too i think. Basically they are a normal ring on a curtain pole with like a mini clip that you clip the curtain onto. You can either use them to clip your curtains up as i have (will clip fleece behind in september time). Or you can alternate between your normal rings on the pole and clip the fleece up that way. Easier then pinning or sewing as easily detatched come summer. Cheapest decent fleece i can find is in asda for £3.50 it is, they do it in brown, cream and red. Im going to getit in brown as i have brown curtains. Starting to wonder if buying curtain lining would be cheaper hmmm

candie_gill

Ooooh, after my last rant about the price of asda fleece throws going up, i have found some lovely brown ones reduced to £1.99 in argos, reserved four to pick up tomorrow.
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/1110755/Trail/searchtext%3EFLEECE.htm

Also found this, of no use to me but may be to someone else. They also have draught sealent for doors cheap too
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/7172106/c_1/2|category_root|Garden+and+DIY|14418702/c_2/2|14418702|Home+insulation|14418959.htm?Price+Cut=1

Tracey.32

Spotted this thread last night and read several pages (only about the last 10!). It's certainly making me think about the coming winter and how I can cut costs a bit - my monthy payment for gas and electric has recently gone up by £40, and that's BEFORE the on-going price hikes so goodness only knows how much it will go up to.

Just been on sports direct (thanks for that Candie_Gill!) and spent about £28. Got 9 pairs thermal socks and 2 pairs of gloves to go along with the 2 pairs I have in the house from last winter. DD 'lost' at least 3 pairs last year, so I need to have extras in. Maybe I should put hers on a string around her neck, although not such a good look for a 16 year old! Got some other bits too - lush boots at half price, although they're not very wintery.

Been looking today at fleece underblankets (Arg0$ and Mr T got em in for about £10 single; £13 double). We don't have spare duvets to go under the fitted sheets so thinking about getting these instead. Mine is a kingsize tho so probably have to get that one somewhere else. Should keep us a bit warmer and worth a try before I look at electric blankets I think.

I would like to get door curtains at both front and back but not sure how to hang them. My doors are UPVC and have a door height glass panel positioned right alongside (like as a single unit, frosted glass if you know what I mean?). Both front and rear halls are only one storey and have low ceilings right above the door/panel unit and as the doorway is at a right-angle to an internal doorframe, there is nowhere to fix a curtain rail. Not sure I have explained it well but I'd be grateful if anyone had any ideas?

I've made a big list already and come payday I will be fleece-hunting! Thank you so much to everyone for all the tips and great ideas too.

candie_gill

Last thermal blind put up in my LO room today, now need to buy some thermal lined curtains and his room is all done. Surely having the double barrier at the window will make a huge difference as before we decorated he had a vertical blind and unlined curtains.

Still need to do sooo much, last year i wasnt prepared at all and it showed. Need to buy my LO a winter duvet too, he has a summer one atm but for winter he will need something much thicker- going to make a list of what i need to buy and price it up the cheapest i think

Chillout5892

I've been watching you buy woollen hats, but for me once it gets really cold, or there's a wind they are just not effective. So I have bought one of those fake fur Russian Hats with the flaps that tie on the top of your head, that when cold you can undo so they cover your ears and neck. :cool:I bought one a few years ago but it was too small and I ended up giving it away.

The hats are called 'Ushanka' and they are sized. Measure the largest part of your head (usually just above your ears and not too tightly) and add 2 cms. It's important it's not too large or else you get a draft around your neck. On the Russian sites you also have a choice of different types of furs, fake and real and you get the red army badge!

At the moment the exchange rate is very good for us. My hat cost $10.99 (£6.60) p&p $12.95 so today that's £14.81. I know once the snow's here, I'll be thankful. I'm looking at this as an investment that's going to last for years.

Anyhow, I thought I'd pass on my research to you. This is the lowest price Ushanka site I can find on eb. You can get them for children and in different colours too. By the way, as it gets colder the prices go up and the exchange rate may not be as good as it is at the moment, Exchange rate: 1 British Pound = 1.57603 US Dollars. :rotfl:I paid nearly £1=$1 for the one I gave away! :mad:

If I find a site that sells a decent fake fur version of the beautiful Russian women's hats called chapka's or mongolka, I'll tell you.

life_in_termoil

wow that was quick. Only ordered from sports direct yesterday morning and its just been delivered!!!