Preparing for winter II

sammy_kaye18

Morning - well the reality of it getting colder is starting to sink in now because I've been woken by Holly and we are in front room, its chilly but ok. Holly went to sleep with baby grow, long sleeved PJ top, trousers and scratch mittens as I find her hands get really cold, and have put a fleece blanket down on bottom of her cot but then once she's laid on it Im folding the bottom over onto her so she's in a fleece sort of sleeping baggy but the sides aren't sewn ---- does that description make any sense??? because her little feet were cold the other night and all her sleep suits are on radiators.

Also becoming very aware that our gas meter eats so much money its ridiculous! Cant wait till Friday or next week when I can put more on as I think we are down to £6 at the minute! although there is £5 emergency on there too. and the electric is on about £13 with a few pound emergency. It hit me though that once the cold weather hits it could be getting very chilly indeed so need to get some more money on those asap and build up a winter supply!

Fingers crossed my mum will bring the new curtains up on Saturday with her - big thick velvet ones that were in my nans huge window until she moved back to Ireland so that will help in the living room somewhat and I think Ill get doubling up the curtains this week in ours and ben's room - need to find out the other curtains that are in the airing cupboard.

Also our car MOT is up and the car wont re-pass it without a few £100 of work on it so boyfriend is going to start cycling back and forth to work. Dreading it as the winter weather sets in, need to get something sorted asap. Although its £54 for a train ticket it will cut out a good chunk of his journey and save him about £100 in petrol a month, and no insurance, tax etc but welsh weather is no fun. Unless I find him some nice warm long johns.

New pyjamas are definitely on the card too. x

diddly74

Hi guys.

I seem to be spending an awful lot of time on MSE catching up on threads and getting tips - that I don't have time to action them!!! :rotfl:

I have rigged up a curtain in the garage so now that is a bit warmer for the dogs, tho I do need to sort out the storage in there, and see what space I have! Also need to purchase curtain poles/rails for putting over the doors so that I can get some door curtains to cut down on the drafts.

I have started to batch cook in the SW too and am filling up the freezer and tore cupboard slowly, but I really need to get these assignments finished this week - they are due in on Friday so I guess I will be stuck on this chair for the foreseeable future!

But my biggest problem today (apart from getting the assignments done -which I am finding very hard) is our heating. When it went cold and rainy last week I popped the heating on, not for ages but enough to warm the house and help with the drying of clothes. But this weekend the heating wouldn't go off - despite the thermostat being turned to 10° the rads were too hot to touch. We moved into this new house, and its rented (after owning previously) what do I need to do about this? Do I get my own plumber in? Or do I need to tell my landlord first and give him a chance to get his own man in. The only way I can currently turn the heating off is to throw the switch in the airing cupboard.

The upstairs rads have thermostat valves on them so once I get the hang of them properly the upstairs can be kept "comfortable" but it means the lounge will be too hot to handle! Little rad in porch also needs bleeding as it was warm at the bottom but cold at the top. Must learn how to do that!

anguk

Diddly74, the heating is the responsibility of the landlord so give them a ring.

pupsicola

After last years awful winter I have cleared out the garage of all the rubbish. Most of it down the tip, some things given away to family and friends and other stuff in the loft.

Has made room for a big chest freezer so I can bulk buy, making best of 2 for 1 offers etc. Wont have to panic about running low on essentials and having to treck out in bad weather.

Can also get car in there now so no more scraping ice off in the mornings.

mustrum_ridcully

pupsicola wrote: »

After last years awful winter I have cleared out the garage of all the rubbish. Most of it down the tip, some things given away to family and friends and other stuff in the loft.

Has made room for a big chest freezer so I can bulk buy, making best of 2 for 1 offers etc. Wont have to panic about running low on essentials and having to treck out in bad weather.

Can also get car in there now so no more scraping ice off in the mornings.

Once you've used a garage during winter you'll wonder why you never did before - no more scraping ice off the windscreen or clearing the car of snow :T

Vaila

yesterday we put up our "winter " curtains, usually in the halls, small bedroom we just have blinds up but thats been all really

hmc

rang my dunelm and they have nothing on offer for door curtains, sad now lol

galadrielfay

Hello
Hope i may join you - just discovered this brilliant thread by accident - i was searching to find out if it was better to heat my lounge with my old gas fire (fitted in the wall, no artificial flames, no bars, just turn the dial click and it goes on after 10 second count.) - or to turn on the central heating with rooms turned off except the lounge - instead. Looking through old threads, it seems to be central heating one room which is cheaper? This is my first winter newly retired, and all my chicks having flown the nest too. So i am looking to cut down the gas bills etc. Glad to find there is a community doing that on msn. Thanks for all the good ideas.

Magpie27

hmc wrote: »

rang my dunelm and they have nothing on offer for door curtains, sad now lol

The curtain I got wasn't a door curtain just a single curtain that was long enough for a door and because it was missing the other curtain they were selling it off very cheap. They had loads of single curtains on sale at mine maybe it would be best to go and look

mennie

eeeeeeeeeek I have lost my list in the old thread

I am getting organised. I still have alot of the foodie bits to get, OH isnt keen and thinks I am being a drama queen, so needing to hide them;)

I had got the following

• King Size flannel sheet
• 6 fleeces
• 13.5 tog duvet
• 10m stick on velcro tape
• 2 draught excluders
• fully (over) stocked medicine cabinet, despite an outbreak of man flu last week
• loads of candles and matches
• loads of batterys
• torches
• hotwater bottles.
• Found powercut number
• Have loads of toiletries
• Have loads of Cleaning products
• Have loads of puzzles, books, games etc for powercuts
• Have at least 3 weeks of meals in the freezer

What I have to do is

• Buy and store (hide) store cupboard essentials
• line my curtains with velcro tape and fleeces
• Swap over to winter bedding
• get draught excluders down from the loft
• find cheap microwavable heat bags - any ideas?
• Make dog coat from old fleece
• sew buttons on last years winter coat
• find good cheap flat boots
• buy thermals for each of us
• find a cheap 2nd hand non cordless phone
• Find cheap large flask

It is definatley feeling like winter is upon us. But the heating is not going on for at least another 3-4 weeks.:rotfl: