Preparing for winter II

toottifrootti

Thanks to Rainy Days I now have a list of what i need to do and its terrifyingly long:eek::eek::eek::eek::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: and I have next to no money just now but hey-ho will work on it - I might just be ready for this time next year:D
[FONT=&quot]Winter Checklist[/FONT][FONT=&quot]

Clothes
Wash all coats, scarves gloves
Find cosy jumpers and cardigans
Repair or buy new socks[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Put away[/FONT] [FONT=&quot] all your summer clothes in either those vacuum bags or in a suitcase for the following year
Polish all shoes and boots
Go back through clothing checking what you need and what you need to replace. Think - what will I wear - what do I need?
All handbags sorted through and cleaned/leather treated and stored[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
Food
Stock up on tinned products such as soup, rice pudding, baked beans and spaghetti. These items will keep as good store cupboard standbys.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Soup, beans and general long life bits and bobs bought in.
Check and clean out your freezer, make a list of what you have and what you need to buy in. Keep at least two loaves of bread in the freezer. Stock up from butcherIf anything crops up on BOGOF and it will keep/freeze for winter buy it and store it.
Make a start on your Christmas food shopping list, allot of it can be frozen.
Buy in sacks of potatoes direct from a farmer, it will be cheaper than buying individual bags form the supermarket- protect them from frost in garage or shed.
put milk in freezer[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
House and garden
get chimney swept and checked if suitable for using if not find out about a stove
Snow Shovel
By in your logs and coal now while cheap deals are on offer. If you can and you have storage buy in your winters stock in one go.
Clean your home[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Including Washing all light units and glass shades in the house
get door curtains from N when she comes home[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]get door curtains hung[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]get pole hung for spare room[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]get curtains for spare room[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Clear away all fallen leaves[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Covers put over outside bathroom and kitchen drains to stop leaves
get draught excluder for the front door
Clean windows inside and out
Launder all your throws and cushions
keep a torch on standby and use in emergency.
Buy in Flannelette sheets. If buying from new make sure you wash and dry your sheets to remove the preservative that the manufacturers use to keep them damp and mildew free.
Think about treating the bird table[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Put all garden furniture away [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Cut back [/FONT][FONT=&quot]everything in the garden late October to give your garden a big boost the following Spring. Roses love this!
Wash curtains and cushion covers
Buy in or make dehumidifiers from Pound stores or use household salt in a bowl to draw in moisture.
Oil all shed and gates locks, it will prevent rust and stop them seizing up when you most need to open them.
If your interior doormats can be washed in the machine do them.
Re-silicone shower areas where the silicone has turned black or mouldy, take it out and redo it. Easy job but so often overlooked. Having the window open also allows the silicone to cure or go off better. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Re grout floor tiles in bathroom
Wash your vacuum cleaner filters out. It will help with your HEPA filter and keep your home cleaner as well, it will also make your vacuum work and perform better.
Conservatories, clean inside and out, make sure that your seat covers and cushions are washed and that all the frames are clean.
Put away all garden pots and ornaments if they are not frost proof and protect them.
Check lightbulbs and outside security lighting if broken replace or repair.
Buy in batteries now.
Put food out for the birds they will so thank you for it. Buy in their food now while it is plentiful.
make sure that the battery in your bathroom scales is new after the Christmas blast
Paint the gates and the hand rail
Clean and polish wheelchair - remember to charge even when not in use
Finish tidying in the garage
find leaks in garage
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]deal with leaks in garage
get new duvet when at cousins
pipe roses[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
fill in holes/ cracks etc
gather up fallen leaves from drains etc
Clean windows
plant hyacinth bulbs for Christmas
empty tubs and refil with winter pansies[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]find torches[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] Left To Purchase that I know of!
hot water bottle covers
batteries
compost
potatoes
flannelette sheets
rugs
door mats
snow shovel
plants
bed socks
pjs
curtains
pipe roses[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Cosy socks for boots[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Hammerite black paint to finish off the gates![/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]curtains[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]food and cleaning materials[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]hopefully thats it:rotfl:


sorry but cant get the bold off!
[/FONT]

mumoffour77

Right.....
Today, I have been to an asian supermarket
And got NUMEROUS spices!!

lots of dried chilli's (they should insulate some food in our belly's)
millions of noodles, rice wine, and 4ltrs of HP brown sauce!!

Got the rest of the uniforms bought....except for DS1.....have to wait on GCSE results!!!

Rainy-Days

Good Grief Tooti :eek: I thought the remainder of my list was no joke! My list looks tame in comparrison to yours. Our gates look superb now and we did ours with Hammerite, damn expensive that stuff but it is worth it. If you find a tin with a dent in ask for a discount

I suppose thinking about it, money wise, I would guesstimate that ours for the whole caboodle has come in at around £55.00. I haven't bought anything clothing wise for winter apart from a pair of new slippers. Obviously when we stock up at Joseph Morris for the meat then yes thats going to be a big outlay, but that comes off the overall cost of our food shopping as do the sacks of potatoes.

Allot of stuff we have had from a couple of years back such as the fence stain and the silicone for the shower. The blacking for the log burner comes in a tube and you don't use too much of it so that lasts pretty much from one year to the next. Most of it has been elbow grease and determination. The shed and gates won't need to be painted again next year - hopefully, so that brings the costs of those down a bit further as that is protected for at least three years. Once I have put the house to 'bed' for the winter then I will turn my attention to Christmas food. I have also put in a buffer of £250.00 in our current account for January which deals with buying food and keeping us ticking over in what is a lean month. We will have to wait until month end to get paid so it's about five or so weeks from the last pay! That money has saved us from having to use the credit card to buy food every year we have done it (last 16 years).

toottifrootti

:rotfl:Rainy I did tell you when i joined this thread that I had lots to do and i wasnt joking but even I have gone pale when I look at the list:eek::rotfl: but thats the first step - will print it off I think as well soits always in front of me.

oooooooooooooooooh we are having a thunderstorm - the rain is pelting down. oh jings this is not nice!

things are generally a bit tougher for me so I need to be better organised than before and I am quite likely to be stuck inside for days maybe even weeks so will need to try and get as much of this done as possible to feel prepared - as long as I am more organised by end november I will be happy - famous last words:D

I have not really made proper arrangements before so yes it will cost me more but like you say i will have some things next year - I didnt buy clothes for the last 2 winters but will have to get jumpers and or cardigans as I have next to nothing and i cant knit quick enough!!!

I have been buying morrisons stamps in preparation for january when I expect to be broke!!!

helen_jelly

Ohh a Toots List - I love a Toots List - I've already borrowed bits from Rainydays list so now going back to check your list Toots and copy what I need to do that I haven't thought of

Thank you

Helen x

bramble1

Are these prices too good to be true?

http://www.reddevotion.info/Products-95-165-33.html

toottifrootti

helen_jelly wrote: »

Ohh a Toots List - I love a Toots List - I've already borrowed bits from Rainydays list so now going back to check your list Toots and copy what I need to do that I haven't thought of

Thank you

Helen x

hi Helen - well my list comes from Rainy's list so you probably have most of it!!!:rotfl:
hope you are ok
toots xx

sparrer

Been reading and using many of the suggestions as I'm now annoyingly not able to move about too much, so thank you very much to all the posters for some common sense OS suggestions. Been scouring the local papers and freecycle for heavy fabric without success (everyone's doing the same, I think ) so looked on the well known auction site, and 'won' 16 metres of heavy curtaining for £10 . All my ground floor doors are single glazed with the exception of the back door, so it'll go a long way to keeping the cold out. All I need now is to keep my eye out for some old sheets or blankets to line them with .

tugrin

Hi - I've been lurking here for a few days and trying not to get too depressed at my lack of energy for getting prepared!! My top of the list thing this year isnt exactly money saving but merino wool base layers CANNOT be beaten - AND you can wear them for days without the least bit of worry about then getting smelly. It truly is a wonder fabric and Im willing to pay for a pair of leggings this year on the strength of my daughters gap year experience in northern India in March (basically the beginning bits of the Himalayas) with no heatinn and only wooden shutters not glass in the windows. Expensive but Im going to change into them when I get home from work and turn the thermaostat down!

chrissiethechippy

Confuzzled wrote: »

good girl, lots of loo roll, makes me so proud *sniff* :rotfl:

since you have tampons on your list (very important if you're of a certain age ladies, don't forget!) might i also suggest that if birth control is being used that that is in place as well... long winter nights with no heat or electricity could lead to unintentional summer babies!

Hi, I've been a lurker for a while, popping in to have a look every so often

Just a thought, but for any women who use sanitary stuff, have you ever thought of buying a mooncup? They're eco friendly, good for your health and you never get caught short! It took me ages to buy one, but I wouldn't ever go back now!


I'm hoping to line my curtains soon, but have never done it before, so that should be fun! I have a big thick curtain for the front door which should make a huge difference, I just need to put it up!

I'm slowly stocking up on tins and I have quite a bit of pasta and rice tucked away.

I'm in desperate need of winter clothes. I got a 'new' coat the other day (as new Next coat for 50p at the carboot, got to love a bargain!) and I have scarves and gloves, just no jumpers or decent winter boots.

The kids are pretty much sorted

Still got a lot to do, but I love autumn and winter, so I don't mind, I quite like it