Preparing for winter II

jem132

Hiya my Mum calls my stash the war chest she thinks its so funny that i have so much stuff stocked up . :j:j

She never goes away from my house empty handed and i never go to hers empty handed ethir ....

She lives in a brand new house every thing is painted white with wood floors Soooooooooooo cold :eek::eek:

She has got a log burner tho at the end of summer last year so cant wait to go round when its so cold :j

Confuzzled

annie123 wrote: »

http://www.wickes.co.uk/invt/219990
add lining paper over and paint.

B and q do one which is bubble wrap with space blanket glued on it but at £18 pr it's a lot dearer.

hmm if i wanted to try that i'd first get some bubble wrap, small section then cut out a small bit of a space blanket and try various types of glue to see if i could make my own... i'm certain it could be done for far less than £18 with a bit of ingenuity and patience.

thanks for the idea though i may try making some strips like that for the glass in my downstairs door, no one can ever see me coming down the stairs to answer the door anyway so why should i worry about blocking them up, i want to keep as much cold out as possible

Ida_Notion

Rainy-Days wrote: »

Woman lost for two weeks under home made bog roll mountain!

Muriel Ponsonby has narrowly survived being crushed by her homemade toilet roll mountain after MSE contributors warned of a doom and gloom weather scenario this winter. Mrs Ponsonby alarmed at what could be lack of toilet roll told Police rescuers that she stocked up on the special offers so that she didn't get caught short! But what turned out to be a warning went beyond obsession and Mrs Ponsonby purchased enough lavatory roll to supply Buckingham Palace 100 times over. After stocking up on more loo roll she opened the storage cupboard door in her home only to be deluged with a falling moutain of packs of the rolls and was partially buried underneath it. She was rescued after a neighbour heard her cries for help! :rotfl:

I've had visions of people on here stacking their toilet rolls against the walls of every room in their homes from floor to ceiling like wall insulation or some kind of inner igloo. You'd never go cold (or short!) again :rotfl:

Our house is a rental and we can't put nails or screws in the walls etc so we're a bit limited when it comes to putting up extra curtain rails and things, but preparations so far for a typical 'harsh' winter in this area (which usually amounts to the buses being taken off the road and half the schools closing because three milimeters of snow have fallen and another one is predicted) are well under way.

Thanks to this thread, I have got my Quishions and woolly tights in now, and a couple of bottles of water (Yellow Stickered for extra flavour : D). I have also got two more hot water bottles on the way, one of which is a replacement, and I have ordered another waterproof coat to replace the one that is starting to make youngest daughter look like an even more impoverished version of Oliver Twist. It occurs to me that if we buy really big coats for the kids then they can get so many woolies on underneath that they will be unable to bend their arms down at the shoulder, thus keeping them warm and providing us with convenient spots over which to drape damp laundry over to dry. Very MSE

I have always got a stock of candles in as we're quite prone to power cuts round here - actually remembering to put a couple of lighters in with the stash is now on the 'to-do' list too. Also remaining is to buy some salt to put in little pots on the windowsills to see if it helps absorb the tidal wave of condensation that advances on us every year. I also need to stock up on my medicines. I just buy the Beecham's stuff for my husband as it is the only known cure for ManFlu (AKA Galloping Malingeritis, which is apparently very serious), while the rest of us are content with hot lemon or blackcurrant squash with honey and a dose of paracetamol. Not only is this cheaper, but it means that you can still take the benefits of the blackcurrant/lemon and honey when you're not due for your dose of paracetamol. I am sure the good people of this thread will come up with something else I haven't got soon

There's no doubt that we can save a lot of money by being prepared for winter, but I think it's a mental thing as well as a moneysaving thing. It makes you feel cosy and snug (not to mention smug ) ahead of the event to know that you're ready for winter, and it gives you the feeling that you're in control and so your unpredictable opponent (Mother Nature) can be a bit less of a worry. I know it's unfashionable to say so because burning our bras at work should be a priority (yes, guys - you too ), but I think we also get a major glow from knowing we're taking care of our families too.

Thankfully mine don't realise we've only got nine and three-quarter toilet rolls between the lot of us here. I can just imagine the panic...

Confuzzled

Justamum wrote: »

I'm going to try these and I'm not even American - pure northern English!

Are kitchen scales as rare as hen's teeth in America? I only ask because everything seems to be measured in cups - even things you can't get into cups. Weighing is so much easier.

no you can get kitchen scales in the states ok, to be honest with the exception of messy items like butter, peanut butter and honey etc i find measuring cups easier because a cup is a cup is a cup so no need to drag out the scales at all. you can use the same measuring cup for the entire recipe if you're clever and measure the dry stuff first then the wet stuff...

i alternate now which type i use, if a recipe doesn't contain any really messy things i follow the american version if it does then i use the metric version and my scales. i think it's really just a matter of what you're used to, i found using the scale quite a faff when i first moved to scotland from the states now i'm used to it

also in the states sticks of margerine or butter are marked in tablespoons and/or cup marks like 1/4c, 1/2c etc so that makes it easier too

annie123

tugrin wrote: »

Annie -the b&q thing sound just the ticket nad I wouldnt mind paying £18 as the bathroom is tiny - maybe 5 metres square ceiling area - have you any more info?

My mistake it was at wicks too
http://www.wickes.co.uk/thermal-insulation-foil-roll/invt/210022/
says can be used on walls so don't see why it can't be used on ceilings.

b and q do sell something along the same lines for less but it doesn't say it can be used on walls;
http://www.wickes.co.uk/thermal-insulation-foil-roll/invt/210022/

Confuzzled

sparrer wrote: »

I have to admit I only have 24 loo rolls in my airing cupboard, I'm such a failure . But at least, unlike that poor dear Muriel P, I shall be safe from an avalanche...

don't feel bad, here i was thinking i was one of the loo roll aristocracy but when i checked i've only got 48 rolls (though big stock up IS on my lidl list for loo rolls, just waiting til later in the week when their dressers are on sale too) i've no cupboards to put mine in so they get stocked up under the basin and on top of the wardrobes :rotfl:

Confuzzled

SIRENS wrote: »

I love American biscuits, I got my Mum to bring some back from her hols for me, she brought those pop and fresh tube things and got stopped and searched at customs as when her bag went through the x-ray they thought she had some sort of pipes in her bag....oops!
They were yummy though:D:D

oh yes the 'whack em on the counter' biscuits i miss those actually, and they aren't even the greatest biscuits ever... i'm surprised she brought them home though, they're supposed to be kept refrigerated and are sold in the dairy section in the states :eek:

Rowan9

tugrin wrote: »

sparrer - I am older and the interesting thing is that when I was younger - a student in fact I really got into the self sufficiency thing convinced there was going to be a societal breakdown due to the cold war edginess of the time. This self sufficiency went as far as keeping a couple of sheep, shearing them by hand with old fashioned shears and learning to spin!!!! Growing veg was second nature and I was an expert on preserving and wine and beer making (used to drink then - lol). Lots of foraging (Richard Maybe Food for Free) Did the foil behind rads and had thick curtians everywhere - remember this was all pre internet so I spent hours in libraries and old book shops. Has a fried who had a jerset cow and she made cheese, sister had (still does) hens and I was on the point of keeping bees!!!
BUT THEN children arrived, marriage ended and I had to work all hours just to keep things together for kids and self and have to say over the years it all seeped away and I was the lego cook (just heat up and assemble food on plate) permanently exhausted and depressed to boot. Now I find I am middle aged and deeply depresse about the last 20 years of my life and not looking forward to the next 20. This board had been a real shot in the arm and although I still cry a lot - I actually feel as if I am DOING SOMETHING REAL FOR A CHANGE! For example Im going to make the plum jam this pm and I feel great about it.
You guys have ignited a long dead fire inside me and I am so gratefull to you all - big hugs from Norfolk!!!

Tugrin - I found your post really moving. I so hope that you are soon changing your mind about the future and not dreading it. What's gone is gone and the thing that's great is that you are getting interested in old style stuff again. I loved reading about your sheep and shearing! Wishing sunny days ahead for you. Enjoy that jam!
W

Rainy-Days

I know it's going off topic slightly but like Tugrin I feel I have found kindred spirits in this place - oh the power of the internet. I said to my friend the other day that I am turning into my mum, but in fairness my mum was a very careful and canny shopper and after my dad died my mum was able to have this knack of making a little stretch a very long way.

Life can be damn hard, so it's good to have a laugh every now and again and here in this place we are able to do just that. Maybe, thats what makes this a nice place to be. I shop differently now as I have got older, I don't hide behind sunglasses when coming out of Lidl and Aldi now hoping to goodness no one spots me . I also realise looking back with both disgust at myself and astonishment at how much money I have wasted. Tugrin - Don't think that I don't crash and burn every now and again because I do, I just find ways of digging myself out of a depressing state, the horses and dogs have been a life line for me many a time and stomping round the field when it is ratting it down with rain has helped to put some things in perspective! Yes I have become cyncical as I have got older, I feel like a ruddy hamster on the wheel of life just going round and round, but I also know that life does balance out in the end the good times and the bad, it's just that more often than not we remember the bad times because that is what ingrains itself in our psyche!

Peace to everyone who needs it

cat_smith

Ida_Notion wrote: »

It occurs to me that if we buy really big coats for the kids then they can get so many woolies on underneath that they will be unable to bend their arms down at the shoulder, thus keeping them warm and providing us with convenient spots over which to drape damp laundry over to dry. Very MSE

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:Do you think that would work with the dog? I haven't got any kids to try it on?

I can't do anything about my winter stash until I get back up north, but loo roll is definitely on the list. Don't know what else as I'm not sure what DH will vacuum from the shelves while I'm away. I did leave a basket in the freezer full of home made meals, bread, milk and cheese for him, but I'm sure he'll decimate my baked beans and soup stashes. Bless him.