Winter Money Saving Tips?

Tixy

gem68 wrote: »

hi,if you are putting extra blankets on your beds do you put them over or under the duvet?
thankyou

When its really cold I put it on top of the duvet on the bottom half of the bed but then tuck it in under the matteress so that all the air is trapped in (like a sleeping bag). Snug!

foxgloves

You really can cut energy costs by doing all the kinds of things outlined in above posts. When our electricity & gas went up to 72.00 and 80.00 a month a year ago, it was the push we both needed. Payments were reduced about 6 months ago and again last month so we are now paying less than half of that....in addition, despite the long cold winter, we received a refund. Putting extra layers on in winter was a big saver for us so that heating went on when we were cold, not when we got in from work out of habit. We also chose to heat one downstairs room well & used that on an evening as otherwise we're paying to heat empty rooms. We always set the washing machine to come on at night because we've got the cheaper night time tariff and we now do the same with the breadmaker & depending on what we're cooking, the slowcooker. Make thick curtains to hang over doors, switch off lights when they are not used & if you are making one cup of tea, just boil one cup of water......I was the world's worst for boiling a whole kettle to make one drink. See if you can get one of those energy monitors as it REALLY concentrates the mind on avoiding wastage if you see the numbers go shooting up. Ours was free from Npower. Some of the most nutritious warming foods can be the easiest & cheapest to cook....soups, stews, casseroles, etc. Get a nice fake fur throw & keep it over the back of your sofa....if it starts getting chillier, don't turn the heating up until you've put it round you first to see if that warms you up, as that's free. If no-one is actually watching TV or using the computer, switch them off. Energy costs too much just to have stuff on as 'background'. Go to your local market & buy a big thick pair of hiking socks. On very cold evenings, wear those....not the sexiest look, I know, but I found last year that I was often putting extra heating on because my feet were cold, while the rest of me was OK.....a thick woolly pair of walking socks did the trick (except husband's nicked 'em now!)