Preparing for winter III

bluebag

lizzyb1812 wrote: »

I think it was an invite to a party held by a lady by the name of Ann, initial S, who wanted to market clothes that would not be practical outside in winter :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Ohhhhhhhhhh, I see!

Nah, rather chat on here and eat sweeties thanks.:)

Forgot to say,thanks. That was a pretty neat reply considering the subject.

Rummer

Evening!

I have been slowly building up my winter car kit and I also bought a pair of winter boots today. Already have a pair of snow boots but these will be ideal for work when it is wet and not snowy.

Still nagging my beloved to get the curtains up as it is really getting cold now. Probably best to turn my mind to store cupboard filling

SpikyHedgehog

Had to tell DS2 last night that he needed to go back into pull-ups at night as we've had 2 or 3 wet beds a week even with my lifting him before I go to bed. He sleeps so soundly he doesn't wake up & doesn't drink much at school so drinks plenty in the evenings. But I can't be washing his sheets so often over winter as I can't dry them.

Feel bad about it on several levels as it seems a retrograde step for him, I don't want to start having to buy pull-ups again, and on the environmental level, last time I looked, I couldn't find washable pull-ups to fit a stocky 8 1/2 year old.

On a more positive note, I've ordered 2 pairs of grey fleece trousers for work from M&S, tucked fleece blankets behind the blind in the sitting room and behind the curtain in my bedroom making both feel cosier.

prettypaula

hello ladies

Well ive been fairly absent from MSE, well most of this year...

hubby got made redundant in April at the same time i changed jobs within the same organisation, luckily doubling my income... and he got a job 2 weeks after the redundancy... paying slightly less.. but one he really wanted so! we used the payout to pay £6000 off of our debts, and buy some things we really needed like a new mattress and new living room furniture.

anyways... i had in my mind this autumn all the tips id read and after managing to spend a grand total of £100 on gas and £120 on electric i am determined not to spend a fortune this winter.

so far i have:

put up panel blinds in living room and dining room double doors into the conservatory
put up a door curtain at front door (huge difference already)
memory foam mattress is giving me night sweats even now, its very warm!
washed all our fleecy blankets and throws
chest freezer bought and 3/4 full


need to do:
car kits for both of us(now having field based jobs)
get key cut for next door so they can sort cats in emergency
get a power cut box together
stock up cupboards a bit
look at stopping drafts from unused kitchen door into conservatory
finish off garden cutting back

landlady needs to do:

replace blown panels in conservatory (coming to quote tomorrow)
actually insulate conservatory between bricks and window ledges (gaping holes!!!) (again tomorrow)
fix front door as wont latch unless locked


i am getting my electric blanket out and aired ready to put on this week and looked up these tips

Electric blankets
Replace your blanket if it has fraying fabric, scorch marks, exposed elements, creasing/folding, soiling, loose connections or any other type of damage. It should also be replaced if it has a BEAB safety mark, as this means it is more than 10 years old.

• Never fold electric blankets as this can damage the wires. Store them flat or rolled up.
• Don’t leave an electric blanket switched on all night, unless it is has controls for safe all-night use.
• Never use a hot water bottle in the same bed as an electric blanket – even if it is switched off.
• Check whether it is an under or over-blanket and use it only for that purpose.
• Use the ties on an under-blanket to secure it to the mattress. This prevents slipping and creasing which could damage the elements.
• Have your electric blanket tested every three years.
• Replace your electric blanket at least every 10 years.

make sure youve all checked :A

rising_from_the_ashes

prettypaula wrote: »

Electric blankets
Replace your blanket if it has fraying fabric, scorch marks, exposed elements, creasing/folding, soiling, loose connections or any other type of damage. It should also be replaced if it has a BEAB safety mark, as this means it is more than 10 years old.

• Never fold electric blankets as this can damage the wires. Store them flat or rolled up.
• Don’t leave an electric blanket switched on all night, unless it is has controls for safe all-night use.
• Never use a hot water bottle in the same bed as an electric blanket – even if it is switched off.
• Check whether it is an under or over-blanket and use it only for that purpose.
• Use the ties on an under-blanket to secure it to the mattress. This prevents slipping and creasing which could damage the elements.
• Have your electric blanket tested every three years.
• Replace your electric blanket at least every 10 years.

make sure youve all checked :A

Hi Paula, great tips on the electric blanket.

I used to be really bad for taking a hw bottle to bed with me when the elec blanket was on the bed (even though it was unplugged).

I decided to ditch the elec blanket last year as I just :happylove:love: my hw bottle:o (and I used to be really bad at putting the elec blanket on in the middle of the night & falling asleep with it on) - think I'll be doing the same this year, just to be on the safe side.....

ANNEGEDDES

Morning all
just a quick q, any ideas where the cheapest place is to buy snow shovel and grit from??
tia

rising_from_the_ashes

I got this one from Amazon in August time - the price has crept up (now £11.29 and I paid £5.79) but I can say it's very well made and the metal head will make a big difference in trying to shift compacted/frozen snow



http://www.amazon.co.uk/Silverline-GT30-Square-Mouth-Shovel/dp/B000LFU08Q/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1319273213&sr=8-9


I'm lucky with grit - I just take some out the council bins at the bottom of the road so can't help with that I'm afraid

pigpen

SpikyHedgehog wrote: »

Had to tell DS2 last night that he needed to go back into pull-ups at night as we've had 2 or 3 wet beds a week even with my lifting him before I go to bed. He sleeps so soundly he doesn't wake up & doesn't drink much at school so drinks plenty in the evenings. But I can't be washing his sheets so often over winter as I can't dry them.

Feel bad about it on several levels as it seems a retrograde step for him, I don't want to start having to buy pull-ups again, and on the environmental level, last time I looked, I couldn't find washable pull-ups to fit a stocky 8 1/2 year old.

On a more positive note, I've ordered 2 pairs of grey fleece trousers for work from M&S, tucked fleece blankets behind the blind in the sitting room and behind the curtain in my bedroom making both feel cosier.

Motherease do bedwetter pants whch fit teens so should fit DS.. the thing is... they take longer to dry than a bedsheet which you can easily hang over a door! My 11 y/o has the pampers underjams they are usually on some offer or other in supermarkets

Curtain making must commence.. but the baby wont go down and when she does the other one wants me!!

rosie383

I have been reading through these preparing for winter threads and have a quick question if I may be so bold!!

We have big french windows that run the whole width of the living room wall. You can really feel the cold, even though there are no 'feeleble' draughts IYKWIM. I would love to put up fleece curtains, extra linings for existing curtains, or whatever, but how do I do it without making them too heavy for the curtain poles? The beam above the curtains in both living room and bedroom is very difficult to drill into, and it took dh ages to be able to get the poles up. I am nervous about putting extra weight on them in case I bring the whole lot down.
So what can i do? I ideally need something that I can pull back in the day to let light in, and so I can open the doors/ windows when I need to.
Same goes for the hall door. i want to make a winter curtain for it, but how do I attach it?

rising_from_the_ashes

Hi Rosie

I've just done some extra fleece linings for my bedroom curtains (from the £1.29 light blue fleeces from I*kea) and they look fab....

DM had some heading tape for linings and I can then just hook these to the existing curtain hooks.

You can get other types where the lining tape attaches to the heading tape on the curtains - a bit like the pic below:


http://www.terrysfabrics.co.uk/prod/tapes-haberdashery/curtain-tape/dalton?cmp=googleproducts

My bedroom pole is especially .... wobbly - and it's been fine. HTH:)