Preparing for winter III

prepareathome

ome £land barbeque trays with a bit of charcoal,

I know everyone on here will know this but just in case - if you use a BBQ indoors or any charcoal please ensure you have a supply of fresh air coming in as without it you could all end up with carbon monoxide poisoning in. So don't do it in an air tight room, crack open a window or back door please, or if its dry cook outside - same with the camping stoves, have some air coming in, better a bit cold,if its to cold to have window or door open best stick to a candle stove they do work

Love your list so many good ideas, annie123 wonderful, thanks

Fruball

annie123 wrote: »

After a chance meeting with a lovely person trying to get by on JSA in a cold flat near the sea and has no money for winter preparations, I came up with as many ideas as I could think of costing from nothing to a few pounds.
Here’s what I came up with from experience and ideas from here that I remembered

1. Find your stopcock for the water and make sure that it turns off. This will be required if you get a burst pipe and limit further damage and costs.
   
2. Do you know how to change a fuse? And do you have spare fuses or wire? Get some if needed
3. Should you not be able to use your usual cooking facilities, find a way to at least boil some water to go with 20p noodles or fry an egg etc, this could be a candle stove: http://patverettosfrugalliving.blogspot.com/2007/09/variation-on-theme-candle-stove.html or some £land barbeque trays with a bit of charcoal, you may not need it but if you do, you’ll be pleased you’ve tried it and know it works.
4. Candles are cheap to buy, keep in a drawer with some matches should the power go.
5. Should your heating stop due to a variety of reasons, how can you keep warm? Consider going to the library, visit friends, go for a walk it will feel warmer when you get back.
6. Keep doors and curtains closed to conserve heat and layer up as much as possible. Yes you may look daft in a hat, and nose warmer http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEwinter02/PATTnosewarmer.html but who cares in the privacy of your own home. The style police won’t see you.
7. Make a solar heat catcher: http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art36322.asp google has lots more.
8. Take an incense stick to your window frames to see where drafts are and plug the gaps. This can be done by blue tack (can’t remember who suggested that on here,) duct tape, masking tape or caulking from the £store but you’ll need a gun too and these are around £4 so unless you have a lot to do think of other ways, papier-mâch! works well for all sorts of gaps, (think it was frugal who used it last year) and you can always buy foam strips. 99p store currently have 4 rolls for yes, 99p.
9. Doors are often ill fitting, again check for drafts, and use the same principles as for windows.
10. Window glass can get very cold, bubble wrap…..given away free at my local MrS if asked for, is a great insulator, spray the panes with water and stick bubble wrap on.
11. Bubble wrap also makes great blinds (use in addition or not, to window treatment as above); measure the width/length of the window and cut to size, attach to the top with double sided tape/drawing pins, what ever you have. A piece of string or something nicer if you have it can also be added to hang down front and back then when its rolled up you can tie it up.
12. Make a window quilt from fabric scraps or old sheeting
13. Cardboard shutters are great: http://www.touchwoodproject.com/frugal-and-green-saving-without-spending-cardboard-insulation/
14. http://www.instructables.com/id/folded-cardboard-window-blind/?ALLSTEPS
15. Foil behind the radiators is good. This can be kitchen foil on a piece of cardboard stuck to the wall with blue tack etc or £stores sell windscreen visors to keep the sun out of cars and @£1 good value
16. Drafts coming in under doors can have door snakes made, again bubble wrap, or old towel just tied up and placed against the door if you can’t sew or old clothes cut to size and stitched and stuffed with the ever growing pile of odd socks!
17. A velvet door curtain lined with fleeces and thermal lining is great, if you have one! If not anything will help keep in heat. A blanket, duvet cover, foil blanket http://shop.redcross.org.uk/shop/product.asp?id=59644 2 for 99p at the 99p store, bubble wrap, you get the idea.
18. Wall hangings have made a big difference to my sons Victorian high ceiling drafty flat especially on the out side walls, again sheets, duvets, foil blankets, bubble wrap, cardboard, (my son made cardboard guitars and stuck them on with blue tack, looked great) anything can help, If you’ve got a book case move it to the outside wall, books are great insulators, make a toilet roll wall if you’re one of the many loo roll hoarders this thread seems to have:D
19. Close off rooms not in use. If you won’t use it for several months seal the door with foam strip, a spare curtain/sheet and a door snake so no warm air will be lost to it.
20. Consider moving into one room; treat it as a studio flat cheaper to heat.
21. If you have an open fire that you’re not going to use, get a carrier bag, stuff with old clothes or pillows etc add something to hang down so you don’t forget it s there and stuff it up the chimney.
22. Should you use the oven for cooking leave the door open after (consider safety obviously for little ones, the elderly or pets)
23. Floors can be cold if you have no carpet, temporary rugs can be old towels/blankets or cardboard. DS made a bubble wrap rug, sandwich bubble wrap between thick cardboard and tape edges.
24. If you can access under the bath, bubble wrap insulation helps keep the water warmer for longer, loft insulation is good for this too, often bits turn up on freecycle
25. Your curtains need to be as close to the window as possible, you want to prevent air circulating between the curtain and window, use Velcro, magnets, double sided tape etc to keep the curtain close to the frame
26. Don’t allow curtains to drape in front of radiators.
27. Cardboard/bubble wrap/newspaper on your car windows will stop them from icing over
28. Layer clothes always. Ask on freecycle or a local forum if you have one for anything that you need, try jumble sales, then charity shops
29. Join your local lets: http://www.letslinkuk.net/ you may be able to swap skills for someone to help you get your home ready for winter.
30. Keep a torch to hand with spare batteries
31. Make warming soups, cheap, tasty and nutritious
32. Need waterproof footwear or a coat maybe, try freecycle, a local church, the sally army, or community group etc, you’d be surprised how happy people are to help someone who needs help.
33. Learn to knit……….ask on freecycle for needles and wool and offer shopping or ironing maybe on Lets in exchange for knitting lessons. If you can knit you can buy at jumble sales/charity shops all sorts of worn out/too big/small jumpers and make something useful for yourself or others.
34. Cold and don’t want to put the heating on in the evening? Have a bath instead. It warms you up, and it’s cheaper than the heating on. Get dressed into warm clothes whilst still in the bathroom and then snuggle in bed or the sofa with a throw/duvet over you.
35. Make wheat bags to heat in the microwave or get a hot water bottle
36. Check for any grants you maybe entitled to.

If you have a few more £’s to spend:
Buy window film from argos, £ stores, wilkinsons diy stores etc. Yes it really does work, maybe a wind up torch or lamp too.

Remember you pay your heating bills, not your neighbours, so don’t worry what they think of your cardboard cupcakes on the wall or the bubble wrap blinds at the windows but so you don’t become a laughing stock of your area do remove the nose warmer before you answer the door.;):D

There are probably loads more but at the time it was all I could think of. Hope the list helps someone.

Great list Annie.

It was me that used Papier mache last year It was outside, where the DW pipe came out from the kitchen - for years threw a shocking draft into the kitchen. I mixed up shredded newspaper paper with the kids PVA glue and stuffed it into the hole and its still going strong!!! I thought it might go mouldy from damp but it hasn't - it has been the perfect draft stopper and I plan to do a much smaller similar hole this next week.

For people who have drafty letterboxes - a simple rectangle of lined fabric or fleece stuck above the letter box with double sided tape would do the job, if its a wooden door you could staple it on then cover the staples with a length of pretty ribbon

My letterbox problem is slightly different - when its windy, the outside flap rattles - really annoying. I need to weight it with something - might use 2 pence pieces stuck on with superglue unless anybody else has any better ideas

singlestep

Thanks to preparedathome and annie123 for two such comprehensive lists!

Today I've been looking for a new printer; this isn't totally off-topic as it would reduce panic about transferring tasks to the board if the trains break down in the extreme cold and make me later in. I need to be better prepared for the effects winter has on my working life as well as my home.

I'm not allowed to use the printer at work for more than a single copy and have only restricted use of the copier and with teaching three courses for the first time (no specialist textbooks either), it has been getting difficult. Then this http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-15512039 stopped me in my tracks - people like me ensure cuts don't have as big an impact as they might. The thing is, having a printer would make my life so much easier. If I do buy one (something cheap to run rather than cheap to buy), it would take me up to £350-ish for the calendar year. This is an improvement on last year and I have noticed that I do think again since joining MSE, whereas I might have just gone ahead and done it before! I'll see if there's anything on freecycle ...

Hobsons_Choice

singlestep wrote: »

Thanks to preparedathome and annie123 for two such comprehensive lists!

Today I've been looking for a new printer; this isn't totally off-topic as it would reduce panic about transferring tasks to the board if the trains break down in the extreme cold and make me later in. I need to be better prepared for the effects winter has on my working life as well as my home.

I'm not allowed to use the printer at work for more than a single copy and have only restricted use of the copier and with teaching three courses for the first time (no specialist textbooks either), it has been getting difficult. Then this http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-15512039 stopped me in my tracks - people like me ensure cuts don't have as big an impact as they might. The thing is, having a printer would make my life so much easier. If I do buy one (something cheap to run rather than cheap to buy), it would take me up to £350-ish for the calendar year. This is an improvement on last year and I have noticed that I do think again since joining MSE, whereas I might have just gone ahead and done it before! I'll see if there's anything on freecycle ...

I have a Kodak printer, the price of ink is much cheaper than a lot of the other (cheaper) printers.

Blue_Elephant

Will catch up with posts soon I promise

Just a quickie - the maiden/clothes horse has given up having been a bit bent out of shape for a while. Don't want a pulley system or anything, Does anyone have any recommendations for a sturdy clothes horse that doesn't cost a fortune?

TIA xx

Fruball

la_farfallina wrote: »

The Yankee candles sound divine but they are a bit pricey for me.
Does anyone know of any similar, but cheaper alternatives?
At the moment I am preparing my nest in readiness for tonignt's Fix Factor.
Wish I had some lovely smelly candles.

Farf x

I treated myself to a Yankee but tbh I think they are wayyyy too much money... I won't buy one again... The wax tarts are a nice treat and not so pricey but tbh the scent doesn't last overly long.

I have just bought Rose Absolute pure essential oil and Jasmine Absolute - OK the initial outlay has been £35 but these will last sooooooooooo much longer than a candle.

I can burn cheap tealights in pretty holders and put a few drops of the oils either on my PJs (as I did last night ) or on tissue on the radiators or just in the room. One drop on PJs is enough scent. I change my PJs every 3 days so thats good value

There are of course cheaper oils, and I would recommend getting them on ebay - much cheaper than H&Barrett.

Lovely room scenting ones are
Bergamot
Orange
Cinnamon
Lavender
Lime (lovely in kitchens) or Lemon
Chamomile (bedroom, fab for kids too)
Euculiptus (sp? bathroom)

Most of these should be under £3 each on ebay and will last a loooooooooooooooooooong time

Blue_Elephant

singlestep wrote: »

Thanks to preparedathome and annie123 for two such comprehensive lists!

Today I've been looking for a new printer; this isn't totally off-topic as it would reduce panic about transferring tasks to the board if the trains break down in the extreme cold and make me later in. I need to be better prepared for the effects winter has on my working life as well as my home.

I'm not allowed to use the printer at work for more than a single copy and have only restricted use of the copier and with teaching three courses for the first time (no specialist textbooks either), it has been getting difficult. Then this http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-15512039 stopped me in my tracks - people like me ensure cuts don't have as big an impact as they might. The thing is, having a printer would make my life so much easier. If I do buy one (something cheap to run rather than cheap to buy), it would take me up to £350-ish for the calendar year. This is an improvement on last year and I have noticed that I do think again since joining MSE, whereas I might have just gone ahead and done it before! I'll see if there's anything on freecycle ...

I swear by the Epson printers, and Epson ink is expensive, but you can change one colour cartridge at a time rather than having to replace the lot when one colour runs out and you can get cheap "imitation" ink and I've never *touch wood* had any problems.

Raksha

Blue_Elephant wrote: »

I swear by the Epson printers, and Epson ink is expensive, but you can change one colour cartridge at a time rather than having to replace the lot when one colour runs out and you can get cheap "imitation" ink and I've never *touch wood* had any problems.

Seperate inks is a good idea, but make sure each one has a print head built in. Lexmark printers used to have seperate print heads which can block/burn out and cost a lot to replace.

Blue_Elephant

Raksha wrote: »

Seperate inks is a good idea, but make sure each one has a print head built in. Lexmark printers used to have seperate print heads which can block/burn out and cost a lot to replace.

Yes this too, Epson cartridges have the built in print heads too.

Cheers for the reminder

abwsco

toottifrootti wrote: »

Hi abwsco this is the one I got from dunelm


it is pretty lightweight so dont know how well it will stand up to usuage -- it has 3 panels which you can use 1, 2 or 3 (400w each) I dont know for certain but I understand each panel costs approx 6p per hour and most people I know only use 2 once the heat has built up in the room - the orange glare takes a bit of getting used to but they are so safe and instant.
HTH

Thank you tootifrooti:) Looks ideal.