Preparing for winter III

prepareathome

Gulp just checked my battery supply, forgot before I went out earlier, got rather a lot of AAA (HP7)s, about 100, and one lone AA (HP16)s and picked up some more torches, mind gone black LED/LCD? you know what I mean and of course they take AAAs, they would. Cannot work out how to get housing off to check on battery of Thermostat so might call firm who installed the heating tomorrow and ask them. They come out once a year on contract to check the heating and do service so they might replace the battery as part of that, I just have left engineer to it work so not sure. Decided after my own post about keeping food hot in thermos flasks I should do as I say and get myself more, only got two small ones and one large so have to have a look round on
line and in shops for some - anyone know of any place selling them at a reasonable price?

I have made more space for supplies in my small kitchen. I have a cupboard that is technically the pantry, but had to get the window bricked up as the cold wind use to sear through the house as door did not fit properly and it was so damp, so now nice and dry and perfect for dry goods but only has big shelf halfway up and 3 tiny ones against outside wall by where window was. So thought all this space but can only store small amount, if to much I have to empty it to find what I want. Cannot afford a carpenter at moment to have shelves put in so bought one of those plastic unit with 4 clear deep drawers - they advertise them for childrens' rooms. Fits well and everything i had piled in there pasta, rice, all bread stuff, all baking stuff, pulses, soup mixed now all have their own drawer and I can see at a glance what I have in - found a packet of lentils lurking at bottom I didn't know I had and just bought another at weekend, so plenty in. Still room at side for all the big containers I bought in Ikea last week for flour, sugar etc., and did think I would have to buy some more as didn't have enough to take everything out of its bag, but these drawers fit snuggly, so no chance of mice, which love to visit us when it gets cold, chewing away at my packages. Just wish it had 5 drawers would have been totally perfect and fitted but still can store things in containers on the top. So if a power cut it will certainly be a lot easier to find things now, not dig in among all the containers, glass jars and tubs that were piled high on the one shelf. Considering its plastic its quite strong and was £14.99 in BM. Does have wheels you can fit on but obviously I have not.

Also stocked up on a few medical supplies I had not planned to but went into wilkos two buy some cheap pillows for stuffing my draught excluder ( I know you can buy them dirt cheap but I want one that is waterproof and made cover out of old waterproof trousers I got from freecycle, but had nothing to put in it bar a few old cloths, and cheap pillows - 2 -£2.97 seemed the cheapest way to fill it then stuffing can be used for cuddlies for GC. Well was looking round, as you do and I see this assistant right at end of store pricing things and on one of the shelves it says reduced items, well you have to look don't you. Was all medical type items all for 10p each, I asked when end of date was and she explained none were out of date its just when they come to last few of a batch of an item they just take it and sell it cheap. So 4 boxes of alcohol free wipes with 10 in each, date jan 2014, one cohesion bandage, pack of three anti bacterial hand sprays, fabric tape and packet of lockets - date dec 2012. So 80p for them, ( must add that to Nov grocery challenge forgot when I declared todays' shopping earlier). If anyone wanted to get ready for the party season they had packets of uhm er protectives, again at 10p a packet and something i had never seen before a stop smoking gel, you rub it into your hands and you get your fix of nicotine as it contains it. On another shelf there were housewares reduced and sitting there as if waiting for me was an airtight tupperware box, that was something else on my list to buy as mine is not keeping the cheese from becoming hard at the edges any more so needed replacing and was £2. So a few more bits added to first aid kit and my cheese should stay soft and all for £2.80 the lot.


I still have not hung that front door curtain, I know what is putting me off its so annoying to open door as it always seems to get caught. Cannot use it during the day as hubby cannot get in without a battle when its over the door - door is flush with the wall and chest freezer right next to it so door opens against it. Does anyone know if hanging the curtain on the door itself is any good - maybe if I put velcro on sides and top to stick it to surround then easily opened from outside, just annoying have to do it up again. Any ideas please?

Enough of my ramblings you must have eye ache from my posts today sorry.

Take care all, its getting cold here tonight - just how it feels not seen weather forecast.

singlestep

My preparations at work have not gone un-noticed. A few people wound me up about it but have followed suit e.g. emergency overnight provisions.

I've managed to find space for:

- clothes: a PJ top that could pass for an ordinary one plus jogging bottoms and a cardigan, socks and slipper-socks
- a small super-absorbant towel
-a make-up bag with room for travel-sized cleanser, moisturizer, deodorant, wipes, toothpaste, a toothbrush, a couple of lemsips and a couple of days' supply of other medication I take
- some of those squeezy soups and some hot chocolate packets, that just need hot water, and a couple of cereal bars.
- charger - the spare one that can do my kindle and the phone.

It takes up surprisingly little room and anything else I'd be likely to need are either carried around with me or in my drawer already.

prepareathome

adelight What about dried milk? Sugar? What are you actually planning on eating - think 4 days and make an emergency meal plan and see if you have enough in. That amount of water should be fine for drinking and cooking, just don't throw any down the loo unless you are sure you know when your supply would be back on.

So think Breakfast - Day one Oat - do you have it with salt and water or do you like sugar and milk on it?
Ditto day 2, day 3. day 4

Then Lunch Day one you could make soup with the pulses, but what about seasoning, vegetables, something to go with it like bread, pasta in it
Ditto the next 3 days

Then evening meal - rice, tuna and tinned tomatoes - you surely would want something else as well to fill you up
Ditto next 3 days

Remember one of the worst things in an emergency situation is having the same meals every day. In emergencies meal time becomes a big thing usually and there is nothing more soul destroying ( even if it was only for 4 days) to have the same thing over and over.

If you have not much space then decide on your menu and buy just enough for each meal - say one tin of mushrooms if you plan to only eat them once, one tin of carrots again if only plan to eat them once. Even if you have a full stocked freezer you should have enough tinned and dried items in to feed you for if power goes off opening the freezer more than once is not a good idea as warm air gets into it and starts defrosting. You also want treats, even if you are on a diet unless you have specific health reasons for not having a treat this is the time to have them, so either some chocolates, or tinned puddings like rice pudding, tinned fruit, - don't go for sponge puddings unless you know you have plenty of fuel as they take a long time to cook on a hob.

If you are stuck in the last thing you want is to be dreading mealtimes because of lack of choice. Remember you can store emergency supplies anywhere - bottom of wardrobes, under beds - just don't forget them, take a note of use by dates and keep the list somewhere you will see it and when they get near it if its hard to keep changing them ( rotating stocks). I know you can use tins way past dates on them, but in an emergency the last thing you want is a case of food poisoning so always keep your emergency supplies in date. If you can squeeze a weeks supply of emergency meals in that should cover you, as as bad as this winter might be unless we really are unlucky that should be enough to keep you going as some shops should be open again by then. Its amazing how things might ground to a halt for a few days ( we had three here two years ago, and we are a big city) but then people get used to it, the council gets its act together and roads are cleared and even if main supplies don't make it for a bit longer shops usually still have some things left - although if we suddenly have a really bad time then people might panic buy and that is what you are planning for so you do not need to do that, you may need fresh things like milk, bread, etc but you can leave the others to panic while you know you have enough to see you through without worrying.

Don't stress yourself over this, its only in case, and its certainly not worth making yourself ill over it. Just work out a meal plan with a different meal each day - breakfast can be the same, but make lunches and dinners different daily, and buy what you can and store it where you can - just no where to warm, so no using the airing cupboard, or boiler cupboard. You can store dried goods behind the couch as well. Not the bathroom for food stuffs as gets to damp. Many, many moons ago I lived in a bed sit and had tins and packages all over the place and friend made a coffee table out of tins and idea I copied and have heard of others doing that. Someone I read about made a couch out of tins - piled them all up and along a wall and bought a small mattress which he placed over them and then a throw over it and had cushions at the back - saw the photos looked great, ok annoying when you need to get the tins to use and replace but he had an emergency supply.

Don't forget things to drink, tea,coffee, hot chocolate and if you can rig up alternative cooking ways great.

You have made a great start just bulk it out a bit with what you like for meals.

Hope that helps.

Take care hugsxxx

prepareathome

Wow Singlestep fantastic, that is something I have to do, my emergency bags got emptied a few years back and never redone.

adelight

prepareathome wrote: »

I must be easier than most to feed in such a situation as I don't have milk or sugar just plain porridge with water, and am oddly quite happy eating a different type of tinned bean for each meal(i love them, happily eat proccsed peas straight from a can for dinner :rotfl:)

Thanks for the list, I will check out a few things though already have loads of other ingredients just want to get a set aside stock of easy to eat foods and basic things. I have bbqs and coal, no interest in getting a camping stove type thing (let alone the money!).

macwah97

wouldbeqaulitymoneysaver wrote: »

For the first time I am using the Lakeland Dry Soon 3 Tier Tower Dryer and my flat ended up warm, and my clothes dry. Further tests to do on the above.

tried to get one of these at week-end to be told the store in belfast had got 30 in and they are all gone with a long wait expected for further delivery. settled for winged airer - have not tested properly but certainly has taken dampness off outside dried clothes.

ListysDad

I'm not a fan of the Daily Mail (honest) but something caught my eye recently about the weather we are supposed to be expecting. The Mails source was an esteemed scientist who has successfully predicted the last two winter's low temps and he's predicting even lower this year.

So, the point of the post, prepare for winter by making sure that any pipes in your loft, or that run close to outside walls, are correctly insulated.

I'm sorry, but what follows is a tad anal but it is important believe me. The grey polyethylene lagging (slightly slimy to the touch) you can buy WILL NOT protect your pipes from freezing. The simple fact is that it can't no matter what B&Q tell you! Firstly this type of lagging begins to shrink at 4 degrees C (yes well above freezing!). At minus 10 degrees C it has huge gaps in it so isn't protecting one iota.

The other thing to explain is that protecting against frost is the exact opposite of minimising heat loss. For heat loss ANY insulation is better than none as every piece will reduce the surface area from which heat can leach. For frost protection any gap you have makes it useless! So, the fitting of insulation for frost protection has to be done with a high degree of precision if it's to work.

The only products that will work at the temps of the last two years are nitrile based such as Armaflex and Tufflex. These have to be GLUED so they have NO gaps whatsoever. Each bit has to be fitted so it is compressed slightly too. A minimum of 25mm wall thickness (regardless of pipe size) will give your pipework a fighting chance.

Lastly, make SURE that the area UNDER any tanks you have in your loft are INSULATION FREE so a little heat can keep them freeze free.

Good luck.

singlestep

prepareathome wrote: »

Wow Singlestep fantastic, that is something I have to do, my emergency bags got emptied a few years back and never redone.

I'd love to say that I'm super-organised. I'm not but did learn through bitter experience last December. If I do end up having to spend an unexpected night at work again this year, I want to be better organised and more comfortable. Not having my cleanser, even for just over 30 hours and replacing it with a perfectly acceptable brand in town, caused my skin to break out (as it always does when I don't use my normal cleanser).

Listysdad, thanks for all that info. Things like it are usually beyond me, so I'll be sure to take note!

mrssnowy_2

Does anyone know of anything you can get for people who already need to wear glasses to drive? (something to fit over them?)

TIA[/QUOTE]
Be careful with clipon shades,I had some sun clipons years ago but they scratched the lens on the inside. :eek:Perhaps they are better now .
mrss

[Deleted User]

I managed to order 2 lakeland towel warmers, I did dither at first but can now fully justify them. I would have to use the stove in order to heat the bathroom and en suite, which are both on the n side, so they will save me having to light the stove which uses wood pellets and needs electricity for the pump. I have also sorted out various extension leads so that these warmers can be moved about ie to take the chill off various small rooms, if needed

I always keep a watchful eye on the weather wrt washing and yesterday managed to get two sets of heavy flannelette bedding dry to the point of airing. I have a system of dring lines at the back, a big rotary (not the most efficient method) and a hanging device with 2 good retractable lines. Breezy and sunny yesterday, so was good

I have no more winter prep now, just the last minute stuff in the allotment. I planted shallots yesterday and am waiting for garlic to arrive so I can get them in just in time to start establishing before the cold at the end of the month