Preparing for winter III

Cheapskate

Evening everyone

My winter prep is way behind compared to you all, but this week looks ok, diary-wise, so I should be able to catch up a bit.

Thriftkitten - thanks for the loo roll info, will pop in early tomorrow morning, but not hopeful as our branch can be very sparse at times!

Apart from a couple more thermal vests for DD, stocks of nappies/wipes for her, and a spare hat/scarf/gloves set for DS, the littlies are all done. I need 1 pair pyjamas, warm socks and a decent hat and some gloves. We now have a bit more space in the garage, so I can get a couple more large plastic boxes for dry goods, and maybe a sack of spuds from the milkman.

If it doesn't rain over the next few days I need to wash the car properly, clean inside, top up screen wash and get garage to check brakes - had a service in September and there's been a faint squeak ever since, along with something not quite right with the brakes - do NOT want it to go during the first serious snow or ice! :0

Also need to get some batch cooking/baking done once I re-organise the freezers this week. I've got a gammon joint, 1 lb each braising steak and mince, which I bet I can get at least 6 to 8 meals out of for all of us.

I think one of my problems is that I spend so much time reading everyone's wonderful prep tales that I then have no time to actually do anything!

A xo

Thriftkitten

Relaxing to the wonderful smell of home made rice pudding done in the slow cooker..... Someone please tell me why I have always bought the cheap tin rubbish, Boy the house is smelling soooooooo delish and the kids are snuggled up in their beds, with hot water bottles and thermals on.... I'm just about to tuck into a bowl of home made rice pud.... will go straight to the hips at this time of night, but hey ho!!!!
Certainly a big nip in the air tonight.:drool::drool:

Sceptre

Hi everyone.

I'm still not sure that I'm prepared at all, and it's nearly the end of November! :eek:

I am chuffed with myself today though. I ventured out to Primarni and picked up a great winter hat and some lovely fleecy pyjamas for my boy. Brilliant bargains. I'm a Primarni convert!

[Deleted User]

a lovely day is expected today so I set the delay timer on the washing machine and the first load of flannel bedding will be ready in 30 minutes, they take a good whole day to dry so fingers crossed that I get two loads dry. I had the stove on all day yesterday because of wanting to heat some areas to get rugs dry and then I did some sums. I worked out all the electicity costs of keeping the chill off the house and keeping the lounge/kitchen/diner/snug warm and I added in using the immersion too and it looks as though I`ll save at least £1 a day if I just use the more versatile electricity because of the thermostat on the fan heater. I`ll plug the watts monitor to the fan later and leave it attached for a week and I`ll be able to work it out more accurately per average day. The stove raised the top third tank temperature by 9 degrees and didn`t change the bottom 2/3 but an hour on the immersion raises the whole tank temperature by 5 degrees and costs 45p. I have sensors on the tank and it tells me the exact temperatures inside. 42 is good for a shower ( top 1/3) as the shower needs 38 degrees. The immersion coil is at the bottom of the tank and the stove coil is 1/3 down from the top.

Its a good day for moving perenials and trees today so I am moving 3 gooseberries later and will make sure that I have properly pruned a good leg on each. Apples also pruned the other day

mardatha

Sorry been MIA, not been feeling great and couldn't be a$$ed reading forums much. Our new stove seems to have settled down and we've got used to it now. You have to keep it very low, like one shovelful of coal at a time, or it turns into a furnace - at one point the wall was almost too hot to rest your hand on :eek:
Re heating, we use a coal-fired multi burner that heats the radiators and it stays on 24/7 most of the year. We find the (stone) walls get nice and warm and we've never had a frozen pipe in this house although we live in a very cold place. Livingroom and hall are very warm, other rooms cooler.
I like coal, I know it's messy and not green but I don't care. It heats the house, the water, and dries the washing. We each have a very hot very deep bath every night... washing I hang on the airer in livingroom overnight, and its dry by morning. It's ok in theory being "green" but you've got to be sensible and put your day to day living conditions first. To me that's just commonsense.
Echo what kittie said - if you seal up every draught you will get condensation and then mould spores and you'll get bronchitis. You need a free flow of air in a house. Cold won't kill you but damp will

rachbc

Man finally came to measure up for our new ktichen wwindow last night - lead time was 12 weeks but as we are only have 1 done they will squeeze us in and should only be 3 weeks - a toasty warm kitchen before christmass. There is currently a 2 cm gap between the sashes blocked with towels so am hoping we notice a big improvement.

its been so mild so far part of my doesn't beleive it will all change so quickly and we will have a mildk winter after all the hype - but you just never now!

Will be getting some snow boots from Lild next week then I am done for kitting out the family.

redlady_1

I made a decision when putting the heating in the cottage I wanted to go back to solid fuel. You have more control over it and what you use - together with prices. It's great in the winter as I tend to cook on it too.

We have actually had frost down here in the south today! Poor cat wondered what was going on.

cosmomo

Thriftkitten wrote: »

For all of you that feel you do not have enough loo roll, I have just seen that as of tomorrow Mr T's have on offer Andrex 4 roll, any 4 packs for £3.50 16 rolls for £3.50 is a bargain, will be heading over to shops tomorrow to get some, it says this offer is available online also hth.

Unfortunately this was an error on Tesco's part. They meant to say 2 for £3.50 and this has now been changed on their website. I managed to get the 4 for £3.50 deal at 9.15 this morning at my local Tesco (with much smiling and saying 'but it says 4 for... on the ticket), but it was removed by the time I went back in (having forgotten the cat's food). Thought it was too good to be true...

prepareathome

At last I have the dehumidfier name we have mounted in the upstairs ceilings its this one, hubby got the ladders and climbed up and lifted the big flap that lies in the ceiling to look for a name and found it. I was right it does have an on/off switch but since having it put in we have just left it running, its so quiet - although hubby popped his head into loft and said he could here the motor running but all the fibreglass laid down up there is soundproofing any noise from the loft.

http://www.envirovent-refurb.com/PIV-loft-mounted-unit.php

Now I admit I do not know the cost, as my dad came to stay a few years ago and saw the condensation in the house and he arranged to buy this and have it installed. Now my dad wasn't one for putting his hand in his pocket ( he passed sadly in July and certainly not for me, being the oldest I usually was expected to stand on my own two feet and look after the others) but this he felt was very important and he was hoping my health might improve if house was drier, and to some extent yes it has - less bad sinus headaches anyway. I have most of dads paperwork and somewhere among it will be the bill and payment details as he never threw anything away. Mum had just died when he bought this for us and I admit I just let him get on with it, hubby has never been one to bother about things in house so if I was happy, he was happy to. I had basically forgotten we had it till the talk about de-humidifiers on here but now am actually looking into how it works and any changes that can be done to it during the year and if there are times we should put it off - although doubt that, bathroom after use has dripping tiled walls but we leave door open and within 10 mins the walls are totally dry again.

Reading about it I realise why our home is a bit warmer than it used to be, this brings in warmer air in winter and cooler in summer yet running costs are minimal. What is good is having it means on even the coldest days when we have the house totally shut up and all draughts blocked fresh air is still coming in. I used to find bedroom would be so stuffy in morning if window closed all night but that doesn't happen now, but then bedroom door is always open a bit so dogs can get in and out, if we closed the door room would be stuffy as vent is in the ceiling of the hall upstairs.

It states in the bumph it introduces an almost imperceptible air supply and this is true, you have to have your hand right up by the unit in the ceiling to feel it. It also states that you get 5 years freemaintenance so I had better find out how much that will cost as

Someone from the firm does come every summer to check it, but for some reason I just never thought to ask about it, the phone and arrange an appointment then come are here about half an hour tell me its fine and go, can only put it down to grief not keeping me on the ball, as seems daft I have this thing fitted and know nothing about it or even ask questions.

toottifrootti

been busy this morning moving tins to the garage so need to find my list now and see what else i can cross off!