Preparing for winter III

fuddle

aw pinkmami, your new home sounds delightful.

I'm so pleased we have the door curtain up as there's a northerly breeze blowing today.

DH and I looked at curtains and curtain track yesterday. The problem being that it is an expensive job considering there's 4m of bay window. 3 years of making do etc we now feel like we need to grin and bare it with proper warm curtains.

muffin_man_7

pinkmami wrote: »

I'm looking forward to winter! I loved reading the winter prep you all did. I lined DS's curtains with fleece & his small room was rather toasty!

This year we'll be in our new home - a cosy renovated cottage on the hillside. Super duper insulation, plenty of logs for stove, new windows & lined curtains & a larder in my new kitchen to store those extras I will need to stock up on. I will also have 2 fridge freezers (well I have 2 now in use) and an extra under the counter freezer full of bread, cos if I get snowed in - I'm well & truly stuck! (here's hoping!)

Please keep posting those little handy hints!

nice to know someone with 2 fridge freezers at last i've been thinking about getting a second f/f for a while but still not sure if it's a good idea i wouldn't be able to keep it in the kitchen not enough room theonly place it could go would be my bedroom as i have a 20yr old and a 15yr old who think it's ok to eat 3 days food in one day then moan when i don't get any more by having 2nd f/f i could budget better and stop the vultures(aka kids)swarming would be nice to know how you manage them if thats ok i don't go out much just food shopping and back noone else i can ask i have a small freezer already in my bedroom it seems fine and as long as i remember to lock the door stuff stays put tia

Pooky

Picked up two new hot water bottles in Mr As this morning, reduced to clear section had loads for 50p each! I shall make some covers to go on them and they can be for the sofa in the evenings.

:T

Also had a cupboard sort out in preparation to start my winter store cupboard off again.

fuddle

I found two of my microwavable heat pads when clearing the cupboard today. They may just be used tonight too, very cold for July.

Brilliant bargain finding on those hot water bottles! Actually I need to add hotwater bottle covers to my list as the ones we have are teddy bear/plastic backed fur etc and don't seem to allow the heat out very well. Some crochet stripes would be super.

pinkmami

I love my 2nd FF! Its about 14 yrs old & its in the garage & handy to store the frozen turkey for Christmas, veg, beer (DH calls it the beer fridge!) its a Godsend! I'm 2 mins walk from the Co-op ATM but the place I'm moving to has 1 shop which sells only nicknacks & once they've gone they've gone!

Try Freecycle or your local rag for the 2nd FF - you might catch a bargain!

I'm fortunate in the new pad to have a small utility which will house the appliances. I also have vultures (aka Kids)! 3 of them! The larder unit is high enough to keep the crisps/biccies out of reach! If you have space for a smaller one I'd go for it. You couls always cover it with a tablecloth or something!

esmf73

Hi all,

Haven't been posting at all on MSE recently as I've been trying to deal with what life has thrown at me - and not really managing!!! BUT I happened to check out the exactaweather forecast today for the summer (what summer!) and saw his winter forecast. Thought I'd better start prepping for winter then.

My list:
Line curtains in hall
Put up shelves in back porch (above door) to store cleaning products on - have disabled child who thinks hes a monkey!!
Get free (thanks to MSE email) insulation. Have had survey and we qualify (yipee).
Finish kitchen (have been doing it bit by bit)
Finish bathroom (again been doing it bit by bit!)
Stock up on dried and tinned foods - including things that I want to eat, not what I think I should!!
Persuade Mum to give me her freezer, so I can have the chest freezer, fridge freezer and her little one. If they're all full I should be well stocked.
Make and line curtains for the conservatory
Get all wood chopped to size for fire
Get chimney swept
Get and line curtains for upstairs velux style windows
stock up on dog and cat food and cat litter
check snow shovel and sledges (heres hoping!0
get new tyres on back wheels.

Think thats enough for now!

fuddle

Yeah I saw it's meant to be pretty bad cold/wind/snow pretty early on in the winter season. I'll take it with a pinch of salt but I am preparing for a bad one. Can't hurt can it?

Aldahbra

esmf73 wrote: »

Persuade Mum to give me her freezer, so I can have the chest freezer, fridge freezer and her little one. If they're all full I should be well stocked.

Instead of taking Mums why don't you look for one on Freecycle, round our way they come up quite regularly.

muffin_man_7

fuddle wrote: »

Yeah I saw it's meant to be pretty bad cold/wind/snow pretty early on in the winter season. I'll take it with a pinch of salt but I am preparing for a bad one. Can't hurt can it?

prepare for the worst and it might not not happen and so many times it's been true

thanks for the info, i managed just with no winter coat for the winter just gone and i was so cold i ended up wearing so many jumpers that it took too long to take them of in the shop so i was too hot in there that said it helped me get out a lot quicker
at least with a coat it will be quick to take off must start looking for one soon and start saving too

i can't see us havin a proper summer just a few days here and there

my to do list as follows

winter coat for me
boots too( mine have split and been glued at least 3 times will wear them indoors keep me ankles cosy )
get saving for gas meter (we didn't have pre pay gas til jan this year and that was cold enough when we couldn't top up)
put all as in 8 lots of thermal curtains up this year that includes f/back doors
need rugs for floor by sofa laminate great for keeping clean but not so good for keepng warm
restock winter food store soon
find gloes scarves and hats and thermal socks
get new thermals (i've lost 2 stone so need smaller ones but will still wear the ones ive got as well )
get lots of summer quilts in the sale ( i do this everyear if i can find any 3x4.5tog quilts = 13.5 tog winter quilt but are much easier to get washed and dried in the winter lesson i learned when kids were small handy on sofa at night too )
get kids to declutter garden so nothing can get damaged if we get gales
restock mediciene box and musn't forget choccy this year


thats all i can think of for now need to go next door promised little lad i'd charge some batteries for his new game they were going to go the zoo today but it hasn't stopped raining and i said it would only take 15 minutes charger stopped ages ago so its took me longer than that to type this better go

pinkmami

I'm also gonna start listing the stuff I need for winter. I have a lovely Karrimor duck down jacket which is very toasty but twice the zipper has broken, well not the zipper but the puller on it. I'll ask dad's partner to mend it for me. Can't they make proper zips nowadays!?

At least the kids will each have a wardrobe this winter (now I'm shariong with the girls & DS has no room for one) so we will all have a wardrobe each - I'm so excited as I won't have all the coats hanging in the hallway!

Just seen an idea in a magazine for the utility. I have loads of black laminated worktop left from the new kitchen so I'll ask the carpenter to fit it together & trim it down to size & fit it about 14 inches off the floor so I have room to store boxes for shoes inder it & the wellies etc on top.

I also have a small wicker basket each for the kids gloves etc so they're to hand (pardon the pun!)

We're so snug in this weather (pelting outside) & we're watching a Christmas movie - Home Alone!