Preparing for winter III

fuddle

keza wrote: »

Hi fuddle

Would you mind sharing what you will be putting in your DH car box plz? i went to do one last year for my DH but never got round to writing a list! thanks

The list is already on the thread somewhere. Give me a minute and i'll try to find it

Found it:

Car box:

hat
coat
socks
gloves
bottle water
crisps
nuts
self heating camping meal
granola bars
hand warmer
blanket
[STRIKE]ice scraper[/STRIKE]
ice de-icer
wellies
shovel
salt
wind up torch

told you I was faffing :rotfl:

[Deleted User]

Confuzzled wrote: »

i can highly recommend those draught excluders that are like two tubes in a nylon sleeve with a flat bit in the middle for the door. i leave mine on year round (bit of a pain to get on anyway ) and they are great plus you don't have to worry about kids, animals or partners forgetting to put the door snake back and letting the draught in!

I have 2 of these, 1 on the door to the kitchen and one on the door to the bathroom. These were a winner last winter, cheap to buy and keep draughts out. Mother in law saw them when she popped over and thought they were so good she went straight to town after leaving here to pick some up!

I have just switched electric and gas suppliers, saving a fair amount of money and getting some cash back to boot. Will be picking up some cheap fleeces from Tesco's on Friday. Last time I got a couple for the cats to laze on they were just £1.50 a piece. I noticed last Friday that Tesco had an aisle dedicated to Christmas. They are selling mince pies which won't even last until December!

I have washed the spare duvet. It is a single duvet and lives on the sofa. During the cold evenings it goes over our legs, and keeps us lovely and warm.

Another thing which worked last winter was an elasticated fleece under blanket for the bed. Just pop it on the mattress then pop the fitted sheet and other bedding on as normal. Makes the bed lovely and toasty (but hard to get out of!).

redlady_1

I am going to have to look at my electric as my provider is going to increase prices soon. Is it easy to switch?

Cheapskate

Hi everyone, mind if I re-join? Ages since I've posted on here, but the nip in the air has galvanised me today!

We've just had the exterior woodwork re-painted so it's sealed for the winter. Sounds very grand, but it's not been done for nearly 10 years, so well overdue. I've replaced the lock in one external door that was seized up, so we can now use that door; better for coming in when the weather's bad - straight onto a decent mat. Car had service, too, so this week's been a nightmare, financially speaking, especially as the garage says we need new tyres soon - do I do now before winter?! :eek:

Some things are ok from last year's preps, but still to address includes:

Switch gas/electricity suppliers
New runner for the hallway
New, thicker curtain for landing window
Wellies for littlies, DH and me
Decent winter coat for DH (maybe me, too, if we can afford)
Make draught excluders for the bottom of the doors
Car box and emergency bags for work/school etc
Growing list of bits to add to or replace, e.g. flasks, tealights/candles/torches
Pyjamas for me

Will read back a few pages to pick up some more tips, it's really enjoyable reading all this - if it doesn't sound odd, thanks for cheering me up with the thought of battening down the hatches soon! :rotfl:

A xo

[Deleted User]

redlady_1 wrote: »

I am going to have to look at my electric as my provider is going to increase prices soon. Is it easy to switch?

Very easy, look at a few comparison websites to ensure you are getting a good deal, then you just input your name and address details, direct debit info and who you are currently with and the company will do the rest. Also check cash back websites, I got £30 for switching my gas when I clicked through topcashback.

SpikyHedgehog

clare64 wrote: »

Does anyone know where Ican buy fleece fitted sheets cheaply?I have lookedon Dunelm and wilkingsons websites but I can not find anything.
Any ideas?
Many thanks

I think L1dl had them last year...

Popperwell wrote: »

I may be alone now and have no family to speak of so Christmas will be difficult enough as it is but I still hope to do myself a Christmas meal and pud afterwards for one:(and have a little drink or two(also to try and enjoy the Christmas music I shared with Mum)but looking at the Christmas stuff on sale in Morrisons today though very nice its all so un-necessary and overpriced so I think I'll avoid buying it. Not sure it's worth doing so just for me...but if I had family or loved ones I would.

Its not a case of being an old grump, I still like to think I have the wonder and innocence about many things in the world.

Pops, not the same, I know, but last Christmas was our first without my husband since he'd left us in the february & I had to make a good christmas for the boys - we talked about the things we liked to do $ did them, thought about the things we'd never done & tried to do them, & left out the things we didn't enjoy. We actually ended up having a better christmas than my husband did over with the girlfriend!

Molly41

Did anyone see the Vikings programme on BBC2 after the Great British Bake Off (which i love)? The presenter was talking to a scandinavian food researcher who talked a lot about preparation and made a fermented fruit drink that sounded lovely x

2tonsils

Now its a bit cooler in the mornings and evenings (bit in between is still hot) I can start to think about winter again. I am selling off some junk at the car boot this winter in order to use the money to buy winter things to make the house nice and cosy for us.

Will be keeping my eyes open for heavy weight curtains..problem is all my windows and doors are full length and most of the curtains I spot are short ones. Last year I bought some from the Chinese shop which were lined with silk and they not only looked good, but were great at stopping the blizzard that blows through the house now and again.

I went to the toy store yesterday and spotted a giant soft stuffed snake that is perfect for a draught excluder on the front door....at just 2.25 it was in the bargain box waiting for me to own it. Until the winter comes he is coiled on the bed settee keeping guard LOL.

Have just cleared the drains upstairs on the patio as we are forecast to get three days of storms at the weekend. Its torrential rain usually...

Ellie83

It's getting quite cold here too in the mornings! I have to wear my dressing gown now :eek:

We're still waiting to exchange contracts and I really hope we're in the house before mid-October as I don't want to move when it's even colder and more wet!

On the plus side, I'm decluttering a lot while preparing for the move and I found an old box of winter stuff (scarves, gloves, etc) and some coats that used to be too small and are now the perfect size (great feeling ) I'm in the process of washing everything and putting it all back in a big plastic crate ready for autumn/winter

A few pages ago, someone mentioned that vinyl is better for insulation than laminate: is this true? Even if you put insulation under the laminate (which you can't really do under the vinyl). I'm only asking because we probably will want to get rid of the carpet in the master bedroom in our new house (I hate carpet and OH is asthmatic anyway). I would have loved laminate flooring but if vinyl is warmer... I could be persuaded to switch

You're all so well organised! I feel like I can't do much until we finally get the house!!! We have heaps of fleece blankets and things like this. What I want to start doing is preparing the house :rotfl:

fuddle

Our master bedroom was so clod with laminate down. When the flooring was ripped up to rewire the landlord bought carpet without any underlay and even that is so much more warmer than the lamnate with laminate underlay. Probably not what you want to read but I will never have laminate in a bedroom again. The kitchen is laminated and it is fine warmth wise though.