Preparing for winter III

babyboysmommy

Hi, hope you don't mind me popping by & asking a question... Is it worth investing in some floor rugs? The lounge is carpeted over a good underlay on concrete floor. I was wondering if a big rug would help with warmth? Would it be cost effective or would the difference be too little to warrant buying one? I have a toddler with chronic lung disease, last winter we had to run the central heating 24/7. I was really worried about the cost but we actually ended up spending less than the previous winter. Even so any ways of further reducing the bill would be helpful as we will need to run it 24/7 this winter too (it does get put on a lower temp at night but it's still got to be kept warm). Thank you in advance for any advice.

Confuzzled

rosalie-lavender wrote: »

My daughter has one of these. He is adorable.:D

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Intelex-Cozy-Plush-Microwaveable-Warmer/dp/B000WC2M9S/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1348134861&sr=8-11

I think I paid about £5 for hers. The prices do fluctuate up and down on Amazon.

he is cute! i wonder has anyone seen these WITHOUT lavender? both my daughter and i are allergic to lavender so we've had to stay away from these kinds of things which is a shame, i know she'd love something like this

chirpychick

Confuzzled wrote: »

i suspect it's a combination of both the letterbox and the loft hatch. you could try holding a lit incense stick near both openings to see if there is a draw that would signify air coming through, in fact you may wish to check the entire area

bubble wrap on the glazing should help a bit, a simple solution for the letter box would be to find a way to attach a piece of fleece or felt over the slot on the inside of the door, maybe a velcro strip they have some with adhesive so you could lay one side of the strip against the door and it would stick and then attach the other side to your felt/fleece (you may need a few stitches to keep that in place it depends on how well the adhesive would stick to the fabric) so the velcro would be just above the door slot but the bottom half of the fabric would be loose so letters could be posted through without too much trouble (make sure the fabric is a good size)

if you had problems with the fleece staying down you could sew in some very light weights in the corners with say a bean or something just to keep it from flapping about after being disturbed by the postie

as for the loft hatch, you could use some of the sticky backed foam strip draught excluder around the seal, this won't keep you from being able to get into the loft but it would help stop any draughts from coming down and is very very easy to install and remove, i even use it on wooden window frames in the flat i let (they are terribly warped) with no damage to them when it is removed. just be sure to clean and dry the area prior to installation or it won't stick properly

Thank you!
I will definitely be looking more into this tonight (the cold is more obvious of an evening) and see what we can do, the fleece idea is a great one.
I am not quite sure how to attach it (UPVC door) but my DH is very DIY savvy so I am sure he will come up with something.

We did also do that foam around the loft hatch and we insulated the door bit too. I am seriously considering putting a fleece over the hatch to see if it makes any difference!

Confuzzled wrote: »

he is cute! i wonder has anyone seen these WITHOUT lavender? both my daughter and i are allergic to lavender so we've had to stay away from these kinds of things which is a shame, i know she'd love something like this

I was just about to ask this exact same question! I am allergic to lavender too and have been hunting for one of these for about 3 years now so would love it if someone found one without lavender in.
I cannot believe someone else is allergic - nobody believes me when i tell them, they say "you just don't like it, there is a difference" LOL yes I know

bossymoo

I got one in a garden centre years ago it is vanilla. I find lavender makes me headachey but ended up putting the vanilla one away as it was too strong. But when I found it last month, I thought its mellowed a bit so might get some use now...

Possession

You can definitely get wheat bags without lavender (search on ebay 'wheat fragrance free') or even make your own. Not sure about a snuggly toy one though.
ETA: found one but they are more expensive:
http://www.cuddlywheaties.co.uk/products/cuddly-wheaties/

chirpychick

Possession wrote: »

You can definitely get wheat bags without lavender (search on ebay 'wheat fragrance free') or even make your own. Not sure about a snuggly toy one though.
ETA: found one but they are more expensive:
http://www.cuddlywheaties.co.uk/products/cuddly-wheaties/

thank you :T
the sheep is going on my list to santa!

Confuzzled

chirpychick wrote: »

I was just about to ask this exact same question! I am allergic to lavender too and have been hunting for one of these for about 3 years now so would love it if someone found one without lavender in.
I cannot believe someone else is allergic - nobody believes me when i tell them, they say "you just don't like it, there is a difference" LOL yes I know

ahh at long last a sister in lavender induced nausea

it gives me intense headaches and nausea, if i have the misfortune of brushing against it i get raised weals, that's not dislike, it's allergy!

i have a similar issue with the type of christmas tree that is common here in the uk, as we always had a 'fake tree' when i was a kid i rarely ever came into contact with them in the states, i seem to have less issues with long needled pine vs short needled pine but as i get older i get worse and worse with it, something many fail to believe *sighs* i had to put my foot down when i was still with my ex husband as i was constantly getting angry red weals, being incredibly itchy and having intense headaches when being in the same room with a real christmas tree. one of my previous winter preps was buying a decent fake tree to stop my yearly battle!

it's funny, i hear bear grylls talk about drinking pine needle tea for vitamin c content in a survival scenario, i think i'd rather get scurvy then risk anaphylactic shock from drinking it i'm fortunate that being in pine forests don't bother me too much as long as i don't touch the needles, i guess there's more air to disperse whatever it is that bothers me so much about it.

again though, i feel for you, i know what it's like to have people try to 'educate' me about my own allergies

Confuzzled

Possession wrote: »

You can definitely get wheat bags without lavender (search on ebay 'wheat fragrance free') or even make your own. Not sure about a snuggly toy one though.
ETA: found one but they are more expensive:
http://www.cuddlywheaties.co.uk/products/cuddly-wheaties/

thank you that's pure dead brilliant! my daughter will love the kitty, i think she may get one for christmas this year, i don't mind paying extra to get one that won't give either of us a headache!

raven83

Evening all!!! Brrrrr it is rather parky tonight already, still I am lasting it out to see how long I can last without putting on the heating, did contemplate putting the fire on last night but instead just got a blanket out Still there is something about this time of year I love, I love it when the kids come home from school and it is drawing in and there is something warming cooking, it's not the same doing it in the summer! Add in lots of hot chocolate into the mix (sadly not for me though as I am on a diet so it is black tea for me!) and you feel all warm and cosy, love it! Then light a few candles and it completes the cosy feel. I have still got to get bits for winter, I am getting a few bits every week in order of when they will be needed, that way doesn't seem too expensive if it is spread out over some weeks. Next week is new pillows for the girls and duvets, plus some fleecy throws for their beds, oh and more PJ's and hot water bottles, might treat myself to a new hot water bottle too Anyway I will stop waffling on now about my love for this time of the year, hope everyone is feeling snug as a bug this evening

MarilynMonroe_2

My normally too hot in bed dd said she was a bit cold in bed so I have put her big winnie the pooh blanket under her bottom sheet and put on her brushed cotton bed set, so she should be toasty tonight!:)