Preparing for winter IV

flubberyzing

My winter prep will begin in earnest once the schools go back. Summer often has a last hurrah in September, but then all of a sudden, there's a distinct chill in the air!
Last winter, in that bad snow we had in January, I was trapped inside for a good week. I'm not always the steadiest on my feet, and don't want to chance a bad fall. There were a few things last year, which I'd wished I had, so I will make sure I have them this time!

To buy:
A snow shovel.
Those studs you attach to the bottom of your shoes for extra grip in ice.
2 hiking sticks for extra grip on icy paths.

I live in a flat, with others around me on 4 of my 6 exposed sides. I have only 2 external walls, so my flat holds the heat very well. In fact, last winter I didn't have the CH on at all. I managed perfectly well with a small electric heater by the sofa, and an electric blanket in the bed. I also close the door to the barely used spare bedroom, which keeps the heat in the rooms I use most often.

Must get some new slippers though! My current pair are about 4 years old, I wear them year round, so they are very much beginning to fall apart! Will keep my eyes open for an ankle booty style pair, with a hard sole, as the weather gets worse.

Can manage another year without a new winter coat. Current one will be going into its 4th winter I think, but it's still looking fine, and is very cozy. No shortage of hats or scarves either. A decent hat makes all the difference in the cold weather.

bossymoo

I go through a pair of slippers roughly every 3 months! Goodness knows what I do to them...

cyclingyorkie

bossymoo wrote: »

I go through a pair of slippers roughly every 3 months! Goodness knows what I do to them...

I don't have slippers per se - but I live in a cast off pair of fit flop mules in the house - they are sooooo comfy...

noodles86

Scuff wrote: »

http://compare.ebay.co.uk/like/230861701800?var=lv&var=sbar&_lwgsi=y&cbt=y&lpid=66&device=c&adtype=pla&crdt=0&ff3=1&ff11=ICEP3.0.0&ff12=67&ff13=80&ff14=66&ff19=0

Something like this?? My cousin has one at uni I was more impressed than I should have been haha x

EDIT: I just realised you asked if the regular ones work, not for ones that did, but if they don't then this could be an option?

I bought those from Home Bargains last winter, may still have them if you have a store near by

Tiffany_Aching

Scuff wrote: »

http://compare.ebay.co.uk/like/230861701800?var=lv&var=sbar&_lwgsi=y&cbt=y&lpid=66&device=c&adtype=pla&crdt=0&ff3=1&ff11=ICEP3.0.0&ff12=67&ff13=80&ff14=66&ff19=0

Something like this?? My cousin has one at uni I was more impressed than I should have been haha x

EDIT: I just realised you asked if the regular ones work, not for ones that did, but if they don't then this could be an option?

*delurking*

These over radiator airers in the link are great! We got a couple from Home Bargains last winter and as they adjust I have one hanging over the back of a door, one over a night storage heater and three over the landing banister, where they catch any warm air coming up the stairwell.

Confuzzled

Scuff wrote: »

http://compare.ebay.co.uk/like/230861701800?var=lv&var=sbar&_lwgsi=y&cbt=y&lpid=66&device=c&adtype=pla&crdt=0&ff3=1&ff11=ICEP3.0.0&ff12=67&ff13=80&ff14=66&ff19=0

Something like this?? My cousin has one at uni I was more impressed than I should have been haha x

EDIT: I just realised you asked if the regular ones work, not for ones that did, but if they don't then this could be an option?

actually those look great and hold more than a regular airer would anyway, so thank you, i may just stock up! :T

Confuzzled

bossymoo wrote: »

I go through a pair of slippers roughly every 3 months! Goodness knows what I do to them...

i keep buying slipper boots when i see them on sale during the summer then i wear them like this

i always start off the late autumn season with the new ones and then slip into the less thick, more worn ones as it starts to warm and the thinnest oldest ones for summer

yes i usually have 2 or three pairs of them around the house but this way i extend the life of them, one pair would never last me the year as i wear them so frequently

also watch out, washed slipper boots are never quite the same again, best left til spring when you dont mind a thinner boot, and they do go a little lumpy but as it gets warmer you wear them less so it's not so much of a bother

Confuzzled

Tiffany_Aching wrote: »

*delurking*

These over radiator airers in the link are great! We got a couple from Home Bargains last winter and as they adjust I have one hanging over the back of a door, one over a night storage heater and three over the landing banister, where they catch any warm air coming up the stairwell.

ooh that gives me an idea to hang some over the bedroom doors to catch that warm air rising up there, sadly we don't have a landing banister as we have one of those staircases that has a midpoint landing, it's just walls on either side the rest of the way up and a door on either side at the top, but you can really feel the heat collecting up there as you walk up the stairs so that would work at least in autumn

Tiffany_Aching

I've been working through this (very) long thread and have a huge list of things to do now! A couple of pages back someone posted a link to Rainy-days list - huge thank you to whoever it was that posted the link and to Rainy-days for sharing, it has been very helpful.

I was able to cross off the first thing on my list this morning as the chimney sweep came to do the chimney for us, I've also ordered the coal to be delivered in a weeks time - our local coal merchant is putting his prices up the first week of September this year (last year it was the end of Sept) so if anyone else here gets a bulk delivery then it's worth checking when the prices go up in your area.

We're in the middle of the fens and the cold winter winds across the fields batter both the front and back of our house, we don't have mains gas and so are reliant on the coal fire plus a panel heater as our main source of heating - we move the panel heater from room to room as when it's needed. We had a storage heater put in my sons bedroom last year as he is disabled and isn't very mobile, we didn't get the full benefit last year as we couldn't afford it until towards the end of winter so I'm pleased to know we wont have to worry about him so much this year. His curtains are so thin that you could shoot peas through them so I'm definitely going to get some fleece backing on them as soon as possible - great idea!

The front door is in a part of the hall that could be curtained off easily to stop draughts, so I'm thinking if I put one up at the entrance way and another up in front of the door itself it should be helpful to keep the cold out. Door curtains are on my charity shop list.

I think I'll get a cheap duvet to throw on the sofa for me and DH to snuggle under - the kids are in the habit of bringing down their sleeping bags when it's cold so I reckon we should have something to curl up under too! Argos have them for £6.99 for a single, which isn't too bad if it saves a couple of evenings worth of coal. We had to eek the coal out at the end of last winter as we pretty much ran out and couldn't afford any more, so a duvet will hopefully get us through those days a with a bit more comfort!

Also going to pick up a couple of extra tins of food each time I go into town with the aim to get a couple of weeks worth stashed away...and I need to get a snow shovel...and hats, scarves, gloves for us all...oh! My to do list is long!

PRINCESSX87

@Tiffany Aching:-

I too was lucky to have seen rainys post which has helped us no end. This will be our first prep winter and our list now is as long as your arm, However, I've worked on the basis that between now and the cold snap we should have enough time to tick off the list. Maybe your children or OH could also find something on the list and that's their task?

Hope all goes well.

P x