Preparing for Winter V

mardatha

Still bl00dy freezing up here!

parsniphead

I love this thread and have often lurked but not really put anything into practise as I felt overwhelmed.

Thank you for the list RainyDays. It's going to be a great help.

I live in a very draughty, single glazed, victorian terraced house. I do plan to start saving for double glazing once the debts are paid off this year but need to do something to make life more comfortable this winter.

I know it's only June but plan to start working through this list straight away to get things sorted. I'm very much a procrastinator so starting sooner rather than later is better for me. I'm still wearing jumpers on and off though as it's still a little nippy here. No vacuum bag for them yet.

This winter has to be better than last. Brrrrrrrrrr:eek:

Rainy-Days

Mardatha - I have been having the heating on for an hour in the evening as it is still pretty chilly at the moment. Although I have been eyeing up the things to get done over the next three months.

October is four months away; it sounds quite a bit of time but it will go quickly. If we get a hot spell then I don't feel like doing anything much at all other than basic stuff such as cleaning the house and washing. I am working around some big jobs to be done and it will save us time and money from having to get someone professional in to do it.

On the 5th October 2015 laws come into effect in England that the carrier bag tax is to be imposed - five pence per carrier bag. I am currently building up a stock in a huge carrier bag hanging in the under stairs cupboard.

I have also purchased some additional black tie handled bin liners from Aldi (they are brilliant 20 for 97p strong and very good indeed) as come the middle of October there will be quite a run on bin liners and other sturdy shopping bags. I have enough of those now to last me until next year.

[Deleted User]

Thanks for bumping this thread RAINY-DAYS although it's June and a lovely sunny day down here it's not going to be all that long before we get Autumn and all that entails. I'm going to look for a new padded winter coat in the sales and some more thermal undies/base layers as I find the prices in summer for last years colour/style are usually reduced round about now. I'm also looking for a real sheepskin scarf (I suspect forelornely)as I have real sheepskin hat and gloves which are the warmest thing I know of. The other thing that's often in sales at this time of year are winter slippers, might be worth looking out for?

bossymoo

Glorious day here in yorkshire too. Perfect for getting jobs done in preparation for when the weather isn't too friendly.

I've been quite good with my store cupboard this time. Most of it has been used and replaced, with possibly just a couple of odd buys that I needn't have bothered with.

We've recently had smart meters and a monitor installed by our supplier which has been interesting. They are new meters so started at zero so easy to keep track from now.

I've also got some work planned for a path at the side of the house and a better bin area which should make them easier to move in and out - they are a nightmare in bad weather. And on that note, I'm off to look at sheds!

nicki_2

I gave my landlord an A4 list of jobs which need to be done on the house and they're all getting done except for a new front door :j She said she'll sort that next year as she's doing £2000 worth of work and the front door we can cope with for now (she's going to get him to look and see if there's anything he can do temporarily) but the back door will get replaced with a UPVC one. She's also replacing our bath & shower (1980s ones, bath is starting to fail and the shower has never worked) and making the bathroom good so we can shower, light fittings are being replaced as the wiring is dodgy, around all the windows are being resealed as the sealant is now failing on all of them, the gutter at the front of the house which is leaking is being repaired/replaced including re-attaching the brackets holding the down pipe, pointing is being fixed in various points, the kitchen ceiling is being skimmed to get rid of the cracks & staining from when the roof failed, the pointing around some flagstones in the yarden is being repaired/replaced, they're recapping the yarden surrounding walls where buddlea (sp?) is growing out the top and causing the joints to split, and we're getting a new back gate. They're all "little" jobs (except the walls and bath/shower) but they will make a difference come the winter. THEN I can get on with the decorating throughout the house which will hopefully make a big difference to the mould levels. I can't wait for it all to be done

In other news we've been out and bought new 3 in 1 waterpoof coats last week (Millets sale, £50 each!) which we both desperately needed, not only for work, but also because we now have a boarder collie who needs walking every day We've been through all our winter clothing and bedding and reviewed it all, all we need is some waterproof pants now and possibly new walking boots for DD as she currently only has walking shoes which are pointless if it snows.

I think I'm going to go through the new list and write myself a new one so I can start my preparing now

Butterfly_Brain

Now that the bathroom is almost finished, we are saving for a new front door, ours is awful and the people who lived here before us put the frame in askew which means that we have always had a huge gap at the side of the door which has warped terribly.
I know we have the porch that DH built but it is still cold.

Going up to get some more coal next week it is a lot cheaper in the summer and DH wants to build another coal store.

We will get some seasoned logs from a local supplier because our logs need another year at least before they are ready to burn.I have also got lots of firelighters and a few fire logs.

We have the chimney and boiler done in September by the same company that put the stove in, it works out cheaper that way.

I am keeping my eyes out for thick curtains in the charity shops, people don't tend to look for them in the summer.

We also have five more windows to replace, that will probably be a job for next year.

I have just started knitting arran jumpers and cardis for all of us (I love knitting cable patterns ) and I have some Christmas pressies to make as well.

Looking in the sales for winter clothing.

We all have ice grips for shoes that I bought in the January sales and I will stock up on charcoal in the summer sales because we love a barbeque on halloween and fireworks night.

I need to get some more thermals for myself because I have lost so much weight this year through illness and mine are hanging off of me.

Doveling

Thanks for resurrecting this thread.

We're having a new front door fitted on Monday. Have just taken down a thick pair of lined dark green Dunelm Mills curtains which we used on a portiere rod to keep the draughts out.
Hopefully, heating bills should go down.:D
Are we allowed to pass things on to each other if the distance is not too great? Curtains are very heavy so would be too expensive to post

Cheapskate

Well, after a few lovely, almost summery days, this afternoon has dark skies and a drop in temperature even since this morning - after school pick-up, I think we'll definitely be wrapped up! Making me think of clarifying my winter preps - need to draw up my own list based on rainy days excellent one!

A xo

muffin_man_7

I've just put a set of curtains on the line and another set is in wash now these are spares that were give to us last year when neighbour moved it's the first chance I've had to get them done
I've another 2 pais to do after these they will be stored in vac bags til winter or I move which ever happens first this house isn't the same now all the kids have left and the bedroom tax is just taking money I could be using to prep I'm in band b so hopefully not too long they want 3 bed houses for families so it's right to move

Stair getting dangerous for me I've fell up them too many times and I'm hoping not to fall down them again so not good


Re prepping I'm just not sure how I can prep yet when I don't know where I'll be trying to box up the house is proving difficult atm not sure if its cos of health issues or just me getting old mind I have been in this house since 1985 a long time not sure what to do next I've had my ten minutes rest now might see why cezer barking then swap washing and then another cuppa I think I can't sit unless I got a brew then ..
keep on prepping for winter and my move I reckon