Preparing for Winter V

needmoney

@disbubblecannotpop

you could make a fortune selling a tiny pair of Merino wool cuffs designed to be worn on top of shirts and jumpers for £95!

These are shown in a daily newspaper today, I would put a link but I don't know if it's allowed. It's part of an article about fake collars, cuffs etc I had a good laugh at the ridiulous prices.

disbubblecannotpop

Wow! That’s bonkers!! People keep telling me to sell my wares, but I knit for love and the occasional commission, always been a bit scared of upping my game!
I’ve a Facebook page for my makes, maybe I need to add a shop? But don’t want to price things so they’re unaffordable to the regular joe, or underpriced so I don’t make any profit, it’s such a minefield!

THERMOS RECOMMENDATION! if anyone is after a REALLY good thermos, we have thermos king travel cups and the big thermos, they keep hot drinks hot for hours (as in, I burn my tongue three hours after making my brew!) just remember to pre-warm them first, to maximise how long they stay toasty! We used the big one for baby bottle water, it kept it at a decent temp all night (saved trips up and down the stairs), and dregs were still warm in the morning!

PipneyJane

maryb said:

I’ve just noticed we’re on the Preparing for Winter thread.  This is like the discussions we have on the Fashion on the Ration thread,I quite thought I was there!

But it has actually been one of my preparations for this winter so that I have room to wear another layer.  Layers are warm!

we are the Borg.  We will assimilate you.... 

- PIp

PipneyJane

@Laura_Elsewhere said:

We still have the window wide open all night, although closed in daytime when My Intended is sitting all day working from home. 
It's nearly November and I'm still not wearing jumpers! I love my layers and look forward to a frosty crisp morning but it looks like I'll have quite a wait - in 2020 our first frost was in mid-September... 

I am definitely wearing jumpers.  I'm in the office today and it was freezing cold when I got here, so I was very glad I wore a jumper under my suit jacket today.  (Converted stone cowshed in the middle of a farm.)  Had to put the heating on.  Although it is set to "auto", I don't think it actually works until you kick start it by hitting the "on" button each day.  We've only been in this office since September and are still breaking it in.

On the prepping front, we took advantage of some T0sco Clubcard offers, so I have enough dried pulses to last us the winter.   (Kidney beans, chick peas, lentils, mung beans, black-eyed beans.)  We have one 2kg bag of each in the pantry, decanted into Tupperware, and another bag on the shelf in the storage cupboard.  We also stocked up on Chapatti flour and Basmati rice this month, buying 10kg of each.  I think the rice was £12 and the flour £4.  (I only have one type of flour in stock.  Chapatti flour makes a light wholemeal bread.)

- Pip

Si_Clist

Jellytotts said:

Si_Clist said:

Anybody else now filling a Thermos flask with boiling water last thing before going to bed ...?

No... can I ask why?

It acts as a magic charm against waking up to find that either there's no water or there's no power.  We boil a full kettle last thing at night, fill our Stanley flask, and have 1.9 litres/3.3 pints of mad hot water available first thing - no matter what.

Si_Clist

disbubblecannotpop said:

THERMOS RECOMMENDATION! if anyone is after a REALLY good thermos ...

FWIW Stanley flasks are expensive and they're heavy, but they're indestructible.  Ours is at least 18 years old and still keeps coffee too hot to drink for well over 12 hours.

BTW, can somebody please tell me which is the right forum on which to ask about the best fridge-freezer to buy from the POV of electricity consumption?

Lucy5781

I sorted all the gloves and hats etc back in September, have only had one barely 5C morning so far, been 15-17C here this half term week!!

What I did yesterday, and it's not Winter prep exactly, is if like me, you buy Xmas gifts through the year (or from August maybe?) was my inventory. Kids were at holiday club so I could get it all out of my stash and then actually list what I've got for who and hence, what I still need to get and what I really don't need to get more of!

A couple of weeks back, I went through my stash of 'themed seasonal wear', that included the Halloween bits, as well as the Christmassy ones. Anything too small donated to friends or just Charity shop etc. I've nearly always got a stock of things in the next size up as I go buying afterwards when it's all half price, but, with the winter lockdown last year, I missed out and have a slight derth of bigger sized items for my 5yro especially, 3 still fits in a lot of her 2-3 and yesterday wore a 1.5-2yrs pumpkin printed dress! Found a few good bits out in the charity shops last week to top up though.

Si_Clist

Si_Clist said:

Jellytotts said:

Si_Clist said:

Anybody else now filling a Thermos flask with boiling water last thing before going to bed ...?

No... can I ask why?

 ... We boil a full kettle last thing at night, fill our Stanley flask, and have 1.9 litres/3.3 pints of mad hot water available first thing - no matter what.

Sorry ... brainfart there ... we used to boil it last thing at night but then I kept forgetting to do it!  So this winter we're boiling the kettle for Stanley when we do the teatime washing-up.  It's still mad hot when we're up and doing next morning, so that's well over 12 hours.

Jellytotts

TSi_Clist said:

Si_Clist said:

Jellytotts said:

Si_Clist said:

Anybody else now filling a Thermos flask with boiling water last thing before going to bed ...?

No... can I ask why?

 ... We boil a full kettle last thing at night, fill our Stanley flask, and have 1.9 litres/3.3 pints of mad hot water available first thing - no matter what.

Sorry ... brainfart there ... we used to boil it last thing at night but then I kept forgetting to do it!  So this winter we're boiling the kettle for Stanley when we do the teatime washing-up.  It's still mad hot when we're up and doing next morning, so that's well over 12 hours.

The advantage of a gas hob means there's always a way to get hot water...the
 allotment camping stove comes home this weekend and lives in the garage over winter.  The water is turned off at the plot on 1st November so the stove comes back and I take a thermal cup if I'm heading round.  

I've got used to washing hair and body in cold water as it takes so long for the hot water to come through (our boiler is in the garage), I'm not so keen this time of year but it warms up in time to rinse off 😀

Si_Clist

Jellytotts said:

... The advantage of a gas hob means there's always a way to get hot water...

Until you turn on the tap and nothing comes out ...