Preparing for Winter V

Nelliegrace

@MrsCD It might be better to look online and have them delivered to the local store. The best prices are when nobody is thinking about the next winter. 

MrsCD

Thanks for the tip, @Nelliegrace
@catz4m8tz, the last winter I worked in a shop, the temperature got down to around 4°C as we had to keep the door open all the time! I wore...a thermal long sleeved top, a long sleeved base layer top, a wool cardigan and a thick gilet over them. Bottom half had thermal tights, trousers, long thermal wool socks and furry lined boots. Fingerless gloves completed the designer ensemble! I had a flask of tea stashed in one of the drawers too. 😁

Nelliegrace

@catz4m8z Incontinence mats as an insulating layer and warm dogs on the bed? Newspaper or brown paper was used as insulation between the blankets to keep warm at night. Since she was poorly our old dog sleeps on a rug at the foot of the bed. She finds the warmest place above my hot water bottle. 

Fruball

Busy tomorrow but hoping to get some winter preps done on Sunday, working through my list in my sig!

Fortunately it has been very mild here in Berkshire.  I even harvested some ripening Roma tomatoes from the plastic tomato growhouse outside!  

How is everyone's winter preps going? What prep plans do you have this weekend? 

Laura_Elsewhere

Our winter preps for the flat are basically done now- but I need to sort out our little freezer (it's a fridge-freezer but a little smaller than standard) because it's got bulky things I shoved in over summer (like meat still in its rigid plastic packaging) because it was use-by next day and I wasn't about to use it... so if I can work my way through those kinds of things then we will have more room for portions of soups and homemade ready-meals. 

SuzeQStan

Amazing your toms are still going @Fruball!  We’ve already put the (v small) greenhouse to bed for the winter but the mild weather makes me wish we had held out now!

Winter prep wise we are ready now (I hope!) just waiting on the cold weather but enjoying the milder temperatures long as they last! 🤞🏻🤞🏻

the last thermal curtain is finally going back up this weekend after more ceiling painting.  

Also planning to declutter some Christmas deccies ornaments, unwanted gifts and some still serviceable clothes/coats/gloves scarves, bedding, towels, and give them away on Ol!o / Trash Nothing / Free cycle etc apps.

 I love the free apps as you know that generally the person collecting will use it and hopefully prevent things from going to landfill. 

I used to take donations to charity shops, but when I realised the high percentage that are thrown away by them I had to look at other options. 

Good luck working on that signature list 

happy weekend everybody 😊👍🏻

luvchocolate

SuzeQStan said:

Amazing your toms are still going @Fruball!  We’ve already put the (v small) greenhouse to bed for the winter but the mild weather makes me wish we had held out now!

Winter prep wise we are ready now (I hope!) just waiting on the cold weather but enjoying the milder temperatures long as they last! 🤞🏻🤞🏻

the last thermal curtain is finally going back up this weekend after more ceiling painting.  

Also planning to declutter some Christmas deccies ornaments, unwanted gifts and some still serviceable clothes/coats/gloves scarves, bedding, towels, and give them away on Ol!o / Trash Nothing / Free cycle etc apps.

 I love the free apps as you know that generally the person collecting will use it and hopefully prevent things from going to landfill. 

I used to take donations to charity shops, but when I realised the high percentage that are thrown away by them I had to look at other options. 

Good luck working on that signature list 

happy weekend everybody 😊👍🏻

Please don't give up on charity shops 
.they are really struggling to get saleable donations because people are selling not donate which I understand times are hard. 
I retired from being a relief manager a while ago and I estimated only 20% of items donated were saleable. 
It's even worse now as they also have to pay to have unsalable items taken away. 
The hospice i worked for are really struggling to provide a service. 
So sad 

SuzeQStan

luvchocolate said
Please don't give up on charity shops 

.they are really struggling to get saleable donations because people are selling not donate which I understand times are hard. 
I retired from being a relief manager a while ago and I estimated only 20% of items donated were saleable. 
It's even worse now as they also have to pay to have unsalable items taken away. 
The hospice i worked for are really struggling to provide a service. 
So sad 

I hear you but my main aim is to make sure these items don’t go to landfill.

I volunteer my time and a monthly DD donation to our local foodbank.

greenbee

I always ask my local CS to tell me if there is anything in my donation they don't want and I'll take it away. However, they always take everything and tell me that they can generally sell or use anything. They have a lot of space, and price low and have high turnover. 

Laura_Elsewhere

The charity shops near us (three, in W. Midlands) and near my parents (a full dozen, Edinburgh) simply won't take anything at all unless it's brand new and still packaged/labelled. 

Friends resigned from CSs after objecting to collectible books being thrown in skips because they have names written in the flyleaf (inc author's autograph in one case in SE England). 

I know they are struggling but it's very frustrating being unable to donate nearly-new items because they are not in packaging/labelled. 

We have found a single, indie, CS that we drive to, in a town some distance away because they will take things that are in new condition but without labels or boxes. 

Nowhere that we know of will take anything with even the tiniest bit of wear, though.