Preparing for Winter V

oldtractor

I have put 3 firebricks in my multifuel/woodburner, one at the back and one on each side. this has reduced the wood and coal used by about half. We are still nice and warm but the stove isnt "eating" fuel. So much cheaper than trading it in for a smaller one which is what we were going to do.

toozie_2

I don't know if this would help anyone, and I don't fancy doing it myself (and don't have an actual real fire of any sort either).

I was in a local CS, and a person was in the shop buying all the video's which they were selling for 10p, he must have bought about 40.

When I went to the till I had a chat about the video's being sold, and the assistant stated people are always buying them to burn!

I was like........."don't they smell or give off some toxic smoke??"...well apparently not she said, she also said they burn for ages, and the people only burn the cassette, and use the case for something else.

Don't think I'd fancy it, not sire what it would be like inside an enclosed fire-like a wood burner??:eek:

babyblooz

Don't like the idea of burning plastic.

bossymoo

We are preparing for a trip to Finnish Lapland this winter :T so among the excitement I need to ensure we have adequate layers and head / hand gear! We are provided with thermal suits and boots, but not hats, mitts, and base layers.

I really struggle with hats, I must have a big head (well, I think the bushy hair doesn't help!) but I can never seem to get a well fitting one. Anyway, I found (on eBeast) some polar fleece hood / snood things. They can be worn in different ways, and even have a layer that can be pulled up to protect the nose and mouth. So I got two kiddies ones as well. They can even layer over hats so if the temp really drops we should be ok.

I also have some socks that have a tog rating although they didn't do kiddy sizes. I figure they can each wear cotton ones with thick welly socks over the top.

I'm also taking lots of spare mitts in case we get wet!

How exciting!

nicki_2

I have a "proper" door curtain up over my front door :j:j Only taken me 11 years! The difference is quite noticeable. I need to get the other one up in the kitchen as soon as possible. I couldn't believe how chilly it was this morning when I went out there.

The dog is still insisting on sleeping on the floor and was freezing again this morning apparently. He even went and got one of his jumpers this morning and brought it to me to put on him:rotfl: I bought them to stop him chewing when he had some irritation a few weeks back and he loves wearing them. He then climbed on the sofa, pulled the quilt off the back and climbed on top of it. He hardly moved for the rest of the day. I know collies are intelligent but he surprised me today!

I have given in and put the heating on "auto" at least overnight and if we go out anywhere. I'd hoped to hold out for the start of November or at least half term but when there is condensation on the outside of the windows as well as on the inside its time to think about warming the house overnight

greenbee

After having my loft insulation removed and the rubbish/dead mice/mouse poo cleared out I have now had 320mm of insulation put back in. Even the first morning afterwards the difference was noticeable.

It's been a couple of days now, and the house is holding the heat much better - the heating is hardly firing at all (and the builders are still here and still really bad at bothering to close the door...)

New doors are also on the list, but for the moment I have a curtain and draught excluder at the front door. Not sure it's worth doing at the back, but I must at least remember to shut the utility room door.

mardatha

Oh Bossymoo that does sound lovely!!

SpikyHedgehog

sammy_kaye18 wrote: »

Afternoon all,

Im getting this horrid sinking feeling in my tummy that this winter is going to be a cold one so I need to get my posterior in gear!

Ive made a start on winter planning but am having fun at the minute as I have builders in my hosue replacing the bathroom and the kitchen.....plus side is it will all be done by the end of next week but the downside is everything until now in our house has been electric ( we had a walk in shower) and my only real gas spend was cooking and the heating and even then we had an electric fire in the living room.
Now I have an electric cooker that I was given by my sister in law and we have a bath for the first time in nearly 5 years so I am focusing on making sure I heat proof the hosue as much as possible so our gas/electric spends are kept to a minimum.

Im paying about £60 a month at the minute on both but I did have arrears so Im hoping to get these down. My husband charges his phone every night, and my son lives on his Xbox but he has been getting more interested in cooking so I am hoping I can start getting him to help me make tea which means the xbox will be turned off for a while at least. Also hes in comprehensive now so his homework needs doing. Another bonus is our kitchen is a kitchen diner so if I get him to sit at the dining table (his little sister will inevitably follow suit) and the heat from the cooker will keep us all warm.

I really do need to get a move on and start sorting so here is my list for today once the workmen have gone.
- bath children/hair washed and onesies (novelty of a new bath)
- find out the fleeces for the sofa/kids beds
- draught excluders for the kids bedroom doors

(although my daughter has taken at the minute to sleeping on the bottom bunk of my sons bunk beds and is quite happy - usually she has a nightlight on in her bedroom and is unsettled for a while but at present her room is being used as a storage room for kitchen stuff) so Im wondering come winter if I can move her into her brothers room and then it would mean I wont have to heat her bedroom.

I have two duvets in the airing cupboard that I might put under the kids bottom sheets to keep them snug in winter too

Also need to sacrifice an old duvet and make a dogs bed for the two dogs who now decided they are friends and wont leave my side.

And I need to stock the medicine cupboard so I will make a list later for what I need.

Any other suggestions of things I can do whilst my hosue is upside down?

I picked up a woollen blanket at the Scouts' jumble sale last week that no-one wanted as it was a bit faded on one side, and (after a good wash & dry in the sunshine) is folded under the mattress protector on DS2's bed. I've swapped his summer duvet for the thicker one today, and when I've washed the summer duvet will put that under the mattress protector too. It really helps keep his bed cosier.

I got a new thick duvet for my bed, as my old duvets (cheapies from Arg0s for wedding presents from my colleagues 10 years ago) were more thin patches than thick patches now, and put the old summer one under the sofa cover, so hope that will help make it feel warmer.

When I got a new sofa, I'd got one with leather look plastic and 2 covers, thinking that would make it easier to keep it clean as I could wash the covers and scrub off any pen marks, etc. Which works in that respect, but it's jolly cold in winter! I put a fleece over the cover last winter and that made it more snuggly.

I had a gap in the bath panel where we had a horrible draft coming through, so I'd make sure the builders don't leave any gaps, sammy_kaye18! (What I did was plait 3 old pairs of tights and squeeze them into the gap so they kept the drafts out; when we had to change the bath panel I also put polystyrene packaging under the bath so there wasn't so much cold air circulating around under it!)

Eenymeeny

I spent yesterday afternoon 'Preparing for Autumn'. I love the change of seasons, and autumn brings out the nesting instinct in me. I like to change over to more natural accessories like woollen rugs, wooden bowls containing apples and nuts, richer colours in cushions and curtains etc. I treat it as a transition from summer to winter, not quite ready for candles and quilts but clearing away the light summery fabrics and accessories.
I actually revelled in the cosy pools of lamplight and the fragrance of cinnamon scented pine cones when the time came to close the curtains last night. (A task I normally dislike because it's a reminder that summer is leaving us.)
Is it just me, or does anyone else do this?

lellyo

That sounds lovely and cozie! Xxx