Preparing for Winter

10past6

Charis wrote: »

We need to make sure our elderly relatives and neighbours are not sitting in the dark for fear of the bills, not just adopt the attitude 'I'm all right Jack'.

In 10 years time, I'm due to retire, I have no private pension or savings, I'll be relying on state pension alone, we have our own home which our mortgage should be finsihed, I dread retiring, how we are going to fund the upkeep of our home / live on a state pension is way beyond me.

Princess_kate

I'm going to line my bedroom curtains with fleece blankets.
I've got 2 Asda smartprice fleeces, £1.77 each & am waiting until thursday when aldi have velcro on offer for £1.99.
Hopefully these will take the chill off my icebox bedroom!!

anguk

bandraoi wrote: »

Don't know if they're selling them in the UK, but Penny's in Ireland (Primark) are selling fleecy throws for E3.

I've just used three of them to make a blind/extra insulation layers for my two single glazed sash windows.

I cut one (in a contrasting colour) in half and sewed it to the bottom of a cream fleece. I put two eyelets in the top, and have hung them off the hooks that were there from old net curtains.

I bought one from Primark yesterday! They had a few different colours and they're £2 each, DS has been snuggled under it tonight.

miserly_mum

Charis wrote: »

Please read my reply to Ken again. There is no hostility in it. I would genuinely like to know how anyone can survive on a basic pension-credit level pension and pay all their bills, especially if they are not fit and nimble enough to dig the garden and hop on a bus to town to visit the library and hunt for bargains, or they have a spouse at home who cannot be left for more than a short time due to health problems, dementia etc.

Many people can and do manage very well on state pension every day.They are the ones who don't get documentaries made about them , because frankly it wouldn't make interesting enough TV.

They are doing what all of us on this site strive to do each day.....live within their means.

For people caring for sick relatives, the funds are there to help take at least the financial burden off them, (if not the emotional one). I nursed my late Mum for 18 months before she died and know this from personal experience.

sarerb18

An A4 plastic folder insert with a magazine inside drawing pinned to a wooden door above the letter box works brilliantly against drafts.

Recovering from surgery, in case you're wondering why I'm up at this hour.
Just a thought, don't throw cauliflower or similar stumps away as they make fabulous soup.
:hello:

[Deleted User]

lol. I thought I was the only one saving my broccolli stumps for soup. Broccolli florets yesterday, soup today

re oap`s and state pension. Times have changed and I also have experience of my mil and mum surviving on state pensions but today appears to be a lot harder. The ones that are worse off are those who own their own home and have some savings for their old age. Just take council tax and energy and water costs alone and that could be £200 a month. Not much left is there? Those who didn`t save and who live in council accomodation appear to be better off

ceridwen

Charis wrote: »

Please read my reply to Ken again. There is no hostility in it. I would genuinely like to know how anyone can survive on a basic pension-credit level pension and pay all their bills, especially if they are not fit and nimble enough to dig the garden and hop on a bus to town to visit the library and hunt for bargains, or they have a spouse at home who cannot be left for more than a short time due to health problems, dementia etc.

Those who own their own homes are not able to claim any kind of housing benefits although they are liable for every bit of home maintenance. The general attitude is that they must be well off to afford their own place. To which I would say you can't eat bricks and mortar.

People like my neighbour, for example, who has just had major surgery for breast cancer and feels the cold. She has only two nephews and they both live hundreds of miles away. She's just had to pay for roof repairs. How many more are tucked away behind closed front doors without access to the information they need and just the TV and media hype for company?

If there is no problem, why are Friends of the Earth and Age Concern spending good money taking the government to court? Charities have to raise every penny they spend on legal fees, unlike the government, who just help themselves from the various taxes we all pay. We need to make sure our elderly relatives and neighbours are not sitting in the dark for fear of the bills, not just adopt the attitude 'I'm all right Jack'.

Quite - and of course the comment by Ken about growing food in one's garden - of course that presupposes one HAS a garden. With the best will in the world and even if one is fit enough to maintain a garden - many people dont have a garden TO grow food in and cant manage to get an allotment (with the long waits for one in many parts of the country - assuming the waiting lists are still "open" in the first place, as some lists have been "shut" because they are so long). I've got lots of plans for what I intend to grow in a garden - and can only manage to implement a tiny bit of it - as I only have a tiny back yard. A lot of people dont even have as much land as I have...what do they do?

As I understand it - it certainly is the case that some illnesses mean the sufferer requires more heat in their home than most of us. Anyway - what about a bit of compassion here? For people who have ANY illness - it will help them feel a bit better and more able to cope with the illness if at least they are feeling warm and cosy.

As Charis says - one "cant eat bricks and mortar" - most of us know how houses have a tendency to land hefty maintenance bills on us from time to time that we have no option but to pay. There is also the further fact that I, for one, will be MORE conscious of making sure my house looks well-maintained from the outside once I am an O.A.P. than I am now - because I dont want to have the "less welcome" members of our society going past my house thinking "Oh that house is badly maintained and looks distinctly old-fashioned - bet theres a vulnerable little O.A.P. living there for me to have a go at".

Regarding the "bricks and mortar" - I suppose some people have thought "oh well - homeowners can always do one of those schemes to release some money from the capital tied up in their house". Actually - this was a little fallback idea if the worst came to the worst in my case - but it wont be feasible in fact because:
- the sex discrimination against women in these schemes is still there (and I am a woman). I had blithely assumed they would be made to remove this before I got to the relevant agegroup - but see no signs of this. I dont want to spend my old age being treated unjustly and feeling angry - the aim is to peacefully review my life so far and happily focus on new things.

- I wouldnt trust any company I took out one of these schemes with not to go bust (as I dont trust ANY company not to go bust in the current economic climate).

- my house will be worth a lot less than I anticipated because of falling house prices - so I probably wouldnt even get much "income" out of it anyway (quite apart from the reduction for being a woman).

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Nope - I honestly think that we are in "rationing by price" territory now as regards fuel prices and it will get worse. You can afford it - you can have it. Otherwise - they dont care. After all it serves a purpose doesnt it? The less fuel we all use - the further the declining output from our ailing power stations will go.

sandraroffey

thought i would share this information with any one who lives in, or near,devizes. i ws there last week with my daughter in law, and i couldnt believe the market!! it was a proper, old fashioned market. so much really cheap fruit and veg of which we bought loads to make stuff and sqirrel away. BUT also, the handicrafts stall had HUGE bags of odd wool balls for a pound!!! wonderful for making blankets and throws etc. for the winter. i am not over that way often, but next time i am, it will be several bags of the wool and chance that i can get them back on the train!!! think i may ask y D-I-L to get a couple a week when she goes to devizes, and they can bring them over next time they come to me. so cheap just couldnt believe it.

cheap fleeces to wear and fleece blankets as well. and really snuggly fluffy slippers. havent seen a market like that in a long time!!!

Justamum

sarerb18 wrote: »

An A4 plastic folder insert with a magazine inside drawing pinned to a wooden door above the letter box works brilliantly against drafts.

I think I'll give that one a go! The letterbox is all rusted and doesn't fit properly and it makes one heck of a draught. I've been thinking of the best way to make draught excluders for the bottom of the doors, and I'm going to cut up some old, no longer needed, duvets and use them.

housebug

10past6 wrote: »

My OH and me (not married) have been together for 18 years, we're on just above the minimum wage, as we are both classed as single we get no help from anyone, we work because it keeps us motivated and gives us a purpose in life.

Our electric DD has just doubled from £60.00 pm to £112.00 pm, I'm worried sick about how were going to manage, we shop at the cheapest places, I do all the cooking from scratch as it's cheaper, but it is becoming a strain wondering what the next 12 months have installed.

I've heard this morning from a friend in a similar situation. She's really upset as she simply can't afford the extra. Too many ordinary working people falling through the cracks in the system and facing real hardship this Winter. :mad: