Preparing for Winter

Teaparty_mum

My kiddies go to bed with a hot water bottle ( even though they have duvets and heatin on).

Looking at getting thick curtain for kiddies rooms and have got a baffal (sp) plate for my duel fuel burner as we can feel the difference with out it.

Scubabe

Gryfon wrote: »

Quick question if anyone knows. How much heat is lost if you don't have curtains on a window? We don't have any lined curtains and in DD2 and DS1's rooms they have two huge windows each and I only have one covered with an unlined curtain. Will it warm up significantly if I get around to curtaining them?

Ooo and another one, in their rooms they have open fireplaces, anyone know what I should use to block it up? I'm thinking that stuffing an old pillow up there isn't the best idea if I want to light a fire on the ground floor :eek:

elljay...when I was younger before my parents had double glazing I remember that they used to have sheets of glass with a plastic border around which you placed on the window and it had clips around it which would fasten the sheet into place. I think we only had it on none opening windows though, or ones we didn't want to open.

Gryfon, sorry I don't know the answer to your questions, but I thought I would bump this post for you as I am interested in the answer about curtains. I can't afford to buy curtains yet (maybe next month!!) and we only have one curtain in the whole house. I was planning on only buying curtains for the lounge and master bedroom as these are really the most used rooms, and money is tight.

I'd be interested in reading other's thoughts on the curtain issue!

Ness

parsonswife8

Pips_Mum wrote: »

:jOoooh that sounds a good idea, hot bath and nice looking firemen!! :j

I am 32 weeks pregnant so getting in and out of bath is getting harder and harder, OH has to come and haul me out!!:rotfl:
At least mine is only temporary, I love a bath and would really miss it. I bet the hot water would soothe your sore knees, so its a shame you cant have a bath anymore:(

___________________________________________

If my OH tried to haul me out, I'm afraid I would be hauling him in!

oystercatcher

Scubabe wrote: »

Gryfon, sorry I don't know the answer to your questions, but I thought I would bump this post for you as I am interested in the answer about curtains. I can't afford to buy curtains yet (maybe next month!!) and we only have one curtain in the whole house. I was planning on only buying curtains for the lounge and master bedroom as these are really the most used rooms, and money is tight.

I'd be interested in reading other's thoughts on the curtain issue!

Ness

Gyfon and Scubabe
I have found that curtains make a huge difference to the amount of heat lost from a room. Particularly if you have single glazed windows but even with double glazing, I bet if you go near your uncurtained windows at night you'll feel a chill coming from them.

Charity shops often have curtains in at very good prices so if you can't afford to buy loads at once it's worth keeping the measurments of windows with you and popping in and checking the racks fo something that is the right size and not too ghastly. If you can't get thick curtains then intelligent ones are still better than nothing !

Alternative is to hang up a sheet over the window in the evenings if you have some spare, at least it would prevent some of the cold air circulating even if not as a effective as a thick curtain.

Oystercatcher

sunset_gold

I got 2 wooden curtain poles from free cycle and yesterday a pair of green curtains from the salvation army charity shop for £6.50, one will go over my back door (a stable door which is really drafty in winter) and one over my old wooden front door until I can afford new doors next year. Hope to get them put up at the weekend. I am convinced our hallway and kitchen will feel much warmer in the evenings and early mornings.

sunset_gold

ticking-over wrote: »

These jars are great but as a none coffee drinker I look out for them in our local charity shops, the price varies between 20p and 75p depending on the size (+ the shop). Over the last couple of years I've bought about 40 of them and a couple of the shops keep them by for me as and when they come in but it's not really a regular supply.

I've glass painted a few as Tea/Coffee/Sugar sets and filled some of the smaller ones with bathpearls/mini soaps/bath crystals.

You could always ask for jars on free cycle, I had two lots this autumn for my jams and earlier in the year I gave some to a lady who put a wanted on free cycle for some, they are probably the same lot being recycled over and over again, but I wouldn't pay for jars, just go around to your neighbour's green bottle/glass recycling bins early on bin day, I did that for wine bottles when I ran out for my wine making!

the_cat

Teaparty_mum wrote: »

My kiddies go to bed with a hot water bottle ( even though they have duvets and heatin on).

PLEASE be very careful!

When my son was about 8, his hot water bottle split in his bed sending scalding water all over the place. Luckily it was near his feet and he wasn't asleep at the time so he was OK but it could have been terrible! Never again will I put a bottle in a child's bed.

anguk

When my kids were little I used to put the hot water bottle in their bed about an hour before bedtime and then removed it when they went to bed. It meant the bed was nice and warm for them getting in but there was no risk of scalding.

angelite_2

anguk wrote: »

When my kids were little I used to put the hot water bottle in their bed about an hour before bedtime and then removed it when they went to bed. It meant the bed was nice and warm for them getting in but there was no risk of scalding.

HI everyone, my mum used to do this when we were kids too, and then we would get to keep the water bottle because it had cooled by the time we went to bed.

If anyone is looking for cheap curtains, I would try local car boot sales, thats where i got my living room ones, they're good as new

pagangirl

Thanks Annie123
- can just imagine me walking down to the shops!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: