Preparing for Winter

rosieben

Great list there, Sammy! let us know how you get on. Its such a nice feeling when you know you're all prepared for the winter!

jcr16

sammy haye , i recently took my duvet to laundrette to get washed. it a king size so had to go in the jumbo washing machine. it cost £4.40 for a 35 min wash. i dried it on the line at home. but single duvets fit into the big machines and these cost only £2.60. i always had mine cleaned by a company who collected and delivered at nearly £10 per duvet. so try your laundrette as i saved a bundle. also u can do this on a morning when u know it sunny so can put it on the line. i dread to think how much it would of cost to use there tumble drier or mine.

Hope u get on with your list tonight. it fab having a list and crossing things off as u go.

sammy_kaye18

Yeah fingers crossed ill be able to nip down on eday this week. Am hoping i can maybe nab a lift home off my mother in law as i dont drive and it would be horrid trying to get home with 2/3 wet duvets!!! or saying that might be able to jsutify a taxi then really. Other downside is i live in a flat so drying them would be awkward - although i have rails that i can put across the hallway to dry it and an airer which i could stand in the living room to dry another,Think i might do this next week with the duvets when ben is in school one day as it will be easier. Taxi there and taxi back will cost me £10 as i think my mother in law is busy but the heating will be saved so i dont mind so much.

jcr16

how big is your washing machine? i've got a 5.5kg wash one and i can get a 4.5tog king in it or a 10 tog single.

have u tried in your machine first? i know until i tried it i didn't think it would fit.

it only my 10 tog king i can't get in there.

Fruball

Can anyone tell me what these 'rice bags' are please

elona

Frugal


Instead of a "wheat" bag that you heat in the microwave - you fill a cotton or towelling bag with dry rice - that can be heated for a few minutes in the microwave and used like a hot water bottle.

Fruball

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooh wow ! Thanks for that - I shall be making rice bags then - is rice better than wheat then ? Or would any grain work ie barley etc - or is rice cheaper ?

Quasar

Well, just the other day I organised my winter wardrobe and stuff.

I'm embarrassed to admit that I have six fleece jackets. I had more but gave them to the charity shop with other stuff. I'm keeping two to wear indoors and the others for braving the weather. I also have two pairs of fleecy slacks which I bought last year, and they will be good also to wear indoors, as my flat has huge north facing windows and even with double glazing it can get very chilly, and I'm determined not to go wild with the heating. Today I bought two pairs of super fleecy socks for £2.50 at Primark - I'm still under the "one year without buying new things" promise to myself, but I think this was a justified bargain.

As for the rest of my clothes I have to say I'm well kitted out for the winter. Good jumpers, slacks (never wear skirts in the winter), coats, shoes etc.

The bedding - I've ditched the quilt. Instead I have five fleecy blankets plus a great pure wool large rug, and in the last few days when the temperature dropped, I found that 3 fleecy ones kept me warm as toast. The others can be added as and when. I'll keep the quilt stored away just in case, but I'm not planning on using it unless I really have to - it costs me money to launder and then dry, and then putting the cover on etc. I find the fleecy blankets easy to use, wash and they dry very quickly - and feel so snug and warm on the skin.

Two water bottles, a warm dressing gown to slip on of a cold morning...

Bring it on!

dolly_day_dream

elona wrote: »

Frugal


Instead of a "wheat" bag that you heat in the microwave - you fill a cotton or towelling bag with dry rice - that can be heated for a few minutes in the microwave and used like a hot water bottle.

please be careful with these. I also used to use rice bags as an alternative to hot water bottles and then someone pointed me in the direction of research that shows some of them spontaneously combust during the night:eek: I dont want to be that warm.

I now use wheat which is apparantly much safer - I bought it from the animal feed man on the the market and it wasn't that expensive.

jcr16

how did u get on sammy with your night of sorting your home out ready for winter ?

i've told hubby i need his help to sort out my shed so i can do some bulk buying and storing or thing's. i've got loads of old kitchen bits in there from where we put new kitchen in. i have made justa little path so i can get to freezer. i'vce not seen my second fridge for ages. no idea whats in there either. i know there loads of home made wine. but just hope there no milk.