Preparing for Winter

tara747

p.s. just remembered another fab thing about summer - being able to dry clothes outside!!! I love doing a wash, putting the stuff outside overnight and taking it in next morning all dry and fresh! You can't beat pottering about in the garden either.

(((((((((((((((((((summer))))))))))))))))))

beingfrugal

It's dreary, it's breezy, it's raining and the temperature has dropped. I'm just out of the bath, dug my wheat filled bag out and got in on me feet.. no word of a lie! (ETA just took it off, feet roasting lol )

I've done my proper no holds barred list for the winter, flaming nora.. I've a lot to do!

*curtains for bay windows living room
*curtains for bay windows bedroom
*front door curtain
*rugs for living room and all three bedrooms
*candles and holders, matches and batteries
*store cupboard ingredients
*wellies for both my girls
*thick coat and waterproof coat for youngest
*fleece hat, gloves and scarves for all
*thermal vests for all
*slipper socks for all
*hi-vis jacket for youngest
*thick pyjamas for all
*dressing gown for me
*foil panels behind radiators
*flannellette sheets
*flask for tea and hot choc through day in house (one boil of kettle and keeps me and girls warm)
*fleece blankets
*raw rice bags for girls infront of TV
*resock cold and flu preparations
*3 hotwater bottles

This is a big draughty house, there's no window dressings in kitchen or toilets or landing. In an ideal world they would be bought this year too but I just don't think I can afford to get them in time. I lived here last winter and hopefully have identified the most problematic areas.

Many a trip to Primark and Ikea I suspect.

niksyg

sammy_kaye18 wrote: »

I was so born in the wrong month (July) as I love love LOVE winter.

I love the snow, I love the rain, I love the winter build up. I love the fact that when everyone else has a huge bill and are complaining about the cost of fuel/living etc mine are relatively low and yet we are still happy.

I love my forward planning - of I'm making a roast dinner but there's still unused oven space - what else can I bake/cook to not waste the gas/heat?


SUMMER - I HATE WITH A PASSION, the heat, the bugs, the sun! :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek: I hide away inside and am miserable especially in the heat waves and even more so at the minute!!!!!!!!!!!

ME TOOOOOOOOO!!!!

I HATE SUMMER! It's too hot and I get burnt and never feel good in summer clothes and always feel over weight (even though I know I'm not but always feel it??!)
I have loved reading this thread as it is making me look forward to cosy evenings and cold frosty mornings. I love winter cooking - so much better than summer frippery, winter mornings are cold and damp but more characterful than rubbish sunny warmness! I was a January baby, so was born at exactly the right time. Oh, and as for strawberries and raspberries - YUK! Only place for them is in jam!!!

Kitchenbunny

I do agree with Sammy and Niksyg, I love winter. I'm not keen on summer, although you can do more outside - I love winter more though. I'm a winter baby and love the cooking, the foods, the cosiness. It's great.

Just started work on a crochet blanket (little squares to stitch together) to keep in my drawer for an emergency warmer at work. 1 square done!

KB xx

mardatha

I think all Capricorns love winter - it's our time. I dont mind summer at all.. but I do love to cosy in on a winter day and watch the snow pelting down
I've gotta problem here - I was in the kitchen looking out at the sky and noticed what I thought was a big hedgehog sitting up top of the back garden on the slabs. Then I moved to the door to get a better look, and it shot under the shed MUCH faster than a hedgie can move.... so I think we have a giant ratty LOL! I can't put a trap down or the hedgehog will get caught in it. Hmmmm. Thinking hard here..

twiglet98

One of the nicest things about summer (for my DDs and me) is to pick strawberries, or raspberries and blueberries, and have them for breakfast outside, either whizzed into a smoothie, or on cereal. Only problem is the hens are mad about them too.

My favourite place to be in winter is on a North Norfolk beach under that huge sky, wrapped up and in wellies. Bliss any day of the year but especially in winter, though it's hard getting away for the day when it's dark so early.

Our oil tank is almost empty, usually start using the heating from October and I'm wondering if we could do without until December if we had those cheap-to-run electric panel heaters, on a timer to come on 15 min before getting up? We go straight out to see to the animals in the morning but it's a lot nicer coming in to wash and change for work if the house is actually warmer than outside! Also with five adults we saturate SO many towels I have trouble drying them without the towel rail on, which is part of the heating system.

At the moment I have two oil-filled electric radiators and two basic (B&Q) convector heaters, all 2nd hand and I don't know how much they cost to run. I'd have to save a lot to outweigh the cost of buying new efficient panel heaters, but the price of oil is just scary.

northwest1965

mardatha wrote: »

I think all Capricorns love winter - it's our time. it.

A Capricorn here who doesnt like Winter:)
I have low blood pressure and I'm always so cold, having said that I'm perimenopausal so this year I will have my hot flushes to keep me warm:rotfl:

Love Summer but I think Autumn is my fav

muffin_man_7

Beingfrugal in your post3847 on 4 july you refered to electric heater for bedrooms (1p a minute) are you sure you meant to say 1p a minute because that would be 60p an hour. Which heater is this refering to when we had a temperamental heating system well over 5 years ago we got a couple of oil radiators and they only cost 1 unit of electric per hour on full at 10p a unit thats 6 hours of heat compared to your 1 hour and we didnt need them on full every time we now have a combi boiler so dont use them as much except december january to boost the heat a bit if some one not well or when grandkids round gas fire a NO NO WITH SMALL KIDS RUNNING ROUND hope this is of some help the thought of 60p an hour is over the top

muffin_man_7

Twiglet98 it will cost 1 unit of electric per hour if you rad is 1kw if its an oil heater with a thermostate it might be slightly less if thermostate kicks in and cycles on and of but i always use a timer and then when its been on around three hours 30p for us of it goes also if you base cost on a full unit its easier to cost and if it does cycle on and off its a bonus no nasty shock

thenanny2die4

Well, we've spent the past few months preparing for winter and for the future in general. We had massive damp problems in the house, with patches of mould on the walls and plaster crumbling and falling off. We decided that as we clearly had to sort out the problem, we might as well do the job properly, so, having paid for damp-proofing, we rolled up our sleeves, planned our projects so that we could pay for each stage as we went along, and got stuck in.

So far we've removed all plaster and render in the living/dining room (ooooohhhhhhhhhhh the dust....), splashed out on high quality insulated plasterboard and fitted that and OH spent last weekend plastering the lot. Who would have thought that bare plastered walls could look so luxurious? :rotfl:

I've bought a really fabulous log burning stove which includes a small oven space but that's still at the supplier until we get a hearth sorted out, then we just need to make the place look smart with a splash of paint and get some carpet down.

We're really hoping that we'll be able to floor the heating bills with the combination of the burner and the insulation and, if the dire predictions of the "prophets of doom" should prove to be realistic, we can live on casseroles, jacket potatoes, etc cooked on the burner if the gas and electric supplies are disrupted. Must get a stash of candles...