Preparing for Winter

lelika

"Check the winter wardrobes, who needs what in the way of coats, jumpers, boots, slippers, wooly socks etc."

I have checked...the most of my clothes are musty. I should have started with winter preparation erlier:mad:

mardatha

AM a bit stuck now, come to a halt. Our house is heated by coal and the stove is on 24/7. It's hard to cut down as it burns the same amount whatever you do, & if I try turning radiators in the rooms off then we get damp, So the coal has to be got and that's that. On the elect front, I got a bistro camoing gas stove and a box of canisters --but I drink tea nonstop all day and the gas isnt lasting long I got a flask but the tea from it tastes like sewage, I am a lost OldStyler and I need help! LOL

ChocClare

mardatha wrote: »

AM a bit stuck now, come to a halt. Our house is heated by coal and the stove is on 24/7. I got a flask but the tea from it tastes like sewage, I am a lost OldStyler and I need help! LOL

Hi Mardatha, when you say "stove", is it like an Aga/Rayburn or is it more like a wood-burning stove? I only ask because I wondered a) if you could use wood and/or other cheaper/free fuel in it and b) could you sit a big kettle on top of it like they did in Victorian times and just have it going all day? You could pour out your tea, bung a bit of cold in so the water doesn't get all flat and de-oxygenated, and then hopefully it'll have boiled again by the time you're ready for another! Couldn't agree more that tea from a flask tastes disgusting - when we go out, OH takes coffee in a flask and I take tea bags and milk and just have the boiling water in the flask - still not perfect but much better than ready made!

calleyw

trying-very-trying wrote: »

If the blue tack doesn't work, it could be worth looking into a door curtain, held up with one of those portiere rods, so that it pulls shut when you close the door behind you. I'm looking to get one myself, 'cause the draught that comes in our front door over winter is almost unbelievable!

I have just started to look those rods up. As I want to put up door curtains. As husband is now disabled I can't just put them on a bit of curtain wire. It needs to move out of his way. As otherwise he will flat on his face.

Found anyway to get them cheap yet?


Yours


Calley

mardatha

Its a big coal burner stove, fitted almost flush to the living room wall, only sticks out 3" or else I would be doing that happily CC. Sort of wish I'd got one of them Kelly kettles instead of the gas thing now too..

betterlife

hi everyone, thought id join this thread. i cant believe the weather! since having my baby 2 and a half weeks ago i think it has rained every day. anyway its got me in the winter mode. ive started my xmas shopping and in the last couple of days ive bought in the sales soft fleecy dressing gowns for me and 3 kids. slippers for husband, 2 fleecy blankets, fleecy all in one bed suit for 2yr old. ive started writing list of other things i need like throws for leather sofa, fleece underblankets for all beds, curtain lining, make draft excluders, buy carpet for little girls room as she has laminate flooring. make rice bags/teddies for all of us. the list goes on. i will be reading this thread to get more ideas aswell. we have an open fire which ive been told is not greatly efficient and will loss heat though and get draft down, not keen on using it due to young kids so think it might be better to block up. i managed to cap elec and gas at a good rate til next oct so happy there. all for now x.

sammy_kaye18

mardatha - can you not make a candle stove for boiliing water?? it would save then and is fairly cheap to make and run as you only need tea lights!

http://www.bioenergylists.org/en/bollmtt

see if you were to get a large tin say the big baked beans industrial tin (ask in mr t cafe mayeb if they have an empty one) and a small wire rack or square of wire then put a few tea lights int eh bottom - you need to poke a few holes in teh bottom f the tin to allow good air flow but then light the candles, put the wire over the top, put small pot or kettle on top and leave it - it will eventualyl heat your kettle or saucepan. Not sure how hot it would get but if its relatively near the candles im guessing it could boil it nicely, which is maybe a cheaper alternative to using the electric kettle all the time

slm6002

I have just made a start on getting ready for winter. Its cold here so i thought i would get the sewing machine out and make a wheat bag. Seemed to go ok and now have it warming up my lap as i type.
I put it in the microwave for 1 min. Is this correct. some people i see have put some water with it - should i be doing this. Also next time will add some nice smelly oil but didnt have any to hand today.

Also how long do they stay warm. Am i going to be heating them up every so often?

pigpen

My list is as follows..

1. carpet the hallway!! .. measured up.. *gulp*
2. draught excluders for the french doors, front door and kitchen door
3. Sort blind for the remaining window in the kitchen
4. New pj's for DS2, DD1 and DD2
5. Boots for everyone
6. Get blind up in DS1's room
7. knit new hats, scarves, gloves for everyone
8. electric heater for the back room
9. another airer
10. stock up on emergency supplies. Candles/dried foods/bread stuff/milk (uht)/jars
11. knit woolly in the house socks for everyone!
12. Find a way to get a curtain at the back door & the front door
13. Get the curtain up at the french doors .. need to paint the frame first
14. Somehow cover the huge hole in the french doors .. being dealt with!
15. Measure up for double glazed units for the back room! we can JUST afford them

Already..

1. Got the utilities capped!
2. Got a credit balance on the utilies.. £200cr so far
3. made curtains for french doors
4. got curtains for all the windows
5. Decided what jobs need doing!!
6. bought new winter coats .. just need one for DD3
7. sorted bedding surplus

Justamum

trying-very-trying wrote: »

Edit; forgot to say, that yes we do have the foam stuff round the door, but it's the keyhole and the already insulated letter box that lets the draught in.

Luxury! :rotfl:This house and the last house we lived in both had letterboxes where the flap had rusted off. The last house at least had decent double glazing though. I don't know who did this one, but most of it is so badly fitted that wind howls in through little gaps, and in our bedroom if it's been raining at night there is a huge pool of water on the windowsill. Also we have an open fire, but we didn't really use it last winter, and there's a heck of a draught blows down it! I'm going to have to come up with a solution for that. The front door doesn't fit well so I'm going to make a draught excluder for that.

We also don't have carpets on many of the floors which is freezing in winter (it's not nicely laminated, just that the landlord didn't bother putting down/replacing any carpets so it's bare floorboards with gaps between).

There's also quite a bit of damp, but it's the only place we could just about afford. We pay £850 a month, but anything else big enough for us would cost over £1,000. Even one bedroom flats are now going for £750 - £800 a month (or more if they are classed as "luxury")