Family of 5 'shop from home'food storage challenge...

Yategirl

Dove's GF and wheat free flour - the only stuff our local tesco had...

Yategirl

what would adding another egg yolk do?

lil_me

Yategirl I have been trying would you believe. I have now figured how to use the central heating system, have turned it down for a start.

I was having an issue with the boys as they were leaving lights on in the bedroom so swapped for energy savers, there is lots of lights in the house and the rest of the family are a nightmare for leaving them on. Example 7 in the living room, 3 dining room, 6 kitchen, 4 my bedroom etc....I've put an energy saver in one of the living room ones and insist now it's the only one used....I do have a vivarium to heat/light which zaps quite a bit. I have 2 fridge freezers but are well used and save me money aswell, apart from service wash, linen and towels I wash everything at 30 degrees on 35 minute wash. I have used the tumble drier once in that time & have used airers etc instead. The heating is off on a night as soon as it's just me downstairs.

The big issue I think is my partner but getting through to him is a nightmare. I restrict myself as to how much I use the laptop, he has one on most of the day, in his garage he spends most of each day he has several lights including lamps on, heater, is always charging batteries etc. I worked it out and what he has running going off wattage costs about 25p an hour without the charging. He thinks it's sensible to sit around all day in shorts (works nights) and puts the heating on because he's cold. I have nagged several times today including when I came home as the house was like a sauna (had just gone crackers about the bills before I left!) because him and Ds1 were cold (DS1 sat starkers, him in shorts) so I told them get some clothes on and switched the heating back off.

Part of me wishes I could go back to prepay meters (landlady said didn't want them put in) as then I could monitor it even more closely. Combi system is installed which is supposed to be (according to supplier) much more economical, I'm going to have a look more at the utilities saving, see if I can find out the most economical way to run the central heating (no thermostat on the wall, just radiator temperature)

D&DD

Yategirl wrote: »

what would adding another egg yolk do?

Have you got one? if not try adding the white either one should do the trick *she says confidently...*while biting nails...

Yategirl

right ok..... will have a go *bec walks off to examine fridge and pastry.....*


lil-me... mhh difficult one.. will have a think... while I investigate pastry... bear with me

D&DD

Dee sits drinking a cuppa while waiting for news on the pastry :whistle:

lil_me my lot are the same I'm the only one who turns stuff off or wears a jumper..drives you mad! Why do they all wear shorts indoors??? What sort of thermostat for the heating have you got?? Ours is next to the loo downstairs and its the coldest room in the house so if its set at 17 its forever clicking on and off :rolleyes: I only found out/realised what it was when I got a bill in for the spring at 268 quid!!!! oh and that was just the electric...gas was 120 too...they said the thermostat runs off the electric and electric ignition on the boiler..

lil_me

D&DD it's driving me completely mad, have been making changes over the last few weeks including getting the boys to close the doors after them which is sort of working. DP doesn't believe in wearing extra clothes if he's cold I don't think. I went in the shower the other night and he said 'I'll put the heating on for you' I said 'Don't bother I am fine I will put a dressing gown on'. I live in either my cardigan or my dressing gown, depending what time of day it is.

It's not on a thermostat at all in the house, it's on the boiler and controls the temperature of the water in the radiators rather than the room temperature, so to be honest it could be 30 degrees in here but the radiators will still be on if it's high enough. It's only usually on for 1.5 hours on a morning and 2 hours on an evening on timed, unless DP switches it on, which has been too often lately.

Yategirl

way hay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have GF/DF mincepies and apple pies in the oven!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! run out of mincemeat now so will have to wait till next week before I bake more but I am SO chuffed! Thanks D&DD!!

Yategirl

ok.. we have no thermostat on our radiators and the boiler is turned down as low as we can get it as water was too hot too (instant heat thingy!). We have a digital thermometer in the kitchen (and I move it round with me) and I won't put the heating on unless the temp is showing 17 deg C or less... if anyone moans.. then i tell them to put a jumper on.. ds1 won't wear jumpers at all...

do the kids have pocket money? can you "fine" them if lights are left on?

My dh was a t'shirt all the time person and would rather put the heating on than a jumper... showing him the bills and our budget got through to him... he's not perfect.. leaves lights on etc etc but better than he was! How does your dh work? would showing him the figures help?

Yategirl

lil_me wrote: »

It's not on a thermostat at all in the house, it's on the boiler and controls the temperature of the water in the radiators rather than the room temperature, so to be honest it could be 30 degrees in here but the radiators will still be on if it's high enough. It's only usually on for 1.5 hours on a morning and 2 hours on an evening on timed, unless DP switches it on, which has been too often lately.

do you find it needs to be on for so long each time? We have a warm modern(ish!) house and find 15-20 minute 'blasts' 2-3 times a day so 7am, occasionally 3-4pm and about 7pm is enough to keep the house warm.

just trying to throw some ideas your way