The Prepping Thread - A Newer Beginning ;)

Toonie

pollyanna_26 said:

I know your aim is to make the room more energy efficient and agree charity shops are your friend in such times. However there is a heavy demand due to the present situation, cuts and the forthcoming energy price rises.  I would keep looking but your idea of a fleece curtain made on the sewing machine is good. One of my dds lived for a short time in a very cold house. You mentioned you sit in a cold room try layering on clothes jumpers, joggers whatever you have and keep your feet warm. It wont improve energy efficiency but may help you feel warmer and with the seasons changing that's important for your health.

We lose a lot of heat from our heads so a woolly hat helps. Before I discovered arthritis gloves I had woollen gloves with exposed fingertips I'd noticed in a sale in one of the shops in town they kept my hands warm and I could still type. I always have a few hot water bottles here. I was in town on Tuesday and noticed only two customers in Wilkos so I nipped in stocked up on matches and a few odds and ends plus two of their £5 hot water bottles. I've been buying those for many years and they've been good. I always try  to have one or two spares as they sell out quickly now. The staff said everyone is worrying about the possibilty of the heating going off and are buying hot water bottles.

As a child in the 50s my bed would have a stone hot water bottle in it at bedtime in the winter. They're rubber now but have always featured over the years.

pollyx

I am very good at layering, when I was younger my Mum rarely put the heating on (the thermostat was set to 15c and she got annoyed if the heating "clicked in") so I'm quite used to layering and using blankets. I have some fingerless gloves my Mum made made a few years ago, which keep me nice and snug. This morning as we were watching the doom and gloom that is the news my I asked DP if he had any thermals...he does, so that's useful to know. I have thermal leggings and tights, so can manage a few layers.

The room I'm in itself isn't too bad (the joy of terraced housing), but there is definitely a draft from behind where the window to the utility is.

Floss

Also try putting your feet on a pile of newspaper wrapped in fabric/blanket,  so they are off the floor where cooler air will gather. Or when sitting watching TV, put your feet up!

greenbee

Keep moving - it's only when you sit still that you get cold I'm always freezing when I'm in my office working, but fine when doing stuff around the house. 

euronorris

I got some fabric softener on a good deal from home bargains this morning. Also took advantage of a £5 off a £25 spend at lidl for the weekly shop. And whilst there found a pair of lined wellies in daughters size with 30% off! £5. So that's her sorted for winter. And they flash too, so she's over the moon and put them on as soon as I got home! Lol. Feel very lucky with that.

The chaos around fuel continues here. I'm staying out of it.

Si_Clist

Ref panic buying of petrol, I've just taken a mooch round another forum I follow which has nothing whatsoever to do with prepping, and which just happens to be infested by too many of what I can only describe as far-too-comfortably-off retired middle class blokes.  I'm astonished how in times like this, so many of them are claiming the moral high ground by saying that they're not panic-buying like the hoi-polloi.  Oh no. They're simply carrying on as normal, which seems to be wait until the red light goes on to indicate an almost-empty tank, then fill up!

I guess the mindset is that they've always been able to do that so no doubt they'll always be able to do it.  I dunno ... seems to me that in their own way they're just as blind and just as daft as the anti-vaxxers ...

ETA - just realised it's now nine years since we gave up the motor car

E again TA - just been reading reliable reports from different parts of the country of up to ten minutes on hold to get through on 999 calls, six hour waits for an ambulance, and horrendous waits just for triage at A&E departments, never mind for treatment.  Is this being reported on the televison, in the newspapers and so on or is it all kept under the radar?

Stay safe, folks.

Thriftygifty

My Next sale order arrived with thermals for all 3 children, and a thermal top for me which I hadn't realised was a ski one when I hastily ordered in the sale I hardly ever buy myself anything, it has thumb holes like fingerless gloves and is a body type one, it was a surprise gift for me as I was expecting a simple long sleeve top.

I've ordered 2 Costa magic bags for collection today they normally show 3+ for the next day collection and sell out fast, today they had 10+ for collection today, is this the knock on of roads being gridlocked of petrol queues or something else?! Anyway we will see what our £6 gets us a small luxury.

pineapple

prepareathome said:

A very silly reminder - if stocking up on cans even if they all have a pull ring, make sure you have an old non electric can opener in a kitchen drawer.  Ring pulls can come off and if we get any power cuts that will be when it's going to happen and so electric can opener will not work.  I know most here will have at least one but might be some newbies who never thought of having one in.

I'm the other way round. I've never thought of having an electric one! You can find excellent manual can openers these days - nothing like the instruments of torture some of us were brought up with.

pineapple

Floss said:

Also try putting your feet on a pile of newspaper wrapped in fabric/blanket,  so they are off the floor where cooler air will gather. Or when sitting watching TV, put your feet up!

I have the delights of living in an old cottage with the original stone slab floors . Flippin hard and flippin cold! The living room is carpeted with large rugs and for underlay I use the cardboard packing from my various deliveries. When I get round to it, going to put down some cork roll.

jk0

I've been out on my normal Saturday work renovating a flat, and delivering softener salt. I couldn't believe the traffic. Seems the world & his wife are driving round trying to find an open petrol station. (There's an exercise in futility!)

MingVase

Si_Clist no, nothing relevant or important from the media. Blanket over it all and nobody seems to even care. Welcome to North Korea