Winter "Wake & up save the pennies"

AndyCF

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

Remember the cheaper cuts of meat like shin of beef and neck of lamb, belly pork and chicken thighs are good tasty value if you pop them into a slow cooker and give them a long slow cook to deliciousness. Slow cookers too save a lot of money in fuel and are convenient in time too as they look after themselves once you've done the initial chopping and prep.

I'm not sure how helpful this "thought" is likely to be or not but the post made me think of it, possibly inspired by watching some war-time rationing clips a few days ago.

Anyway if you have a local butcher (ideally not one in a supermarket but a 'separate' type place) and they are a place you'd sometimes visit, it may well be worth asking them if they have any cheaper cuts or 'offcuts' that could be possibly useful.

bouicca21

A couple of years ago I bought a fleece blanket from Lidl for about a fiver. When it gets cold at night I simply lay it, folded double, over the duvet. It makes the bed amazingly toastie!

[Deleted User]

Reading through the messages I think we are all doing well in thinking sensibly about keeping warm and toastie this winter .

My late Ma-in-law was quite a wise old woman in lots of ways (I used to say she was the old wife all the tales were written about ) and she said when there were lots of berries around in the autumn it was the sign of a harsh winter to come. Well looking around both locally and last week in Devon I could see that lots of the bushes and trees seemed to be laden with berries etc so maybe the met office forecast for a harsh January and February maybe right.
I am taking no chances and have ben doing an inventory of food stocks milk and tinned bits and because I have a slight mobility problem there is no way I will venture out if the weather is bad or snowy. There are more than enough folk cluttering up hospital beds without me making it worse So I am laying in stuff for the winter .Not massive amounts but things I know will help and keep me going if I can't get out . I am not keen on tinned veg but I do have a small stock of it in the larder as an emergency supply . I really do prefer fresh fruit and veg but if push comes to shove one of my grandsons will trek out for me bless him. keeping warm is essential for good health when you are ...a little older and also eating properly So I make sure I do both if I can . Even wearing a hat indoors may look daft but if it keeps your body temperature up its worth it .Keeping in touch with those who can't get around is important as well I have several housebound friends who I will ring in the morning to make sure they can have a quick natter to a friendly voice I may not be able to visit but just a 'Hello how are you and what are you doing today' can cheer someone up if they are alone I am luck as my family all live reasonably close by but a few folk I know their families live a good distance away. So if you know someone on their own just give them a quick ring and a five minute chat can brighten up their day

JackieO xx

VfM4meplse

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

Look for 'small breads' recipes and get used to making things like soda bread, potato cakes, boxty, scones, American biscuits, bannocks, chapattis, flatbreads, tortillas etc. and you'll still be able to have a bread substitute if you don't have time or ingredients in to make a yeasted loaf. All or any of them are good with soups, stews, casseroles and many of them make acceptable toast and sandwiches.

Or just buy when you see baked goods at rock-bottom YS prices, and freeze.

Much quicker and cheaper than making your own, and perfectly acceptable in a hurry.

I'm loving this thread btw, I feel autumn-ready even though it's still very mild (albeit damp). Yesterday I was delighted to find a good old-fashioned barometer in a chazzer, I'm committed to checking all its functions and adjusting the thermostat accordingly. Much cheaper than Hive etc

mummygems

lessonlearned wrote: »

I am currently decorating my bedroom - north east facing, single brick, no cavity wall. It's a very cold room. I am putting up Walrock insulating paper to the two outside walls. Never used it before so can't really vouch for it yet but it does seem to make the wall feel warmer to the touch. Cork has the same insulating property. Both can be painted or papered over.

I saw this wallpaper and am thinking of buying it to do my sons bedroom (always cold due to him being above an open porch). I would be interested to know what you think when you use it. x

mummygems

I love this thread. I work part time and am at home a fair bit by myself in the day and cannot warrant heating the house just for me!

I try and make plenty of soup so I have that most days for my lunch in the winter.
Always wear layers.
If its sunny but cold I try and go for a walk or potter around in the garden - the house always feels warmer when you come in from outside.
Use a fleece on the sofa if needs be (lovely in the evening watching tv - so long as the dogs dont pinch them again!).

I am going to see if I can find a second hand pair of curtains for our front and back doors as a lot of coldness comes in from there.

Good tip from the lady before about checking under sink for gaps in the wall with the pipes so I am off to check under the sink!

One question I do have is about foil behind radiators. All of radiators are positioned underneath the windows (not sure who thought that was a good idea!). If I put foil behind is that good enough or do I need to do something else as well seeing as so much heat is lost above to the windows. All ideas welcome.

YorksLass

Thanks Blackcats for the tip about using Quidco, I'll bear this in mind next time.

MrsLW beat me to it with the cheaper cuts of meat.

AndyCF: I wish we had a local butcher!

mummygems: Foil behind the radiators probably would help a bit but I think the heat would still disappear up behind the curtains. If your curtains are long enough maybe you could tuck them behind the radiators? The only other thing I can think of (barring moving the radiators) is to have a shelf fitted above the radiator. I think there are clip-on ones you can buy from DIY stores but haven't tried them myself so can't vouch for how efficient they are.

lessonlearned

mummygems wrote: »

I saw this wallpaper and am thinking of buying it to do my sons bedroom (always cold due to him being above an open porch). I would be interested to know what you think when you use it. x

I'll post up in a few weeks and let you know what I think. I also need new windows. They are going in at the end of October so I'll know more then. However, I will say the walls do feel warmer to the touch already though of course the real test will be when the weather turns colder.

[Deleted User]

Cheap fleece throws or blankets make super curtain linings to give an extra layer of heat retention in the colder weather and have the advantage that you can fasten them on to existing curtains on the window side with safety pins which make them so much easier to remove in the spring when it all warms up again. Cheap fleeces work as well as expensive ones too!

lessonlearned

lessonlearned wrote: »

I'll post up in a few weeks and let you know what I think. I also need new windows. They are going in at the end of October so I'll know more then. However, I will say the walls do feel warmer to the touch already though of course the real test will be when the weather turns colder.

Just edited to add, noticed you think the cold is coming from the porch underneath the bedroom. We had a bedroom like this in our old house, it was above an integral garage. We did have cavity walls and they were insulated but as you have noticed the cold came from underneath.

If insulating the floor is not an option yet I would add a nice big thick rug, even if you already have a fitted carpet. I second the cardboard idea too. You could put cardboard or even just a couple of layers of newspaper under the rug.