It's getting tough out there. Feeling the pinch?

Floss

I put tiny white LED lights around my front door & around the small potted conifer, they go into a timer plug along with the inside LED set around the front window. The plug is set to be on from 4pm until 10pm and the lights only go up a few days before Christmas & come down again by New Year.

TheBanker

ladyholly said:

I have been looking at clothes in the supermarkets. I rarely go into our local town and dont like buying clothes on line as I am very fussy about the feel of the fabric. What I was going to say is I am surprised that the jumper they have are very thin and dont feel as though they would keep the cold out. If others have noticed this I think they have missed a trick. I also went into Mat**** last week but could make no judgement as they they were in the middle of a change round and most of the rack were empty. Very disappointing as I cant get there often.

You are right. It feels like they are designed for 'cheapness' rather than to keep warm. 

I am currently wearing a thin cotton jumper - fine for this time of year but will be useless in the winter. But even what appear to be thick jumpers aren't actually warm. Maybe their ranges will improve over the next few weeks as people start to think about winter clothing? 

Pollycat

Re clothes:
Have you considered looking in charity shops?

I've bought lightweight tops and half zip fleeces  from active shops (tog24, Mountain warehouse etc) in charity shops for a few £. Designed to keep you warm.
Great for in the house.

TheBanker

Pollycat said:

Re clothes:
Have you considered looking in charity shops?

I've bought lightweight tops and half zip fleeces  from active shops (tog24, Mountain warehouse etc) in charity shops for a few £. Designed to keep you warm.
Great for in the house.

I've tried that but struggled to find anything suitable.

I want jumpers that are warm but look respectable so they can be worn to the office or when I'm out. In the past I would wear a shirt and thin jumper to go to the office in winter, but the office always used to be warm. If they turn the heating down then thicker jumpers will be needed. The same for other places e.g. eating out - if businesses turn the heat down to save on costs then warmer (but presentable!) clothes will be needed. A jumper over a shirt is ideal because if the place is too warm the jumper can be removed. 

I don't mind wrapping up like the Michelin Man at home, but cannot necessarily do that when going out. And I would still like to go out occasionally! 

Pollycat

TheBanker said:

Pollycat said:

Re clothes:
Have you considered looking in charity shops?

I've bought lightweight tops and half zip fleeces  from active shops (tog24, Mountain warehouse etc) in charity shops for a few £. Designed to keep you warm.
Great for in the house.

I've tried that but struggled to find anything suitable.

I want jumpers that are warm but look respectable so they can be worn to the office or when I'm out. In the past I would wear a shirt and thin jumper to go to the office in winter, but the office always used to be warm. If they turn the heating down then thicker jumpers will be needed. The same for other places e.g. eating out - if businesses turn the heat down to save on costs then warmer (but presentable!) clothes will be needed. A jumper over a shirt is ideal because if the place is too warm the jumper can be removed. 

I don't mind wrapping up like the Michelin Man at home, but cannot necessarily do that when going out. And I would still like to go out occasionally! 

Ah, I see.
I'm retired so can happily scruff during the day.
If I go out, I have good boots and a range of thick coats. I always wear a scarf, hat & gloves.

London_1

Pollycat said:

TheBanker said:

Pollycat said:

Re clothes:
Have you considered looking in charity shops?

I've bought lightweight tops and half zip fleeces  from active shops (tog24, Mountain warehouse etc) in charity shops for a few £. Designed to keep you warm.
Great for in the house.

I've tried that but struggled to find anything suitable.

I want jumpers that are warm but look respectable so they can be worn to the office or when I'm out. In the past I would wear a shirt and thin jumper to go to the office in winter, but the office always used to be warm. If they turn the heating down then thicker jumpers will be needed. The same for other places e.g. eating out - if businesses turn the heat down to save on costs then warmer (but presentable!) clothes will be needed. A jumper over a shirt is ideal because if the place is too warm the jumper can be removed. 

I don't mind wrapping up like the Michelin Man at home, but cannot necessarily do that when going out. And I would still like to go out occasionally! 

Ah, I see.
I'm retired so can happily scruff during the day.
If I go out, I have good boots and a range of thick coats. I always wear a scarf, hat & gloves.

I too scruff around the house   and have thick coat hat scarf and gloves to wear when out. I actually have a specific tatty old cardi that I wear when I am sitting watching tv . its extremely ancient (not quite as ancient and I am ) but its comfy and warm and has a shawl type neck to it, (think 1970s Starsky and Hutch ) but I am loath to throw it out as its my winter tv cardi My grandson bought me some thick bootee type slippers about 5 years ago that also get worn when sitting watching tv as they keep my feet and ankles cosy. They get worn as a rule in Jan-Feb when its really chilly only.I have sheepskin slippers for when its less cold.

At the moment the weather is sunny and warm,and I'm making the most of the nice weather to walk in the park , and winter seems a long way off, but it will soon be here with us.

JackieO xx

Spendless

I've found the same with jumpers tbh. I have one bought from an Independent dress shop in 1993. It';s the oldest piece of clothing I own. It's long past being able to be worn outside the home, it's laddered down the sides from the arm but I refuse to part with it as it remains the warmest item of clothing I own. DH tried for several Christmases' to buy me a suitable replacement but never succeeded. It was expensive when I bought it  - around £50-60. 

I can only suggest you invest in one  if you can afford it - do you have a TK Maxx - you might find something in there. The charity shops may well be dependant on how affluent or not your area is. The ones local to me tend to have Asda/Primark clothing and occasional M & S. Whereas when DD lived in Edinburgh she took me into charity shops that had better items in than I considered 'my best' - lol 

Other than that go for layering yourself instead. I've worked at several places with fluctuating temperatures over the course of the day and found a blouse with a smart long sleeved cardigan suits me best. 

Siebrie

borefest said:

is anyone putting indoor or outdoor xmas light up this year?

I will. Three completely new sets of outdoor lights were found in the recycle container at the tip last year. I will switch them on just before we leave the house in the evening, dds can admire them when we come back home, and then I'll switch them off again. I'm only putting them up because dds really enjoy them, I don't care about the rest of the village

Brambling

Spendless said:

I've found the same with jumpers tbh. I have one bought from an Independent dress shop in 1993. It';s the oldest piece of clothing I own. It's long past being able to be worn outside the home, it's laddered down the sides from the arm but I refuse to part with it as it remains the warmest item of clothing I own. DH tried for several Christmases' to buy me a suitable replacement but never succeeded. It was expensive when I bought it  - around £50-60. 

I brought a Irish Aran cardigan about 25 years ago in Dublin, it wasn't cheap and suffered from a too hot wash about 10 years ago (darn WM playing up) so I won't wear it out but that and a 30 year old hand knitted really thick cardigan made by a friend's mother keep me warm indoors. 

I've a couple of Fat Face heavy 'hoodies' brought really cheap at the end of winter  (usually really expensive) which are worth buying if you see them on sell, I imagine for outdoor use but saw me through WFH in my cold dining room with very little heating during the day.

I'm lucky that in the SE we seem to miss a lot of the really cold winters sheltered by the South Downs 

Katiehound

Lucky I don't have to be smart!
I like fleeces as they seem to have warmth without the weight. I am generally a too-hot bod!

I have one long cardigan (out of skip) & one thinner fleece (found in a  wet heap at motorway service station!!) they were my almost daily lockdown wardrobe. I have also recently found an over-the head- fleece with hood- not that keen- but my size! Could be handy

Also wearing a thin gilet adds another layer of warmth.