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

ladyholly

thriftwizard said:

@ladyholly, if there's a vintage market or emporium near you, that's a good place to look for good wool, wool-mix, alpaca & cashmere jumpers, cardis etc., usually at very sensible prices (does not apply in Central London!) - I'm always picking them up, washing & repairing if needed, with both invisible & visible mends, and they're one of my best-selling "lines", even in summer. (New campers never bring enough warm clothing!) Many of the ones I pick up are barely damaged; just a pulled thread leading to a couple of lost stitches, easily stabilised & embroidered over, or a tiny stain I can appliqué a motif from an old tablecloth over. These will have been rejected by the original owner or a charity shop & would otherwise go off to be chopped up & made into "shoddy" or similar, but have now acquired a bit of originality & eco-cred & my customers seem to love them! Lots of us traders do the same.

Thank you but no we have nothing like that here. In fact a lot of our charity shops have closed as well and due to limited mobilty I have to pick and choose the  one or two I can get to.

Onebrokelady

enkeltliv said:

maryb said:

I don’t like the taste of slow cooker stews, they never seem right to me.  I often use a stove top pressure cooker which takes 20 minutes on a low heat from the time it comes to pressure to make the toughest beef meltingly tender. Gas is cheaper per kWh than electricity but there is usually some loss of efficiency   But very little with a pressure cooker because you need so little fuel once it comes to pressure 

Yesterday I cooked some shin of beef this way but for only 10 minutes, then transferred the meat to a le creuset type casserole.  I then thickened the cooking liquid and added that.  Brought it to a boil and tucked it into my thermal cooker for three hours.  Best stew I ever made and the best of both worlds - quick to prepare and very tender but the slow cooking afterwards added depth of flavor and meant I could get ahead and have the stew ready when I got back after an afternoon out.  

It also freed up the pressure cooker to cook potatoes for mash - cut them small, into the cooker on the trivet with 1/4 pint water, bring to pressure (very quick when there is just the minimum quantity of water in the cooker ) turn off the heat as soon as it starts hissing loudly and leave to depressurize in its own time.  Drain and mash.  I also did carrots at the same time in the basket on top of the potatoes.  I don’t think I could do a meal like this with any lower fuel consumption 

Help me understand MaryB. You don't like slow cooked stews but yesterday you slow cooked a stew which added depth to the flavour, your best stew to date. 

I'm bewildered in trying to comprehend what it is that you're trying to say.

I think she meant stews cooked in an electric slow cooker which isn't what she used 🤷‍♀️

Onebrokelady

Sky_ said:

Onebrokelady said:

Does anyone know if dehumidifiers are costly to run. I live in a 60s house and it gets damp and mouldy very quickly. I noticed this week while it's been rainy that the house is cold and damp feeling, it's actually warmer if I stand outside, I'm wondering if I will use loads of electric if I use my dehumidifier to keep the damp away. I've noticed when I have used it in the past that the room it's in feels slightly warmer than the rest of the house,I normally only use it if I'm drying washing inside 

I've just worked out that mine currently costs me over 4p an hour to run, or 35p for an 8 hour day (my electricity is currently around 27p per KWh). I used this site  https://www.omnicalculator.com/everyday-life/electricity-cost-single-usage

I'll be running it for a couple of hours on damp days because mouldy walls are far more costly to purses and to health, but like everything else electric, I'll use it far less than I have in previous years.  We only use it in mid-Winter, when it's too cold to keep windows open all day. 

Thanks for this it's really helpful to know, I will be using is quite sparingly I think but like you say mouldy walls are to be avoided 

QueenJess

Brambling said:

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 

I’m glad you said that as I just bought one of those hoodies second hand for £5 with that exact purpose in mind!

Onebrokelady

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.

I was in M&S last week and looked at a mans jumper,the small size would have fitted me in a slouchy way,it was really thick and was £19.50 I went done to the women's clothes and found a similar jumper down there which to be fair was the same thickness but it was £29.50 🙀 

Onebrokelady

I knit myself a really thick jumper last year and it is really warm.Im currently knitting another one out of finer wool that I can wear layers under 

Spendless

A few years ago I worked for a Transport company who had the contract for a well known brand. As such, some of our uniform had the brand name on. When the place closed down (brand is still going). though I got rid of the polo shirts, I kept the fleece which has zipped pockets, which for some reason really pleases me. None of the ones I've ever bought have. I  keep it to walk the dog in the cooler months. 

Spendless

Onebrokelady said:

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.

I was in M&S last week and looked at a mans jumper,the small size would have fitted me in a slouchy way,it was really thick and was £19.50 I went done to the women's clothes and found a similar jumper down there which to be fair was the same thickness but it was £29.50 🙀 

Onebrokelady said:

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.

I was in M&S last week and looked at a mans jumper,the small size would have fitted me in a slouchy way,it was really thick and was £19.50 I went done to the women's clothes and found a similar jumper down there which to be fair was the same thickness but it was £29.50 🙀 

Yes, daughter discovered this recently. She was looking at designer name coats in TK Maxx, dismissed most of them for being the wrong fit/too expensive, then noticed in the mens aisle was a coat, tried it, not only did it fit better it was cheaper!

Bit TMI  but  few years back I discovered I had no underwear went to find some and DH had put the lot in the WM (inc the clean pile meant for putting away!) so I find myself without and DH suggests I put a pair of his on whilst the washing cycle finishes, so I do and discover his supermarket bought everyday undies hold me in far better than anything I've ever bought! 

strawb_shortcake

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.

I find mens jumpers are often far thicker and warmer than women's. Same with coats, I first noticed this when trying to buy my children winter coats, for my Son, a lovely thick warm coat, for my Daughter it was largely more stylish thinner coats. 

I'd happily wear mens jumpers, but the sleeves are always far too long.

M&S do some nice jumpers for £19.50 but again not as thick as the men's for the same price.

Second or third Fat Face though, 20% off full price with either blue light card.
 or defence discount. Additionally they also have outlet stores which I have had some fantastic bargains over the years. 

Brambling

Florenceem said:

Someone told me that thinner layers are warmer than thick.
We were Blessed at my SA last week - gifted 3 black sacks of new with tags thermal underwear, hats and gloves for the homeless.

They do say the thin layers trap the heat, tights under trousers etc. when the heat wave was at its hottest I found some long sleeve thermal tops 80% off with a further 10% off code if I provided my email address, checked and they had lots of good reviews so I brought 3 🙂 

If you have sensitive skin beware some cheap wool jumpers, for me some lambs wool jumpers are so scratchy I can't wear