the ice man cometh! (merged with keeping warm)

Amanda65

If you want to consider getting central heating you may qualify for a grant from Warm Front

http://www.warmfront.co.uk/do-i-qualify.htm

HTH

mrsthrifty_2

the banister rail on the top stair landing makes a good drying area for large items like towels and bed linen, I do a double size bed set or two singles at a time and can get it dry in a day as any heat generated tends to rise.

if you use a tumble dryer make sure you put a large dry bath towel in per load to reduce drying time and elec used, I nearly caused a riot recently when my washer had broke and I had to use the laundarette, doing so much washing at once I dried the smaller items there as well but the manager wasnt happy with my dry towel idea as I wasnt spending so much in the tumble machines :rotfl:

I also agree about the fleeces being a great aide for warmth, the best things ever invented and I couldnt live without them now , blankets, jumpers,socks,jackets anything at all :T

BusyGirl

I give my DDs a hot water bottle each on cold nights. They usually cost about £1 each and can be wrapped up in a pillow case or a fleecy top.
How about a small fan heater that could be used for a short time in the room that you are all in and it can be moved easily from room to room.
Hope you manage to stay warm tonight.

moanymoany

BusyGirl wrote: »

I give my DDs a hot water bottle each on cold nights. They usually cost about £1 each and can be wrapped up in a pillow case or a fleecy top.
How about a small fan heater that could be used for a short time in the room that you are all in and it can be moved easily from room to room.
Hope you manage to stay warm tonight.

Make a 'hottie' cover, it's easy if you make it like a pillow case. One long piece of snuggly fabric - as wide as the hottie plus 3cm each side (I would measure it round a full hottie. - two and one third times as long. Fold it in two with the extra third as the fold over bit. Sew each side and turn right side out. An 'envelope' shape should be the result.

Old snuggly garments are great to use. They can also be as simple as a 'bag' shape. They were knitted in the old days with a knitted string to pull it closed at the top.

Sassamac

I have been and raided the charity shops this morning and found a pair of reasonable quality full length curtains for £2, and a double and single heavyweight flannelette bed sheet for £2 each (both brand new) to use to line the curtains. Were going to have one curtain over the front door and one in the open doorway where the front door used to be til the porch extension was done. Also an impulse buy which was a pair of brand new Winnie the Pooh curtains for £6 for the kids room. So very chuffed with our bargains, just need a new curtain rail or two.

Sassamac

mrsthrifty wrote: »

if you use a tumble dryer make sure you put a large dry bath towel in per load to reduce drying time and elec used, I nearly caused a riot recently when my washer had broke and I had to use the laundarette, doing so much washing at once I dried the smaller items there as well but the manager wasnt happy with my dry towel idea as I wasnt spending so much in the tumble machines :rotfl:

Ive never heard this tip before, I will give it a go. how does it work? does the towel absorb the moisture from the clothes? confused!

lazy_daisy

Sharra made a good point, if the house was boiling in summer and freezing in winter then the insulation may need checking.
I used to make cling film insulation out of, well, cling film - the food type. It worked best if you can stretch it tight over the window frame away from the pane and tighten it with a hair dryer. Worth a try perhaps...

kippers

I used an oil filled radiator in my daughters room for ages as we didn't have a radiator in that room. I put it on for one hour before bedtime and one hour before she got up. I used a time switch as i would have never remembered to switch it on or off.

We had a complete new central heating system installed in the summer (new boiler and radiators) and we now have a lovely warm house. We didn't qualify for a grant but thanks to this website i found that our council would arrange an interest free loan over 5 years if we let them over see the installation of the new system. To give you some idea, we pay the loan back at £50 per month over the five years. Our heating bills are already a lot smaller. We pay £65 per month for gas and electric.

Also,

Check your local council, we got loft insulation for free as they were targeting our area, again we are not on benefits and don't normally qualify for anything.

[Deleted User]

watch the weather for the following day like a hawk. Have you got a sunny room? If so then get all the washing done so that it can hang on airers in the sunny room for when the sun comes out. You might have to invest in another airer because spreading it out helps a lot and also hanging stuff on hangers on the door/walls etc

I have to dry all my washing indoors all the time and I can get it pretty dry by working with the sun

I just remembered that in an earlier house, our bedroom was so cold that we had to go to bed with hats on. My dh insulated it all over with batons and insulation board. It worked too!!

grreatsite2

We also used the cling film stuff across our windows and it worked really well. I can't remember exactly but I think we used ordinary polythene, I think you can get special stuff in the shops now. It was good so might be worth getting some.