I know I’ve called this post ‘getting prepared for Winter’ but what I actually mean is getting ready for the colder weather!
As the temperatures start to drop throughout October, more and more people will be starting to turn their heating on, and that’s OK. In fact, I’ll more than likely be joining you. 😉
I’m not going to tell you that to be frugal you need to sit at home in the cold and layer up so much that you look like the Michelin Man just to avoid putting your heating on because that’s not what being thrifty means to me (it might be to you though and that’s OK too).
I am going to say that if and when you do switch your heating on, you should make sure that you’re doing as much as you possibly can to make the most of the heating that you’re paying for and that you take steps to reduce the temperature of your heating and the length of time you need it on for.
That’s what being thrifty and frugal is all about to me!
Here’s a few of the things I do to not only reduce our heating costs but also to make sure that we’re as prepared as possible for the cold weather and any issues that it brings with it….
- First up, I’ll be changing the duvets from our thin Summer quilts to the thicker quilts we have that were relegated to the loft in March. Last Winter I left the Summer quilts on top of the mattresses as I’d heard it made for a lovely night’s sleep but they just kept getting wrinkled and uncomfortable so I don’t think I’ll be doing that this year. We don’t have our heating on at all through the night in the cold but we do have it set to come on just before we wake up so the house is warm when we get our of bed.
- Most of our curtains are quite thick material and they’re all lined except for the ones in the kids bedrooms but I do have linings for them to attach to the curtains with curtain hooks so I’ll be adding them in the next week or so. I ready somewhere that up to 23% of a household’s heat escapes through the windows so it’s well worth paying attention to them at this time of year.
- In the Winter we tend to close our curtains quite early in the evening to keep the heat in and the cold out.
- Our Living room will shortly be getting a Winter makeover which basically just means more cushions and throws are added to the settee and more candles to the sideboard! We love to snuggle on a Winter night and these are all essential for that – as well as keeping us warm without having the heating on too high!
- This year I’m going to try the old foil behind the radiators trick that I keep hearing about – it reflects the heat back into the room apparently.
- Our front door has a bit of a draught coming underneath it so we’re planning to make a draught excluder for on a night – more on that next week! Without this, we’re paying to heat the house when there’s a draught coming in that’s just cooling it right back down again!
- I need to sort out Winter wardrobes to make sure that we all have plenty of warm clothes because what fit them last Winter is probably not going to fit them this year. Ebay is great for bargain clothes as are charity shops and some of our favourite online bargain sites.
- The garden needs it’s last mow of the year (we rarely mow it in the Winter) and all the kids Summer toys need to be relegated back to the garage until next year.
- I’ll be making sure that the Emergency car bag is fully stocked with everything but especially blankets and socks (my two don’t always wear them if we’re just popping out).
- I also need to make sure that everyone’s wellies fit and that our sledge is still in OK condition – have you ever tried to search for wellies when it’s raining or a sledge when it’s snowing. The words needle and haystack spring to mind!
- Make sure you stock up on candles (and not the pretty smelly type) and batteries for your torch just in case there’s a power cut. We used ours not so long ago when our power went out for a few hours.
- Stock up on salt, the kind that makes your path less icy on a morning. It’s easier to get hold of before the cold kicks in and could save you a nasty fall which could potentially cost you in days off work etc.
Do you take some time to prepare for Winter?
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