The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Community => Coffee Lounge => Topic started by: happygolucky on November 15, 2013, 10:57:30 am
-
After trying the " plant pot candles "thing and putting on my new long sleeved thermal vest on under my 2 wolly jumpers...( £5.99 for 2) I wonder what other tips for keeping warm in the house people have as I know we all are a frugal lot!!
We are very warm when we light the fire but during the day its too much hassled to keep going, infact a full time occupation. I would buy another heater of some description but what are the cheapest most efficient as I do not believe the adverts !
I am fine when I go out for dog walks as I do get very hot walking and then driving home in the car I often do some shopping with the dogs in the back so they can dry off...its not outside that I get cold but inside the house!
-
That is a tough question given the caveat of not wanting to increase the heating bills. You mentioned dog walking and feeling warm for a while when you get home. If we were talking about pigs then we would probabley say up their feed and put more straw on their bed.
If you are not keen on eating more fats then I would suggest that you go for porridge and winter soups and throw in another walk for the dog.
I guess we all feel the first cold snap of the year more than deep winter. Wet snow here and it feels cold. But we know that we can expect the temperature to be way below zero and not feel so cold when we venture out. So maybe roll on winter !! :innocent:
-
I have already up my feed and put an extra quilt on my bed :roflanim: :roflanim: ...we both get too hot in bed, we always have done :innocent:
I think I need to keep popping out on the free bus and browse around the supermarkets when I get cold, there is also a very cosy Library a few yards away
-
Now that I have major heart problems I get very cold, both outdoors and in. Like you I don't like to have the heating on during the day, and leave lighting the fire until dusk, except when it's well below freezing, or there's a bitter east wind coming in through the cracks, when we try to keep the fire in for longer.
I wear lots of layers indoors, of a variety of materials. For example, at the moment I have a long sleeved synthetic vest, under a long sleeved, high necked woollen vest which comes down over my bum. Then I have a polo shirt, then I have a roll necked handspun Hebby jumper. If it's really cold I would add a sleeveless fleece material bodywarmer over that, and maybe a light scarf to keep my neck draughtfree.
For the bottom half, I wear tights - which get thicker and woollier as winter progresses - under jeans or trousers and, most important of all, thick woolly socks, alpaca or wool if I've done the washing, with trainers.
I haven't given in to wearing a hat indoors yet, but if I had a suitable one I might, as keeping your head and feet warm is the key to being warm - hence the trainers rather than indoor slippers or sandals. Sometimes if my hands are really cold too then I wear fingerless gloves.
Then when I go outside the real wrapping up starts :roflanim:
-
That's similar to my daytime wear, today I am not so wrapped up, a thermal long sleeved mens vest, then a fleece high neck ski top, then a long thick jumper...my bottom half has pants, then tights then leggings then some cheap fur type slipper boots with nice thick socks, I often wear a scarf as its my neck that suffers too, I had to get rid of a few polo neck tops as the neck was far too tight and I cannot stand that either....what I find funny is I undress a bit to go out!! I usualy put on a pair of thermal gloves extra and hardly get cold enough for a hat but did buy a peaked waterproof mens hat with ear flaps to put on with my hood up when it rains or snows and with a big scarf around to hold them all on, I am more often than not too hot but do tend to walk into trees!! :innocent: I get so many of my best warmest stuff from charity shops!
-
lots of small meals hot i did say that it would get cold the last 2 weeks of November weeks ago but with the winds it will be very hard .We will move all the stock dawn from the hills on Monday. At the mo it looks like it could last a week for Serton .Iv done a Christmas forcast and all seems to be fine frosty day for Scotland and mield dawn south .Whit we dint wont is a blocking to set up next week if this happens it could go on and on .fleecewife take care i have a heart problem naw as well 57 Whit happens i just burn out and the hart do sent slow dawn .Keep safe and warm folks .
-
normally in winter when we go fishing on the kayaks, its freezing, the problem starts when you stop paddling, and just sat there for hours , so we where these… not very sexy but very warm
http://www.purplemarine.com/dinghy/crewsaver-one-piece-under-fleece.html (http://www.purplemarine.com/dinghy/crewsaver-one-piece-under-fleece.html)
yes they are a bit of a pain when you want a piddle, but still warm :thumbsup:
-
Try a menopause :eyelashes:
My best buy was a pair of fleece lined waterproof nylon trousers. They are FAB but I must get another pair - one to wash, one to wear.
-
Not cold here yet , thankfully . Still have the door open all day .
I only get dressed when i start going outside in the morning , l'd look a right pillock just in wellies !
Normal garb atm is cotton undies , jeans , cotton shirt , and if it is windy and nippy a thin fleecy thing . I only ever wear thin cotton socks , woolly ones are far too hot and bulky .
I have got a woolly hat , but i over heat if i wear it , unless the temp is 20 below , even then i have to take it off when i am walking .
I only ever wear gloves when i am working , logging etc . I wear those cheap riggers gloves , they tend to be more hole than glove usually .
I only wear them to protect my hands , they never get cold . I hate it if i do get cold though , i can't cope with feeling like an ice cube . Thankfully i don't get cold very often .
Ha ha , a robin just flew in the door and sat on my knee . He comes in most days for bread crumbs .
Wind has dropped today , so a bit warmer than yesterday .
-
Not that cold here either. I just have a normal wool jumper on, but on top I have my fleece lined body warmer my sister gave me last Christmas. From M & S Wool trousers and socks, and I must change out of my Padderrs into my slippies.
Been out with the dogs, walked back from leaving my car for a check up at Kennet, chatted to the ducks and hens - didn't need another jacket on.
-
Don't bother with halogen heaters, they may be cheap to run but they are just a photo of a fires :-) I think the electric little fan heaters provide the quickest way to warm you up once you've already got really cold and numb, just a few minutes blast,.
-
Don't bother with halogen heaters, they may be cheap to run but they are just a photo of a fires :-) I think the electric little fan heaters provide the quickest way to warm you up once you've already got really cold and numb, just a few minutes blast,.
Just bought a ceramic fan heater at Lidl's for £18 - brilliant! Much better than all my other fixed electric panels in the house (including one storage heater) together. Plus I have a good dehumidifer, which supplies most of the heat...
-
normally in winter when we go fishing on the kayaks, its freezing, the problem starts when you stop paddling, and just sat there for hours , so we where these… not very sexy but very warm
http://www.purplemarine.com/dinghy/crewsaver-one-piece-under-fleece.html (http://www.purplemarine.com/dinghy/crewsaver-one-piece-under-fleece.html)
yes they are a bit of a pain when you want a piddle, but still warm :thumbsup:
I tried something rather like that under all my winter bike kit once. Ooh it was lovely and warm, until, as you say, I needed the ladies. I had to get completely undressed, which is a whole lot of manky layers on a bike in winter :roflanim: Maybe not quite so impossible for the males of the species.
Instead of eating loads of fat and calories, a nice hot drink will warm you up. I found some stuff called Vecon - it's in a jar like Bovril but is veggie, yeast and veg extracts. It tastes lovely and savoury, really warms you up and only has SIX calories per mug :thumbsup:
The last trick I have up my sleeve, is an electric shawl thing Mr Fleecewife bought for me in Lidl last winter when I was very ill and was always freezing. It was very cheap but is thick and fluffy and can be used as a person sized blanket. Hopefully I won't be as bad as last winter, but if the temp drops really low it might come back out of its box. Not much use in a power cut though.
-
I have an old duvet pullover jacket that John had. Tears in it now, and was washed so not so fluffy, so not much use as the feathers fly all over the place, but if I was really cold I'd put that on. Or a duvet round my shoulders.
Fan heaters are extremely expensive to run - even for a few moments - and a few moments is never enough. A halogen one that turns on it's own axis is economical, especially if they have a few settings, and they are fail-safe as they switch off if knocked over.
-
It's been mild here today - the wind moved round to the west and I was boiling while I was working.
Our heating is on all the time - it's underfloor so is on low all the time, so the house is quite warm.
-
Lots of very good advice here. I too live on a low budget and only keep my small bathroom at 20 degrees. It is nice to have a place to thaw out gloves and a warm loo !
The heating goes on in my kitchen when the temp. goes under 12 degrees and in an evening I keep warmer by lighting the wood stove. I find it is essential that I air out my rooms regularly to bring in dryer air.
I have given up on vanity and ressemble the pictures one sees of Scrooge - fingerless mittens and a shawl . sometimes hat on my head. Remember, even though our heads do not feel cold, that is where the heat is leaving our bodies.
I have a hot water bottle o warm my bed and am always cosy in bed. Last Year it dawned on me how cold my bedroom actually is. I had forgotten the water bottle on the floor and the water was frozen in side it :cold:
-
Keeping your extremities warm is the key I have found! Always wear thermal socks in the house - really toasty.
-
I actually like our cold bedroom but no good for lingering out of the covers :innocent: For a romantic present my husband bought me some thermal leggings tonight, how sweet and I was growing my leg hairs! :innocent:
-
At night we sleep with a duvet under the sheet as well as being under a lovely thick one - the under duvet makes a massive difference. Failing that sleeping in a sleeping bag under a duvet keeps you toasty. We only heat the area of the house we use during the day in winter and keep the rest pretty much shut off. We live in an old farmhouse and find keeping the curtains shut most of the day really helps as our windows are a bit on the drafty side. Having said that we spent two years living in a caravan where you would have to melt the ice off the mirror if you wanted to look at yourself and leave the water running if you planned on using any the next day so anything is an improvement on that. Other than that its just a case of layering up. The only additional heaters I would suggest are oil filled ones although they are not that cheap to run. At least they maintain a little heat when turned off. Gas heaters are brilliant when they are on but cause condensation/damp which itself makes the room feel cold and go instantly cold when turned off. Convector/fan heaters cost a fortune to run and also don't hold any heat.
-
Thanks for all the advice its so interesting that I am not the only one that's cold in the house during the day, in fact I take stuff off to go out for a walk. I put quilts on the mattress as its much warmer than just the mattress and there are some cheap quilts around, I bought an electric blanket but have not used it on our bed as I like cold bits in the bed so prefer a hot water bottle if necessary. We bought some heaters a while ago but never sure of their efficiency or energy consumption, I could do with one of those things that inform you the amount of energy you are using!!
One thing I have noticed, how warm shops are, that's an option to warm up but they must be spending a fortune on heating....
-
We'd lived abroad for nearly ten years before moving into this house last year. Both in Sweden and Switzerland, they used to laugh about how cold and draughty English houses are. We got used to living at 23 degrees (with lower heating costs) and would be in a t-shirt all day long except when leaving the house. I like being about to wear my big jumpers again! 14 degrees is my cut-off now - I don't really feel cold during the day unless it drops below that because I'm on the go all day long. It's when you sit down, you feel it more - so we have blankets on the chairs to pull over us (another Swedish trick - they have outdoor cafes that operate all year round but they provide blankets on the chairs in winter). I did have the woodburner going all day today because I put some ginger beer on to ferment last night and it was so cold this morning, it had done nothing so I lit the fire just to get it going (and now it's bubbling nicely). Mostly I've been lighting it just before I go and get the kids from school - and the heating comes on for a couple of hours then too.
One additional benefit - unless it's a co-incidence - we all seem a lot healthier than we were in a hotter house. The kids seem to have avoided all sorts of bugs going around at school even though I assumed they'd be hit by every bug going having never lived in this country before. In Switzerland they always seemed to have streaming noses and fevers.
H
-
The heating goes on in my kitchen when the temp. goes under 12 degrees and in an evening I keep warmer by lighting the wood stove. I find it is essential that I air out my rooms regularly to bring in dryer air.
Since the air outside is generally between 80 and 90 percent humidity, I need to keep the windows firmly shut if I want the house to dry out! ;D And as long as it's that damp, the house just won't get warm at all. At least I don't have mould on the walls since I got the dehumidifier...
-
Since the air outside is generally between 80 and 90 percent humidity
That's interesting, do you have a gauge to show the humidity? I can tell if its started raining outside as it gets markedly colder inside, today is very very mild here thankfully!!
-
The things that keep me warm are having warm ankles - wool socks, and a pair of those 'fake Ugg' furry boots as slippers (have outdoor soles too so I can nip out to shut up the chickenhouses in them too :thumbsup:
A wool blanket or shawl round my shoulders. Or an insulated gilet/sleeveless jacket.
And a woolly hat, indoors, and in bed, when it's really cold :cold: plus a hotwater bottle and a warm pup :dog:
-
I just have to have a nice thick scarf and a few layers on my top, then my fluffy pretend huggies.....trouble is I do go outside in them and they are like sponges and soak up the water!!
-
I have always felt the cold - at least, since my thyroid gland stopped functioning properly -and now I am less mobile, I feel it more. Our heating goes on in the morning and again in the evening but not during the day although I may give it a boost of an hour around lunchtime if I'm really cold.
We have no heating in the kitchen and it's a single brick extension so does get cold so when I go out there to cook, I put all four burners on the cooker on and that soon warms it all up. When I'm sitting in my chair (most of the day) I have a snuggle wrap - one of those blankets with sleeves - which is very cosy but I find the sleeves slide down off my shoulders so now I just use it as a blanket. My OH says he always knows when it's winter because I start wearing socks.
-
Like others I don't like the heat on during the day, then don't feel as bad at leaving some doors open now and then.
We bought some hand warmers a few years ago, they have a piece of metal in gel and when you bend the metal it makes the pack go solid and warm, just pop them in hot water when the rayburn's fired up in the evening and they are ready for next day.
I find I'm coldest when I've been sat (at the computer) and when you move the cold from your hands and feet is pumped round your body and lowers your core temperature (search and rescue pal told me that), so it's always a hot coffee after I come off this thing. If I keep busy on something I'm not too bad, except damp weather and east wind, which hits the full front of the house with most windows. I have a fleece body warmer I wear too much, spoils me a bit,
I suppose if I'm cold the best thing to do is go and clean some beastie or other out, usually end up taking my jacket off.
I have some furry boot type slippers as well, makes a BIG difference if your feet are warm.
-
Since the air outside is generally between 80 and 90 percent humidity
That's interesting, do you have a gauge to show the humidity? I can tell if its started raining outside as it gets markedly colder inside, today is very very mild here thankfully!!
Yes, I do (you get them quite cheaply now). You can also just look at the weather forecast online, that'll give you an idea. They say below 60% the house will stay mould free; ideal is supposed to be 50%, but I'm happy at 60%. Has definitely improved my (and the cat's) health. Most people will reach that humidity just through heating... But my house rarely is warm enough for that. With the piddly electric heaters that the council supply us with, it's simply not affordable. Dehumidifying is cheaper and more effective (it blows out warm air at the top as well as taking the water out of the air!).
-
Thanks for the heads up re: hummidity levels. I had no idea what a sensible hummidity is and am pleased to report that it is currently 51% in here.
we have snow forecast from Wednesday so today I plan to keep warm by collecting yet more windfalls and digging up a couple of loads of carrots for the pigs. Thermal socks are on and I will look for a hat too. Brrrrr :excited: I'm off to brave the cold again.
-
Sun is shining - the washing is out - unfortunately I have to get off to do some work in a minute, but I think I'll leave the window open for the cat to enjoy what's probably the last of the fine days for now... :sunshine: Wish I could spend the day in the garden - or walking - too...
-
:thumbsup: Thanks for that too about humidity, it actually did not cross my mind .....the sun warms up the rooms so well!!! I too love the back door open, one house had a stable door at the back, that was brilliant, may try that again!!! I think the issue about getting cold is to do something before you get to the stage when you do not want to do anything, 2 weeks ago I cleaned out the freezer, it now needs a proper clean but I cannot bring myself to stand there in the dark garage getting colder!!
-
Whiskey keeps me warm
-
You've missed the obvious solution HGL.
Lab. either side of you on the sofa :love: ;D . Our lab pup has a big fat tum that's just like a hot water bottle and both ours love to be allowed some cuddle time on the sofa. They do really warm you up.
-
I do sit on the floor with the labs by the fire and I sometimes pick up the pup, they are so lovely to cuddle I agree...but as I have got stiffer I find it harder to get up so often get my face licked or trampled on. :innocent: My idea of a wonderful cosy night is the labs around me by a big fire with my husband next to me (well sort of) and a bottle of nice whiskey......warm in all senses!
-
Central Heating .......he looks familiar...!
-
:roflanim: :roflanim: , very attractive BUT I do agree, warm!! I have been far too hot the last few nights due to big fires and me being so wrapped up, as I sit down I start to unwrap, the thermal under garments work very well!! Not shaved my legs in years :thinking:
-
I have a pair of sheepskin indoor boots that I wouldn't be without. I am also crocheting a balaclava at the moment but that would look funny indoors methinks :roflanim:
I was making it for when the snow comes and I am out feeding the animals. Problem is snow arrived today and I only started I the balaclava last night. :(
-
Brrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This morning has seen the first bit of weather here that's been anything like being cold. We have wind, rain and sleet, my cup runneth over. I'm indoors at the moment warming my finger ends up. There are two fires lit in the house and I'm having a quick coffee before going out for the second round. So far, I've put the horses out into the paddock and given them hay. The stables have been mucked out and left spick and span. At this time of the year, I'm a four barrows full of poop a day man. I'm as regular as clock work.
The pigs have all been fed and extra straw added to their bedding. The ducks are also fed and sorted out for the day.
I'm trying to make this coffee last as long as possible, as I try to put off the inevitable. I still need to get out and feed all the chickens. This morning the hens will no doubt stick their heads out of their coops and wish that they hadn't bothered.
Chilly ! Chilly ! Chilly! Good luck and try to stay as warm and dry as you can.
PS. Nearly forgot, the answer to staying warm has got to be coffee and lots of it. :idea:
-
SNOW??????? get knitting pretty quick!!!! I remember going out last year and I had my waterproof hat, then my parka hood over it and a big soft material scarf tied like a burka and I was so cosy I felt I was in my own world!!! I would love to light our fires but then I have to run in and out the rooms feeding them like a stoker on a steam train!!
Good luck keeping warm, today I am off for a long soak then the heating is going on low as we have a viewing....I am getting so excited!!
-
I've been cold for most of the day, despite sitting next to the radiator. This one doesn't throw out a lot of heat. we had BG in to look at it under our contract with them and they said we needed a piece of equipment to filter out the muck in the system. It would only cost a fortune. I decided to wear an extra jumper.
-
We live in a very tall house that's right on top of a hill, completely exposed on three sides and I can tell within a few minutes of getting up which side the wind is coming from. So I've done my usual pre-winter walk round the house with a lit candle, after dark when I've closed all the curtains and doors. The candle is to look for drafts, it's amazing where drafts sneak in and stopping them up is a good way to keep the cold air out and the heat in.
We changed our windows to double glazed sash and case a few years back, at the same time as we got cavity wall insulation and that made a huge difference but I've still got full length thick lined curtains at all the windows and outside doors, draft excluders, draft sealant round every window gap and round the attic hatches and a baffle put up just below the big stair skylight. I've even blocked up unused key holes. It all helps. Condensation and ventilation? I air out the house every morning whatever the weather but we don't really get much condensation even if I don't. It's a big house with plenty of room for internal air circulation, I have an extractor fan in the kitchen and I only dry clothes in there and the adjoining dining room, if I dry indoors. The bathrooms only need five minutes with the windows open to air out.
-
I have two properties 17miles apart in Cambridgeshire one is in a village. The farm is windswept and freezing, when we bought it I could not under stand why there were so many out buildings, mainly its to keep the wind out, so I was in hat, windproof coat with a fleece underneath. 30 minutes later working outside in the village, no hat, no coat and thinking about taking my fleece off in the sun.
I think you should never under estimate the value of curtains, even thin ones are better than nothing but the are now selling them with thermal linings. If the suns not on the window you might as well have the curtains closed to keep the heat in.
The house we live in at the moment is new and fully insulated so costs very little to heat, in fact most of the time I am too hot. I remember as a child waking up to frost on the bedroom windows and writing my name it, its a fairy story to my children.
-
Funny you mention curtains, our dogs live in a lean too wooden floored potting shed, I slept in it during the winter when we had pups and I have a thick curtain over the door so I can leave the door open a bit for them to get in and out during the day, and it's really good, it's actually very cosy in here room, they are warmer in there than I am inside if the heating is I off, thick curtains are brilliant, I found some hooks you can push into any fabric, I bought a single very thick throw and have that over our lounge door, the good thing is we have very thick stone walls, so heat does sty in, provided you put the heating on, we have rails around the tops of some walls, apparently they were for hanging heavy curtains around the walls, now that's a great idea in my opinion. our bedroom is cold but we both get too hot in bed, but not good if you want to hang around in......I ham going to stay in the kitchen if it gets too cold, then I can do some cooking and eating....
-
BG always tell you your system needs cleaning and want to charge a huge amount. We got our friendly plumber to do the system in my daughters house for about quarter the price BG quoted. And it has made a difference, the house gets lovely and warm, although it is in the middle of a terrace .
-
We came off BG as they would decommission our boiler as its old, they would not be able to buy the parts but we could, My ex is a plumber and says our boiler has very little that goes wrong on it and the bits that may go wrong can be bought very cheaply off the internet!! I never forget years ago, not long after my dad had died, my mum got BG in as her back boiler went off, it was a therma couple....they took a major part out as they said it was dangerous, she was so upset as she was then on her own, and also then had no form of CH, luckily my ex is a plumber so he soon sorted her out but that was then, they are still the same now, they have to put in parts that are made buy the manufacturer and if the manufacturer is no longer in business then they cannot put any other suitable parts in, a bit like only having VW parts in a car when others are virtually the same but cheaper!! Our boiler broke down in a house we had before we moved, also several other people had the same problems with their combi boilers, they had no money and neither did we but we went with out for a while as we did have an open fire, then got a local plumber to put a new boiler in, I have forgotten how much but around £1,000 or less when my friend was paying £3,000 for the same thing to BG.................. :innocent:
-
Another way to keep warm- sit with a cat on your knee! Apparently a cat generates, on average, 11 watts of energy. I regularly harness this energy to help stave off the cold, but they do get in the way a bit when I am knitting. Latest project is a fun fur Christmas tree for my daughter? I will post pictures when completed .
-
:thumbsup: :thumbsup: sounds brilliant........I want a cat but not until we have settled into a new home that's suitable.....I am off for a hot bath now!
-
Our cats sleep on the bed with us when it gets cold. We used to have a lovely big fluffy cat that slept on my OH's pillow which kept OH's bald spot nice and warm. The latest kitten is a short hair and very lanky atm, he wants to sleep wrapped round my neck. This is not comfortable AT ALL, especially as he has a purr like a pneumatic drill. We have "discussions" about this at 4am. The other two cats are not daft, they sleep between OH and me under the top throw. It can get a bit crowded and they have the odd spat about the comfortable spot but they're great all-night hot water bottles.
-
We used to have our Patterdale dog in bed with us, mainly due to him howling so he kept us both warm and we kept him quiet....he was a cutie pie but he got run over sadly
-
we don't have central heating, but have two woodburners. the things that made the most difference last winter was
1) fitted an Everhot stove into Kitchen 8) (no door between kitchen and central room with stairs in)
2) Tempur mattres :excited:
The stove kept the kitchen at 14 degrees even at the coldest part of last winter ... its an uninsulated extension and the rest of the house was noticeably warmer :thumbsup:
the mattress warms up so much faster than a standard one....1 5 seconds after getting in its toasty.... I put a quilt under the sheet in the summer as it gets too warm then :excited:
-
Our stone house retains the heat (when we put the heating on) and every night we have a big fire and honestly, it gets roasting in our lounge very quickly. Ideally, I want a house where you can heat most rooms with some form of natural open fire or log burner, we have seen a few in our price range but need to sell up first. I am not a fan of central heating but I know it keeps the chill from the rooms, I much prefer a cold bedroom than a warm one, unless you are ill, I have always got too hot in bed and when working or walking, its sitting down that makes me cold like others......Funny as yesterday was horrid out yet the house was warm thankfully!!!
-
Sat here with laptop on my lap ...... cooking!