Hello Dear Reader,
Winter is expensive but we keep on top of the bills by being well prepared. Those scruffy old rubble sacks next to the corner of the photo have plenty of kindling. Every piece of paper and cardboard is tightly wound into twists for fire lighting. The curtains have their extra winter linings clipped in place and every curtain is closed as soon as it's dark.
This tiny cottage is well insulated with double glazed windows and doors with two foot thick solid walls
So it doesn't need a great deal of heating. We heat the lounge and leave all the internal doors open and heat travels around the house. There's no need for any other heating other than the log stove. A full wood shed costs us £80 and lasts three months. Two log sheds full last us for all of the cold weather we get here. But, what if you don't live in a tiny cottage in the mildest part of the UK, what then?Heat yourself. Keep yourself and family members wrapped up. My summer tee shirts and tanks become thermal base layers and I'll often wear a tank, tee shirt, long sleeved top and a jumper. I wear leggings under trousers or under trackies at home to keep warm. I'll even wear socks and slippers so I don't lose heat through my feet. It means I don't light the fire until it's dark even on cool days.
Keep moving. If I'm busy, I'm warm. I'll go on errands, shop on foot, walk the dogs, get the housework done and keep as mobile as possible. Unlike some people, it's not the time of year to sit in my sewing room for too long as sitting still means I get cold. I also try to get out in the daylight and get some garden tidying done.
Warm on the inside. It's soup season. I add lentils to everything. Veggies with stock and lentils. Leek and potato and chicken stock with winter veggies. Cook up cheap veggie stews in the slow cooker and make sure we get a substantial hot meal inside us everyday which really helps with winter warming.
Keep the heat in. All my curtains are lined but what if yours are not and you can't sew? Check out charity shops or bargain shops such as Primark for duvet covers, fleece blankets or brushed cotton sheets. Next, you'll need some safety pins and to take your curtains down. Pin the duvet cover or blanket to the top of the back of the curtain and you've got another insulating layer. I've seen door curtain rods in poundland and you can use double sided sticky foam which you can stick to the top of a door without doing any damage to secure the curtain pole. Again, look out for a single curtain or even a fleece blanket and make holes in the top so you can use the curtain rod to secure another layer to an u insulated door.
Those are just a few from me and now over to you Lovely readers. If someone's renting, on a low income or a heat leaking house, how can they keep warm on a tight budget?
Until tomorrow,
Love Froogs xxxx