NO MORE COLD MUMSNETTERS!

I'm with npower kungfu

We might not be the same size kung

Electric blanket. Costs pence to run for a night.

Wrong time of year now, but last summer got one in Tesco that was reduced to half price and then halved again. A King Size is actually better than a double as it reaches the edges of the bed as well as the feet. The budget brands are rather sparing on size, but should show it on the box.

For thermals, I know its too late now, but next year keep your eyes out in the Summer. I bought Pringle thermal long johns and t-shirts from Matalan for 99p each in August for DH. He won't ever need anymore so long as he doesn't put on weight!

I always wear socks in bed when I am cold.

I've got fleecy blankets in the airing cupboard that I don't use, they are going under the sheets next time I change the beds!

Oops sorry for the epic post

Measures we took in our old rented flat (rotten windowframes and ridiculous amounts of condensation meant we had to keep our bedroom window open all year round - ending up with a snowdrift on our windowsill on more than one occasion!) included:

Lots and lots of hot drinks, even if it was just hot water

Sleep with a hat, socks and gloves on - I had one of those with ear flaps. Ridiculous, but very warm!

Slippers that cover the ankles, eg ugg style bootee type ones, were invented by an angel.

Fingerless gloves - knitting them kept me warm, and wearing them kept me even warmer!

Knit/crochet a blanket

Put two fleeces underneath the duvet. When you get into bed, get in between the two so you are lying on one and have the other over you. Instant warmth without a heated blanket.

Curtains, the thicker the better. If you can't afford curtain lining (like we couldn't at the time), buy two cheap pairs of curtains from a charity shop and hang one inside the other in place of a liner.

Curtains behind doors, even internal ones, and keep the doors closed! DP has lived with me for 13 years but still walked into a closed door behind a shut curtain this evening

Long, hot showers.

Layer up (a lot of pps have already said this, and it's true)

Jeans are cold! Took me a long time to realise this. Tights and leggings are your friends. Also, boots are warmer than shoes.

An indoor heated airer like a dri-buddy dries your clothes at the same time as warming your house.

Draught excluders, including sidney the sausage dog, are brilliant and can be made in many ways as other pps have mentioned.

If you are in the house during the day, try to have a hot meal at lunch time rather than a sandwich. Even something small, like a toasted sandwich, will make you feel warmer than having a cold meal.

Rugs on floors, even carpeted ones, make you feel warmer even if they don't actually increase the temperature.

Exercise really does make you feel warmer, but motivation can be hard to find when you are that cold. Try wrapping up and going for a walk outside. You will feel warmer to start with because of the extra layers, then your house/flat will feel warmer when you go back inside.

I really wish I had known about the bubble wrap when I lived in that flat. That could have seriously improved our living conditions. I'm even tempted to try it here in our new (1950's ex council) house.

Just picked up the Aldi magazine and from Thursday next week (21st) they are selling womens thermals. Lots of types in black or white sizes 10-20 for £4.29 per piece.

You are welcome! If anyone's going to buy them it needs to be chilly mumsnetters.

I'm watching cheap cashmere on eBay.

Delilahlilah

I haven't had brushed cotton since I used to stay with my grandparents as a child. It was lovely!

Just ordered 2 of these thermal all in ones from M and S Outlet (£17.30 for both inc delivery). I signed up for outlet emails and got an extra 15% off. Thanks fluffycloud for the tip.

Ironing is a good activity to do if you're especially cold. It gets you up and moving and of you shut the door, it's surprising how warm a room can get. I also do the ironing of uniform just before the kids put it on. It's so nice to get into fresh, warm clothes.

Look out for running/cycling special events at your local Aldi or Lidl. They will usually have cheap fleecey or insulated running tops and trousers and the tops will generally be the style with longer sleeves with thumb holes which will keep you lovely and warm. They're usually designed to wick sweat away from your body while trapping heat. I picked up a cheap 'base layer' in Aldi a few weeks ago too which is basically a vest and cycling-type shorts and they are amazingly warm and yet tight/thin enough to wear under other clothes.

I just came back to say if you have a spare / summer duvet to put it under your bed sheet. Great minds there Thorn! A blanket underneath you, but over the sheet works well, much warmer. Also, brushed cotton bedding is warmer than ordinary cotton.

MrsDeVere's advice about blankets under not on top of duvets is excellent. We put our lightweight summer one under the base sheet in winter and it is very cosy

Can anyone recommend any really warm decent quality, and sensibly priced onesies? Or those sleeping bag style onesies - not sure what they're called?

Elsk, we are in the midlands too, on the Shropshire/Welsh border, and tbh it's bloody freezing today. That said, all of the HA houses in our street still have wooden frame windows, which are riddled with damp and rot, so we may as well be in the back garden. That said, DH has emailed the HA about them.

It may sound obvious but when you do have any radiators on, make sure nothing is blocking them.

My DS has a very big bedroom, but the bed only fits along one wall. When he was little we had his bed against the one wall that had the radiator on it to reduce the chances of him falling out of bed. The room was always cold. Now he is a bit bigger we have moved the bed out from that wall thus 'freeing' the wall. (He has only fallen out of bed once). The room is now a decent temperature. I can't believe the difference it has made.

In my own bedroom the only place the head of the bed can go covers the entire radiator. The room is always freezing.

Nothing like a hot cup of coffee for warming up cold hands. If I'm working from home all day, I often leave having my shower until I've been up for a while and I'm feeling cold. The warm water heats me right up for a good while.

I also sit at a desk with a large merino wool rug wrapped all the way around me from calves to armpits (a bit like wrapping a towel round yourself after a shower IYSWIM), and I wear tracksuit pants tucked into old army surplus wool socks. Toastie.

Laptop on the knees also very warming. As are small children and cats.

M&S has an outlet site on their website, they are doing thermals buy one get one half price.

I'm very pleased with mine, delivery is via amazon & is next day.

Does anyone know if we are eligible for the winter fuel allowance?
My DS 5years is disabled he gets higher rate DLA care component.
I have looked on the government web site but can't find anything about disabled children, I've tried phoning CAB but never managed to get through. Any ideas?

Im still a bit over this.

Im in the Midlands and haven't switched our heating on yet. Not because we are incredibly frugal but because its not that cold. The children are sat next to me with pjs on and no dressing gown or slippers.

Maybe all the cold people are in Scotland.

Sock wrist warmers: Get a pair of warm old socks, cut the toes off and make a slightly diagonal slit in one side part way up - this is for your thumb. Scroll through the pictures here and you will see what I mean!

Eating a lot of carbohydrates - really makes a difference. I first realised this when I was camping at high altitude in South America as a student, where it got seriously cold at night, and the locals just plied us with multiple carbs.