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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to be envious of my friend and a bit miffed

76 replies

LEMisdisappointed · 16/10/2013 14:28

Not sure if miffed is the right word.

lovely friend. Lovely hard working family. Comfortably off.

We do ok. Dp works like a slave, me sahm but have mh issues that are preventing me from working just now I certainly dont consider us to be hard up at the moment.

I have been walking my friends dog. On the odd occasion. When I walk in her house I have to strip off the minite I walk through the door its like the tropics only the dog home.

I honestly thought everyone worried about fuel bills. We still are putting jumpers on in evening no heating unless its bitter twice this year.

I might start spending the day at hers " kerping the dog company" luxuriating in the warm

V Envy

OP posts:
mrsjay · 16/10/2013 19:41

I dont understand people who waste heat and heating a house when nobody is home Lem I think you should just stay in with the dog for a few hours shame to waste the heat on the pooch Smile

Oh have you considered dog walking as a sideline My dog walker was a sahm and started her own business

expatinscotland · 16/10/2013 19:43

It's a dog. It has a fucking fur coat. YANBU.

Original poster
LEMisdisappointed · 16/10/2013 20:09

mrsjay - definately, i have years of doggie experience so it would certainly be a good avenue for me (i just don't like being cold!) am sat here with two jumpers,my own dog on my feet covered with a fleecy blanket and im still cold and grumpy - DP on the other hand, sat with just a T-shirt on Hmm

OP posts:
gastrognome · 16/10/2013 20:45

You would probably think the same walking into our house. Essentially, the thermostat is rubbish and ridiculously hard to programme, so the heating often kicks in at bizarre times of day. We've tried to sort it but it's very temperamental.

Iamsparklyknickers · 16/10/2013 21:21

My pampered cats get those heating pad thingys under their favorite napping spots - they seem to prefer somewhere with the direct heat source they can sprawl over anyway - pretty sure you can get them specially for dogs.

Personally I prefer a hot water bottle to the heating anyway. The air gets to 'thick' for me when it's too hot.

Lisavarna · 16/10/2013 21:52

Who ARE these people who put the central heating on for their dogs?? I mean, dogs have coats ffs!! They hardly need the heating on if they are indoors, what a waste of money!

Awomansworth · 16/10/2013 22:14

We pay into our oil account all year round in order to keep our heating on 24/7 during the winter, we live in a very old house and ds has ashma. I never thought I'd here myself say it... but I wish we had a gas supply, would be much cheaper than oil.

We pay around £800 to fill our oil tank, and it will only last around 3 months during the winter and that's with the thermostat set to 18, so not exactly hot.

I would rather give up other things than have a cold house.

everlong · 16/10/2013 22:16

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

olgaga · 16/10/2013 22:50

I think YABVVU because its absolutely none of your business.

Your friend goes out to work and likes to come home to a warm house.

Why does it matter to you?

ScarerAndFuck · 17/10/2013 01:09

Is the dog well?

I know that sounds odd, but last year we took in a stray terrier that had been abandoned and he turned out to be very ill.

He had bone cancer and if he was cold he shivered and hunched over and could hardly walk and was in pain, I can't describe how bad he was, but it was very distressing to see him that first time it got cold and it affected him so badly. He was in a terrible state and I thought we would lose him there and then.

So after that we had to leave the heating on all the time for him and make sure he had lots of cushions and blankets in his bed. He seemed to feel the cold so much more badly even if it felt quite warm to everyone else.

He died seven weeks after we took him.

ohmymimi · 17/10/2013 01:21

Iamsparkly - my cats are my heating pads. My ch is not going on before 1 Nov, come what may. Luckily both cats like to snuggle.

YourMaNoBraBackOfMyCar · 17/10/2013 01:22

Maybe she makes sure its on for you? You're walking her dog, its starting to get a bit nippy (the weather, not the dog) and she's making sure you have warmth when you come in from doing her a favour? If this is a possibility say she doesn't need to and the next time she might leave it off.

ChippingInNeedsSleepAndCoffee · 17/10/2013 01:26

Scarer :( Poor little woof - but I bet he enjoyed his time with you x

LEM - I think dog walking would be a brilliant little business for you! You could do as much or as little as you feel able to and you can't get better co-workers Grin In the meantime, take your book & keep her pooch company!

Alibabaandthe40nappies · 17/10/2013 01:29

We have ours on all day, controlled on the thermostat so that it clicks on and off to maintain a constant temperature.

I'm a SAHM with a preschooler so I am here a lot during the day, but if we go away then I leave the heating on but put the thermostat a couple of degrees lower - I hate coming home to a cold house.

BloodiedGhouloshes · 17/10/2013 02:31

We have a thermostat too and it goes on and off. Just out of curiosity- what do people set theirs at? My former boss used to set hers at 24 which would render me unconscious. Last year we set ours at about 19, but already this year I have cranked it up to 20 which is about my limit. We used to live in a really cold climate (sub zero minus at least 15-20 degrees ) and in those days thought 14 in the house was toasty!

(Not commenting on the fact that my DH leaves the electric blanket on for the dogs . But only if we are at home, so I always have to check the fucker is off before going out).

mrsjay · 17/10/2013 09:11

mrsjay - definately, i have years of doggie experience so it would certainly be a good avenue for me (i just don't like being cold!)

I suppose a lovely summer stroll with a happy dog is lovely wet windy and freezing not so much ,

MsPickle · 17/10/2013 09:16

We live in a Victorian conversion flat-we've experimented with different ways of running heating and it's definitely more cost effective for us to run at a steady very low once it's cold so it always feels cosy to visitors.

On the dog walking front-our cat sitter did a course through battersea dogs home about pet care when she set up so she's got specialist knowledge about administering medication etc and insurance so she looks after all sorts and has a great time!

ScarerAndFuck · 17/10/2013 09:17

ChippingIn he was gorgeous, and for six of the seven weeks you wouldn't have known he was ill unless he got too cold. He deteriorated quickly at the end but we know he had six better weeks with us than he would have had on the streets where we found him or in a shelter, so I'm just glad we were able to give them to him.

We got him a fleecy coat for walks and kept the house warm and he was just lovely, very affectionate and loving.

TheArticFunky · 17/10/2013 09:24

I think those of us who grew up in cold damp homes overcompensate when we get our own homes.

The only heating in my childhood home was a gas fire in the living room and we only had hot water once a week. It was freezing and you never got warm.

I now have a very small house with an efficient central heating system. I keep our house warm and toasty. The heating isn't on at the moment because it's set to come on if the temperature drops below 20c and as it's fairly warm outside it hasn't kicked in. I pay less in energy bills than friends with draughty cold houses.

ChippingInNeedsSleepAndCoffee · 17/10/2013 09:27

scarer - Flowers

I don't think you can compare x temperature in your house with x temperature in someone else's house because it really does depend on where your thermostat is located and draughts etc.

passedgo · 17/10/2013 10:16

I think having a cold house because of a middle class hairshirt mentality is just sad. What's the point? It only saves a few pounds a week. Victorian homes didn't have central heating but they were densely packed with people, and there would have been a fire on in every room. They were not designed to be kept cold in winter.

Original poster
LEMisdisappointed · 17/10/2013 17:56

passedgo - who has a middleclass hairshirt mentality??? I certainly don't - i cannot afford to have the heating on during the day, I cannot afford generally to have it on in the evenings but im not going to whine about it. I do have a log burner and we use that rather than the heating as it is more efficient and is a far niceer heat, but we haven't had it on yet. I was bemoaning my friend heating an empty house! We have a pre-paid meter and it really brings it home to you how much you are paying per day for gas - Its staggering. I can promise you it saves far than a few pounds a week.

OP posts:
oliveoctagon · 17/10/2013 22:07

I am currently wearing teeny shorts and top and its warm in here. I havent once turned my heating on since last feb. My place is just naturally hot, and my mum is always moaning its boiling in here.

DeWe · 17/10/2013 22:26

Our house was so hot at times last winter that we had the windows open in freezing weather.
Actually our heating developped a fault. It inevitably started Friday night and was better by Monday morning, but the heating wouldn't turn off at all and just got hotter and hotter.
Problem was there were several things it could be (apparently) and so they needed to be here when it was doing it.

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