To suddenly be frightened of the coming winter?

[KathrynKampbell]

I think it's just hit me how hard winter is going to be. I'm sat downstairs now (watching a film tut tut get to bed) and its really cold. Today was cold too and we had to have the heating on and off all day. I thought we would manage with maybe once a day for a bit and make do with layers but I hadn't realised how much the house would leak heat and how cold laminate floor is. And the temperature is obviously going to get colder over the next few months.

AIBU to be scared about the next few months?

as a slight aside point in the interest of keeping warm, i can recommend decathalon outdoor stores for warmy-up clothes. good range of ski socks and hats etc and i use a couple of their fleecy blankets as throws for the couch. got dd pair of toddler hiking/climbing shoes - thin non-slip soles with fleecy lining which she uses as slippers. reasonable (bordering on cheap) prices, too.
and their furry-lined,waterproof snow boots are great.

ps. i don't work for them or anything, we've just found their stuff great for winter.

We got a curtain to go across our front door to cut out draughts. It made a surprisingly big difference. Before the hall was just sucking the warmth out of the house.

We give the children flannellette or jersey sheets when it gets colder too, and brushed cotton clothes/pyjamas are fab. There were some good flannel shirts in The Original Factory Shop last time I went in to stock up on Lightning McQueen tat. And if needs must, wear a hat indoors (my father's tip).

The problem is, all the really effective things cost money and take time and usually also expertise.

they also do long johns and thermals too

I'm glad we're getting back to the importance of goats. I felt that their significance was getting a bit understated over the last page or two.

That is so true Eldritch we experimented with turning our hall radiator off but having the heat on in the hall really warms the whole house up. I need to replace the insulation brush thingies round the letter box next weekend.

I will continue to champion goats.

Don't forget think vitamins!

In our last house we had wood burning stoves (one in kitchen, one in living room). The one in the kitchen really heat up the whole house if it was on long enough. I really miss it. We are trying to save up to install a stove in our new house, which is a colder house. We are lucky because DH 'scavenges' for wood and cuts down trees with friends, giving us free wood. It's a lot of work but he doesn't mind as it saves so much money.

The best thing for us was the government free insulation scheme for pensioners. They put in extra layers of loft insulation and cavity wall insulation. Our house is as warm as toast. However ndn are younger and quite hard up. They use a log fire in the living room and rarely heat the rest of the house. Their place feels damp and cold when you walk in yet outwardly it is identical to ours. They are 3 bed detached bungalows. There are 4 of them and only 2 of us. They are all working but quite low paid jobs. It seems really unfair that they should be cold..

My recommendation is close fitting clothes. It's 16 degrees in the flat and I'm sitting here in just some thinish leggings and a long sleeved stretchy T shirt. The trick is that there's a good overlap between the bottom of the T shirt and the top of the leggings so there's no way for the draught to get in. If I was wearing looser and thicker clothes I'd probably feel a bit cold and have to put a dressing gown on. DP feels the cold more than me (because he doesn't dress properly for it) so he has some fingerless gloves for when he's just sitting on the computer.

We've also got a couple of duvets on the sofa for the cat to sleep on to snuggle under when we're watching TV. We only put the heating on if we've got a jumper and a dressing gown on and are still cold. The heating hasn't been on yet this year and I expect to only use about £100 extra gas this winter over our summer usage.

I will feed my goats with thick vitamins, clothe them in four-legged thermal underwear and arrange them in strategic positions around my house, covering any draughty areas around doors and windows. The heat they exude will keep me and mine in toasty comfort throughout the inclement winter.

I would take up the goat suggestion with great eagerness if it wasn't for the niggling suspicion that it might be really smelly.

High energy bills really get my goat!

Couldn't help myself

Marks and spencer do a great range of children's thermal underware I have bought them for ds3 for the last few years. They are not cheap but he wears them as pyjamas once the weather gets warmer so gets plenty of use out of them. I also second the Dunelm Mill onesies, they are really warm.

I have four hot water bottles. Two for me, two for my DS. One is for feet, the other for back/stomach/lap. Keeps us lovely and toasty when we're sitting watching something. If it's extra cold, we chuck on a thick jumper and have blankets on. Cheap and cozy.

Don't worry, Thatisall - there's a lot of us acting the goat here!

Extra blankets on the bed, wood fire to heat us. We pay about £300 for wood which lasts all year.

I think that is about the same or cheaper than it would be to have gas on all that time. It means the house is always warm rather than having to choose when to have the heating on.

We will be eating a lot of lentil stews etc, really good hearty cheap food.

I like goats, used to milk them when I was younger. But they do really really pong.

Huitre - clothespegs would be obligatory, but well worth it, I feel.

So painful AND smelly, then?

I really like goats, too.

Little sacrifices have to be made in the greater scheme of things!

The trouble with goats, in my experience, is that they eat your draught excluders, thick curtains, rugs and thermal underwear.

Valid point, Laura - but think of the heat they will generate as a result.