To start a Prepping for Poor People thread?

[TooBigForMyBoots]

I'm poor (household income well below £20k). With the energy price rises, CoL crisis and possible power cuts ahead I'm wondering what tips other people in my position have to give to prepare us for the winter ahead.

As this is a thread for poor people, recommended purchases should be £7.50 or less. This is not the thread for recommending Agas, sheepskin boots, 70quid blankets or moving house.

Feel free to move this to Prepping or CoL @MNHQ if you think it's better there.

[sashh]

@ExpectMore

@sashh

It costs about the same to pay for the prescription as it does to buy it over the counter, but I get free prescriptions and my Dr is happy to prescribe it because of that.

I'm sorry, but this feels like a waste of NHS money... (unless it's needed for medicinal reasons & can't be purchased off-prescription for cheaper E.g. like the issue of gps prescribing paracetamol in Scotland).

Well a GP can't just prescribe shampoo not for medical reasons. To buy it is £12 a bottle in my local chemist.

My GP is like that, there is never a charge for travel vaccinations. He works on the premise it will cost the NHS less if you are vaccinated than it will if you come back from somewhere with yellow fever or rabies.

[TooBigForMyBoots]

No probs @antelopevalley.🙂

Does anyone have any tips specific to helping elderly relatives or those with dementia? I'm not the only one with this issue so anything you can suggest to make life easier/less stressful would be most welcome.

[antelopevalley]

I did not know that, thanks.

[TooBigForMyBoots]

@antelopevalley

I am in a hard water area and have used ordinary bar soap. It does not lather much, but still cleans your hair. Solid shampoo bars are rarely cheap.

Home Bargains do solid shampoo for £1 a bar.

[ExpectMore]

@antelopevalley

@ExpectMore Maybe the GP recognises that it is more important someone has their medication?
And I have to be honest, it is a bit sickening to see such a lack of understanding on a thread for people in poverty.

No pun intended right...?

[Seenandheard]

@Nat6999

The dupe Oodies from Amazon are amazing, I've bought the zip up one, I wear it with M & S Heatgen plus base layers & will put a sweatshirt under as well when temperatures drop with a pair of fleecy socks inside Heatholders socks & Ugg boots, will keep me toasty for the winter.

How cold are you expecting your house to get?!!! 😟
It's awful how British built houses can't even hold heat in, and we all just accept this as the norm

[antelopevalley]

@sashh

Only if you live in a soft water area. But you can buy 'solid shampoo'.

I actually get my shampoo on prescription. It costs about the same to pay for the prescription as it does to buy it over the counter, but I get free prescriptions and my Dr is happy to prescribe it because of that.

One from the 1920s depression, libraries are warm and free, you don't need to be a member to sit and read the newspaper.

My local council allows anyone to order meals on wheels. It's about £5 so not a cheap option, but cheaper than a take away and more balanced nutritionally and arrives hot, with a pudding.

They do a different menu for Christmas which is when it might be worth getting for a family, although it's not so festive as a turkey on the table.

I am in a hard water area and have used ordinary bar soap. It does not lather much, but still cleans your hair. Solid shampoo bars are rarely cheap.

[antelopevalley]

@ExpectMore Maybe the GP recognises that it is more important someone has their medication?
And I have to be honest, it is a bit sickening to see such a lack of understanding on a thread for people in poverty.

[ExpectMore]

@sashh

It costs about the same to pay for the prescription as it does to buy it over the counter, but I get free prescriptions and my Dr is happy to prescribe it because of that.

I'm sorry, but this feels like a waste of NHS money... (unless it's needed for medicinal reasons & can't be purchased off-prescription for cheaper E.g. like the issue of gps prescribing paracetamol in Scotland).

[verdantverdure]

Meat free meals definitely help cut costs.

I'm trying to cost all the things I serve up regularly do I know which are the most economical.

So far veggie chilli and veggie curries are winning and tuna sweetcorn mayo jacket potato and salad is surprisingly expensive.

[GonnaGetGoingReturns]

I would say from my DM when she was younger and on a budget:

Gas fires and calor gas stoves
no meat meals - she used to buy a meat loaf in a tin which we seemed to have a lot of
old fashioned blankets
drying clothes in front of e.g. gas fires or outside on a line
Don't buy stuff you don't need
jumble sales/second hand shops for toys/clothes etc
babysitting - ask friend with children and reciprocate
we had a huge apple tree in garden so would puree any left over and put in kilner jars, also grew salad, tomatoes, peas in garden
baking own bread - cheaper

Can't think of any offhand but will find out. This was from 1970s onwards but she saved money because she had to.

[GonnaGetGoingReturns]

@zingally

I'm having to think like this...

Case in point, yesterday I made up enough mashed potatoes for 3 or 4 dinners all in one go. Rather than do it each day. I put them in a lidded pyrex dish in the fridge, and will just spoon out what we need for a quick blast in the microwave.

I make a lot of dinners (live alone) that can be heated up but also stored in the fridge, so e.g. bolognese sauce etc. The potatoes one you can use for cold ones halved etc.

I've also got far more savvy about not wasting food. Got sausage in batter and chips as takeaway last night and didn't eat half the sausage so keeping in fridge so I can have as lunch/snack/part of dinner tonight. Times were, I'd just have binned it before.

[AliceMcK]

I forgot to add, take a pocket calculator or use your phone when out shopping to calculate the price of “specials”. Just because something looks cheaper dosnt mean to say it is, supermarkets can be very deceiving this way, You can use the calculator to work out the unit price to see what is the most valuable deal. If you read the price tag it will break down the cost per litre/grams etc…

If your able to, keep a list of what items are cheaper at different supermarkets. You can check on line each week to see what deals are on certain items.

Take care of things to make them last. A friend of mine once laughed at me because I had the same pack of Bobby pins for 10 years. He laughed because they were so cheap, I don’t care how cheap they are, I didn’t then or now see any point in being careless or throwing things away just to buy more. I’d take the pin out of my hair and place it back on the cardboard to reuse. If they got too wide I’d bite them back down, only throwing away when I had to.

ive just bought a battery operated emergency radio with crank, solar panel, torch. It has a USB adapter to charge phones. I currently have it sat on my windowsill in the sun charging up while I have my phone plugged into it. No idea how well it will charge as I only bought it yesterday but I thought it’s worth a try.

Use a dustpan and brush to sweep your carpets and floors to reduce using your hoover.

[Trinkethearth]

I use hair wraps to dry my hair. Or at least mostly dry my hair then a quick blast with the hair dryer. The wraps themselves air dry much quicker than towels.

I have also been know to put my airer in the greenhouse to dry on rainy days. But it will need a very good tidy and scrub before I do it again.

There are a couple of business near me the have signs outside advertising free wood. Ones a kitchen factory. The other seems to be some sort of builders. They built a large crate outside thats always getting topped up. Its worth checking out places like that if you have a fire.

[Dunnoburt]

Might have already been mentioned..... apologies if so.....

[sashh]

@antelopevalley

Mine is - you can use ordinary bar soap to wash your hair. Very cheap.

Only if you live in a soft water area. But you can buy 'solid shampoo'.

I actually get my shampoo on prescription. It costs about the same to pay for the prescription as it does to buy it over the counter, but I get free prescriptions and my Dr is happy to prescribe it because of that.

One from the 1920s depression, libraries are warm and free, you don't need to be a member to sit and read the newspaper.

My local council allows anyone to order meals on wheels. It's about £5 so not a cheap option, but cheaper than a take away and more balanced nutritionally and arrives hot, with a pudding.

They do a different menu for Christmas which is when it might be worth getting for a family, although it's not so festive as a turkey on the table.

[Nat6999]

I'm crocheting blankets, I'm on my third one this year, keeps my hands busy & helps my anxiety & autism.

[antelopevalley]

I see ghillie kettles are mentioned. I have looked for a bit trying to find a cheap second hand one but have never managed to find one.

[antelopevalley]

Mine is - you can use ordinary bar soap to wash your hair. Very cheap.

[antelopevalley]

Thanks

[Sunshineandrainbow]

@antelopevalley

Does anyone know any cheap hacks for single-glazed windows?

A layer of bubble wrap over the glass

[antelopevalley]

Does anyone know any cheap hacks for single-glazed windows?

[AliceMcK]

Layer up
Open windows and doors every morning to let damp air out and fresh air in. This will reduce moisture and dampness in the house, intern keeping it warmer. This is especially important if your drying washing inside.
Celotape around windows to reduce drafts.
Use reusable containers instead of constantly buying cling film, foil or sandwich bags. Or try and reuse them as much as possible if you do.
Take cash shopping where you can so you don’t go over budget.
Bulk meals out with bags of mixed veg.
A firm favourite growing up was always serve bread and butter with meals to fill you up.
Buy polyfiller or expanding foam to fill as many draft gaps as possible.
Try and reduce living rooms in the house (I,e if you have more than one living area try and not use every room) and only heat the rooms being used.
Extra blankets on mattresses make beds warmer.
Wear extra layers to bed or put extra layers on as soon as you wake up. I put a hoodie and thermal socks on in the mornings, my DF always put his beanie on as he went round opening doors and windows in winter.
Keep some UHT milk on hand so your not paying convenience store prices in case you run out.
If your on a water meter stick a brick in the cistern to reduce water usage. disclaimer: not everyone recommends this as apparently can cause damage, but my parents always did this.
Constantly monitor your energy usage, switching off appliances and see where the bulk of your usage is going.
might be controversial, but charge phones at work or cafes if plugs available.
Buy cheap curtains from charity shops and hand over drafty doors. Make sure they are really long so can double and draft excluder and the bottom.
Rolled up towels make just as good draft excluders, you don’t need to buy specific ones.
Check out charity shops for oodies, onesies, warm clothing.
Churches in my are are offering heated hubs to people. A place people can go to be warm and have a hot drink.
Lots of churches also host Christmas events, carol services for free.
Join as many free gifting pages on Facebook as possible, they not only offer free things but usually have lots of information and help on them.
Same with local community pages.
Dont be afraid to as for help if your struggling.

[Mangledrake]

If you shop at Iceland, get a bonus card. If you can put 20 pounds on it to spend, you'll get one pound back. And some of their food is excellent value.

Also worth knowing about their interest free loans for short term cash flow problems.

[FlissyPaps]

Some might have already been said

When showering turn the water off when lathering your hair/body in shampoo/soap. Turn water back on only to rinse off.

If you have showers at work or the gym - shower there instead.

If you work on site or in an office take your phones, iPads etc to work and charge them at your desk rather than at home.

Yellow sticker aisle in supermarkets.

When driving - go straight into 5th gear and coast as much as you can. Fuck the Highway Code.