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Original poster

Your best food & heating saving tips

198 replies

welshbyrd · 21/08/2011 12:33

Last few days, I have come across 2 threads about expensive food/gas/electric have become, a lot of Mnrs have replied to these thread, like me, are scared about winter food/bills shooting up

In my situation Im all ready stretched to the max, so really am dreading this winter in the UK, I have looked up a few weather predicting sites, they are all saying this winter is going to be worse, than the last four Sad

From reading these threads I know Im not alone is being worried.Some very kind poster mailed me the £30 a week meal planner, I really am truly grateful
Has anyone else got any money saving idea/experience that can make mine and other Mnrs winter more bearable?

OP posts:
superv1xen · 22/08/2011 11:35
lilmissminx · 22/08/2011 11:45

The heating will vary from house to house. Factors include: Amount of natural sunlight and natural warmth / floor coverings/ and much more. Our house, and MIL',s if left during day without any form of heating drop to the point you can see your own breath, never mind at night. A thermometer is the best guide to this, if your house drops very low, then setting the minimum temp at around 16 is sensible. If the house doesn't drop much below that naturally then it is a little different.

gabid · 22/08/2011 11:46

BirdyBedtime - Yes, we too, at 18-19 degrees and we tend to put a jumper on before we put the heating on (I find wearing a jumper in winter seems very reasonable to me, I have met people saying, wearing a T-shirt: oh I didn't notice how cold it was, it was very warm in my house Confused).

Our kitchen/diner is always very warm, I think the kitchen units give additional insulation. However, our pipes froze last winter when it was very cold! So we might put the heating on constant when its -10 degrees or more to avoid that.

lilmissminx · 22/08/2011 11:47

gabid turn off the radiators in the upstairs rooms so you only heat downstairs if upstairs is warm enough already or just turn them down. HTH

alphabettyspagghetti · 22/08/2011 12:02

Just come across this site, it's brilliant and saved myself over £3.00 on the first few items. Dead easy to do and if you just want to have a look before signing up you can by clicking on the link provided by them.

www.mysupermarket.co.uk/

Here is my link again for another great stocking up shop, free delivery too after £20.

www.theasiancookshop.co.uk/

gabid · 22/08/2011 12:23

Oh, I will check out those websites later.

Shopping - buy what you need and think before you buy offers, they are not always real.

I cook and don't buy ready meals and don't throw away left overs - once in a while they make a family meal adding several things togehter.

sophe29 · 22/08/2011 13:10

Put a very heavy curtain up at your front door. Blocks draughts beautifully.
You can also get reflective silver material that you can slip down behind radiators to reflect heat back into the room, rather than it being absorbed into the walls.
Close all internal doors, especially if you have a loft.
Insulate loft spaces.
Im with the keeping the heating on at a low temperature all day. Helps prevent frozen pipes too. However we have thermostatic valves in bedrooms and I don't think they should be too warm. I know of many conditions that are made worse by the dry air that radiators can cause. If you have a croupy baby, fresh air can help their symptoms as the coolness and moisture can sooth the back of their throats.
Also, I turn the water temperature on the boiler down in summer as I don't need such hot baths or showers.

aliceliddell · 22/08/2011 13:59

Never had a tumble dryer - got clothes horses/racks on radiators. If you keep turning the clothes and keep them flat they still don't need ironing.

F1lthym1ndedvixen · 22/08/2011 14:06

my local council loan out those gadgets to assess how much power you are using and where. If they don't manyenergyl companies do.
Or even ask on freecycle.

campergirls · 22/08/2011 14:14

Studies - like the German one linked to above - that show up dishwashers as more efficient than doing the pots by hand assume that people who handwash are allowing the hot tap to run constantly the whole time they're doing the dishes. This is normal practice in Germany (and in the US, the other main source of such studies). But if, like most people I know in Britain, you fill the sink with hot soapy water, do all the pots, then rinse in another sinkful, then handwashing is much more energy-efficient.

curlywurlycremeegg · 22/08/2011 14:35

Thanks campergirls I had heard that dishwashers were no more expensive than washing up by hand before but just couldn't understand why, your explanation makes a lot of sense :)

busybee1983 · 22/08/2011 14:44

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

campergirls · 22/08/2011 14:46

I confess though that I use my dishwasher except for really delicate things. But I stack it very carefully!

HidingInTheUndergrowth · 22/08/2011 15:40

With the heating I think it can depend on the house. Our last place was a terrace and as the neighbours used to have their heating on all the time we hardly needed it on at all. However, our current place is a detached apartment, we have no neighbours at all and even have open parking bays underneath us so it get super cold really quick and once it is cold it takes an age to warm up.

The first winter we tried having the heating on timed and not only did it cost a fortune but because the apartment would get cold during the day it would never quite heat up again and we were freezing. Last winter we had the heating on all the time. We leave it at about 10 or just under during the night and when we are out during the day and then put it up to 17 or 18 in the evening.

Our gas bill was much cheaper and we actually had a pretty warm home so definitely a win!

TracyK · 22/08/2011 16:38

Have a hot drink or soup or meal to warm you from the inside.
Get a dog or a cat and encourage them to sit on your lap. dh and I fight over the dog in winter!
Go for a brisk walk - even round the block - house will seem toasty on return.
Join the local council gym/swimming pool. Usually buttons cheap - but you can all have nice long, hot showers. Take your own hairdryer and use their electricity!

Valetude · 22/08/2011 16:51

Spend some time this autumn making your bedroom really comfortable and usable, if you can, so that after the kids have gone to bed, you can be under the covers, with a hot water bottle, watching tv - more efficient way of staying warm than moving from one warm room to one colder one and trying to sleep.

I want to do this - sort out lighting for reading, better wireless signal, good pillows, phone etc - because our lounge is so chilly after about 8pm in winter. We've got a small bedroom but it's only for a couple of months.

TracyK · 22/08/2011 16:53

I'm going to do this too - but for watching tv etc when ds comes home from school. We have an open plan kitchen, diner, lounge with vaulted ceilings - so bloody freezing.
I am going to sort out our spare room which is much smaller with normal ceilings. We'll decamp to there for the winter - or I'll be using as many afterschool clubs as poss.

Valetude · 22/08/2011 16:56

I was thinking that a four-poster bed with thick curtains would be great too Grin With a shelf for the telly at the end.
Why aren't they made any more? (Suppose I could rig up my own...off to ponder that).

seb1 · 22/08/2011 17:47

Started a thread on this earlier but thought you guys might be interested Tesco are doing 2Kg of lentils for £1.99, I bought loads so it will be lentil soup all winter for us!!

seb1 · 22/08/2011 17:53

Sign up for Lidl email newsletter they tend to do 4 items every weekend for 1/2 price, you sometimes get good deals there.

ChickenLickn · 22/08/2011 19:13

Stop paying bills.

Tis the simplest and easiest way to cut them down to a manageable size.

Ha, not so clever with their record profits are they now!

Fluffycloudland77 · 22/08/2011 19:22

We have a cheap 13.5 tog duvet that we use on the sofa as a throw, they'll be cheap in the supermarket soon for the university freshers.

I use Pyrex jugs in the oven to cook the vegetables and gravy, they don't boil over and you don't need to put the Hob on.

FancyALittle · 22/08/2011 20:08

I always turn the oven off 10 minutes before the end of cooking (unless it's a cake and I need to be more precise). When I've finished cooking, I open up the oven door and stand the clothes horse in front of it. May only be a little blast of heat, but in the winter when it's hard to dry clothes I find it helps.

I always cook more than one thing at once in the oven - for example if I'm cooking a stew I'll usually have a banana loaf in there and maybe also get a few baked potatoes going (can be put in the fridge after a blast in the oven and just finished off the next day). I feel guilty when I'm just cooking one item.

If you have very good friends you can always team up, cooking two lasagnes in one oven at once for example.

ChickenLickn · 22/08/2011 20:38

Get everyone in the house a massive hat to wear indoors. A large % of body heat is lost through the head, so it really makes a difference.

When you have a bath/shower, dont let the water drain away. Use it to flush the loo (things did get a bit desperate here!)

Pay your bills only when you receive the final reminder (or court action threat letter if you are brave!). This helps cashflow (basic accounting - big businesses do it).

UnSerpentQuiCourt · 22/08/2011 20:42

Always wondered - how efficient is a microwave (for scrambled eggs/baked potatoes, etc)? Is it worth cooking ahead and reheating in the microwave? Our only other cooking possibility is an oil-fired aga.