Your best food & heating saving tips

[welshbyrd]

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

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?

drkoothrappali

yes, things have been changing, but if you contact energysavingstrust, they might be able to advise what grants are still available.

you might want to look at another technology instead - several are available for the feed in tariffs.

you could also see whether you're entitled to a discount or free installation of cavity wall or loft insulation - that grant to is due to end soon though.

I've just been on their website and my postcode and circumstances says there are no grants available

We don't have cavity walls and our loft is part converted so can't do anything there either. I don't think any of the other types of things would be suitable for us either

Sorry, forgot to say thanks for the info though

Other wild/cheap food that sexes up an economy larder:

Sloe and apple jelly with hams and cheese, cold leftover roast meat
Rosehip syrup, great on pancakes, in natural yoghurt and on top of rice pudding
Blackberry jelly, fewer pips than jam
Apple chutney
Home grown herbs dried in paper bags
Home made marmalade made from the tinned oranges in Lakeland

Recpies for some of these on the Austerity Housekeeping blog, I think.

If you are interested in solar panels then look at money saving expert which looks at the option of getting them for free

Brilliant thread!
a quick question. We have very old double glazing which is no good at all and just blinds on the windows, would it be really worth spending money on curtains (including poles)?

poles are not cheap - it is cheaper to buy curtain rail and you can buy on curtain rail on a loop in dunelm much cheaper than in lengths.

I have two curtains at the front door- one thinner pair and another that are set higher to combat more drafts and they are thicker curtains

You could look in plumbing supply or electrical supply places for lengths of piping or conduit that can be spraypainted or otherwise disguised (cover with ribbon or remnants cut in strips, etc.), then stick old doorknobs or some other decorative item on the ends. Home improvement places are a treasure trove of items like staircase knobs and other things that can be repurposed. You can even cover old golf balls or other items you have around the house. I used tennis balls covered in gingham for DD1's old room and they were super easy to attach to the rod. Ikea also sells loose finials afaik, and you can sometimes find stuff on eBay.

cheap curtain rods depending on window size copper pipe from plumbers like mathanxiety said they also have the brackets to support pipe if curtains heavy will need brackets every 30cm to support weight, go to DIY trade place and get new broom/rake handle and paint

I would normlly suggest ebay but because poles are long postage/courier costs are prohibitive

Great ideas for the poles, thanks!
Does anybody know if curtains make that much difference so they are worth making? And which material is best?

I would recommend making curtains from any cheap fabric you can get hold of that you like, and then using a warm interliner as well as normal liner, if heat retention is an issue. Make sure they sit above any radiators otherwise you are blocking the heat from coming into the room.

Velvet curtains are the best for warmth. Calico is usually the cheapest fabric but is somewhat thinner. Pencil pleats give the best look and you need 3x the width of the window in fabric and heading tape.

Otherwise try cheap ready mades from Argos and tack a bit of interliner and liner to them, perhaps. It won't look as good as making them from scratch but it will be OK.

Also put boards wrapped with tinfoil behind your radiators to reflect the heat, and put shelves on top of the radiators to reflect the heat into the room.

Make sure your central heating system is maintained well and get it flushed out if necessary to maximise efficiency. Get quotes for this as some plumbers will rip you off. Make sure the radiators are well bled (i.e. that there is no air in them). You can get a bleeding key for £2 and do this yourself.

Don't forget the possibility of using door curtains to further insulate the rooms you use the most.

You can also buy cling-film type stuff that you stick around the edge of drafty windows and shrink to fit with a hairdryer to act as extra double glazing. Also cover your letterbox and fit draft strips to doors and windows as necessary.

Cerealqueen Thanks!!

we used the clingfilm stuff on windows last year and it made a big difference.
we have the heating coming on at 7 am for an hour until everyone goes out, then again at night for an hour or two. Have blankets/cosies on the sofa for snuggling under and use hot water bottles at night. Bedrooms get seriously baltic at night but can't afford heating on all night so just have heaps of cheap duvets and blankets and wear fleecy pjs or clothes in bed.
Thick curtains and draught excluders are a must.

Anyone remember what the clingfilm stuff is called?

Here's the stuff from Homebase

If you tap the search term 'insulation' into the Homebase website you will get loads of useful and cheap heat saving things that you might find useful.

Off to try it now!

If you haven't already done so upgrade your loft insulation. We spent £700 on ours but we found that we didn't use the hot water bottle once last year and had to turn the thermostat to 19c to get the heating to come on so we could dry clothes and nappies. Not bad considering how cold 2010/2011 was compared to 2009/2010.

As for tips use passive solar heating. Open up curtains on the south facing sides and keep the north facing sides shut when sunny. We intend to use free-standing dryers in sunny rooms rather than rely onradiators this time.

Also insulation and curtains work both ways . For hot days in summer we shut the house up as tight as a button and draw the curtains. We can keep the inside of the house 5c cooler than outside. Only open up when outside T < T inside.

like one of the other posters we only have an oil fired rayburn for cooking, so I bought from Argos (half price, this summer) a table top 2 ring hob, it's great for when you only want to use the hob part of the cooker and it saves you having to put on the whole of the rayburn to just making something like a spag bol or boiling eggs.

Yes, we have an oil-fired rayburn for cooking. I try and cook two or three meals at a time and force someone to have a bath that evening. I then heat stuff up in the microwave. Where could I find out whether the microwave is more economical than the rayburn? Sometimes I put the rayburn on to scramble eggs - can't be good! In the winter, though, it's lovely - warmth, baths and home-made bread.

Think about your/DPs work facilities. Can you shower at work?
Charge mobiles/
ipod/camera batteries?
Microwave jacket potato for lunch (and some spare to take home)