Preparing for a very frugal Autumn/Winter anyone?

[caughtupinthismoment]

It maybe a little early but its no harm being prepared.
I'm going to learn from my mistakes last Autumn/Winter

My clothing for the cold weather wasn't up to scratch it just wasnt warm enough. this year I'm going to outlet winter stores to buy thermal fleeces hat scarf gloves ect I also need to wear proper footwear converse dont cut it feet like icicles and wet most of winter. My dd was kitted out properly all snug waterproof just forgot about myself.

Im going to stock up on the meters before the winter sets in. I plan to be snug and warm with a hot choc in hand instead of trapsing to the shop for the meters.

This year I shall be making more hearty comfort food such as stews soups, broths and casseroles. I do make them but not so often.

Im going to bulk buy dried goods cans ect to get us through the winter. I tend to go out to buy fresh every other day/ week but there more expensive in winter so i'm going to buy seasonal and keep loaves in the freezer and long life milk just in case.

Im defo not spending lots on xmas this year cutting back drastically most people seemed to forget I existed at xmas and they didnt seem to appreciate all the effort I went to making hampers for them.

Xmas and Bday presents for my Dd are going to be things she needs. She has enough toys and Im sick of plastic tat that seems to break when I accidently stand on it as she has so much.

I'm going to start saving now so that I can have a nest egg incase I need to use it. seemed to be skint most of the time and january bills were hard.

With our filled stomachs of homecooked food and Our thermal clothing we will be able to venture into the unknown (wink) i.e long walks to jump into the crisp snow and to crunch on the autumn leaves to collect pine cones and such to decorate and we will come home to a warm house freezer and cupboards full to snuggle by the fire with a hotchoc and a family film.

Love the tips on here. Been digging out all the winter stuff, hot water bottles, etc.

We too are spending far less. One thing I am doing is listing stuff for sale now, in the hope of getting more people wanting bargains for Christmas.

Please may I join? Money is a bit tight here so I have been doing my best here to make sure we are all ok in the winter.

I have washed all the curtains and put them back up.

Crocheted blankets for everyone.
Made hand soap / washing powder.
I have made a bad weather car box - dh has a 30 min journey to work and its mainly lanes. I have included, water, cereal bars, de icer, blanket, snow shovel, cardboard so he could put it under the tires to get a grip, wind up torch and £2 in 20ps in case he needs to use a payphone.
All medicines have been bought
Winter wardrobes sorted apart from ds3 winter coat
I have squirreled lots and lots of food away. I have made use of the free fruit around and made lots of jams. Frozen blackberries to be added to muffins, cake, etc. Apples and blackberries stewed for crumbles, plus the same and rhubarb. I have also dehydrated lots to make fruit leathers and dried fruit to add to granola bars.

Today I have made elderberry syrup lollies for when the children get sore throats. I have also made smoothie packs with reduced fruit. I have been given lots of vegetables from friends allotments (I swapped them for hemming her sons school trousers). I have made soups and blanched a lot for the freezer. I am hoping with the amount of stuff in the freezer I won't have to spend too much on fruit and veg during the winter- well especially out of season fruit which y children seem to love. I have also stocked up on tins, dried beans, rice, flour, yeast, chocolate, etc

Last year wasn't too bad but the year before was awful here and I hated having to go out to get a loaf of bread, so I would rather be prepared.

I am using the stockpile already and it's saving a fortune. I am really only having to buy dairy products. I make my own yogurt so I don't have to worry about that. From November onwards I will keep a few pints of milk in the freezer too.

Chocoholic welcome. Just a suggestion, but it's a good idea to have minimum of 2 pairs of gloves in the car box as well. The first pair in case his regular pair gets wet (digging out snow or getting the stuff under the wheels for traction), and the second to put over the first in case it's really cold. If you put them in a plastic sandwich bag that presses/locks closed, then you know they'll be dry.

Thank you ALICE I didn't think of gloves, I have popped a waterproof pair in and I need to pick up another pair this week.

If you don't have a second pair of gloves to put in, or just don't want the expense of buying them, take a spare pair of big socks and put them in. They'll work just like mittens, really, and can easily go over the first pair of gloves, plus they'll be handy for it his feet get cold or wet.

Chocoholic36 please can you post the recipie on here for the elderberry syrup lollies?

chocoholic36 I don't know how old your ds3 is but may I suggest looking on ebay for a winter coat. Last winter I got a lovely next coat for 99p + £5 postage. It was age 8 (ds3 was 7.5 last winter) and will do this winter too. Although it was sold as used it was immaculate and I have had lots of people commenting on how nice it is. I also bought a trespass, green lined waterproof for a similar price. When I think I used to buy the older boys jackets from M&S I can't believe how much money I wasted.

I love your list op

one tip is to start saving a small amount weekly in your local credit union, even £2 or £3 a week builds up, then when its Xmas you have an amount saved to spend on your dd, or on food

I do this, it really helps

Buddy I hope the link works this is where I get my recipe from
www.lovelygreens.com/2013/10/elderberry-syrup-recipe.html?m=1

I use it like a cordial and add water and freeze in lolly moulds. It really helps when the boys have a sore throat and can't face food.

Chocoholic thank you

outlet.marksandspencer.com/s?defaultSearchTextValue=Search&searchKeywords=Thermal&Action=submit&field_subjectbin=&field_size_name=&field_color_map=&field_brandtextbin=&field_price=&searchRank=price-asc-rank&searchSize=12&searchPage=1&searchBinNameList=subjectbin%2Csize_name%2Ccolor_map%2Cbrandtextbin%2Cprice

M&S have some thermals left on their outlet.

I started on the garden prep with the furniture and tidied the shed up so it's ready for everything to go away.

New tumble dryer arrived and it's amazing to have dry towels and bedding within an hr

Going to collect blinds for the kitchen this week as well as after two years here we never got round to putting any up.

Tinned stock pile is filling up nicely as well

How's everyone's prep going?

Hope you don't mind me joining :)

I have checked indoor activities stocks, pens, paint etc and filled in missing items. Also buying craft stuff for ds when on offer to stock up. Nothing worse than a bad winters day and nothing indoor to do.

Now looking at flannel sheets!

Hope you don't mind me joining :)

I have checked indoor activities stocks, pens, paint etc and filled in missing items. Also buying craft stuff for ds when on offer to stock up. Nothing worse than a bad winters day and nothing indoor to do.

Now looking at flannel sheets!

I know you said you were after flannel sheets May , they do have them here but I purchased these for my children www.linen4less.co.uk/tartan-red-brushed-cotton-duvet-set/p1297

They look cosy Roses, unfortunately DS's room is very blue, so not going to fit in. Will definitely have a look through the site - thanks for the link!

I have bought a silentnight electric blanket for DS, not the latest model so discounted quite a lot. They have all sizes. www.amazon.co.uk/Silentnight-Electric-Single-Under-Blanket/dp/B00L67CZ9U/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1410340027&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=silent+night+electric+blacket

I think anything "old fashioned" like door curtains and flannell sheets are worth trying because they weren't used for fun, houses were very cold and they needed things that worked.

The gch came along and they fell by the wayside.

A couple of years ago I had trouble buying a 13.5tog duvet because apparently "Lots of people leave the heating on overnight so 10.5 tog is all you need".

People seriously leave the heating on over night?. I don't do cold and my house is always toasty in winter but come 8 it's always turned off otherwise we'd all melt in bed.

Yes, I know people who have their heating on over night, they must be roasting! I have a Tesco value duvet with an old cover on it which I keep in the cupboard under the stairs which we put over ourselves when we are watching television.

We have throws and blankets we use when watching TV.
We also have a door curtain :)
We have the heating on from mid oct early morning (when dc are getting ready for school) and afternoon early evening to heat the house for nighttime.
I have thermals :)
And I sit with a blanket on my lap doing important things watching TV And on mn.
We have hot water bottles too which we out in the beds to heat them up.
Tbh all stuff our grandparents did as a matter of course during the cold months...

Oh..and hot breakfasts, soups for lunch etc.

This is just it isn't it? People used to do all these things as a matter of course before central heating became commonplace.

Plus fuel was cheaper years ago. My monthly bill for my first flat was £10 a month.

Were about the same from mid October we have the heating on in the morning for a few hours and then from about 4.30 - 5 till 8 in an evening. We have a good electric fire that really heats up the sitting room so in the day and evening if newscast be we use that.