Sick of being cold

[dreammattemousse]

I just need a rant!
Me and my children left an abusive relationship, I left with nothing,
Not even a phone.
Ive worked incredibly hard and stayed with family and have just managed to buy a house by myself. (I'm grateful every day for this)
But I'm bloody cold
I can't afford to put the heating on, and my son asked me why there is smoke coming out of his mouth.
I grew up in a freezing cold house and I swore I'd never let my kids suffer like I did.
Im so grateful we are safe and free,
And I used to love this time of year but it's affecting me quite badly, physically and emotionally!
Does anyone else feel the same?
I'm doing absolutely everything I can and it's helping (hot water bottles, layers etc) but the reality is..
I have a pretty constant headache and shoulder ache from being so bloody cold.
Roll on next summer 😅

Do you have electric blankets and throws OP? They cost very little to run.

On work from home days, go to the library where you can get free wifi. You can work there in a warm nice environment with quiet areas. It isn't a solution to cold housing, but a bit of relief. Devon libraries have a big campaign on about inviting people in for more than book reading. My daughter does workshops at Exeter library and it is always busy with students, the elderly and families doing hobbies, reading time, watching films and so on.

I’d think about sealing off the conservatory if I had one. If it’s cold and draughty now it’ll be worse in winter. All that cold air will negate any warmth you’re paying for.

Thanks for all the tips!
I am going to buy some draft excluders and also some thick curtains because there is a curtain pole in between the kitchen and conservatory !

If it gets too nippy then ill crank the heating, until then its thermals, dressing gown on top,

Can you plan to have the heating on for a set number of hours each evening?

I feel for you there's nothing worse than feeling cold. Can you go around a seal up draughts (with tek7 or even ducttape). Check around skirting boards, windows. Pull curtains when it turns dark. Put curtains behind rads. Layer, warm drinks, wear gloves. Leave oven door open after cooking.

Unfortunately a house is not self heating so you can't make it warmer without a heat source. Can you afford to heat one or two rooms?

Op I'd try to put the heating on for an hour or two each day. If you don't the house will start to feel damp.

I'd also try topping up the loft insulation. It's the cheapest most cost effective way of keeping a house warm.

Knockoff oodies from Amazon are life-changing ! Mine were 18 quid or so.

Good job on closing off the conservatory, you can also put secondary glazing or bubble wrap on the glass panels for insulation.

Also, go around the house with a candle or feeling with the back of your hand for drafts, and plug them with special strips of foam or putty.

Heated blankets are amazing. I have two now, the dogs have taken over one of them, thank gawd you can wash them. They are amazing, I have M.S and my leg muscles really hurt when it’s cold, the blankets are fabulous and pennies to run. Not a cheap outlay but worth it. I got my second one earlier this year in the sales ready for winter.

I put the heating on for 45 mins yesterday, 15 mins before the kids bedtime and that helped!
It took the edge off and my gas and electric meter stayed just under the days budget,
So I will keep doing that because the poster who said the house will feel damp is right!
I think that's the best way to describe it, not just cold but damp!
I've also ordered some draft excluders and going to pick up some thermal curtains from
Facebook market place :)

I was just about to say, get yourself a heated/electric blanket if you can. I'm feeling the cold too and I've just ordered one. Can't wait for it to arrive. Also agree with other posters suggesting thermals and whatnot, all that helps too :).

Heated blankets are dear but amazing. One on a bed makes it toasty before getting in - don’t leave on. Get two and you have one under and one over and any of you can get a warm. Watch for damp, also invest in hg mould sprays and keep furniture off external walls. It’s shit but with the blankets it’s ok

I have bought a couple of these, and can verify that they are very effective at keeping you warmer. The only thing I would have to say in fairness is that they ‘bobble up’ up horribly- so will only ever be good as a bottom layer.
That said, it feels like winter now, so tis the season for layering up🥶

Think they have gone into lakeland black Friday sale. Honestly they are extre
extremely warm! I wfh in a glorified shed with no heating it can be a few degrees I wrap myself up in it and I'm completely toasty. I put think gloves on for typing and every 30 mins just tuck them into the blanket. They are amazing.

I shut the door to the conservatory at all times in the winter ,it's the difference between being freezing and bearable. Yes, get a heated throw,they're amazing.

I live in a cold house its DIRE the thermostat claims its 19 degrees but why are we so COLD HERE 🥶 (the thermostat is in a room with no windows no drafts etc it is really cold in the rooms) it's handy in the summer we never need a fan unless the temperature tips over 35 so it's a bonus in a heatwave

I don't want to worry you, but I would be concerned about damp.

Do you know the actual temperature inside your house? It is incredibly unlikely that you'd be able to see your breath at more than 10 degrees air temperature unless the humidity in the house is insanely high.

Air temperature is important, but humidity and draughts also have a huge effect on how warm you feel. For example - our house is only heated to 18 downstairs and 16 in the bedrooms, but is comfortable due to low humidity and no draughts.

If you can stop draughts and stretch to a half decent dehumidifier it can be quite a cost effective way to make a house feel warmer.

Be wary about plugging all your gaps and preventing all draughts if you are not able to reduce the humidity, as you could end up making any damp problems worse.

I have them, they are amazingly warm. Also get the matching leggings if you can, and wear under trousers (not skinny ones!) for a transformation! Another good one is cashmere wrist warmers (buy an old moth eaten jumper in charity shop, cut sections off the bottom of sleeves, wear tucked into the sleeve of your thermal top, and pulled down to cover half your hand, leaving the fingers free).

The posters saying they are warm in the SW are probably underestimating the difference between a house that has had the heating on even just "when needed" so has had a chance to get up to a decent tenperature that then doesnt need much topping up until it gets colder, and OP who had barely used it at all so house is never going to get a chance to warm up even to a base level. Plus regional variations etc.

Op debenhams online has a big sale atm with king size electric blankets from about £35 and free delivery which is the cheapest I've seen, they are so worth the investment, I worked from home all last year just with one and barely used my heating even in dec/jan - maybe just an hour a day in the evening to stop the house getting damp.

Try been in Scotland right now we’re sitting at 0 I live just next to Glasgow it’s Baltic today 🥶

OP

Have you applied for everything you can - single person council tax discount, any tax rebates, universal credit and any low income support from utility companies (Thames water and broadband providers do them, energy companies have a scheme too).

There are also grants from the Council and other places you can apply for and food banks will often given money to gas and electricity. There are some female specific grants available too - I’ll find the links over the weekend.

Layering up with socks and slippers on is the best way to stay warm in my experience. I too have the M and S layers with some woolen ones from charity shops.

Close blinds etc on the cold side of the house and check how long insulation has been in and whether there’s grants for better insulation.

I have a huge microfibre double blanket on my bed and I wrap it around me with a hot water bottle near me.

This is my second year heading into this - I ended up with pneumonia last year and it was awful. I’m determined to not let it happen again but there’s not many options at the moment, I was expecting the bills to drop more than they have but I did find the schemes through energy companies this year.

M&S Heatgen are very good, I got them for a holiday in Iceland, very warm underneath clothes

This heated throw is expensive but v v effective, and a good discount just now

www.lakeland.co.uk/25246/dreamland-alaskan-husky-faux-fur-heated-throw

I was wondering if a dehumidifier might help the Op too.

Definitely need the heating on or the house will become damp.

Op make sure when your cooking you use lids on pots and ventilate the bathroom after a shower, even if it means close the door but open the window.
You need to stop excess moisture getting into the air