How to afford autumn/winter

[Terracata]

Here for some tips re how to keep me and my son warm over the colder months. My rent has increased and I just about got by over summer. I can't afford to have my heating on and am actually quite financially scared waking up to these colder darker mornings.

So far I have a heated throw, heated blanket for bed, draft excluder for our very old door.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

Oodies are the way! You can pick up cheaper copies or genuine ones on vinted.

It is important to keep the house warm though. Mould and damp repairs will cost far more in the long run

Have you got those foil strips behind the radiators for when they're on and draught strips under doors and around windows to keep the heat in and use less when it is on?

We work from home and keep warm, during the day with thermal vests and trousers under our clothes, we also have kuddly style blanket jumpers , they are so warm and cosy, all beds have weighted blankets for added warmth at night . We will have the heating on for a hour in the morning and couple in the evening . Last year I brought some fingerless gloves to keep my hands warm while working

My thernal vests off Amazon arrived this week

Get a few pairs of the fluffy warm bed socks. Both wear them to bed. A good tog rating on your duvets. Plenty of hot drinks and hot soup. A hot bath/shower before bed.

Hi OP, I’ sorry you’re in this situation, it’s really shit that you have to worry about this.

Could you get a portable heater and just use it in the rooms you’re in? If you keep the doers shut they can heat a room quite quickly, I got a cheap one off Amazon but there’s probably better ones out there.

is it possible to spend as much time as you can outside of your house, I think there are some places that offer warmth like a food bank but for somewhere to go for some warmth? Or walks/active activities to warm up so you don’t need the heating on all the time.

as others have said, soups, stews, hot drinks. Then maybe just have your heating on for an hour before bed and when you wake up? I wouldnt have the heating on overnight as I’d get too hot. If you have fleece blankets and socks etc. you should be ok. Thermal pyjamas?

and yes to selling stuff on vinted, keep it in your vinted account and transfer it when your bills come in. It soon adds up

Here's a map of warm banks across the uk: https://www.warmwelcome.uk/#find-a-space

Mu top tip for keeping warm inside is to invest in a technical thermal vest from outdoor/ camping brands, I love my Rab cirrus vest it's lightweight but designed to trap heat. That over a heatgen / thermal top and you'll be toasty.
Downside is they are expensive new but reasonable 2nd hand. Or if you get one in the sale slightly more reasonable. Will last a long time if looked after.

I find oodies/ fleeces too bulky so these are ideal.

My Mom just bought me a heated throw for my birthday - it is perfect for sitting under when watching tv; I ummed and ahhed last year about getting one and have been very impressed with this.

I have an electric blanket on my bed (I have a double bed and single electric banket. but sleep alone, so this is just on the side I sleep on, under the fitted sheet), and pop this on 10 mins before bed to warm it up, then turn off as I get in - if you get in warm the bed stays warm all night.

I work from home and my office is cold, so in the daytime I don't heat the whole house but have a small oil-filled radiator which heats the small office in 10/15 mins. Again, once warm I can sit in socks and warm clothes, but sometimes you need to take the chill off.

I often have a bad back and have a hot water bottle in the waistband of my trousers, which helps keep me warm too.

Buy some electric heaters, make sure your son has a hight tog duvet and look at your budget to see if there is anything you can reduce to help pay for heating. Also check whether you do qualify for any UC

I don't think it's either/or. If the house is warm, or at least not cold, then definitely heat the person. If the house is cold and damp, then heating is needed. We used to have our heating on all evening, but now, we turn it off after baths/showers in the evening. We're all in Oodies or under heated throws if it's cold. Layers, heated throws and the like are a much cheaper way of keeping warm than keeping the heating on, but I don't let the house get cold.

https://www.5poundstuff.com/collections/blanket-hoodies

Kudd.ly and oodies on here for £14 or less, sort by best sellers and look for heavy in the title, not thin

You need to heat the house where you can to reduce damp/mould. You don't want to save by not using the heating to then have to replace items because mould has ruined them.

Agree with this. Neighbours were so frightened of their heating bills that they have now ended up with mould on their walls and wet rot on their internal window frames.