Preparing for winter 2022/23

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How is best to prepare for the next winter? I imagine energy prices will be huge, I can afford a bit of an increase but I'm worried it will reach my limit.

I'm trying to forward think and plan ahead. I've bought some hot water bottles (in the sales) to put away and I will try and get a good stock of cupboard type foods to ease the food shopping bills over the winter when the energy will be used more. Ideally I want to try and have less other outgoings in November, December and January to cover the increase in my energy bills for that time.

I may also start overpaying a little each month on my energy account, or into a savings account so I have a bit of a buffer.

Any other ideas please?

@AKnitterofThings I love rhubarb and vanilla jam, please share your rhubarb bbq sauce recipe.

I wear rhubarb and vanilla perfume 🙂

@bellinisurge I bought some solar lights from Poundstretcher the other day, they were half price - annoyingly they don't seem to be online and I'm not usually near enough a store to visit, otherwise I'd buy another pack now I know they work well!

Wilko has the outdoor lights on offer still and 20% off Christmas lights (and trees), I'll probably invest in some more fairy lights to festoon around the house too.

I'm thinking of investing in some cute hoodies for the DC but they're not usually keen on them - however, with the heating being on less this winter, we'll definitely need more layers...!

DH is going to order a camping stove.

@AdoraBell we have a portable BBQ thing, I'm tempted to keep that on standby!!

It's been quite autumnal here - I WFH and don't want to have the lights on just for me, will look out the camping lights (batteries or USB) and put those round my desk instead.

Just listening to the PM's statement about energy bills now with some trepidation

Good morning, I hope everyone's well

The weather has changed considerably here and the storms have started, so I spent the weekend winterizing the house. Pipes have been cleared out and insulated, winter curtains have been put up, winter duvets are on and door curtains in place. Floor vents have been cleaned and serviced as has the log burner. Will seal up the window vents this week. Waiting for it to drop again before bringing out the blankets etc. Still crocheting and quilting as fast as possible to get everything ready.

We've been using our little electric hob to replace the gas one for a month now (which I'd bought a bigger one) and noticed a big difference in bills. The only thing I struggle with is poaching an egg - it is impossible to do well on an electric hob, I couldn't get it right for love nor money!

Still no word from the Dutch government on price caps etc so we're just trying to keep our usage as low as possible. They have apparently filled the reserves to the required amount to get us through Winter, but with Nord Stream 1 still off line we're still preparing for blackouts just in case.

It's now 780 Eur for 850kg of wood , so glad we bought ours in May, nervous for next year though.

Hope everyone's preparations are going well.

The only thing I struggle with is poaching an egg

Did you add a bit of vinegar to the water? I find that makes a difference.

Yep I added the vinegar and I swirled the water - I did all my usual egg poaching tricks. I just couldn't control the heat enough on the electric hob to turn it up and down the way I usually do with gas. I am resigned to a winter of scrambled egg which is fine, but poached eggs were my ultimate breakfast treat!

Get the little silicone poaching baskets - perfect eggs every time. Joseph and Joseph do one you can use in the microwave but I rarely get a decent egg from it

I never swirl the water, just wait for it to simmer and then gently slip the egg into the water and that works for me. Saying that, cooking on electric isn't the same and I preferred gas, but we don't have gas.

I use a poached egg pan; when the water is at a rolling boil add room temp eggs, put the lid on and turn the heat off. They are perfect after 2 minutes.

Did a lasagne in the slow cooker yesterday; turned out really well. Layered the way I usually would; meat/lasagne/meat/sauce/pasta/meat/sauce/pasta/sauce

used a slow cooker liner which I think was wise as there was some sticking (I did 4 hours on high but I think 3 would have been just right, or 5/6 on low). Put grated cheese on top for the last half hour. I left it about an hour before cutting in too, which might have helped it not collapse into a soggy mess

lasagne takes about an hour in the oven so this should save some energy costs in the winter

Love lasagne. Cheers

We're attempting a tagine in the slow cooker today, DH is at home to turn it on and oversee the initial trial, but we hope to run it using a timer plug in winter and mostly use the solar power to make dinners.

My favourite slow cooker meal is Fajita Chicken Tagliatelle - so much quicker and easier not having to boil water!

Ive been slowly filling a drawer in my freezer with slow cooked meals that can just be warmed on a camping stove if the power is off, or if we have planned blackouts they can just be quickly microwaved once power is back on - 4 till 7 pm seems to be the times being predicted for planned blackouts.

I’ve been considering getting a Ghillie or Kelly kettle in case of unplanned power cuts - what’s the difference between the two? And is it worth getting one of the full kits or could I manage with just the kettle itself?

I have a kelly kettle. I find it a bit scary to use. It roars flame up through the chimney, so dropping more fuel in is a bit hit and miss if you are a bit of a chicken like me. Then pouring the water is a bit awkward as you have to have the handle angled at 90 degrees to the kettle. It is really effective though and useful in a pinch.

I might start collecting a bag of twigs to keep dry.

@OhYouBadBadKitten Thanks, that’s what’s worrying me - I’ve been watching videos of them and they look really hard to pour.

But I do think it would be handy to have - our garden border is made up of trees and bushes, and we always cut them back in October time once the leaves have fallen, so I’d have an easy supply of twigs available, just worried about using it!

I am trying to practise using the Kelly kettle a bit. I made lunch 1 day last week when I was wfh and alone. Fried egg, rasher and tea. If you can get thicker sticks or a couple of decent sized pine cones in the base when lighting it, that's nearly enough to boil 1 kettle of water without adding much fuel.

Then again, I need to practise more. (And find the handy scouts page to identify which woods burn well and which are rubbish/smoky/super fast etc ...)

We have been using our new Kelly Kettle most evenings in the summer to make a cup of tea in the garden and get use to it. It can be a scary beast and awkward to use at first but I love it. I got a fire striker at the same time and that has been fun to learn. I pick up bits of twigs and the dried bark from our logs. Cotton wool pads are great for using with the fire starter striker too.

I need to practice with the Kelly kettle. I have an eye on a whole trees worth of wood. I have recently inherited several trees and an old washing machine drum incinerator.

I have to.prune overgrown hazel, apple pear and plum and beech and larch and lilac.

Can anyone recommend some lightweight, but effective thermal curtains for patio doors please?

Must be eyelet style as need to go on a tension rod.

dunelm do a few types. We have one called Luna which is like a brushed cotton with a bonded lining. They were effective during the heat in keeping out the sun.

I’ve also just hung an old pair of curtains onto the back of my current curtains so that they’re now effectively quadruple lined. Should help.

And we're off! First power cut for us this season hit yesterday, lasted about 12 hours. Everything went smoothly, we had everything in place and we managed to settle the kids without too much drama.

A big thank you as always to all of you on this thread and the Prepper Board for sharing tips and experiences 🙂

Well done Rosetta.

Any tips?

I've just ordered another solar lantern. That's one each.

Ordered two charging cables. Need to order two charging blocks and a couple of power locks for the children.