Autumn and winter keep warm thread

[superplumb]

Like most we have to cut down the use of heating and electric this winter. Family of 4 with two boys under 9
I'm peri menopausal so I go from boiling to freezing about 10x a day
Purchases I'm considering
Heating airer - are they really that good?
Heated throws- worth it?
Already have teddy fleece bedding for all of us which really helped last year.

I'm after
Decent slippers for me and boys
Maybe thermals for during daytime when at home
Pjs for boys ( although they'll have their radiators on still)
Decent rain coat for me which is lightweight so I can layer clothes for school run- needs to be quite long so my legs dont get wet
Decent flat waterproof and stylish boots

Anyone got anything good recently or can advise on the above I'd really appreciate it.

I swim in the sea all year round just in a costume so am well aquatinted with thermals 😁 The best ones I've found are M&S heatgen, the leggings and the long sleeve tops. Absolutely amazing and very toasty. Worn under your clothes you will be very warm, I always wear them when working from home in the winter when I am the only one in the house (rather than putting the heating on).
Falke also do some really warm slipper socks that I'd highly recommend. I would like some really warm lined slippers this winter so recommendations welcome.

Ohhh thank I'll hexk out m&s
Not heard of fake before

Last year Next did their own version of an oodie in the kids section. My ds got it for Xmas and loved it and it was huge so will last him at least this year too.
I hate slippers but suffer from cold feet so I always wear cabin/chalet socks. I’ve had some from Joules and also picked some up in tkmaxx.

after seeing them recommended here so often I recently bought m&s heat gen thermals for me and DH - can't believe how warm they are for the weight!

have also bought us a Kuddly each (6XL oversized fleece hoody). I got 2 for less than £50 delivered though a facebook ad.

re the airer - put your washing through an extra spin cycle, it will come out drier and dry much quicker. We have a dehumidifier in front of the clothes horse, much cheaper than a tumble drier. Not sure of the costs of a heated drier.

heated blanket - I have a friend who loves hers (as does her cat)! We're cheapskates so bought extra hot water bottles and snuggle with one of those and a fleece blanket.

vests for the kids for wearing under school shirts?

are you all sorted for hats/gloves/scarves? neck buffs are ridiculously warm for their weight, they are very affordable from outwear shops e.g trespass or mountain warehouse.

No advice on thermals ,I don't feel cold and haven't worn gloves for years but :

Brushed cotton bedsheet /duvet cover rather than plain cotton/polycotton
Don't need a heated blanket , but DD has a weighted blanket

Airer (heated ) - I bought one from Aldi , six horizontal bars . Not much good for drying things on more just finishing off drying (I don't like wet clothes on radiators) Usuallly find one of the cats beside it

I wear those Tote socks with the rubber grip as slippers

I need some nice winter socks though .

I like wearing woolen clothes - vests, t-shirts and/or leggings. Wool keeps me warm while not making me overheat.

oh, and definitely woolen socks!

Electric blanket: gets the bed toasty warm in an icy bedroom (we don't heat our bedroom).

I spend a lot of time outdoors, and find waterproof overtrousers really useful - I cycle to work in them when it's raining. But they are warm as well as dry when you're outside. It means that you get back warm to your chilly house.

Thanks all
We have an electric blanket but didnt need it last year because of my teddy fleece bedding, however I did have heating on

I've bought a new coat, cord trousers and warm dresses from Vinted.

I'm on the lookout for nice walking boots or new river boots to keep me active.

I also found MS slippers for £25 duped on ebay for £11. Exactly the same! Bargain and I love them!!

Teddy bedding sounds good but I'm worried I'll overheat

I wear heatgen too. This year I have splashed out on merino thermals for DH and me and wondering if it will make a difference...

I prefer wool too. Synthetic cover-ups feel sweaty. I have two Celtic & co. sweaters, a guernsey, a wool dress, and a few pairs of tweedy trousers for work.

Ski base layers underneath cords, jeans and sweaters for home. Lots of ski socks, and a shooting coat and boots,.

Hardest to find are pjs for my 14yo son. He's shooting up but is still 10yo skinny. He likes those check flannel pj trousers and I'm going to have to cut down some men's ones, to make them fit.

Wear two pairs of socks, one fleecy/Totes Toasties. And look at fleecy lined boot slippers.

I love my heated airer, I regularly move the clothes so different areas touch the heated bars, i find it dried much quicker this way, I use it in my office and it really kicks out heat so keeps me warm too. I got a heated throw from amazon last year, its brilliant.

Next slippers, the mule ones are so warm and have a hard sole so can run out to the bin or whatever, I get a new pair every year in the sale

I’ve got a Lakeland heated airier with a cover. It’s amazing! Would highly recommend. It puts out enough heat to make a difference to the room temp too.

like using my fingers and got these last year, also got some for my DM who has championed them to all her friends

www.turtle-doves.co.uk/collections/cashmere-wrist-warmer-collection

I recommend wool too.

I suffer from raynauds and totes or cotton socks are terrible they make my chilblains worse.

I buy bulk packs of wool (fair Isle style) socks off eby as its generally hard to find thick wool socks for women.

For some reason womens socks are always really thin.

Ditto cashmere or wool jumpers. These are loads warmer than other fabrics.

I bought 2 small cashmere scarves from M& S for a fiver a few years ago, tucked into the neckline of a shirt or jumper are so cosy and warm. Along with Uniqlo Heatech under wool jumpers, cords, long socks and boots saw me through wfh in the winter.

We all have oodies. DH and DS have the real ones, mine is a Primark copy but I am going to invest in one for me.

we have a mix of marks and Spencer heatgen and Primark own thermals. Both the same so if budget doesn’t reach marks and Spencer keep a eye on Primark but they do sell out quickly.

we don’t wear slippers but have slipper socks. Usual socks on (I get thermal socks from Primark) with slipper socks on top. If find Primark brilliant for basics such as thermals. They also do good fleecy pyjamas.

I bought a heated blanket from Amazon for my freezing office last year. That is very good so likely to be used on the sofa this year.

Thankfully, we don’t like a warm bedroom so we don’t have a need for electric blankets but may get one for DS.

To be honest, I’d rather sit in the dark than be in a cold house so heating will take preference over having lights on.

I didn’t rate my heated airer from Lakeland. I sent it back as I just found it only dried the bit hanging over the warm bar. I find a normal airer next to an open window dries clothes (with the heating on timer). Lightweight shirts and t shirts are hung on the curtain pole so the heat rises and dries those quickly. I also have a dehumidifier to help with the quick drying of towels and bedding.

I hated my heated airer from Lakeland. I sold it to a student few months ago.

It also made our smart meter flash red so I'm not sure how economic they actually are. Difficult to quantify as it would be on for hours and hours. Maybe ours was just part of a crap batch 😊

I am permanently cold (under active thyroid, skinny) and I wear cashmere jumpers in the house from roughly October to April. I buy them from eBay and don't care about the colour as I'm only wearing them indoors. I rate the M&S ones best. They are so warm and cosy but lovely and light at the same time.
My DH bought me an Oodie for my Christmas last year but it's so big and bulky on the arms I don't wear it much.

The Lakeland heated airer works so much better with a cover. I just use an old duvet cover with an additional fleece blanket on very cold days. It traps the heat in and clothes dry more evenly. Otherwise it is just the bits that touch the bars.

I couldn’t live without it now.

I second the Falke merino slipper sock. Extra bargain if you have kids sized feet like me. So cosy - more so than the fleece lined totes type (although they do look cuter).

I bought out of season thermals from Next sale one year and they are lovely and light. I found the Uniqlo heat tech type to be a bit on the thick side to wear under anything.

Love my electric throw blanket for on the sofa and microwave wheat bags for taking to bed.