Useful money-saving tips for Winter 2022

Thanks for all those who are in favour of air fryers.

I'll have a think
Might need to rearrange the kitchen.

Galaxy, yes it is tinkering round the edges, but as energy has always been a significant part of every family budget, most people have always been sensible and careful with it. if you live in a modern well-insulated home, there is really no way you can make a single change that will significantly reduce your consumption. However, with some thoughtfulness, most people can probably cut their consumption a few %, and , as they say, every little helps!

I sort of agree but we could have turned every radiator down, added the layers, and the money saved would have been a drop in the ocean compared to the money lost due to the utter incompetence ( and I am being generous in branding it incompetence) of British Gas. There will be many like us.

Call I didn't think that I had space for the Ninja. But when it arrived I rearrange the work top and made better use of the space. I now feel I have more work area than before. My daughter is the same. Hers fitted into what she refers to as 'dead space'.
It's surprising what can be done. I had dithered for months about buying an airfrier, it was the positive comments on Gransnet that convinced me.

Two things I notice have't been mentioned in this thread.

1) put thin foil backed insulation behind all radiators fixed to external walls, even if you have wall insulation. Rolls of it can be bought quite cheaply in DIY stores and most houses could be so insulted for the cost of only one or two rolls. Cut it fit round the brackets attaching the radiator to the wall and secore to the wall with double sided sellotape.

We did this in our bedroom in our last house and it turned a cold bedroom into a toasty warm one.

2) Line your curtains and close them every day as soon as it is dark enough to need to turn the lights on, but make sure they fit behind radiators and do not overlap them in the front. Once again, even though you have double glazing and wall insulation, curtains act as an extra layer of insulation and will keep heat in a room.

If your curtains are not lined, you can buy lining material very cheaply and put a narrow lining tape on them and fit them to the tapes of unlined curtains with the usual hooks. You do not need a sewing machine to do this. Doing it by hand will be very tedious, but the results will save you money.

2a) Always have lined floor length curtains over external doors as well as windows

MOnica I mentioned using tin foil on the 3rd page but I was mentioning what Amazon has to offer.

Aldom

Call I didn't think that I had space for the Ninja. But when it arrived I rearrange the work top and made better use of the space. I now feel I have more work area than before. My daughter is the same. Hers fitted into what she refers to as 'dead space'.
It's surprising what can be done. I had dithered for months about buying an airfrier, it was the positive comments on Gransnet that convinced me.

Thanks Aldom

I needed a new mixer and made the mistake of buying a very heavy Kenwood. Fine for someone who does a lot of baking but I don't do a lot any more. It's too heavy to lift in and out of a cupboard,

I can certainly rearrange and that might be a good idea anyway. Sometimes appliances get plonked rather than ergonomically arranged!

Don’t laugh, I’ve ordered four of these today, including one for me.it’s my ‘keep your body warm in the house’ plan. It’s a kuddly. PS I’m not a man, he just looked better in it than the women.

Does he come with it, Casdon?
Can he cook?

I'm not laughing. I have one of those, and they are excellent for wearing around the house when it's chilly.

Callistemon21

Does he come with it, Casdon?
Can he cook?

I hope so!

I read somewhere that each of us gives off the warmth of an electric light bulb (don’t recall the wattage). Perhaps we all ought to be far more sociable and take turns to spend evenings filling the living rooms in each other’s houses.

I have just bought a halogen heater from Amazon. I decided to do it now when the weather is still warm as they will fly off the shelves when it is cooler. Silly to heat the entire house when I want 2-3 hours of warmth in one room only.

We’ve bought the children mobile calor gas heaters, going to get one for us too.

GrannySomerset I have a camping stove and can boil water for hot water bottles, tea, soup etc which is a great help when we have power cuts - I don't know if this'll help you at all?

I might do some extra bus trips into town (hopefully warm buses) and mooch in some warm shops (if they haven't turned the heating off.

Another vote for the air fryer. I’ve had mine about 6 months and I love it. I’ve only used my oven a couple of times since I bought it. It’s a Tower 4.2 litre and I paid £45 on Amazon.

Delicious jacket potatoes 5-6 mins in microwave then brush with a little olive oil and another 5 mins in air fryer. I cook a portion of chicken for 15 mins in air fryer with peppers and onions and plonk the spud in beside them for the last 5 mins. A tasty dinner in little more than the time it takes to preheat the oven.

Callistemon21

Thanks for all those who are in favour of air fryers.

I'll have a think
Might need to rearrange the kitchen.

I'm reading these comments with a growing feeling of despair as I have an aversion to kitchen gadgets, and my husband keeps telling me how wonderful air fryers are according to people he speaks to.

I think I could be fighting a losing battle, but equally I don't want to cut off my nose to spite my face ?

Forlornhope

I read somewhere that each of us gives off the warmth of an electric light bulb (don’t recall the wattage). Perhaps we all ought to be far more sociable and take turns to spend evenings filling the living rooms in each other’s houses.

We've just come back from the theatre and the man sitting next to me could have powered the national grid ??

M0nica

TeacherAnne I too feel the cold. It is a family joke, how well into the summer, I will be found wearing woolly socks and a sweater.

If you cannot have cavity insulation. Houses can have wall insulation fitted inside or out. If you are renewing flooring, you can get insulated underlays. DD has a 100 year old house with suspended flooring, floorboards with an air space under, and when she was replacing the flooring she put down a foil-backed underlay, which gave insulation and also cut out all drafts. This is what she used www.howdens.com/joinery/floors/underlay-and-damp-proofing/underlay/4-in-1-foil-backed-3mm-low-density-polyethylene-underlay-108sqm-obj-sku-family-sdh0915 She used it under laminate , as shown, but I do not see why you could not overlay it with a sheet of floor paper then carpet underlay and carpet on top.

Obviously all these alternatives cost money and I know many people will have enough trouble paying bills, to be able to improve insulation, but if the opportunity arises, there are alternatives to cavity insulation for walls, and extra insulation for floors.

Adding insulation to the floor sounds like a good idea, I’m having new carpets in two bedrooms soon so I get some prices. It’s a shame my lounge had laminate fitted six months ago though! Like you say, it depends on the initial outlay compared to possible saving.

I’m on a two year fixed price deal which ends next month, I dread finding out how much my bills will be going up - I’m still paying around £100 a month dual fuel!

Anyone use a pressure cooker? My mum used to have one which made a loud noise. Don’t know what modern ones are like . Can you cook rice in them?

I got rid of my pressure cooker about 2 years ago. It had been made redundant by my slow cooker. Yes, you could cook rice in it. My mother always cooked rice in hers.

Anyone cooked risotto in a slow cooker?

We tend to have our room doors open which isn't very efficient on a cold winter’s day/ evening so I’m going to start keeping them closed.

Wheat bags are lovely and warm under a blanket and in bed. I wonder whether hot water bottles are cheaper to warm up?

I’ve dug out my Shirley Goode cookbooks from the 70s, anyone remember her cookery slots on Pebble Mill? Like most here there doesn’t seem to be much more I can do to cut fuel bills so now it’s where can I shave the food bills.