Useful money-saving tips for Winter 2022

Martin Lewis suggested a heated throw, bought one for my daughter who is thrilled with it. Managed to get 2 in the sale for my husband and I. Heat the person not the room. ?

My newly built house was all electric during the winter of discontent. Mind you, we weren’t rich enough to own a fridge or a freezer nor washing machine. Just had an electric cooker and heaters, which didn’t work when the current was cut.

I have been thinking we are lucky. We have already filled our gas tank which will last till spring. Bunker is filled with solid fuel , again a years supply. We have solar panels so I use any electrical machinery during the day, the solid fuel stoves will take a kettle or casserole dish on top. We also have a conservatory on the south side of the house and that provides a lot of warmth during the day. I am presently crocheting throws. Colourful as well as warm.
I have made draught excluders, a tube of material filled with old socks and tea shirts.
On the negative side, birds are decimating our winter veg already.
With all the talk of winterI am presently taken by surprise looking out of the window and finding it is still summer.

Has anyone mentioned using washing machines during the early hours when electricity is cheaper? My machine has a delay function which I've been using for years now. Load it up during the day, switch on about 9 pm but delay for about 7 hours.

Yes the absolute best thing is a heated electric throw Lots on Amazon. They’re amazing. If you want to heat just one room an oil filled electric radiator is cheap to run. I am going to downsize as well as am unfortunately on my own own now.

Have a heated throw. Use on bed in winter. It’s wonderful. My bedroom coldest room in house. Cheap to run. Just put it on for an hour. Cost about £40 from John Lewis. Need to get one for living room perhaps and ditch central heating. These are bad times.

Not energy saving but certainly money saving - I grate 2 bars of toilet soap and dissolve them in about a litre of hot water. This hardens into a firm gel. I use this as my laundry base. Take about 2 tbsp if this hard gel and dissolve in about a litre of hot water to make laundry liquid. I use a half cup measure of this liquid per laundry load. Treat stains individually with Shout spray (or similar). I use the usual bicarb/vinegar/washing soda mixtures for general cleaning. I’ve also found that a little squirt of washing up liquid works better on my kitchen floor than propriety cleaners. Like others here I use my iPot, halogen oven (similar to an air fryer) and slow cooker more than my main oven. My next experiment is to see if I can use my slow cooker (unplugged) as a hay box. Now, if only I could stop buying clothes…….

crissy

Has anyone mentioned using washing machines during the early hours when electricity is cheaper? My machine has a delay function which I've been using for years now. Load it up during the day, switch on about 9 pm but delay for about 7 hours.

I think electricity is only cheaper at night if you’ve got Economy 7, I’ve got it, but I’m also worried about the washing machine or dishwasher being on overnight in case there’s a fire, so I put mine on the timer to come on at 5am. I guess you could also put your slow cooker on overnight, and charge the vacuum cleaner, but I’m not getting up at 5am to hoover!

Usng your washing machine at night only saves money if you are on the Economy 7 tariff or similar. Most people are on the standard tariff and the cost is the same whenever you use your washing machine.

In fact day time electricity is more than normal if you are on Economy 7.

We changed from it a few years ago and our bill went down and we were no longer tied to when we could use the washer etc.

Most suppliers still offer the Economy 7 tariffs but the process for switching to one varies depending on whether you already have an Economy 7 meter (a special meter that records your night-time electricity use separately from your day-time use).
I’ve got one because my house when new had an electric night storage central heating system, so my electricity meter has two dials for day and nighttime use. Now you have to have a second meter installed I believe, not sure if there is a cost attached to installation, but it makes a very significant difference to your bills.

kittylester

In fact day time electricity is more than normal if you are on Economy 7.

We changed from it a few years ago and our bill went down and we were no longer tied to when we could use the washer etc.

I take your point, but I think it depends on your habits kittylester. I’m used to using my appliances first thing, my heating is on 5.30-7.00am when it’s cheaper and I’m getting up, and I have a log burner on during the day rather than the central heating, so it’s cheaper for me. I’m thinking now to see what else I can charge at night though!

My Dad used to put the fear of God in us about the 'pipes' freezing in the winter in the 1960's. We had a gas fire in the lounge downstairs, but he'd light two (very dangerous, looking back!) paraffin fires on the landing which would burn all night.

At the age of 65 this still worries me, I can't decide when and for how long to have the heating on to avoid this.

JenniferEccles

I apologise for mentioning Christmas in August but how about families agreeing to just buy presents for the children and not the adults?
That way every adult in the family saves money, quite a lot in some cases.

Christmas could still be enjoyable with home cooked food, games with the children, lovely country walks.

Now dare I suggest it to mine ?!

We did this years ago and it is great . I hated thinking of what to buy everybody so now just have the children to cater for.

karmalady

freezer tip: empty spaces use up a lot of energy so fill them with containers full of water, they will also help to keep food frozen when we have power cuts

Water uses power to freeze it use scrunched up newspapers instead.

I have 4 thermos travel mid which I fill at the beginning of the day and they stay hot, hot for up to about 8hrs, still drinkable at about 11hrs.
I don't have a kettle, I bought a water boiler (looks like a coffee machine) several years ago for not a lot more than a decent kettle and it bills the water as you need it.
Weighted blankets help keep more heat in the bed.
I cook in my electric pressure cooker, microwave or air fryer oven (fast and cheap)

pandapatch

I have found 2 useful savings - the hoover costs 39p an hour so I shall be reducing my hoovering and likewise ironing!!!

I don’t iron anything so no savings for me there!

floradora, you don`t get it, it is physics. scrunched up newspaper is good at filling gaps eg to stop drafts but has negligible thermal capacity, will not therefore contribute anything to prevent a freezer defrosting during a long power cut.

I know it is obvious but I generally plan my washing at least a day ahead, looking at the weather forcast for the following day.

Days are getting shorter fast and condensation is happening so drying time outside is shorter. The cotton eco wash on my machine is very money saving but takes 3 hours so I programme it to be ready to go outside by 7.30 am.

I also factor in outside humidity, higher humidity=slower drying

I have an abundance of fleece blankets at the moment and I intend to turn at least two of them into wearable items. Most probably ponchos (no-one will see them but me ). Also I will make beanie hats from scraps as they say you lose most of your heat through the top of your head. In winter I always wear a hat when I'm out an about so now I'll wear one indoors too. I have also saved my solo socks, you know the ones that have been deserted by their other half. They will be used as bed socks and I can cut the toes off and use some as fingerless mittens around the house.

I just thought too that I am now making more stews and soups in the slow cooker. I can live on those for days, just keep them in a large jug in the fridge and scoop when wanted.

Don't forget to put foiled foam sheet behind your radiators to reflect the heat into the room insteam of the wall.

Got air fryer yesterday from FB marketplace. It’s immaculate. It’s great - full meal in 10 and tasty Trying soup later

Bought wok for quick meal also and pop in any leftovers in fridge

It’s my birthday and looking at weighted blankets Sound comforting, Must look into the heated ones i hadnt heard of these
Googled for things to keep heat out in summer & heat in in winter
Like tin foil products came up which il try for old windows at back

We only buy presents for children and all contribute something towards the lunch in lieu of presents. Foraging is the best - mushrooms just starting and there are lots of varieties that you can eat - I take a book with me to identify them. Hazelnuts, damsons, blackberries, sloes, elderberries, watercress, wild garlic, horseradish, apples, wild raspberries, camomile, to name just a few things! It is so satisfying when you get free food!

I can't believe we have to actually be thinking & doing all this in 2022.
I think it's crazy. And it's won't be just those on benefits or pensioners that will be struggling.
My DP cashed in a pension just so we can get by. Not sure what or how we'd have managed otherwise.

We rarely use our heating even before all this. Couldn't afford it
Always have blankets, dressing gowns, wear socks and slippers.
I bought myself 2 of those massive oversized hoodies, got a electric hot water bottle.

The Oodie things are great. I wear mine a lot in the winter. A draught comes through the sitting room door right onto my ear, and the hood is great for blocking it.

I wish we could harness warmth in the summer and use it in winter. I get awful flushes and have a fan on pretty much permanently just now, which is maddening when I think I'm trying to kill the heat that I'll have to pay for over the winter.