But will I “feel the benefit” ?

I walk the dogs early, one of their 4 walks. It was chilly this morning. I wear long thin down gilet/vests and keep on in house as I go about breakfast until I'm warm again.

Nice when I'm forced to drive school run, could have pyjamas underneath.

Years ago I visited someone on a freezing cold february night. It was a long bad journey on two buses across the city. When I go there it was freezing - no heating on and she did not even offer me a hot drink until I asked for one. I sat in my coat all evening regardless of whether I would "feel the benefit" of it when I got outside. Eventually I asked "Did I make a mistake and come on the wrong night? Because if I invited someone around for the evening I would at least make sure the room was warm and offer them a hot drink?"

I splashed out and got a taxi home.

Needless to say I never visited that person again.

Like Shysal, I bought a hoodie from Amazon, and it’s almost too comfortable and cosy! I find it ideal for the early( ish) mornings till it’s time for the heating to go on.
My heating came on of its own accord the other night, so it must be cooling down.

Do whatever makes you feel comfortable!!
I have been boosting the heating in the mornings when I have my bath - only on for half an hour as thermostat is set pretty low!! But it's enough to take the chill off. I've been wearing a woolly jumper on and off. Meds I'm on give me hot spells - so I can be boiling hot one minute and cold five minutes later!!
But other half doesn't feel the cold - so I will sit with a blanket for warmth at night while watching tv but neither of us like a hot bedroom at night so the radiators are permanently off in our room.

I suffer from Reynauds disease. I cannot move very quickly because of arthritis in both knees.
I believe in layers. A thermal underslip, warm long sleeved top, ankle length skirt, long wooden cardigan and fluffy slippers. Some times a scarf. Have electric blanket.
Don’t go outdoors apart from sitting in the garden in warm weather.
I don’t worry about the cost of electricity. I have night storage heaters. I was in credit by £250 last month.

I definitely have no need for winter clothing in the house as DH has it so warm so I wear cotton trousers and t-shirts all year. The only jumpers I own are fine knit ones I used to wear for work. I've got a couple of hoodies and a couple of waterproof jackets which I wear outside

Have just stocked up on thermal tops and changed my bedding over to Teddy Fleece. So snug - so far.

There us a scam octopus email doing the rounds saying your payments are going down. Beware. They may be after your bank details

yes maple I saw that, they offered a link to change the dd. Best as always to go onto the actual site to see the details

The house is colder than outside at times, so I have the heating on, but I also have a vest, fleece sweater and fleece jacket on indoors I have my padded thick jacket on outside and have bin snug but certainly not overdressed. The wind is bitterly cold, but sun is beautifully warm when it does come out. I have several illnesses and just cannot be cold, it tenses me up all over and makes the pain so much worse. I would rather go without food and everything else but heat. Our blood get thinner as we get older so we feel the cold so much more.

My winter duvet went on last night as well, lovely in bed but so cold out of bed in the night

First time this week that we have had the CH on in the evenings.
No need just yet for morning heating, but later on needs must.
I have tried sitting with blankets over knees etc, but when one has to visit the bathroom or make a cuppa it’s cold again.
Brrr!. So heating on now at approx six o’clock and a nice comfortable evenings viewing on the box.

dalrymple23

Whatever happened to Liberty Bodices?!!!

They got sold off in the Co-op sale. Especially those awful ones with rubber buttons. I can remember pleading with my mother I would wear itchy wool knee socks if I could forgo the Liberty Bodice. She had to give in eventually as I needed a bra and long thick stockings were introduced by the school and the suspender belt was bought but I hadn't to tell gran who would have insisted on a Knicker pink corset.

Callistemon21

^But two weeks ago Karmalady it was still warm!^

Last week I sat in the garden, it was really warm and i was trying to get the last of the sun for Vitamin D before winter draws on.

Unfortunately at this time of year the sun is too low in the sky for us to benefit from it as regards vitamin D. You should supplement through the winter. Actually many doctors recommend supplements of vitamin D all year round. I take them as |I try to avoid being in the sun as I don't like the heat!

During the pandemic the local council painted messages on the pavements telling us to take a vitamin D supplement. It is thought to strengthen immunity.

I think we can get Vitamin D from the sun until about the end of September, jocork but yes, taking supplements is a good idea in winter as so many of us lack that vitamin and don't store enough to see us through the winter.

Annsixty can you cancel your DD? Are you on fixed rate or a variable rate plan? We are with Ovo who I think took over Edf. We live in a 4 bed house and we currently pay £170 averaged out over 12 months for gas and electric, although we have £800 credit due to earlier larger DD resulting from estimates prior to the government cap. Seems you are being asked to pay well over the odds.

I'm starting to sew myself into my underwear for the winter! Joking aside........I refuse to be cold this winter. I have aluminium hot water bottles and they sit on the woodburner heating up so I always have a hottie for myself and guests. A hot water bottle is such a delightful thing to offer - nearly as good as a g & t. Candles too.....they just take the edge off. The days of running a hot steaming bath after a good dose of working outside seems long since gone. Even worse now we are on a water meter. Yes, life is changing so enjoy what you have while you have it.

Just another thought..........to get warm.......Move it, move it, move it. It really does work you know.

.......and feel thankful if you are at that certain time of life that offers you hot flushes, oh and stop shaving. I stop shaving my legs from September till Spring. Just an inch of hair doubles the insulation on your body. It can't all be bad can it.

MadeInYorkshire

annsixty

I find the very low monthly charges some of you have amazing.
I am not extravagant with heat etc but in the depths of winter I do have heating on for about 16 hours as I am 85 and feel the cold as I suppose I do sit around a lot.
My previous fixed DD which came to an end in August was £157 and I was never in debit at the end of the year.
As you can see this is nearly 100% increase.
At least being over 80 I will get extra help this year.

You think these ae amazing - wait for this one BG have reduced my Fixed DD to £10 for gas and £20 for electricity, state my payments are spot on to cover an estimated bill for over £3k! Can't change it myself either, had a complaint in for months which they keep closing - no cost of living payment, no warm home discount to help out as am on the wrong benefit! Disabled desperate and now in debt .... in my conservatory with 3 walls of glass and a glass roof!

MadeInYorkshire, have you tried going online and using the Live Chat function to amend the direct debit or query the estimated bill? I sorted out a query about BG wanting to increase my dd when I’m on a fixed term tariff and used less gas and had a large credit. My dd was reduced immediately.

We are now in early spring in New Zealand but the nights and early mornings are still pretty cold, although there have been no frosts recently. I have very little body fat, lousy circulation and also take blood thinning medication so I really suffer in cold weather. My hands and fingers go purple and then waxy white before warming up in the shower which, if it is extra hot, causes painful and itchy chilblains on my fingers.

I am greatly in favour of dressing in layers and am still doing so, even though it is officially spring. Today I have a singlet, a jersey and a cardigan, even though the heating has been on all day. When I went shopping I wore a waterproof jacket – it was pouring with rain – which has a detachable fleece lining that is still attached. Being cold is miserable and of absolutely no benefit to anyone. My advice is to wrap up and keep warm, even if it makes you look like Mr Bibendum the Michelin man and you can't bend in the middle.

Ovo increased my payments from £187 to £245 last May, despite my being in credit and fuel usage about to decrease for the summer. I have been paying it, however, as Ovo pays 5% interest on accounts in credit, which is a lot better than the bank. I am now £1,000 in credit so hopefully this will help when the higher costs come in next week. Meanwhile fleecy winceyette nightie at night and wood burning stove waiting to be lit.

Put on one woollly and only increase your covering when you then feel cold in a few weeks, after you have given your metabolism time to adjust to the cooler conditions.

Try to keep your feet warm with thicker socks and walking, ot you will get chilblains and the 'bruising' will need to grow out over next summer. This is particularly important for diabetics as, if your toes are cooled for too long, the flesh will die and the toe fall off. We seem to notice cold hands and warm them up as needed but toes often don't get the same attention.

Yes, wear the woolly and be warm. I do, and have started putting on a jacket to go out.
I have resisted putting on the heating yet, but my hot water bottle has come into play.
My mum used to insist that clothes be " properly aired " and we were banned from putting on anything that hadn't been on a wooden airer for ages after being ironed. She would hold clothes to her cheek and pronounce them "aired". She was a pre antibiotics generation and had the horrors of pneumonia in mind,

I remember Liberty bodices with rubber buttons! What were they all about?! At primary school I wore one on top of a vest.
There are three important ways for me to keep warm nowadays:-
Socks (my feet are the first casualties of the cold)
Anything made of fleece (best thing since sliced bread and Velcro)
Layers - it works when hiking, to trap the heat, so the same applies at home.