Warming up

So as the night's are drawing in and the bills are going up it's time to look at preserving the heat we've got!

Here's my next few attempts at doing just that...

Month 10 - Bite 3

Having got used to lowering blinds and drawing curtains in the daytime during the hot weather to keep the sun out and the rooms cool, now we'll be doing the same at the other end of the day! By using the sunlight during the daylight hours to heat our home, from now on the blinds and curtains need to be closed as the temperature drops in the evening to keep the warmth in.

Month 10 - Bite 4

We love the flexibility of the internet controlled thermostat and heating system that's been in for a year now, but have got used to switching the heating off when we're out to come into a cosy home. That's not going to happen this winter. As long as the property doesn't get too cold the heating won't get fired until we're in. The inconvenience of keeping outer layers on until we switch the thermostat up and the house warms to a reasonable temperature in minor compared to the savings it'll represent. So from today that's it, no driving back home and turning it all on half an hour from home.

Month 10 - Bite 5

Back to the wardrobe and drawers for me today. It's time to sort out my jumpers and cardigans. I've got some 'nice' ones I wear out and about and some 'comfy' items that are only for indoors. One or two I've spun from pure wool fleece are really warm and I rarely wear them. Why? Because it's always been so easy to turn on the heating and wander around in a t-shirt! This is a habit that's got to go too. Once I've got the woollies sorted today then it's out with the light gear, on with the cosy stuff and no to too much heating.

Month 10 - Bite 6

It takes a lot more energy to heat a room than it does a person so the task in hand to tackle next is the search for our warm-you-up items. Somewhere around this place we've got hot water bottles and oat filled cushions or pads that take little to heat up and keep warm for ages. Once I've tracked them down and double checked they have no leaks (!) they can be employed in the evenings to stave off putting the heating on.

Month 10 - Bite 7

While on the search I need to explore what's in the ottoman in the bedroom. It's a treasure trove of goodies that don't really have a place anywhere else. I'm sure there are some really warm blankets nestling in there so it's time they came out and went on the beds and in the lounge for snuggling into during the colder evenings.

I may even start making some from my wool stash rather like those I made a while ago....

Phew - with all that searching around I'll get quite a bit of heat up from the exercise too.....

So another month arrives!

 

Okay so there's two elephants for the price of one...

Well, the nights are drawing in so now we need to keep chirpy and cheerful - and what better way to start than to involve a few others?!

Month 10 - Bite 1

First up some necessary maintenance...

It may not be snazzy, exciting or sexy, but today's task is to book a boiler service. Last year when our regular man came by, he fixed a huge hole in the boiler and so saved us the cost of a new one. Once it's been serviced it runs better, quieter and more efficiently. Just what we need to start the month off as the nights draw in and the weather changes.

Month 10 - Bite 2

Following on from our recent spate of decorating and the fact that we're beginning to switch the heating on the central heating system needs some TLC too. Decorating means radiators being disconnected, drained and lifted off the walls so now they are back they need some attention. 

Bleeding the radiators is the first task for today. Making sure that there's water in the pipes and radiators rather than air is a much more economical way to run them!! Then the system needs balancing, and we can check out that everything is working as it should be.

Finally, a check on the thermostat setting on each radiator means that we don't inadvertently turn the system on and find we're heating rooms that don't need it!

A sign of the changing season

 Month 9 - Bite 28

Just recently there's been the usual round of fairs, goose fairs and carnivals that proliferate locally at this time of year. Many have ancient roots and most are only just making a comeback after the great lockdown and its aftermath.

I had a lovely time with my spinning group demonstrating at a local fair near to where we meet and it was good to get back to showing all comers how we convert fluffy, tangled stuff into useful items with wheels, looms, needles and so on.

It did make me think about a lot of the odds and ends I've still got stored in the loft that need using up so today I'm starting to make a list of how I can turn some of them into Christmas presents to save them going to waste and me spending money when I don't need to.

There's also a number of crocheted squares up there I know that will come in useful for one of my ideas for next month, so I need to track them down.

Month 9 - Bite 29

While concentrating on not wasting, recycling and such it occurred to me while I was emptying the bin that I'm wasting far too much time, effort, paper and printing ink when using the computer. I don't need most of the things I print off and even then I should be using both sides of the paper. For instance, I changed credit cards and renewed some insurance lately. I was about to click on print when I noticed one of the documents ran to 17 pages. It's been emailed to me so I can keep a digital copy, I've saved it to my portable hard drive too and I can access it through the company's website - so why was I printing it? Pause over the button time. We're pretty good about using scrap paper for notes and lists, but there's a lot still wasted so today's the day to track down where I don't need a hard copy and start the habit of not printing anything unless it's really necessary.

Month 9 - Bite 30

Time now to look at that revised spending list started at the beginning of this month. It needs to be compared with the one made at the beginning of this process. A number of the items just don't seem to appear now - through the season in some cases, but largely through the slimming down of spending that became a habit until I didn't miss them. One item that seems to have crept back in is the occasional hot drink out. I'm allowing myself to keep that though as it's a particular treat rather than a regular routine and I do enjoy it a lot. I also tend to use the 'sit down with a drink' time to plan or think things through and it's been truly valuable, especially when deciding on what to do next, including a new project for next year!

And so onto Month 10!

Recycling and Reusing

 

Month 9 - Bite 24

Having shortened the curtains to save buying new ones there was some fabric left.

Today was about using the offcuts to make some storage without it costing anything.

Thanks to the internet there are plenty of videos showing how to create items and so the ends of the curtains are now a fabric box and a bag to use in the bedroom to keep a certain someone's toys together!

Month 9 - Bite 25

One of nature's big pluses is that it regularly provides the opportunity for reusing and recycline, thus saving even more cash.

The next task on my list is to tidy up the garden as many of the plants are reaching the end of their season. By gathering the debris into a heap it can easily turn into compost over the winter. The ever growing pile of leaves that have been falling on the lawn and under the shrubs is being collected in a corner ready for its transformation into leaf mould - a great mulch for next year.

So, with very little effort the garden is crating its own produce from its cast-offs! 

Month 9 - Bite 26

Although the mint here will happily grow on throughout the winter there are other herbs that need a bit more care if we are to continue to make the most of their free bounty.

These - the basil especially - are about to be transferred in smaller pots onto a light windowsill where they can continue to grow on and provide ingredients at a fraction of the cost of buying them in the shops. The basil is a particular favourite as it helps to create very cheap pesto extremely quickly...

Month 9 - Bite 27

Some of the plastics haven't made it as far as the recycling bin.

The containers with holes are for planting seeds to grow on in the kitchen (think rocket or small sprouting greens). Those without holes are for trays to capture the water underneath the planted ones. Then some are put to use to cover the seeds and seedlings as min propagator/greenhouses.

Much better using these free materials rather than buying seed and drip trays - and when they're finished with they can be cleaned up and put in the weekly recycling collection too.

A Change of Scenery

 One of the reasons I’ve got a bit behind with posting is because we’re decorating! Not my most favourite of activities, but needs must...

Month 9 - Bite 22

We really need to do some decorating - fading paintwork, repairs to the wallpaper from moving sockets, all that sort of thing so it's an expense that can't be avoided.

However, wholesale decorating isn't the only way of changing things up and refreshing! 

At my niece's place they've been moving the furniture around. It's made me think about how a couple of our rooms are arranged and so that's the next step for me.

By moving some of the furniture we can change the look and feel of the rooms without actually spending a lot of time and money so that's the next job on the list.

While we're at it I've got some throws, rugs and cushion covers in the loft so I'm off up there to see if they'll complete the transformation. If not, buying some new ones won't break the bank and will be a lot cheaper and time saving than a wholesale redecorate!

Month 9 - Bite 23

While they were moving things in the children's bedroom my niece found that the curtains that she'd used from her previous house were too long for what she wanted. The curtains are still in good condition and look just right. They were just too long. So, out with the sewing machine and that's a new pair of curtains without spending any cash!

 

Autumn Days

 It certainly feels like autumn just now! Although the weather hasn't really led to a need for the heating to go on much, which is good...

Firstly a bite that I really ought to take notice of myself...

Month 9 - Bite 16

I am constantly distracted by my emails! Many of them are fine and necessary, some are nuisances and others are offers I need to ignore. So, today's task is to double check my inboxes and begin to turn off the temptations that keep appearing. Not just general shopping (have you noticed that everyone always wants your email address 'to send your receipt' and then constantly bombards you with tempting offers?) Well, enough. I'm going to spend some time going through and blocking some of the more annoying ones to make sure they don't even get to me, unsubscribe from the reliable lists of companies and individuals that I know aren't scams and then try to get into the habit of deleting all of the others every day instead of keeping them 'just in case'.

Now I've got that off my chest it's time for some free and cheap pleasures...

Month 9 - Bite 17

Time for an autumn Treasure Hunt -well a walk anyway. This is one of those free activities that always lifts the spirits. While out and about I want to collect some treasures for use later - pine cones, leaves and so on .. just to see what I can find while I scrunch leaves underfoot and generally breathe in the nice fresh air.

Month 9 - Bite 18

Some of these were laying around so they are ready for drilling holes and attaching strings. Today's free activity is a conker competition followed by helicopter winged flights...

 

Month 9 - Bite 19

Very happy to have found a ready supply of these.. 

  

especially the ones with very pronounced shapes, edges and ridges.

The next free-ish activity for me is to produce some leaf prints ready to mount onto greetings cards to add to my collection all ready for whatever celebration comes along.

Month 9 - Bite 20

Now these need some time to dry out and open up. Today I'm going to check for any insect life that needs releasing and then lightly brush them. Next they can be placed on kitchen towels in the airing cupboard and saved for later - a decoration idea comes to mind, but this is one for another date.

                                             

Month 9 - Bite 21

Another find!

 

A new day, another preparation task. The Ferns I picked need to be dried and pressed - I'm using kitchen towel rather than blotting paper and heavy books instead of a flower press. I've got something in mind for another season, but like the pine cones they need time to dry before I can use them.

Quite a lot from one enjoyable walk...

Hair Raising

 During the pandemic, like lots of others, my hair grew and grew! I quite often in the past have been through times when I visit the hairdresser loads and others when I can't remember which one I visit! I'm lucky with my hair, it's thick and relatively healthy and grows really fast. This means that I can get away with trying different things knowing that any mistakes will grow out quickly!

Time for a few hairy bites then...

Month 9 - Bite 12

I was getting fed up with the amount of time and shampoo my hair was eating into! When I began looking at how much energy it took (mine and that coming out of the sockets) to keep it all looking good or even to get it dry enough to carry on with everyday stuff it was time to claim back some.

I know that going to the hairdresser's costs hard cash, but balanced against the cost of blow drying, styling and the fact that it took so long to deal with a cut was in order. I'm listing this as a money saving tip here because I'm sure a shorter, easier to manage cut will definitely fall into this category - that's without even considering the spending on shampoo, conditioner and so on!

So that's today's task - off to the hairdresser.....

Month 9 - Bite 13

A while back when I'd started swimming again I decided something needed to be done with my dripping locks. I saw an advert about a magic towel and was tempted to try one. Now, it may be that I was lucky or even that towelling my hair more efficiently and then wrapping it up for a short while helped. Whatever I then started doing was working in starting the drying process so well that I was able to cut right down on hairdryer time, thus saving spending on electricity.

I'll have to dig it out and start using it again.

Month 9 - Bite 14

I chatted to the hairdresser about shampoo and conditioners during my visit (and yes I'm very happy with my much shorter hair!) From our conversation it's very apparent that I'm using too much shampoo. Even when my hair was long I didn't need as much as I was using. Apparently, a blob about the size of a ten pence piece will be plenty - another saving to be garnered. Oh and conditioner, well I don't need it every wash - especially as I'm cutting down on heat drying and styling. This hair thing gets better and better!

Month 9 - Bite 15

When I was in my late teens I had a friend who was most concerned about the state of her hair. She couldn't get it to look anything less than greasy however much she took care of it. She did tell me how envious of my hair she was and wanted to know how often I had to wash it. 

For many years when I was little, hair washing was done in the kitchen over the sink using a jug to rinse everyone's hair and hot water from a cranky Ascot boiler over the sink. It only tended to happen a couple of times a week - rather like the baths we had in the old tin bath that had to be lifted off the outside wall and filled from saucepans and kettles!  When I was twelve or thirteen our landlords put in a bathroom! It was a huge luxury, especially as it meant hair washing no longer had to be fitted in around cooking, washing up and laundry - all of which had relied on the one, old Butler sink previously.

Anyway, back to my friend.. I admitted to her that I only washed my hair a couple of times a week because of the practicalities of the situation but added that I'd read that washing it too often stripped it of natural oils and so made the body produce more to make up for this ending in oily or greasy hair. I was also able explain that putting my hair up or French plaiting never worked well straight after washing as it was too flyaway at that point.

My friend decided that she wanted to work on washing her hair less frequently to see if the idea of more washing being a bad thing was correct. Accepting that the start of the experiment might well see her hair get worse before it adjusted, we worked out a schedule. We planned out when she would wash her hair, starting with every other day, then every two days and so on. To our surprise, after a time her hair did improve. She settled on every third day as ideal for her hair, which got shinier and softer as time went on.

I'd forgotten all about this until recently and have got used to washing my hair just about every day and yes, it's looking a bit lifeless and dull. So from now on I'm going to repeat what we did with my friend's hair all those years ago to find out my optimum gap between washes. Less hot water, less shampoo and less drying time - got to be good!