With the heavy storm
that hit us through the night and today I think I can say the winter has
arrived with a bang.
If you haven’t
started preparing for winter now is a good time to begin, as the weather is
changing as we move through the days and weeks ahead. It is good to plan ahead
of time for the extra cold or stormy, blustery days that await us.
So if not done already you should have started getting your
winter clothes out now, and put the summer clothes away. A good way of storing
them is in vacuum bags, best things invented as they help to make room and
don’t use up too much space.
To help save money also during the winter is plan ahead for
Halloween, fireworks night and for Christmas and start putting your lists and
plans together ready for the eventful days ahead, so you know what you are
buying for what, and remember to have a budget and stick to the budget the best
you can. The energy rates is going up again this year if you haven’t already heard and so if you are worried then I would start thinking about switching now if you wish too, but there are ways to save money on electric and gas, still if you decide not to switch, such as:
-
Don’t leave lights on in rooms that are not
being used.
-
Any appliances that you can turn off when not
using then turn them off, as even though the items are not on, electricity will
still be running through them if on at the mains, so turn off.
-
If you have central heating, have the heating
set to come on, on certain times, example if you work during the day have the
heating on 30-15 minutes before your wake up time, as this will help you to get
up easier especially in the winter when it is extra cold in the mornings. Have
the heating turned off at the time you leave for work, and then turned back on
one the approximate time you are back home from work. Then turn off at the time
you go to bed.
-
Use small lamp lights instead of main room
lights (which switch on via the wall) as they use up more energy in a room than
a small lamp plugged into the mains.
Start stocking up for winter, and no this is not the same as
hoarding completely different. You don’t have to go overboard but start getting
tins of soup, boxes of cuppa soups, frozen vegetables and meats so you can make
those hearty stews and casseroles, and frozen food lasts longer so if you don’t
fancy going out when it is bitterly cold then you have some food stored ready
to be cooked.
The points you have gained from shopping cards, such as
nectar points, Tesco club points can start being used towards your shopping your
winter shop so you can have a free shop when you like to.
I stock up on toiletries aswell such as showers gels,
shampoos, toilet rolls, toothpastes, spare toothbrushes and cleaning products,
that have long use by dates and they are kept (the items that are stored for
when we need to use them) in our shed in our garden so we don’t have to go far
should we need something, and again in the winter we won’t need to go out to
get anything, and being pregnant this year it is essential that I have
everything I need ready so the months ahead where I can’t go far I won’t need
to.
Start donating or having a clear out: Any clothes from last
winter that don’t fit, or shoes that have seen better days, then it is time to
donate or dispose, and create two piles for both. You can at your local
recycling centre still take clothes and shoes you wish to dispose of for
recycling bins. To find your local recycling centre check under your local
authority.
If you drive start getting the anti-freeze and ice scraper
out, and plan your mornings ahead ready to defrost your car so you can still be
at work in plenty of time. Or to save money when it is cold why not get the public
transport if possible and if you are in London get an Oyster Card which are
really cheap now about £5.00 and then top up as you go, and this will save you
money on petrol and time in the mornings when it is extra cold and don’t want
to get up extra to defrost the car. However as the public transport seems to
come to a halt and have problems during bad stormy or snowy weather make sure you
check and plan your journey away ahead of time.
Turn off the hot water when not using it. Depending on what
system you have, we had a boiler in our last place which we could turn the hot
water off during the day when we weren’t using it, and now we have switches for
the shower for example which we use to turn off, and so again saves us money.
Also don’t need to wash up all day, just wash up 2-3 times a day, in the
morning, after lunch or dinner and or do all before you go to bed at night, and
then put away the next morning.
Create a winter fund, start putting a fund together for the
winter days which can be used towards bills, shopping or Christmas. I do one
for Christmas, our expected baby, shopping and holidays. I put my money into certain accounts aswell to pay off certain bills.
Protect your money and be aware of scams online. In the
winter you may shop more online like I do, and so do be vigilant when buying
online, don’t use easy guessing passwords but ones which are hard to guess, as
I have been a victim of fraud online and it is not nice, and if you do suspect
anything contact your bank and report it to your bank. When it did happen to me
I was refunded and you should be too but it just a pain when it happens as you
have to then change your card details too.
When it is dark and you are out or running, make sure you
wear something bright so cars can easily see you. I have seen a lot of people
when I used to go running wearing dark clothes when it is dark and in Epsom
there are a lot of main roads, and a car isn’t necessarily going to see you
when it is dark.
If you do walk home from work when it is dark make sure you
have your mobile on fully charged and are alert, don’t have headphones on, as
you won’t be aware of who is around and it is best you stay alert as someone
could jump out on you and use it as an opportunity to attack you. People think
it will never happen to them, but it can especially if you make yourself
vulnerable, and they can see you aren’t paying attention.
When it is cold outside use it as a way of having a girls or
guys night in, and instead of going out spending money why not save money and
have a few drinks indoors. In my mind you are never too old for a sleep over
and it is good way of catching up with other people without being surrounded by
loads of other people you don’t know, you won’t have no queuing to be served at
the bar and can play music you like and at the level you want so you can still
have a good conversation without having to shout over some load no tune music.
You can play music that you and your friends like instead of music you don’t
like.
Use winter to organize and tidy other areas, such as kitchen
draw, your bathroom cabinet or change your bed clothes and have a change
around, so it will help refresh you and put on the extra warm duvet quilt or
blankets ready, and make your room seasonal so you have duvet covers for the
different seasons.
So even though the nights are darker and it is dreary and
cold, if you like me suffer with SAD, it is a great opportunity to help reduce
those feelings and make winter just as lovely as summer.
Many thanks for reading,
Carrie X
No comments:
Post a Comment