ideas

Thrifty tips, ideas, news & experiences on anything around the home to shopping to re-cycling etc.
Post Reply
User avatar
Meanqueen
Legendary Laner
Posts: 7617
Joined: 19 Jan 2008, 19:49

ideas

Post by Meanqueen »

Hi, some ideas, sorry if they have been mentioned before.
If you get a letter and the stamp hasn't been franked, carefully peel it off and use it again.
If you get a reply envelope inside a letter, stick a label over the address and use it for something else.
If you are near a library with a newspaper and magazine section, go and sit in the warm for an hour or two and read your daily papers. Our library also has free half hour on the computers.
If you have spare sets of curtains, hang 2 pairs on one window for extra thickness in the winter.
If you live near a town that has a refuge for the homeless, volunteer to help out over their busy Christmas period, they feed you as well.
Be a blood donor, you get a free drink and biccy, it makes you feel good as well because you have done something to help others.
Bye for now
Ilona
User avatar
lancashire lass
Legendary Laner
Posts: 6528
Joined: 28 Jun 2007, 15:17

Post by lancashire lass »

...following on with the double thickness curtains:

- in winter, keep them closed as much as possible during the day (particularly if you are not even in the house!) and you'll be amazed how much heat is retained, but if you have a south facing window and its sunny, open those and let it warm up the room. Remember dark colours absorb heat from the sun like a mini radiator so avoid white lining on south facing windows.

- during a summer heatwave, keep them closed during the day. Before sunrise (3am :? ) have all your windows and curtains open to let in the fresh air but at sun up, close everything again. It really does work. There's nothing like staggering home all hot and bothered and finding it is about 5-8oC cooler in the house. Almost feels like you have air conditioning! If you have south facing windows, use white lining on the curtains to reflect some of the sun's heat.

- have a floor to ceiling length curtain over the front and back doors. You'll be surprised how much heat goes out the door, not to mention the draughts in! As above, works well both in summer and winter. :-D
User avatar
Mo
Legendary Laner
Posts: 15368
Joined: 30 Apr 2007, 09:39
Location: Cheshire (nr Chester)

Post by Mo »

A caution about the stamp thing (and yes, I might have done it in the past). Technically you are only allowed to reuse a stamp on the envelope it was first stuck on, to avoid 'stealing' by using it twice.
And they do have ways of telling even if it looks OK, as a friend was caught with a charge of over £1 for a Christmas card that arrived with a stamp that looked fine, but they said had been used before.
Warrington must have been having a keen spell this Christmas, someone else got an overcharge on something that was marginally oversize for 'letters'
Post Reply