Preparing your Home for Autumn

Financially this time of year is when our utilities bills start to mount up and also when you can take small steps that make a big difference to keeping warm and trying to keep your finances under control.

• Take a leaf out of your grandparents books.  They never used to heat the whole house (before central heating) and use to wear layers and heat the main rooms of the house.  We have thermostats on each radiator.

• Layer up.  I think we have become accustom to just wearing less layers.  Encourage your children to wear vests and also all wear dressing gowns and slippers.  We all have thermals and wear them.

• Make sure you review your utilities supplier.  If you are spending more you need to ensure you are on the best rate with the best company you can be.  Do not leave it till the winter to change.  Whilst you are doing that why not also take a look at your contents insurance and make sure you are adequately covered for moving the children's outdoor toys in to the shed to store.

• Small changes make big differences.  Turn off lights when not in rooms, use draft excluders, close curtains as it gets dark and place blankets on sofas for people to snuggle under.

• Use hot water bottles, there is nothing worse than getting in to cold beds.  Layer up and add a blanket or change from your summer weight duvet to your winter weight one.

• We have a lamp in the dinning room set on a timer to come on at dusk and also PIR light at the front of the house, so that we do not come home to darkness as the nights draw in. 

• I love candles and find that if I keep them int he fridge they burn for longer.  I also trim the wicks before using them to 5m  to avoid smoking.