YOUR winter wardrobe is ready – but have you also prepared your home for freezing temperatures?
The cold can cause thousands of pounds of damage, with the potential for boilers conking out, chimneys going up in flames and pipes freezing.
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We have previously shown you how to warm your home — but it needs to be safe too.
Here’s how to do it and keep costs down . . .
CHEAP SWEEPS: Father Christmas should not be the only worker to call round this winter — get a boiler engineer and chimney sweep out, should you need them. A one-off boiler service costs between £60 and £120 and a chimney sweep between £50 and £90. Save by shopping around. Just type the job into the checkatrade.com website, or ratedpeople.com, and they will send your details to three firms for quotes.
SAVE: £60 by shopping around
BE GOOD TO YOUR GUTTER: If are not confident up a ladder, get a professional to clear your gutters of leaves and other debris. It will cost about £100. But if you fancy having a go yourself, B&Q has a helpful free tutorial on YouTube. While you are up there, check no branches are hanging down over your roof, as they could fall and damage it.
SAVE: £100
PIPE GRIPES: Wrap any pipes or water tanks in your loft, cellar or garage with insulation material to keep them from freezing or bursting. ThermaWrap Spiral Pipe Wrap from Homebase costs just £5 for covering approximately five metres of 15mm pipe. This can also save you £10 a year on your energy bill.
SAVE: £10 a year
BLEEDIN’ RADIATORS: Not bleeding them will not only leave you cold but could cause corrosion to your boiler, according to BestHeating. You will need a bleed key, cloth and towel. Check out British Gas’s useful YouTube tutorial for tips. Doing this can save up £25 per radiator per year, so £150 per year if you have six in your home.
SAVE: £150 a year
- PRICES on this page correct at time of going to press. Deals and offers subject to availability.
Deal of the day
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GET two pizzas or burgers for the price of one at most Stonehouse restaurants today. That means a free Margherita pizza, costing up to £7.49, or burger costing up to £9.49.
SAVE: £9.49
Cheap treat
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TUCK in to some Nutella Hazelnut Chocolate Spread, now £3.99, down from £4.75 for a 750g jar at Asda.
SAVE: 76p
Top tips
AFTER a cheap half-term break? Travelodge is selling rooms for £29 a night until November 1. Includes family rooms – working out at £7.25pp per night – in Edinburgh, Kendal in the Lake District, Bodmin in Cornwall and other popular locations. Kids get three-course meals for £6.25 and eat breakfast for free where lodges have bar-cafes.
Top swap
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LOOK every bit as sassy in this slinky £14 George dress from Asda, as you would wearing similar from Wolf & Badger for £363.
SAVE: £349
Savers’ little helper
AT Caffe Nero until Friday you get twice the usual reward stamps for buying drinks on its app, plus an extra stamp for having a reusable cup. So a free drink is earned after buying three coffees rather than the usual nine.
There are three loyalty cards with the app, for coffee, breakfast and “coffee at home” buys, with double stamps on all this week.
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