Invest in some thermals energy to beat the credit crunch!

As today was pay day I had some essential shopping to do for my children. My youngest child is about to turn one year old and he is a very active boy, even when he is in his cot asleep. Because he twists and turns so much at night I spend my time getting up to put back on his bedclothes, to save myself the bother I decided I would invest in some thermal nightwear for him.

I spent my lunchtime scouring the shops for thermal nightwear for children and much to my surprise and pleasure there was quite a good range available. I was able to invest in a few beautifully coloured and very warm and comfy thermal all in one night suits for my baby. Tonight I have put him to bed in a beautiful bright red thermal sleep suit, and hopefully he will have a warm and contented night’s sleep. Whilst I was shopping I also purchased some thermal vests for my other 2 children. For my daughter I was able to get some very pretty but practical thermal vests, one set pink with cream dots and the other grey with pink hearts, she was delighted. For my other son I bought plain vests but navy, grey and white. All in all I had a very successful shopping expedition for thermals. I also found some thermal socks and gloves for children and I invested in these.

We may be in a period of global warming that is causing strange weather occurrences, but we are now undoubtedly entering the chillier season. Many people, not just the elderly will find it difficult to heat their homes and keep warm this winter, for many it is a choice between heat and eat. A very practical way to keep warm is to invest in some Damart thermal clothing, not just underwear, there are many thermal items now available including thermal nightwear and socks, outerwear such as trousers and tops that are thermal lined, it is also possible to buy jackets and coats with thermal linings. It is still possible to buy traditional Damart thermal underwear such as long johns and vests but many of these have received the fashion treatment and are available in very attractive and bright colours.

Who to support

These days hardly a day goes by without someone asking you for a charity donation. It doesn’t matter whether you’re in town doing your shopping, or on the way to work or just opening your post, there will be some kind of an appeal to your better nature in the form of a request for you to donate to charity. Only this week we had the annual Children in Need extravaganza, which significantly added to the number of times I was asked to put my hand in my pocket for a good cause. Other requests come in the shape of Big Issue sellers, direct mailing appeals to ease human and animal suffering at home and abroad and the secretary at work asking you to sponsor her daughter’s sponsored swim to raise money for a library for disadvantaged children.

All these charities are, in their own unique way, valuable and worthy. Would that I could give generously to them all! One of my favourite charities is the Breast cancer charity which I support because it is a charity which gets women involved in a cause which affects more and more women. We have all heard of the hugely public Kylie Minogue and Caron Keating breast cancers and I doubt there is anyone reading this who hasn’t known of someone close (at least one person, but often more, unfortunately) fighting this disease.

The issue, I guess, in these so called credit crunch times, is which charities do you support and why? How much can you afford to donate? Do you like to have direct debits already set up or do you like to be able to donate on the spur of the moment when the mood takes you? Do you donate to whatever you choose, or do you make sure that any significant other is happy with you sending funds? (This is especially relevant when payments leave a joint bank account on a monthly basis and I heard of one serious falling out when the husband objected to the amount of money being sent each month about which he knew nothing.)

If you have a finite amount set aside for gifting, then how do you make sure that the money is sent to the charity which means the most to you? And it is not just about the donating of money. With the breast cancer charity, the pink ribbons and the ‘Race for Life’ phenomena mean that the charity and the cause becomes bigger and about more than money. If you don’t set aside money for gifting you can consider clothing made specially to raise funds for breast cancer research by companies such as Damart.

It’s about solidarity, of standing up and being counted and of feeling an active part in something that makes a difference. I know countless women who have dedicated hours and hours to these events and feel richer for having done so. Significant numbers of them have become a lot fitter. The few pounds they are poorer for having donated is frankly inconsequential compared to the reward; compared to the knowledge that they have been part of something so positive.

Wet weather wellies

Healthy children are active and boisterous by nature, even in the worst weather. They need footwear that can stand up to the rigours of rough and tumble play and keep their feet protected.  Wellington boots have been around for ages. Commonly known as ‘wellies’, they used to be produced only in black rubber. They were very inexpensive and so affordable by all.

Nowadays, besides being manufactured from vulcanised rubber, they are also made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) which makes them quite cheap to produce.  They are not designed to be worn as an everyday shoe so come in a very basic one-shape-fits-all style. They are easy to keep clean, requiring just a quick wipe over with a damp cloth, and they never seem to wear out; for this reason, they are great to hand down from one child to another. With prices today starting at around £5 for a pair, they are extremely good value for money and guaranteed to keep the feet dry in the heaviest of rain.

These days wellies are still cheap but the choice of design is huge.  Besides still being available in black or khaki, they also come in bright colours and patterns.  Some of them have faces on the tops of the toes; a popular one looks like a frog.  Some of them have a cuff at the top that can be turned over to cover the top of the boot. They have thick hard-wearing soles and reinforced toes.

Wellies are ideal in wet weather and great for splashing about in puddles and streams. They are made from hard-wearing but flexible rubber which makes sure they are comfortable, and they have plenty of room inside to be able to wear a thick pair of socks.  It’s very important to remember that wellies do not provide any warmth to the feet so they are not practical to wear in really cold weather. Some of them have an in-built lining but these will still not protect the feet from the cold.

Wellington boots were first popularised in the time of the 1^st Duke of Wellington; he wanted his everyday 18^th century boots to be made waterproof and hardy enough for battle, yet comfortable to wear when relaxing.   Wellingtons, as they came to be known, were the height of fashion at the time, especially amongst the aristocracy.

Wellies are quite lightweight so are ideal for those days when the journey to school has to take place in heavy rain. They are easy for children to carry and, because they are so flexible, they are easy to squash down to fit inside a school bag. Wellies are also fun – children find it irresistible to jump up and down in puddles when they are wearing them, knowing that their feet won’t get wet. All in all, they are great for children and good value for their parents.

Pay for premium

If you are really serious about hiking a premium jacket is certainly worth the extra cost. A good hiking jacket has two main requirements. Firstly it must protect you from the elements. This could be rain, wind, hail and snow. Secondly it has to protect you from your own body moisture (sweat) and not hold it against your body. To do these two vital jobs the material the jacket is made from has to be lightweight, waterproof and breathable. The inner lining should be made from a soft fabric that is gentle to the skin and does not rub or itch.  The underarms on top quality jackets are normally ventilated and allow air in whilst remaining watertight.

Most hiking jackets have removable hoods and many have lots of concealed zipped pockets that are handy for keeping other essential equipment such as maps and your mobile phone. Some jackets have a reflective trim for added safety.

Cheap fashion jackets tend to be bulky and heavy rather than lightweight and are not as weather resistant. You may find that it leaks especially around the zip. Also the fabric is less likely to be breathable and if the weather turns warm you may find yourself feeling clammy, sweaty and uncomfortable.

Whether you decide to spend a lot of money on a really high quality jacket probably depends on how often you plan to go hiking and if you intend to go in colder weather. If it is something you intend to do on a regular basis as a pastime it is definitely worth the extra money to buy a high quality jacket rather than a cheap one. You may be able to buy a good one online and save yourself a few pounds but check that it is a genuine make and not a fake.

You will be glad you paid the extra money if the weather turns bad.

Webtogs are a new company which sells outdoor clothing and camping equipment. They sell brand-name footwear, Berghaus jackets, tents and rucksacks. They also have a ‘carbon neutral delivery’ policy in place. With your order you can pay an extra 25p, that Webtogs matches, which goes to Carbon Footprint to offset CO2 emissions.

Go for Quality Every Time

Outdoor clothing seems to be big business, these days. Every market in the UK has at least one stall dedicated to ‘outdoor’ gear, generally in khaki camouflage, aimed at all those paramilitary insurance salesmen who spend their weekends pretending they’ve skinned rabbits on the Brecon Beacons.

My advice? Don’t spend your hard earned cash on a whole range of cheap items that don’t do the job. Instead, take yourself off to a decent, specialist outdoor clothing shop where you can be guaranteed plenty of good advice from salespeople who know what they’re talking about.

Spend a bit of time browsing the range of clothing on offer – and, more importantly, try the clothes on. Don’t always head for the trendiest looking clothes, either – you’re going for practicality here, after all.

Don’t neglect comfort, either. That slightly too-tight waistband might prove a slight niggle at the time of purchase, but it’ll be a major pain when you’re half way up a mountain and it’s boiling hot.

To the horror of clothes shop owners, my mother always has a good tug at the seams of clothes to check the stitching. It embarrassed the life out of me as a child, but it’s a good lesson! Check the construction of the clothing before you buy. The last thing you need is a gaping seam in your clothing when the icy wind is howling across the plain!

Check that fastenings, such as buttons, are covered by an extra piece of fabric [known as a 'placket'] to make your garment more durable, wind and water proof.

Footwear is probably the one area where skimping on expense really will cost you dear. Go for the best quality that you can afford – cutting back on the cost of footwear is a false saving, and you could end up paying for it in the form of a twisted ankle, at the very least. You need solid, quality Brasher shoes that won’t slip or slide, and cushion and protect your feet in the right way.