Hope everyone is staying warm!

Dunroven, are you anywhere near Des Moines? PM me if you will with your location.

Today its a bit warmer so we are doing better.

Curtis and studhauler, I appreciate the information on those little propane heaters. I have 2 problems. One is we are down to about 30% propane on a 500 gallon tank and that has to last the rest of the winter for my cooking. We can't afford to buy more propane for this winter at all so the heaters have to be electric, which brings me to Calliemoonbeam's idea. We have 2 of those heaters working right now in the house, that is what is keeping the bathroom warm. We have one in the bedroom, and it is still freezing in there, and I actually moved it out into the living room the other day to try to warm it up in here, but it did no good. Our house has paper thin walls, and you just get cold wind all the time through here. Plus, our electric bill went to over $400 this month due to these little heaters. YIKES!!

The propane is about the only thing I think that would work, but due to the cost of propane, the idea is out the window, and strange as it seems, we have no walls to put it on. The one wall we could put it on is the wall where my computer sits and that's where I work (home based medical transcriptioin, which is a joke these days in pay). The living room I'm sitting in right now, on the 4 walls, we have one HUGE bay window that doesn't fit properly and that's where most of the wind comes in, and there are 5 doors on the other walls, including one big pocket door which leads to our bedroom, one door to the upstairs, one door to a storage room, and one door to the front porch, so its really not built for anything to be on walls.

I seriously don't know how folks lived here before the furnace was installed, but hey folks, its January 7, and we now have less than 3 months of the winter left, so we should be okay until then!

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Isaiah 40:31 They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up on wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.

My crumbling old farm house needs 90,000 btu rated furnace to keep it close to 60 degrees in minus 15 to minus 30 degrees like we get every decade or so. Its the winds that come with it that really need the heat. Yes, more insulation, more building wrap to stop the air leaks, but this is what old houses are.....

Anyhow, an oven and a couple of 1500 watt heaters will not keep a house like this livable in below zero weather. And one wouldn't get up in the morning and turn the oven on then, one would have the oven on all nite long to try to keep up.....

So. Whatever is actually going on, hope things get better. I'm not going to offer any advice, because I don't think we are quite getting the real story here, not that I doubt times are tough, or that anyone needs to get dumped on at such times.... But, there is a little something else going on here?

Was nice to do chores this morning, only minus 4 f. Felt good without the wind! Hope the extreme weather passes everyone by with minimal damage.

Paul

In most states those vent free 30,000 BTO propane heaters are illegal for residential use, they are intended for non-living spaces like garages.

I don't so much care about the illegal part, whatever.

The point is, they are vent free, so they are putting all the burnt exaust in your lungs. Lp burns pretty clean most of the time, but it is at best a bad thing to be pretty clean, and if anything goes wrong with the burner they will kill you with bad exaust.

Be careful with those things, ok folks?

The vented type only take a bit of a hole drilled for the exaust, and keep the headaches and death away.....

Paul

hand some blankets over the doors and windows, heck get some cardboard boxes and tack them opened up on the walls, knew folks that did that on a north side leanto room when i was a kid, will at least block the wind,

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"Agriculture is our wisest pursuit, because it will in the end contribute most to real wealth, good morals, and happiness."
Thomas Jefferson to George Washington 1787

Thanks Callie, I have two or three of those type heaters here but they are very old and tired. I just ordered one with free Ship To Store so that I will have a fresh one available. Several times we have gotten wind and freezing too early before we have enough snow and that wind had pushed the cold through the tiniest places to freeze something in the well pit.
I really like having a heater to just put it down there and let it warm everything up. When this one arrives it will be ready any time. I like to be prepared.

Rambler, first off there is no "more to the story." We live in a house that is over 100 years old and we have no money to update it. We had a furnace that had been here for more than 20 years, and we have had it fixed for 5 years in a row trying to get it to hold on until we could get more money. No big dump of money has ever come our way. I have been fired from my job 3 or 4 times (different companies of course) because they have sent my job to India many times where they get paid 3 cents per line instead of my 9 cents per line.

My husband is a pastor of a church with 20 people in it. He's 75 years old and does not have a chance at a big mega church at his age. He's on social security and his small check from the church.

Several years ago he took a fall and messed up his left side, including neck, back, hip, and knee. He fell on a slick floor in a grocery store in a puddle of water in February and they had no mats down and our attorney could not get any money for him, so we have thousands of dollars in debt from his medical bills for that, PLUS he had a kidney stone, no insurance (we can't afford it) and Medicare doesn't pay much of that, so we have debts from that, plus he had to have a cochlear implant, (had insurance for that) BUT, we still have to pay over $4000 for that. I had some female surgery, and some xrays thinking they were going to do a knee replacement, just before I got cut loose from the last job I had, that went to India.

We are raising animals to keep food on the table and canning in the summer and we have berries and fruits and we are also milking goats for the milk. We still have to have toilet paper and such, but mostly we stay away from the store.

Now today after all else with the furnace, we found the pipe that broke. It flooded our bathroom, so we are now going to be without water, probably for the rest of the winter, cause how do you fix it when you can't hire a plumber?

I'm sorry if it sounds like I'm upset, but all I wanted before was to vent Rambler, I didn't ask you or anyone else for money nor would I. I THOUGHT I just could come and say how hard I was having it and have someone just say, "it will get better." Of course after 20 years with my husband, and this stuff continuing every year, I'm not sure when or if it really ever will get better, but please don't give it that "gee she must be hiding something." WHY WOULD I WANT TO HIDE ANY OF THIS OR WHY WOULD I WANT TO TELL IT? I JUST WANTED A SHOULDER FOR CRYING OUT LOUD. You try to live this way and see how happy you are about it.

And yes I do get up in the morning and turn on my oven to heat my house. IT DOES HEAT MY KITCHEN, and we "live" there for now, only stopping in my living room to work from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. and then 8:30 to 1:30 a.m. and then I go to bed where I have electric blankets and a milk house heater.

Sorry, I'm just really upset right now. I have to go and clean a bathroom full of water out of my house in -5 degrees.

We have made a deal for a place where I can make candy and baked goods to sell, so I'm going to be starting that soon and then we should have more money coming from that. We found a small restaurant that no one wanted anymore and it still had equipment in it. We were allowed to take it for a very low amount, on contract, with nothing down and payments not starting until the middle of February, so that will hopefully help us get some money to correct some problems, and then I'm working this new transcription job for a whooping 8.5 cpl. So if we can keep it going, we can make it.

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Isaiah 40:31 They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up on wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.

I hope things get better for you.

I believe we had this same conversation last year, more or less.....

I believe there could be better choices you could make for your life to be better.

(For one example, in the upper Midwest lp is almost always cheaper to use lp for heat than electricity. It is frustrating to me to see you in the same position you were a year ago with very expensive electric heaters instead of more affordable lp heat.)

But that is beside the point. I hope for better days for you and your husband, I'm sorry I didnt emphasize that more in my first message.

I guess I was venting a bit myself, with my frustration at your continuing situation.

You are welcome to vent all you want here, and don't need my blessing for that - but you certainly have it.

Paul

Oh wow, you have had problems! I am so sorry. We used to plastic the windows and when super cold like this we hung blankets, sheets, towels, anything over the windows and doors to keep it warmer. I have gorilla tape all around a bathroom window even now because the window is so old and drafty. Do you have electric blankets for night time sitting and on the bed? I didn't have heat in my teenage bedroom in Maine but the electric blanket sure made a difference. Hang in there. Sheryl

Yes Rambler, we did have the same problems last year, and nothing has gotten better in our situation. You can't just up and move some place better when you have no money. This is the only place we can be with the money we have. Eight months and we will have nearly another $400. That will be when we pay this place off. For now, we are living day to day and sometimes minute to minute.

You think you are frustrated. Everything we touch turns to lead. There is no golden goose in our life, but once in a while we see something that makes us believe that just maybe that oncoming light might not be a train this time. Hasn't happened yet, but who knows.

My husband is more of an optimist than I am. His faith is strong and unwavering and I will say, God has brought us through some tough times, but at our ages, its getting harder and harder to believe that there will be a rainbow around the bend. Every time we get a penny, something happens. Believe it or not, about 3 months ago, we finally had $3000. We felt like we were rich, and we decided to get our pickup fixed so that we would both have a vehicle and so I wouldn't have to wait on the weekends to use his to go and get groceries, or whatever. Well, we got the first one fixed and guess what? The second vehicle died. Motor went completely out in it, so not only did we fix the first one for $1200, we were still out a second vehicle, and still are. We were going to see about putting down some money toward a furnace. No one will finance it because of our bad credit history.

We are stuck on the bottom of the honey wagon and not likely to climb out the hole. Just waiting for the next load.

I wish we did have some choices, but we don't. I have 2 very elderly sisters, but they can't take us in, and we have kids in another state, but they have been trying to deal with a daughter that they thought had leukemia. Tests came back negative so that's our only good spot. Our granddaughter is alive and well.

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Isaiah 40:31 They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up on wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.

Button up the house as best you can. On the north and west side, hang quilts/blankets from the inside. Not just over the windows, insulate the whole darn wall. Plastic off the rest of the windows from the inside. Seal off any rooms you aren't using, unless they have plumbing. Keep what heat you do have in the house and in the rooms you actually need.

Do you have anything to trade/sell for the plumbing repairs? Tools, maybe? Doesn't sound like your husband will be able to use them much any more. Also, if the split in the pipe is small, there is a black rubber patch with clamps you can put over it. Those don't cost much and maybe you could do that yourself and get by for awhile longer.

Sorry to say, I don't think your 30% propane is going to last the winter when using the oven for heat and not just cooking.

You really should see if there is some kind of aid available. I bet you guys have worked hard, paid taxes and helped others your whole lives. Now you are in a position where you could sure use some help and don't be too proud to take it, please.

Again, sorry you are having such a tough time.

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It is still best to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with the simple pleasures and to be cheerful and have courage when things go wrong.
Laura Ingalls Wilder

Dunroven, you need to visit your county's social services unit. Seriously, you or your husband could end up dead from what you are experiencing this winter. It's not an attractive thing to think about doing, but you really the need the help. Please do it.

<<<Big Hug to you!>>> Hope things improve for you soon.

Jennifer

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-Northern NYS

Dunroven;

If have a couple of suggestions that should not cost a lot of money.

First; get some caulking called Draft Attack or Seal and Peel. You caulk the cracks in winter and peel it off in summer if you need to open windows.



Second; The plumbing leak may be easy to fix. Get some Sharkbite (or equivalent in another brand) fittings and a piece of Pex tubing. Cut the copper and trim so that there are no sharp edges. The Sharkbite connecters are push on fittings for both copper and Pex. No soldering is required. There is a horseshoe shaped tool that costs about a dollar to use for removal of these fittings if needed.

The fittings are pricey but are easy to use and will save a plumbers call.

Not too difficult to do and saves the plumbers fees.

They also make end caps that would allow you to cap off the pipe before the break and allow you to have water in other parts of the house upstream of the break.

Third; If possible get some house wrap. http://www.menards.com/main/search.h...rch=house+wrap

Staple it to the outside of your house and anchor it with any type of lath you can find. Cut out for doors and windows. It may not look pretty but it will cut drafts through your walls. (And save a lot of fuel!)

A pastor is usually busy helping others. Perhaps it is time for a sermon on "Help thy neighbor" and say "The work party will be tomorrow at ____________!(your address.)

I pray for a light at the end of your tunnel. I am so sorry you are suffering in this brutal cold.

I hope some kind neighbors can give you a hand. Sounds like you could use a place to stay for the time being. I will put you on my prayer list.

I appreciate the concern folks, but I think the worst is over now. We are actually at 12 degrees tonight and it does feel okay, not toasty, but okay here in the house. My husband is under the electric blankets right now and I'm going to work so I won't be back on here until tomorrow, but I am actually looking at a few old cheap campers to see if I can't find one that my husband would agree to. He did not like that idea at all when I asked him, but we'll see. With this latest water problem, he might be easier to convince.

I wish I could get some of the folks at church to do things here, but they are in their 70s and can't do anything either. I believe we are attending a dying church and are just there to help it die a little easier. Seriously there are only the 3 deacons and my husband and then we have a few come as you please types. If one of the deacons dies, which could happen at any time, or my husband, the church will close because no one is willing to work for the low pay anymore. Can't blame them, with the economy the way it is. But when we first got married, we were going to take whatever a church could pay and my job would make the most of the money. We agreed to that, and I am the younger, but we neither one counted on me getting arthritis and polymyalgia rheumatica and what they are now calling "overuse syndrome" in my hands, and not being able to make nearly what I used to. We also didn't count on my job going away like it has with so many of these companies.

Well, anyway. Gonna be in the 40s by the weekend and we will be just fine. I just sometimes need someone to hear me. Not that anyone can solve the problems, just an ear to listen with.

Thanks,

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Isaiah 40:31 They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up on wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.

when I loved in Montana I got white Styrofoam sheets, and cut and put a force fit sheet in each window, (I liked the white Styrofoam as it would let light through and you did not feel like living in a cave,

we were heating with wood only at that time, and the wood consumption dropped a full one THIRD after putting the foam in the "unsued" windows, and on the kitchen and dinning and one living room window, we would take out during the day and put in at night, made a work of difference in comfort,

the building foam board insulation works too but no light comes through it and it feels like your in a cave,

one family, south of us up on a unprotected hill, the house was so bad one could light a match in the house and watch the smoke and see which way the wind was blowing from, (I know this is not approved building practice) but they got a roll of sheet of plastic and put up on the north and west side of there house, and it helped a lot, as open and breezy as the building there was not a concern of vapor buildup and so on, even with the plastic on the north and west of the out side of the building, it helped stop the wind.

and on below 0 nights and days leaving the faucet drip or lightly run, (if the septic system can take it) can save frozen pipes, leave the cupboard doors open under the sinks, and plug holes in the foundation if your pipes are in a crawl space,

get a CO detector, (there cheap), Hospital stays or funeral expenses are not,

and consider some additional heat source, I added a vent less infrared LP heater to our house, even tho we have wood and a furnace, all ready, (as a year ago we had some problems with the furnace), I have two in the barn in the milk room and another room, and like them ,
I DO NOT recommend the blue flame units there a waste of money IMO I have a near new one in the box I took out and replaced with the infrared type and then the room was warm,

Dunroven, we're in the same boat work-wise. I'm an MT too, have been for 30 years. It's a sad, depressing situation right now. It's been going downhill for years, but it's just ridiculous the turn things have taken lately, all because of Obamacare and the electronic medical record law, and they're only going to continue until it's gone altogether.

As hard as it is, on top of trying to scrape up enough work to keep afloat and with my medical issues, I'm working on learning a new career at this late stage of my life. If there's any way you can do that, you should really consider it. I was just hoping to drag out MT a few more years to retirement age, but don't think it's going to last that long.

I know how frustrating it is, and it just makes every other aspect of your life more difficult. I don't know that I could actually physically do something to help you, but I can be a real good listener and a shoulder to lean on, and I can certainly understand where you're coming from. Feel free to PM me any time you need to vent or talk or just need someone to commiserate with. Take care. {{{hugs}}}

Can you stay in the restaurant (mentioned earlier, getting on contract) when it's so cold? Surely it has heat of some sort, and maybe by using the ovens there that would help out both ways: heat for baking and heating the surrounding area.
I am so sorry this is happening, doing without for the privilege of serving in Christian love will bring rewards, but sometimes we wish they'd be a little quicker to show up.
Bless you both for serving others, I will pray God's provision for your needs, He knows and is faithful. Sending a huge hug your way, wish I lived closer and could bring over some hot coffee and fresh bread so we could chat a bit

We are fine now folks. The worst is passed and we are doing fine. The poster who talked about the match, watching the wind blow? That's what its like here, but we are okay now.

Rose, yes, we probably could do that, but we have critters here to look after until late night (bottle babies) and my job is not over until 1:30 a.m.

Callie, you know about working split shifts to get everything else done, and then still not being able to work it around your life. Its so much more difficult with this job than most folks imagine. Its like, OH, you work from home! Well, you have plenty of time to talk, do, get, fetch, fix, whatever. It doesn't work that way, but folks think it does. I'd be glad to talk to you sometime too. What company are you presently working for? I'm at A+ although I'm now not calling it the greatest company in the world either, 8 cpl during the week, 8.5 cpl weekends, all straight type (which I do like), but some pretty difficult doctors.

I'm working with another member here on the forum to start doing another line of work as well, so hopefully that will pay off, literally, and then when we can get the restaurant opened, I know I can make money at that. I'm a good cook, and I make about 50 different kinds of homemade candy, now I have a legit place to make it, I can sell it everywhere, so look out HT'ers I'll be having it on the Barter Board too!

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Isaiah 40:31 They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up on wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.