Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2015

nursemaggie · 24 January 2015 at 11:33AM

Making yoghurt. My near by Mr M sells several yogurts from local farms the prices vary from 40p to about 55p in the large pots. Not really worth making your own at those sort of prices. It is all quality live full cream yogurt.

Surveys - NewVistlive are the best pays usually £2 or more for about 20 minutes no need to claim they send you a check every time you hit £50 they send three or 4 surveys a week.

YouGov pay well sent 2 or three a week. No need to claim from them either.

Toluna seems to go in spazams get lots for a couple of weeks and nothing for two or three weeks. Pay not quite so good but you get so many surveys I do manage a reasonable amount per year. The big problem with these is although some companies pay you almost instantly these take 4 or 5 months. Very bad for biggest company.

I have a few American ones that send surveys erratically but pay as much £6.50 per survey and usually pay into PayPal within 10 minutes. You need an invitation from them though they find you.

I am a member of Pinecone if you need an invitation they pay £3 but they do not send many surveys

Global test Market. Pay fairly well and pay up in a couple of weeks.

I belong over 50 but the rest take so long to send surveys you end up earning about £2 or £3 a year. It they give you gifts don't bother with them it takes months to earn a gift worth a couple of quid.

Sorry I forgot who wanted to know about surveys.

Get well soon to Celtic-moon's cat

silvasava · 24 January 2015 at 12:44PM

GQ - I give DH his due - he does look after tools (he's spent a LOT of money on them over the years) and he is definitely a 'Man who Can' - just needs a bit of persuasion sometimes

Beautiful blue skies here but very cold & chill wind. I'm going to do a little bit of tidying in the garden while I can then come indoors and start the dreaded unpicking.
DH has done his back in so I'm ministering with hotty bottles and ibuprofen while he consoles himself with Wheeler Dealers & the cat on his lap.

vhalla1478 · 24 January 2015 at 1:10PM

Another comforting, cheap and filling recipe for the cold weather; it tastes 10 times better than it sounds.

4 large onions, thinly sliced, 4 large potatoes sliced, quarter to half a pound of bacon bits, a pint of milk, 2 ounces of flour, 2 ounces of butter, salt, pepper, couple of tablespoons of grated cheese (optional). Make a white sauce first, and add nutmeg if liked and the cheese if you're using it. Leave the sauce to simmer while you prepare the rest of the dish. Grease a casserole dish with a lid and fill it with alternate layers of onion, potato, and bacon, ending with a layer of potato. Pour over the white/cheese sauce and give the dish a shake to distribute the sauce throughout. Cover and bake in a fairly hot oven (gas 6, 205 centigrade) for an hour. Uncover and bake a further hour at gas 4, 150 centigrade. Nice with winter greens.

[Deleted User] · 24 January 2015 at 1:40PM

Good morning fellow make-do-and menders, just caught up with the posts as my computer is playing me up a bit I have given it a severe talking to but I think its definitely on the way out.My DD has said that her OH will donate theirs a little later this year as they all seem to use lap-tops in their house so the main one doesn't get a lot of use.My problem is do I hang on for it or splash out on a new one...decisions, decisions, its a toughie. If I can get this old banger to keep going for a bit longer I may save myself a goodly chunk of moola

DGD treated me to the movies last night bless her and it was really nice.her and her BF picked me up so I didn't even have to drive and delivered me home again afterwards.Good film as well and I enjoyed it immensley.
Got home to DGS Danny's message to say he wants to take me out for lunch on Sunday ,again his treat.I'm being a spoilt old grandma this weekend

I will have to bake some biscuits and cakes I think

NSD today ,bright sunshine but pretty nippy atm I think.After the spot of ironing and baking is done its going to be feet up and some knitting for me this afternoon.maybe listening to the wireless as I love Radio Four and its very relaxing whilst I knit.

Dinner tomorrow night at youngest DDs so very little cooking for me tomorrow

On reading through I have decided I am going to see if I can snaffle an old pair of worn out too small jeans from my youngest DGS Mikey and make a couple of drawsring bags from the legs for the Xmas wrapping paper. I haven't a machine but I can hand sew pretty well, well enough to make drawstring bags at least

my sewing tin is an old biscuit tin which my late OH brought to me filled with biscuits when I had my eldest DD at the maternity hospital in Croydon over 47 years ago.It holds lots of bits and pieces and I wouldn't part with it for the world. eldest DD said she wants it when I shuffle off

:):)
Right time to get the kettle on and start baking something nice for my grandchildren, they all like biscuits and DD enjoys a lemon merangue pie which will be my contribution to tomorrow nights dinner

:)
have a good weekend chums what ever you are doing
JackieO xxx

Prinzessilein · 24 January 2015 at 7:18PM

Evening all!

I love making my own joghurt...and it is delicious and thick (...if you are using a cup or so of home made joghurt as your 'starter' then every so often you need to buy a pot instead...otherwise the joghurt doesn't set too well and turns out thin)

I chill the joghurt and then strain it...it gives a soft cheese very much like Philly....don't throw the whey away (hey we are make do and menders...we don't throw anything away - right!)...you can drink it if you like or use it when baking bread (just replace equal volume of water with whey)...whey is high in protein.

I have finished the eyes for my nightie-case...hope to sew them on tomorrow....I'll see about posting a photo if I can!

I had a veggie bake this evening...a good way of using up left over veggies.

Lynplatinum · 24 January 2015 at 8:58PM

Evening Folks

Ok - quandary! I have done scrapbooking for years. When in the money the £ 15 for a 'workshop' day seemed good value for money but now £ 15 is a week's shopping. The workshops are once a month.

The lady who runs them is very generous - we get choccy biccys in the morning and a lovely cake in the afternoon and as much free coffee and tea as you can drink. Often a demonstration of something new as well. She also has loads of cutters/ punches/ border makers we can use as well. (we only have to bring our own lunch and papers and photos). We can also buy papers etc at a bit of a discount. the ladies who go are really fun and kind and loan stuff etc.

So I have spent £15 today and feel a bit guilty about it as am trying to be economical! What do you guys think? Is it good value for money?

GreyQueen · 24 January 2015 at 9:11PM

Hi, I'd say if you can afford it without strain, and if it brings you joy, then it's not a waste of money.

I spend £10 most weeks at my archery class. It's two hours, I look forward to it all week and it brings me joy. It takes me an hour and a bit to earn that £10 and I can't think of anything else I'd enjoy spending it on more.

If your scrapbooking class is the equivalent space in your life, it's cheap.

Ches · 24 January 2015 at 9:21PM

Lynplatinum wrote: »

Evening Folks

Ok - quandary! I have done scrapbooking for years. When in the money the £ 15 for a 'workshop' day seemed good value for money but now £ 15 is a week's shopping. The workshops are once a month.

The lady who runs them is very generous - we get choccy biccys in the morning and a lovely cake in the afternoon and as much free coffee and tea as you can drink. Often a demonstration of something new as well. She also has loads of cutters/ punches/ border makers we can use as well. (we only have to bring our own lunch and papers and photos). We can also buy papers etc at a bit of a discount. the ladies who go are really fun and kind and loan stuff etc.

So I have spent £15 today and feel a bit guilty about it as am trying to be economical! What do you guys think? Is it good value for money?

I pay £5 and £10 for the 2 crops I go to with the same facilities as you. But I would still go if I had to pay more as I love crops and I go to 2 per month so same money really.

Prinzessilein · 24 January 2015 at 9:23PM

It is your £15!...If you enjoy the class, can afford it, and find it value for money...then go and enjoy it!

cheerfulness4 · 24 January 2015 at 10:17PM

I also agree that if you can afford the £15 then it would seem to be worth every penny to you. The pleasure it gives you really radiate from your post and life is for living!

I have to confess to spending a sizable chunk of our budget on chocolate today. We needed nothing desperately and a treat was in order and we could afford it on budget so we had it.

vhalla, that recipe will come in very handy for us as I have rather a lot of bacon pieces and my other protein is running low now.

About survey sites - I do Value Opinions, GlobalTestMarket, My Surveys, I-say, Maximiles and DH also does One Poll.
The first 4 I get regular pay outs from. I can choose paypal with the first 2 or vouchers, like the others I mentioned.
I often get supermarket vouchers to help with food, Argos & Amazon vouchers to help with replacements, pressies etc and B&Q for some of my gardening and decorating bits and pieces.

Clix research has always been good for test products (toiletries and cosmetics mainly but some household things) and they always have me testing something. DH also joined and he's testing an Elemis marine product as present.
I'm forever testing face creams, serums, eye creams etc. I haven't bought any for years. Also waterproof mascara seems to be a favourite they send me for some reason.
All helps with the pennies as I consider these luxury items that are now free to me. :T
Might be worth a try if you have the time to fill in the quick feedbacks they ask for.

Spends today were £3.95

DAY 24
Money Spent Today - £3.95 Vouchers Spent - £0
Money Spent in Total - £66.95 Vouchers Spent in Total - £5
Money left in purse - £5.05 - Float left- £0/£15
Jan non-foods left- £0/£15

No knitting done today as Grandkiddies here and no chance for needles with them around. Now they're gone I'm too exhausted to do anything but veg in front of the tv and catch up on my Father Browns and Death in Paradise.

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Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2015

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