Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2015

cheerfulness4 · 1 February 2015 at 1:30AM

You beat me to it HOWMUCH! I'm so glad I'm not the only one with a real excitement that we're all still here one month on and we all seem as determined as ever. :T
I wonder what we'll have got done at the end of the next 28 days.:D

carolbee · 1 February 2015 at 8:19AM

JackieO, how about tying on some leather thonging? If you decide that would suit, please PM me your address, I'll send you a selection, as we have miles of the stuff, thin, thick and some lovely flat multi coloured suede, my DH uses it for making all sorts of jewellery.

princesskitty29 · 1 February 2015 at 9:29AM

Hi all, I have been following this thread for ages now and am really enjoying it, thank you for all of the wonderful tips and hints! Sorry I don't post but i'm still learning so much, unfortunately I've grown up in a very throwaway generation and i'm now trying to change my ways and live a frugal lifestyle. I went to see my Grandma at the weekend and she taught me how to use a sewing machine so that I can mend things and make things myself which will be really useful and i'm really looking forward to. This is where i'd like to ask your advice, I need to buy a sewing machine but have no idea what to look for or what makes a good one? When I look online there are hundreds and my mind gets a bit boggled! Can anyone help?

vhalla1478 · 1 February 2015 at 9:52AM

Good Morning, All,

A new month and my resolve is stiffened, Cheerfulness, as I wouldn't dare let you down! No seriously, the reason I announced publicly that I was going to spend only £10 this month, was to make me do it - a bit like New Year resolutions - if you tell everyone you feel rather silly if you fall at the first hurdle. And in any case I'm looking forward to the challenge.

As I said yesterday, I've got a visitor today (the husband of a dear friend who died in December) and at the moment my fridge is groaning with food; so I hope he gets here through the snow! More unworthily, he's bringing me money for doing those darn accounts.

Anyway, I had to defrost several items to feed him and will be tackling the leftovers and reporting back later today.

In the meantime, here is the recipe for the main course - off a Sainsbury's recipe card, and tried and tested. I'll give you the dessert recipe later when I've poison tasted it as it's the first time I've cooked it.

Juicy Orange Chicken serves 4

zest and juice of a large orange, a clove of garlic, peeled and finely chopped, 2x 15ml - ie 2 tablespoons of dark brown sugar, 5ml spoon mint sauce, 1kg pack chicken legs - I'm just using two large cheap chicken thighs and half an orange as there's just two of us today and I'm pushing the boat out with a three course meal.

Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees, gas mark 6. Mix together the orange zest and juice, garlic, dark brown sugar and mint sauce to make a glaze. Place chicken in a roasting dish and pour over the glaze, marinate for an hour or even overnight in the fridge. Cook in the pre-heated oven for thirty minutes until brown and sticky and thoroughly cooked through. Delicious with new potatoes and green beans.

To the kind person who was asking whether I have a fence - no, I have a west facing, right angled wall where my little patio is, but I have access to old pallets, free wood and a son and daughter-in-law's dad who can make almost anything and they have already made me some trellis. The side of my main garden which is basically a field, has a hedge and what calls itself a fence but is extremely geriatric!

Have a great day, Folks.

Viv xx

Sam1984 · 1 February 2015 at 9:53AM

:hello: any room for one more? I have spent the last couple of days slowly catching up and reading through the thread, it is so inspiring and you are all doing so amazingly with your challenges!

We have been trying to be more os since buying our first house in May last year, it has been a massive job, we ended up having to strip it back to bare brick, rewire and replumb, we knew the wiring needed doing but not everything else, so to say money has been tight is an understatement, ha ha! So we have been doing a lot of upcycling and making do and mending with our things! We managed to make it liveable enough to move in at the end of November though still have a long way to go as have no proper heating or hot water, most rooms aren't fully decorated but using what we have and some good charity, eBay and vintage shop finds we are slowly getting there but it's been hard juggling it with work and three children ! We have a rather large garden now so hoping to do some grow our own this year, any tips gratefully received as its been a while since I've had a garden big enough for more than a few pots!

Really looking forward to reading how you are all getting on and picking up any tips, recipes and ideas along the way, it's given me a lot of joy already reading like minded people as the sheer volume of stuff to be done here gets rather overwhelming, so thank you all for putting a smile on my face!

Have a wonderful sunday!

Sam x

[Deleted User] · 1 February 2015 at 10:48AM

Hi Chums some brilliant ideas there for my flowery stick.I am going to delve around my study/junk room(AKA box room) where my desk and computer lives, and I have a feeling that I have an old camera case with a strap.The camera long since gave up the ghost, but the case was tossed at the back of a cupboard in one of those 'might come in handy moments. I had forgotten about it I have a feeling it may be just the job.Some brilliant suggestions there I think my mind had just gone blank yesterday.

I will report back and let you know how I have got on

:):) I knew someone would come up with an idea of sorts One reason why this site is so good.,collective lateral thinking can often solve lots of problems
Cheers chums
JackieO xxx

GreyQueen · 1 February 2015 at 10:49AM

Hello and welcome to new posters.

Princesskitty29, there are an awful lot of variations on sewing machines and I appreciate that to a newbie it can look a bit overwhelming.

What I would suggest for your very first machine is a secondhand electic machine. Popular makes are Singer, Pfaff etc. Ask around the family, post on Freecycle. These come up frequently as old ladies pass away or decide that they can't continue sewing and no one in the family wants the machine.

A simple electric machine will do staight stitching (forward and reverse) and zig-zag, the latter being very useful for going over raw edges as a substitute for overlocking. Expensive sewing machines can overlock after a fashion, although a proper overlocker is a dedicated machine in its own right.

A simple machine will do just about everything a person needs, and if it was cheap or free, you won't be half-frightened to use it. If you become a real sewing demon, you could always upgrade to fancier machine in the future.

I would definately go for a good used machine rather than the cheaper end of the new market. There are plenty from the sixties and seventies which have a lot of life left in them. HTH.

silvasava · 1 February 2015 at 11:19AM

Princess - I second what GQ says about a sewing machine. So many of them come with various embroidery stiches that realistically you'll hardly if ever use. Go for straight stich & a zig zag & it will cover practically all your needs - and Freecycle is a good starting place
Cheerfulness- you're on!!! going to tackle it today & will report back

Vhalla - that Orange chicken may well be our dinner today - Thank you

Onward and upward into February - we're the MaMeMi Army!

vhalla1478 · 1 February 2015 at 11:30AM

GreyQueen, you beat me to it - I totally agree with you about the sewing machines. I do hope you take to it like a duck to water, Princesskitty 29, but at least if you follow GreyQueen's advice you won't lose much - except maybe your temper! I've been sewing, embroidering for 60+ years and still make the odd mistake. Start with simple items; if you start too ambitiously you might give up in frustration. Good luck, let us know how you get on.

Welcome, Sam1984, there's always room for one more, I'm sure everyone will agree. What an exciting project you have - I once renovated a sixteenth century cottage and yes, it took twice as long as anticipated and cost twice as much, but it was well worth it in the end, although at one point I had no kitchen except a slow cooker on the landing, I had black bin liners at the loo and bathroom windows, I was sleeping on the floor and all my furniture was piled in the living room. Happy Days!

Viv xx

vhalla1478 · 1 February 2015 at 5:00PM

Well my visitor has just gone and he says he highly recommends the dessert, and so do I, so here goes:

Pear and ginger crumbles - serves 4 - I halved it for today and used golden syrup because I didn't have any maple syrup; I suspect anything sweet and sticky will do!

200grams caster sugar, 4 pears, 120grams plain flour, half a teaspoon of baking powder, 5grams Demerara sugar, 75grams butter cut into cubes, 4 tablespoons flaked almonds, 20grams freshly grated root ginger, 4 tablespoons maple syrup, double cream to serve. (Get out the dumbbells , ladies and work off the calories - that's what I do!)

Preheat the oven to 180degrees/gas4. Mix the caster sugar with 800ml water in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Meanwhile peel the pears, then poach in the sugar syrup for 15 minutes. Mix the flour, baking powder and Demerara sugar in a bowl. Rub in the butter until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Stir in the flaked almonds. Place each pear in a heat-proof mug (I used ramekin dishes inside a loaf tin) and scatter over the ginger. Pour 1 tablespoon of syrup over each pear. Divide the crumble topping between the 4 mugs. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden. Serve with cream. A real indulgence.

Right, I'm now going to tackle the washing up and all the leftovers and will report back later as to what I've done with them.

Viv

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Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2015

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