Make Do and Mend

needmoney · 26 April 2005 at 9:27AM

Somebody please tell me I did not kill this thread!:o

Sarahsaver · 26 April 2005 at 9:39AM

No you didnt, i was going toresurrect it seeing as the end of the month was approaching.
Well, I failed - slightly

I had to buy some tights because i was at a really posh 'do' and i discovered i had a ladder which would have gone down really badly, but the tights did have a £5 off clothes voucher for tesco. Then my daughter's dad suddenly sprung on me that she had to go to a wessing, and hes not v. good at shopping for that sort of thing, so I got her outfit - although she did pay me back. From tesco got a posh dress, cardi, socks and a hat for under 25 quid. I did look to see if she had anything suitable already but she hadn't, she tends to live in jeans, t-shirts and tracksuits.
Just started a business course, and did my cashflow last week. In the budget theres £60 a month for clothes, thats 3 kids and me. Quite a saving by not shopping for clothes for a month!
I did have 2 pairs of boots mended and a jacket repaired and dry cleaned, but I'd take that out of my 'repairs and maintenance' budget, which covers anything in the home which might need mending.
Also right at the start I mended a kaftan style thing Id had for years, because they are back in fashion again:)

needmoney · 26 April 2005 at 9:53AM

Oh thanks SS got paranoid there and was really enjoying all the tips and hope to read more, might even have a go at sewing myself some tops again.

ET03 · 26 April 2005 at 9:56AM

needmoney wrote:

Somebody please tell me I did not kill this thread!:o

sarahsavers threads never die, they are always too useful

Sarahsaver · 26 April 2005 at 9:56AM

me too - i have had an overlocker and a sewing machine for ages and am scared to use them. Got a dress pattern from essentials magazine so i ought to have a go really, fabric is so cheap on the market here!

needmoney · 26 April 2005 at 10:15AM

I have had some success in the past by unpicking simple tops and using that as a pattern and also cutting the straps of strappy jersey type tops then turning them upside down threading with elastic and you have a boob tube, Not too sure if I explaines that properly though.

Smiley_Mum · 4 March 2006 at 2:46PM

Wonder what items people repair rather than replace and what they do to extend the life of their clothing, household items, car etc etc.

I have boots which I have had for ages which I get repaired; resoled and reheeled. They are a good make and have lasted me ages. Bought them 10 years ago, still as good as new. Well looked after, polished regularly.

I have jackets which I have had repaired, usually put in several items at once and the lady that I use gives me a discount.

Several pairs of jeans which I have had the zips replaced in.

I buy a lot of things from Lands End which have a no quibble guarantee and if anything goes wrong they will refund/replace the item etc.

My kitchen tongs have just gone kaput but my dad said he'd fix them for me no problem so I don't need to shell out for another pair. Just need a pin put in.

Regularly turn the mattresses etc end to end and side to side so that there is equal wear on the mattress rather than continual weight on one area. Place binders (ie heavy sheets) over mattresses to protect mattress and reduce wear.

Alternate footwear day to day rather than wearing the same footwear day in day out to reduce wear. Also relace boots on a regular basis to change pressure points on laces so they don't weaken in any one spot.

Place mats in areas of house with heavy traffic to reduce wear on carpet.

All clothing gets washed on 40 degrees insides out, everything buttoned up, zipped up so nothing catches on other items in the wash etc.

Rebob · 4 March 2006 at 3:28PM

Repair a lot of our clothes. Hubby repairs appliances such as the microwave and shower this week.

We are on a budget so have to make sure that our things last as long as possible.

Smiley_Mum · 4 March 2006 at 3:32PM

Oops I just came across this, I did a search and nothing came up. I posted about repairing things and extending the life of household good etc.

Here's what I posted...

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?p=1693019#post1693019

Maybe someone could put the two together, thanks.

Good to hear that Primark sell quality stuff at reasonable prices. We have one in the process of being built at the moment in town.

squeaky · 4 March 2006 at 3:49PM

Just as I was searching for our older thread after seeing your post smiley mum, up it pops with another new post in it.

So yep, you are now merged, and with a nice long read ahead of you.

PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING

Make Do and Mend

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