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Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2016

misstara
misstara Posts: 3,871
First Anniversary Name Dropper First Post I've been Money Tipped!
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edited 26 April 2016 at 9:39PM in Old style MoneySaving
Following on from Cheerfulness' 2015 thread, it's time to start a 2016 one. The thread last year gave me so much inspiration and the lovely people on there were always at the ready to give advice and tips so I'm looking forward to another year of making do, mending and minimising. Hope to see some familiar faces here and new folk always welcome :D

The 2015 thread can be found here

Recipes
Pineapple cake
Scones
Naan bread
Chickpea curry
Crustless quiche
Flatbreads
Onion bhajis
Meri's Seafood Cakes
Corned beef hash pie
Peanut butter cookies
Debt Dec 2022 - £2972.68. Current debt - £0 (100% paid). Flat deposit - £10527.15/£15000 (70.2% saved). Emergency fund - £1356.48/£1500 (90.4% saved).
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  • misstara
    misstara Posts: 3,871
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    Happy New Year MMMers :D

    Today I have been minimising paperwork and have filed away what I need to keep, have recycled some and have a pile that will need shredded at some point. I have also been through my makeup and got rid of anything that was looking a bit gunky - I got b00ts vouchers for Christmas so will use those to replace what I need.

    Tea tonight was steak pie, plenty of leftovers so that has gone in the freezer for another day and I made sausage rolls with the excess pastry (also now in the freezer). Leftover egg from brushing the pastry will be used in scrambled eggs for breakfast. Am going to really try hard this year not to waste any food.

    I mended OH's glasses as one of the legs had got bent but easily sorted with a pair of pliars :) These are his spare pair though, the last pair got stood on and could not be saved.

    Hope everyone has had a good day.
    Debt Dec 2022 - £2972.68. Current debt - £0 (100% paid). Flat deposit - £10527.15/£15000 (70.2% saved). Emergency fund - £1356.48/£1500 (90.4% saved).
  • jk0
    jk0 Posts: 3,479
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    Oh, I've got a bathroom renovation tip that might interest you guys:

    You may know that I have a number of BTL flats. When I renovate the bathrooms, I try to buy a similar bath to what is existing, and keep the same toilet & washbasin.

    Really it's only plastic baths and moving parts that wear out. I carefully remove the basin & WC, give them a really good clean, renew taps & WC handle, and reinstall them after re-tiling. These will still line up perfectly with the existing plumbing, so there is none of that to do.
  • I'm so chuffed with myself. My tumble dryer would not get hot. Thinking oh dear havnt the cash for a new one repair men charge astronomical money for just a call out. Looked on Internet for causes. Tried first 2 things.....nothing. Take back off look for re set button, press, hear click. Put back on, try again. Yippee it works. I feel so clever. It's saved me a fortune. What you can learn on the Internet hey.
  • dND
    dND Posts: 645
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    Thank you Misstara for this year's thread - I'm an occasional poster but mainly a lurker here - I live in France but am trying to sell and return to the UK. No real income so MMM is a necessity but it is also something I believe too.

    Minimising is the thing I find the most difficult; I see other uses for stuff and will keep it 'just in case' :eek: :rotfl: I now look at everything and think 'am I prepared to pay someone to move that back to the UK?' After 40+ years of hoarding I'm beginning to see the light, both figuratively and actually :j :T
    2023 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN 1🏅+ 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
    2024 DECLUTTERING CAMPAIGN 🏅💐⭐️
    2024 FASHION ON THE RATION 9/66coupons
  • Gingerjar
    Gingerjar Posts: 135 Forumite
    Hi everyone I have been reading the old thread all last year in awe everyone's ingenuity. I would like to join in please. We have a house move planned so am wanting to save money and also get a big buzz out of repurposing/ mending things. Love the tumble dryer fixing_absolute genius!
    2012 Saving challenge £1000/£400! Woo! :wave:
  • Morning all,

    Loving the shiny new thread and welcome Gingerjar!


    I've just been mulling over the past year and trying to set some goals for next year, and I thought they were very MMM in spirit and thought others might chime in with theirs.

    I had a really fantastic year in 2015, finishing my degree, we hit a savings milestone and I'm hitting all of my targets necessary for being ready to apply for permanent posts in my field in the next few years. We had a great holiday that was saved for and we really are progressing on the house savings. Our big, long term goal, is to save enough to have a substantial deposit on a house that has a garden and maybe even a woodburner, but I always try to remember that we're doing our living right now too and I don't want to just put life to the side while we save. In many ways I think my goals are still in line with MMM--

    1. I'm thinking that one night each week (probably Thursday) will be devoted to screen free stuff--reading, knitting/sewing, board games etc. but not watching anything on catch up. Hopefully this will enable my various projects to progress-cardigan now has one sleeve--needs one more, sewing up and button band. The rug has several rows finished, but would like it done in time for next winter. I'd like to sew some more clothes for next year, but haven't made a list yet. Any mending can also get done then, and hopefully I'll be able to listen to more radio dramas. Life should be less stressful this term, so I think it is a good time to trial it,given I won't need the escapism so much.

    2. I'm also going to continue the minimizing. We've a big pile sorted out to go to the CS--OH finally went through his clothes and we've both sorted through some books. OH will also be getting rid of his large old desktop which has been replaced with a laptop that actually moves fast enough for him to do his work on! This also means he can take on marking which will go towards our savings. I've been through some of my sewing things and got rid of small scraps and bits of clothes that have already had parts harvested and weren't good for much else. When I'm tempted to hold on to things 'just in case' I'll remind myself how nice it is to have access to my nice things unfettered by things I'm not using.

    3. I'd like to organize and minimize the understairs cupboard. There is stuff in there that can definitely go and as it stands I can't access any of the tools so making small repairs etc. is always a pain. I've been trying to get this done for a few years, as a significant amount of what is in there is OH's so it means motivating him to do it with me. We may be moving house this summer so if i can have it done before then, that would be fab.

    4. I'd like to set a food related goal but not sure what it is yet. One year it was to meal plan which is a firm habit now. Several years ago we resolved to get our five a day every day and that was great and has also carried on. Last year I spent a few months trying a war recipe each week, and I personally cut down on alcohol consumption. It may be something fairly simple--like three nights a week will be 'simple food' such as cheese on toast and a big salad or baked sweet potatoes and hummus with salad. This should save us money, time and still be healthy. Since OH can now bring work home with the laptop it may mean he gets home earlier and our evenings will get longer which would be nice.

    5. I'm still continuing my quest to meet people and form stronger bonds. I'll be renewing my WI membership at the meeting next month and I'm going to try to make it to some of the craft groups (although the location is awkward for me so I'm not sure if it will work until later in spring when it is light enough for me to walk). I'll also be putting more effort into maintaining some of our friendships that are more scattered at the moment. I may try to plan a monthly dinner with various people over, but I'll need to simplify my menus and make it a bit more manageable financially and work wise.

    I'd love to hear other people's goals. Small hiatus aside, I found this thread very inspiring last year--hearing about MMM triumphs small and large!
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 17,413
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    Good Morning everyone on the new MM&M 2016 thread.Hopefully it will inspire us all in the coming year.

    Making do : Is what I was brought up with as a child during rationing so its not too hard for me ,but I am always eager to see any new things that people do.

    Minimising: Is what I want to really do this year as I have far too many things and stuff in my house and at my age I want to minimise a bit more and declutter my house of the accumulated junk that has grown over the years

    Mend : I like the sound of as I would rather mend than go out and buy even more stuff to minimise :):):)

    So off we go and along with the NBI thread we should all hopefully save ourselves a few bob over the coming year
    onwards and upwards chums
    Happy New year to you all
    JackieO xxx
  • ArthriticOldThing
    ArthriticOldThing Posts: 534
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    edited 2 January 2016 at 12:45PM
    Hi! I followed the 2015 thread as an avid lurker and think its time I went a bit further along the road. So may I join please?
    I'm a singlie now that children have left home and my dear OH died but the flat is just full of leftover stuff that I need to get rid of.
    I found the previous thread full of good ideas and challenges which lead to me making changes in my routines. As my only income is a very small pension MMM'ing is now a necessity.
    I'm quite good at using up food - unfortunately some things do get wasted though as I find myself unable to get through boxes of coleslaw etc before they go off - just had to throw one out this morning. Have resolved not to buy any more and to try making my own in future.
    So looking forward to hearing all your advice and learning from your experience.
    Happy New Year!
    Use it up, Wear it out, Make it do, Do without.
  • FunBrum
    FunBrum Posts: 716
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    Hi all on this lovely 2016 thread!

    I'm going to be making do with everything I already have and not increasing my 'stuff'.

    I'm minimising and sorting my clothes so that I can wear them more efficiently...I tend to just stick to a few outfits and wear them to death, instead of realising all my clothes and making full use of them. If I'm really not going to wear them again then they will be stored to sell at the carboot or straight down to the chazza shop!

    On the mending front, I'm going to mend or revamp rather than replace.
    Living a frugal retirement without treading on the planet :T
    Womble #17- £2,018.41 €2
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    CCCC2016 #10 £19 monthly spends on clothes
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  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 17,413
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    DD has just minimised to me a bit of left over brie, some smoked cheese and the end bit of a ham that she didn't use up.All will be used up for different things when I get home later today,nothing will go to waste thats for sure
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