Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2017

We have a cheque book for each account we hold - the last ones written were from the joint account for the previous two April's when we paid the allotment subs!

Old passports should be returned to the passport office.

Is there any of the jewellery that you would wear, or that could be shared with family? I was left my mums engagement and wedding rings and DS2 has given the engagement ring to his now wife. I wear the wedding band next to my own wedding rings. I also have gold earrings and a Victorian gold bracelet left to me by my aunt, which I wear regularly. The less-worn items like brooches, pearls & a hat-pin live in my jewellery box where I see them every day.

Hi all, sorry i have been off the radar a bit this last week! we've had guests both of the last two weekends, and i was away for work most of last week! Not that i mind - lovely seeing our visitors who we hadn't seen for months, and if anything being away for work saves me money (as food, travel, board etc i can claim as expenses, within reason!) but it does mean there has been very little time for anything else!

Lynn/YorksLass i am also terrible for putting off cleaning the oven - i don't think ours had been cleaned since we moved in about a year ago! I did manage (just about!) to clean it before the first set of guests arrived - Lynn you're right, the baking soda paste worked very well, there were only a couple of bits that needed a good bit of elbow grease and the rest came right off! I sprayed on a bit of white vinegar once i'd wiped off some of the baking powder, and the resulting fizz helped shift some muck (probably - at least it was very satisfying to watch!) I've since located some non-stick sheets that go on the bottom of the oven, that we brought from our last house but for some reason never put in here, and they are now installed and hopefully will make it easier in the future!

YorksLass thanks for the idea of freezing celery! I'm still surprised by the things i've never considered freezing, celery is one yet i always end up throwing celery in everything i make for a couple of days at the end of its life to use it up before it goes too soggy. Next time i will try freezing some when it's nice and fresh to go in future cooking. Thanks also to Lynn for the peanut butter flapjacks link, i'll give those a go!

JackieO love your creativity in stretching your food to make it into more meals. You are very resourceful! Lynn i also like the idea of using old baby-gros as replacement pocket fabric, how inventive

Not a huge amount of MMM this week, although our guests have been helping us minimise our alcohol stocks left over from our new year's party! And i made do with lots of different fabrics from my stash and 1/4 of an old duvet (washed of course) to make a little patchwork-covered blanket that then folds up inside a patchwork cushion cover, as a gift for my friend's daughter. I had asked if she needed anything for her birthday and was told a cushion for her play tent, but then had the idea of a cushion and blankie in one and got a bit carried away so i hope she will like it. Some mending to do soon as i noticed yesterday some buttons on my winter coat are coming loose so will fix them before they fall off and get lost.

Well done to those keeping up with exercise and healthy eating in the cold weather, i find it feels so much harder at this time of year than it is in summer! And hugs to all that need them. xx

chirpycheap wrote: »

Hello everyone, I am loving hearing about your make-do, mending and minimising tips. You are all very inspiring.

As for the little bits of jewellery. all those things with little monetary worth but lot's of sentimental value, my nan's engagement ring, my MIL's rings, FIL's medals, my mum's Marcasite necklace how silly that it sits unloved in our safe only looked at once in a blue moon. Unless my son makes a late dash to the finishing line and provides us with grandchildren what will happen to that jewellery? Will it one day just be gathering dust in my son's safe? Our relationship with material things is I think rather complicated! I'm beginning to wish I'd never looked into that safe it always makes me a little sad and wistful!

Just delurking to say I had an old fashioned diamond engagement ring I'd been left remade into a pair of earrings and a necklace. DD loves and wears the earrings and I wear the necklace. Before that, the ring had languished unseen in a cupboard for 15 years. I think the original owner of the ring would have approved.

Thank you Silvasava and Airthrey I had no idea that you could have old jewellery remade into new pieces. What a wonderful idea and one that I will be investigating.

Just quickly posting to say how much i love the idea of using the precious metals and stones from old jewellery to make into new. My OH and i have recently got engaged and, having seen the suggestion of re-making old jewellery posted by several people on these forums, it has been tickling away at the back of my mind. In autumn i suggested we go on a silversmithing course to see how feasible it would be to make our own wedding rings. We both absolutely loved it and are planning to re-use some of my old silver jewellery that i no longer wear to make an engagement ring for me and wedding bands for both of us. It will cost a fair bit (though much less than many people spend on engagement and wedding rings) for us to do it as we'll be spending two days with a lovely local jeweller who will teach us how to do the smelting and making new rings, but we will come away with not just rings but memories and new skills.