This last week I finally got around to mending the rugby shirt.
Its a mock rugby shirt really, sort of in the style but you wouldn't actually play in it . Anyway, following my plan, I sewed a welt from a very worn out jumper to the bottom, after first unpicking the hem. Then I cut about 2 inches off the sleeves and sewed the jumper's cuffs there.
success. The shirt is now plenty long enough instead of having to be constantly pulled down or tucked in and the sleeves no long come half way down my hands.
I have been getting the veg garden sorted too and have been using one of the previously mended camping chairs for taking 5 minute rests. The arm of the chair is broken but mneh, its only for garden use and I'll most likely mend it when I get a rainy day.
Have also been minimising freezer grub. Some of the things in there are a mystery as I never write on them when I put them in but so far no nasty surprises. Curry powder is an excellent saving grace when you get various savouries out and cant tell what they are apart from they are not fish or fruit hehe

CAZBEAR brilliant that's a great idea and seeing how to recycle something as small as even a barrette is exactly what MMM is all about Its not just the big things ,but the small things that can make such a difference to one's outlook on life
I get as much of a kick out of finding a new home or use for something than buying it new, perhaps even more so as recycling stuff was how I was brought up.Nothing was wasted back in the 1940s-50s as things were just so hard to find new anyway I bet if you asked anyone over the age of say 60 they have at least a drawer in their kitchen with odds and ends in and a jam jar with nuts,bolts and screws and probably a decent button box as well. I still have buttons in my button box in the cupboard that came from my childrens coats and cardi's and my children are 47 & 49 . I have a wooden ex-toy box of my childrens that holds my wool stash and left over bits and tail ends of balls go into a cloth pull-stringed bag and when there is enough I knit a multi coloured charity blanket from all the different colours.
I knit for a charity anyway and make multi-squared blankets for The Linus Trust so even the tail ends get used up eventually :0
All my friends and family know that I get very cross if stuff goes to the tip as I can usually find someone or something to recycle it to.I like making do with as much as I can whether its food and goods I will always try to find another use for it and mending is second nature.My DGS have all got recycled ,repainted furniture in their bedrooms which has save my DD a fortune (She has a large family)
I am at the moment minimising my food cupboards in a Love Food Hate Waste campaign for Lent and its surprising what you can make if you dig around the packets and tins in the cupboards

Well done Pandamonium with the storage unit of doom! Your box of cables made me chuckle, we have one very similar full of random cable OH insists may one day be useful! And well done everyone, lots of good mending and minimising going on by the sounds of it!

Making do this week has been living off the slightly manky veg at the bottom of the fridge, we've had delicious veg soups, tomato/onion/pepper salads, and veggie bolognese, and it's now all gone. i've minimised rice, turkey mince and meatballs, HM bean patties and pittas from the freezer too. Did a big shop yesterday to replenish the fridge and cupboards as we had no veg and were almost out of some staples, but i was more conscious than i would usually be about not buying stuff (mainly fresh veg which i often get carried away with) that are not in the meal plan for the next week.

Finally got round to some mending in the form of sewing up holes in a skirt and a top to make them wearable again, there's plenty more to do though! i'm away with work for some of next week so will take anything small enough to carry with me on the train. It seems to be where i'm best at getting things done! Made some of OH's plain tshirts more interesting while i was teaching a friend to screen print last weekend, used mostly my own designs but 'borrowed' a couple of hers too. She is setting up her own small business printing children's clothes, i'm sure she'll do well as she has a really great eye for cute designs.

Minimising - having 'new' loo and sink unit fitted today (sink unit used from ebay; loo was unused but second hand from someone who'd bought it then changed their mind and put it on preloved) so that's clearing the space they were taking up in the garage. Debating whether to tip or try and ebay the old ones - they are grey which is fashionable at the moment and in reasonable condition so someone may be able to use them, but not sure i can face the cleaning out and then them hanging around for weeks until they're sold. i know that's really lazy! Has anyone had experience of selling used bathroom furniture?

Happy MMMing everyone

Rainbow - if you really can't be bothered to put them on Fleabay or Preloved try freegle or take them to the tip - ours stores good usable stuff and sells it. Can get some good bargains!
Have done sweet FA since Sunday as I've been incubating a nice virus that's left me weak and wobbly and hacking like a tramp Have had a little spurt this morning but now feel exhausted again.
We've a family celebration to go to on Friday so hope I'm a bit more lively!!

northern_star – I really admire your thinking on not replacing your defunct washing machine and am glad it works for you, but I think I’d have a hissy fit if I didn’t have one!

misstara – IMHO, reading a book beats ironing hands down, anytime. Tbh, nowadays I only iron what really needs ironing; the rest gets folded and put away PDQ so the guilt doesn’t stand a chance of getting its foot in the door.

CAZBEAR – You’re right; small achievements can bring an almost disproportionate amount of joy into our lives.

The weekend passed fairly uneventfully, with just some general “pottering” including making up this week’s meal plan and an attempted mend that quickly turned into a make-do. The liquid handwash dispenser in the kitchen wasn’t pumping out any soap, so I dismantled the pump bit/gave it a thorough clean/re-assembled it and .... nowt! Well, I’ve had it a long while and it doesn’t owe me anything, so into the bin it went. I poured the soap into a rather nicely shaped empty glass bottle with a screw-top lid (I think it was a salad dressing bottle originally) and, on the plus side, I can see how much is in there.

No grocery spends this week as all meals have come from stores so minimising food stocks; I’m doing the Love Food Haste Waste campaign for Lent and can see it will probably continue way beyond that.

I had great plans for minimising “stuff” from the house this week but they went pear-shaped, thanks to my poorly back. No idea how it happened – all was fine when I went to bed Sunday but not fine when I woke on Monday. This is the fourth time it’s happened in the last two years and according to doc, it’s a non-specific back pain (in other words, they don’t know why it’s happening). Advice is to take OTC painkillers, keep moving and be patient. Now, I’m normally a very patient person but not when I’m in pain and can’t sleep!

I think I had about an hour’s sleep last night in fits and starts and gave up at 5am. The birds were singing, even an owl hooting (nothing wrong with my ears) so I got up and made a cup of tea. Then I had a brainwave that heat might help so I put a small folded towel to warm in the microwave. I’m guessing I overdid it a tad ‘cos it came out very hot and burnt, and promptly set the smoke alarm off! Anyhoo, I managed to get comfortable in the armchair and was just beginning to nod off when the Council grass-cutters came around, quickly followed by some workmen putting up scaffolding around a nearby block of flats. My eyeballs now look something akin to those you see on cartoon characters, bloodshot and crazed.

Oh well, nice easy meal tonight – salad with ??? – haven’t decided yet.

Keep well everyone and carry on the good work. Bye for now.

you are going great guns YorksLass, I too can see it lasting beyound the end of Lent Used up another packet of sauce mix from my stash tonight

Hope your back get easier soon,nothing worse than bach pain ,makes you feel so cheesed off as everything becomes an effort.

Making do with what I have in stock at the moment and luckily no mending so far, I guess using up the packet mix is minimising as I found so many of the blessed things in the cupboards last week.Made the DGS some nice biscuits this morning which went down well after school


JackieO x

Eventually decided to have tuna with last night’s salad and tonight is another nice easy meal – battered cod and mushy peas (from freezer), b&b and tinned pears & ice cream if we fancy a little something to finish with.

I managed to get a better night’s sleep last night but was still up with the birds at silly o’clock this morning. I think my back must have locked pretty solid as it took me ages to get going. I know you’re supposed to keep mobile but by ‘eck, it’s hard. A quick wash (no chance of getting in bath or shower), getting dressed (undies, top, cardi and jeans) and making a cup of tea took almost an hour and even then I had to wait for DH to surface to put my socks on for me! Lors, I think there are 90-year olds out there who can move quicker than I can! I don’t really like taking pills but have had to give in; thank heavens the little blighters have kicked in now so some respite, for a little while at least.

Needless to say, I haven’t managed to do much at all today apart from a bit of light dusting and making a wholemeal loaf in the BM. Oh well, there’s always tomorrow I say.

Have a good weekend all, bye for now.

YorksLass, thought I'd just drop in to share some of the things that helped with my bad back - apologies if you've already been bombarded by advice from everyone you know and feel free to ignore! I've struggled with non-specific lower back pain for about 7 years and have had a couple of really bad flare-ups. The last one was about 4 years when I was signed off for over a month and on lots of really strong pain killers. The main things that helped me were to keep moving, but to really pace myself and switch activities regularly - so rather than doing two hours of digging for example, I'd do 20 mins digging, stop for a cuppa, do 10 mins of weeding, then a bit more digging, etc. It meant I could still get some stuff done without suffering too much. Lots of different exercises and stretches which helped strengthen my core - done a couple of times a day made a massive difference, and although not always easy (due to being in pain) again I'd just pace myself. Having to resist the frustration of things taking so long was the hardest thing for me, but I realised I just have to accept it and be patient with myself!
I know what you mean about putting socks on - talk about an instrument of torture...! I can't believe no-one has invented a device to help with this! I had weeks when I couldn't wear socks at all as I couldn't put them on - thankfully it was warm weather at the time...
In terms of painkillers I decided, after a couple of years on some pretty strong ones, that I didn't want to stay on them as I wasn't sure they were really helping. So I phased myself off them with the help of a Vitamin B Complex - apparently this inhibits the pain receptors and generally makes you feel a bit happier, thus making the pain more manageable. Whether it was the placebo effect I don't know, but they definitely worked for me.
I still struggle with back pain - I suspect I always will - but it is totally manageable and I know how to improve it without really slowing down. As I know it's a long term condition I also use an ice-pack sometimes - alternating this with heat can be beneficial.
Apologies for the essay, but I know how horrible, debilitating and frustrating back pain can be, so wanted to offer some suggestions!

YorksLass, good luck with your back! There is something called a 'sock horse' or 'sock helper' which does not cost too much, maybe it's useful for you.

Yorkslass I sympathise as like LizzieR I suffer. Her advice is very good especially about not spending too long on any activity. Ultimately you have to figure out what works for you and ignore people who tell you it will be better if you do something in a different way.

Still busy minimizing and have taken books to the hospital league of friends shop. Still have loads more to take though. Sorted out more stuff and put some things back to their proper place and got rid of other stuff.

No mending done but made do with food in the freezer for tea and used up more runner beans from the freezer.

Lots of sympathy to all those suffering from back pain.

I too hate taking painkillers as I think the pain is there to stop us doing more damage. What I found helped me and unfortunately isn't a cheap option, was going to a chiropractor. I prefer the McTimoney version.

The first time I went I did wonder if I'd been fleeced - I really didn't think he'd done anything, but the next day the difference was incredible. It's a very gentle form that looks at the whole body not just the spine.

Well that's my 2-pence worth but I seriously hope all those in chronic pain feel better soon. xxx

Thanks very much all you lovely posters offering commiserations and suggestions on managing back pain. You’ve given me food for thought on why I’m having this problem and I’ve concluded that it could be self-inflicted.

• · Now retired, I’m not as active as I used to be and don’t take any exercise at all
• · I’ve put on weight (a definite apple-shape); not good when you’re only just scraping in at 5’ (I’m sure I used to be a bit taller, so maybe it’s true, you do shrink as you get older)
• · My brain tells me I can do the same as I did when I was younger but I ignore my body when it’s clearly saying I can’t

So, my self-help plan of action is:

• · To take more exercise – not jogging or anything super-silly like that, more like walking/stretching exercises/maybe take up swimming again
• · To lose some weight (I’ll start with a target of ½ stone; if I go for more and don’t achieve it I’ll lose heart and not bother)
• · To pace myself better and switch activities more regularly
• · To not get frustrated when things don’t happen quickly enough

Things are slowly improving: I’m off the painkillers now and I actually managed a whole 6 hours uninterrupted sleep last night and put my own socks on this morning – woohoo! The socks bit wouldn’t bother me if it was summer but at this time of year my little tootsies get really cold without them. The sock horse is a “possible”, as is taking VitB Complex; if all else fails then a visit to a chiropractor could be on the cards. dND – The McTimoney version sounds infinitely preferable!

I went out for a walk earlier – only 15 mins around the block but that’s 15 mins more than normal for a Sunday. There’s another one planned in for tomorrow (about 40 mins) to take some bits & bobs to the CS. I’ve sourced some suitable back exercises from the NHS website and have tried a couple already; the others will follow in due course.

This week’s minimising of food stocks has really been helped by doing the Love Food Haste Waste campaign. The only grocery spends have been £2.85 for a box of teabags (will last us for a month) and £1 for 4 pts milk. And a meal plan for the week should use up all the fresh stuff from the fridge so I can have a new start next week. Tonight’s dinner is beef in gravy (from freezer), a mix of cauli and broccoli, spuds.

Have done two loads of washing today, sadly dried inside – good drying weather as it’s quite breezy but rain on and off so no, I don’t feel like running in and out with it.

Nothing else planned for today other than watching the new series of Vera tonight. We can even have popcorn ‘cos I found a box at the back of the cupboard.

Take care all, and thanks again for the sympathy/advice.

I am wearing a pair of navy trousers that I know I bought in 2002, so 15 years old this year. I saw a light coloured little spot on my left leg - looked like a bit of fluff. Went to brush it off, but the "spot" is a bit of my thigh showing through! And I blame one of my 9 month old kittens. The boy is always trying to run up my leg!
I wear these at least once a week, so they must have been washed hundreds of times (usually get a couple of wears per wash.) Done well, haven't they?
So, out with the navy thread in the very near future. Make do (keep them going) and mend!

winchelsea I have this image of cats running up your legs now flashing your bits at your age as well what ever next

I have been knitting this morning and apart from the edging have finished another charity blanket

YorksLass I started with a 15 minute walk round the block last year and slowly increased it gradually. By June my DD and I did our second Race for Life (in my case more of a walk but a 5k hobble with my DGS and the dog helped to raise some cash for cancer research. But its important to take it slowly and notoverdo it .I love swimming and even a gentle splash around will make you feel so much better as the water helps with weight bearing on your joints I have osteoarthritis on my right side so my hip,knee and ankle aren't very good with strenuous exercise, so I do little and if possible daily.

MMMing with my food stocks and pleased that Love Food ,Hate Waste is going so well

Mended a dodgy plug lead on my hairdryer by cutting it off and rewireing the plug ,no bare wires now

Hello all, once again haven't posted for ages.

OH and a friend have been doing lots of work in the garden so the grass is now cut, a border cut right round and a hole in the middle. The plan is to put a fruit tree in the middle, debating apple or plum at the moment then we'll plant various veg in the border. There's still a strip of grass up the side of the flat, the plan is to put slabs down on half for a small greenhouse and to put the bins then a small veg patch on the other side. There's also room for various pots of things and possibly a bench/couple of chairs for when the weather is nicer.

I'm trying out dairy free for a month to see if it helps as I haven't been feeling great for the last 3 months. So if anyone has some great gluten and dairy free recipes, please let me know as I'm struggling slightly especially with baking.

Had a lovely stirfry and noodles last night using up various veggies at the bottom of the fridge. I made a very small batch of scones last night to see how they turned out, not amazing but good enough so will make another batch tonight or tomorrow to use up the last of the soya milk.

Hope everyone is ok and looking forward to the weekend. I'm off to a wedding which should be fun

Hi all - not posted for a while as RL got in the way! For those of you suffering from back pain gentle spurts of exercise will be just as beneficial as a big stint. DH's nephew is a high falutin sports phsychologist and reckons the finest form of exercise is walking as it strengthens bones, helps your blood pressure and lung capacity. Two or three 10 minutes is just as good as 20 or 30mins so you can build up slowly HTH
Misstara - would suggest an apple as you would probably get more usefrom the fruit. There are cookers/eaters that are useful in sweet or savoury dishes. Scones are the one thing I've never mastered! Tried all sorts of recipes - all edible but not lovely big chunky ones.

Golly its a bit nippy today I did a small washload and the wind was blowing a gale so it dried off OK.

Made do with stuff from the freezer for dinner tonight and mended an apron which I had been meaning to do for ages ,only a small repair but every time I wore it I kept thinking I must put a few stitches in this ,and today its another job done and dusted.Minimised some paper work out of the way as well so not a bad day all round MMMing

I've realised that, in my quest to decorate my new home, the only brand new things I have bought are my two sofas and a lamp. Everything else had been brought from my rented flat, given to us by kind relatives or bought second-hand from charity shops. As a result, we have a lovely mix of modern things & vintage pieces.

Doing my bit for recycling & not creating more waste is great. The more second-hand bargains I've found, the more I've been encouraged to fix things rather than replacing them. And older stuff is easier to do that with than cheaper new stuff.

Not posted for a while.

Minimised some books to the book shop at the hospital. Have more to take but can only take a bag at a time.
DS1 has taken some of his stuff to his flat so less here.
Have shredded some paperwork and magazines gone to waiting room at DH work.

Mended a zip on a pair of trousers. Also changed a light bulb.

Made do by watching a film at home and persuading DH not to go to the cinema.

I had a productive mending night last night - I managed to successfully alter a tweed coat that I bought a while ago in the CS for £1.

Its a lovely greeny-blue tweed material with a heavy mustard coloured lining and heavy expensive looking buttons - it looks like its hardly been worn...... the brand is Chaus which I have never heard of

The downside to this amazing bargain was that it had exaggerated 90s-style wide & padded shoulders and the sleeves were a bit long.

I had tried swopping the big shoulder pads for smaller ones which improved it a bit but I still didn't like the way that the shoulder line was too wide so I took the plunge last night by turning it inside out, took out the shoulder pads and then carefully measured, pinned and tacked the seam at the top of the sleeve/shoulder edge and machine sewed it a good 2cm deeper and tapered it off down the sides so it sat smooth.

Trimmed the excess material off the re-sewn seam, re-attached the small shoulder pads, turned it right side out and slip stitched the lining back in place and voila! it worked!!! The 90's shoulder line looks 'normal' and the sleeves are 'just right'

I shall be checking out the £1 rail more often in future for nice garments that need a bit of TLC