Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2017

mrs-moneypenny · 2 January 2017 at 7:55PM

Evening everyone and happy new year.
Thank you for the new thread which I've just found.
Welcome to all the new mmmers, lovely to have so much more company and extra ideas and motivation.
I love the fuzzy quilt thriftwizard, it's gorgeous

All of today's meal are using up yesterday's left overs, We had hm mushroom soup that was over from yesterday for lunch and I've just put a pie in the oven made with all of yesterday's left over veggies and sone nutroast, I'm making roast pots with it using up the new pots that were also left over from yesterday meal. Finished of a pack of ready made puff pastry to mKe the pie.

I've got a pair of pjs to mend for dd2 as the seam has split

In an attempt to minimise my crafting stash I'll be trying to do more knitting and crafting this year - I've just got a wip crossstitch out of my cupboard and made anither start on it.

misstara · 2 January 2017 at 10:07PM

Ace to see so many lurkers joining in, great to have you all and excited to find out all your MMMing tips

Thriftwizard - that quilt is gorgeous!

So I walked to work today and then ran home so that's the first step towards minimising me! My plan is to run home on Wednesday and Friday but we'll see what the weather is like. I'm a bit of a fair weather runner but really need to man up and just get on with it.

Got home to discover that OH had decided to take diced steak out of the freezer for the pie, forgetting that I had been planning to use up the leftover gammon. Ah well at least I didn't have to cook as he had already made it and we'll have the gammon for tea tomorrow night instead. He used up the last of the mushrooms that were a bit past it and the leftover pastry has been frozen for another night.

Thought about starting to go through some of the kitchen stuff but then decided to be lazy instead :rotfl: OH said he'll give me a hand so think that will be tomorrow night's plan.

amber03 · 2 January 2017 at 10:09PM

Had some Yorkshire pud mix left from yesterday's roast dinner, usually just tip it away but with some sausage I have made three portions of toad in the hole. All now tucked away in the freezer.

A pair of suede shoes that I thought had been destined for the bin have been scrubbed and washed down and are now good as new.

Started to take Xmas decs down and are going through them as some of them are only good enough for the bin.

As DS2 is leaving home within the next couple of weeks I will be going through his old room and getting rid of a lot of stuff.

*Jellie* · 2 January 2017 at 10:38PM

Thriftwizard- beautiful quilt. I'm thinking of making my first quilt this year so I might be asking you for help!

Hollysnan- a bit off topic and not very MMM but I have long term health issues and sometimes struggle to maintain my weight. I find complan and ensure can help a lot (particularly if you don't really feel hungry or feel sick). You can get ensure on prescription but you might want to find a flavour you like and ask for that flavour. It seems most people can pretend the strawberry or chocolate are milkshake. I find chocolate complan powder with hot water/ milk is a passable hot chocolate. I'd have a couple between meals.

I'm doing the storecupboard challenge this month so will be 'making do' when it comes to food and doing minimal grocery shopping. OH made bread for today so we got bacn from the freezer to have a sarnie.
We also batch cooked some chilli in slow cooker. I didn't have kidney beans but used some pinto beans at their best before date from cupboard and replaced sundried tomatoes with tomato paste from cupboard. We also used up some of the cheese left from Christmas. We increased the veg to meat ratio and stretched a recipe that should make 8 portions to 18 portions! There are 2 of us so we made 4 meals worth of enchiladas and 5 meals of chilli. All in freezer now.

Also on the making do front I need a couple of sealed pots for challenges. I don't want to buy them and ideally I don't want it to shout out "hey Mr Burglar I have money in me". Made my first pot today using the tin hubbys aftershave came in (his birthday gift). I cut a slot in the top and hubby used the dremel to tidy the edges. I've put a little sugru over the edge to make sure the edge won't cut me. When the sugru has cured tomorrow I might add a piece of card on the top as added disguise. I might post piccies tomorrow.

VJsmum · 2 January 2017 at 10:52PM

yet another on / off reader/ poster / lurker...

And another who has been using up leftovers. very happy that very little food went in the bin (just a few pieces of well-past it fruit and some tomatoes that were manky in their cellophane

)

But pretty much the last has gone now - just a couple of mincemeat flapjacks and a few dregs of (yummy) cheese.

Didn't spend that much more on food than we normally would either.

The freezers are bulging and the cupboards pretty full so January will be spent eating them down. As an avid "Konmarie" follower, I am mostly minimised, but am planning to cut down our plastic usage and to carry my own water bottle and reusable coffee cup with me. We also are going to be doing more of the 5 R's of waste (refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle, rot) - we won't be perfect but anything is better than nothing.

My OH is thinking he is going to be 'made' to retire shortly, so every little will help (this won't be the end of the world, but our income will be reduced somewhat - he isn't planning to get another job, for which I don't blame him, but some reductions will have to take place)

MMF007 · 2 January 2017 at 11:41PM

Another Lurker here! Had to say that quilt idea is fabulous!! I have learn something else, thanks. I have actually been practising much more MM and M in 2016 but it will help me to join in here rather than just read and run. I have some mending to do tomorrow so I'll report back.

M

[Deleted User] · 2 January 2017 at 11:46PM

MTSTM Bearing in mind I live in the UK which is not known for brilliant weather i have never owned an umbrella ever :)Doubt I will now as I need one hand for keeping tight hold of my handbag and the other holds my walking stick

Went to Aldis and Sainsbury's this morning and lashed our the grand total of £12.88, £7.15 on vegetables and £5.73 on fruit ,more than enough to keep me going for the next couple of weeks at least.No food shopping to buy though as I am hoping to minimise my freezer over the next few weeks as its crammed full of left overs and odds and ends .
in one of my food hampers I had a huge box of tea bags which will come in handy and lots of tins of fruit as well as several toiletries and some cleaning stuff.My DDs ma-in-law likes to make up a large box of bits and pieces for me which she collects with BOGOFFS through the year.Bless her I usually give her nice shampoo stuff and her favourite skin care cream which last her until next Christmas Its quite expensive, so she really appreciates the fact I know its her favourite She is a dear lady of 80 + and although I have told her to cut back she just likes to make her boxes of goodies up

My back still giving me gyp so I have been using my strong painkillers today I only use them on an as and when basis, as they leave such a horrible taste in ones mouth I have been cleaning my teeth every couple of hours to get rid of the taste

:)

Great to see all the folk de-lurking and joining in the New Year
de-cluttering and minimising
Well done chums

JackieO xx

pandamonium · 3 January 2017 at 12:51AM

Yet another lurker here.

I need to do a whole lot of minimising having had to do a kind of emergency downsize. I have a whole £40 per week storage unit to minimise :eek: . Really need this thread to keep me motivated.

misstara · 3 January 2017 at 7:39AM

VJsmum could you post the recipe for mincemeat flapjack? It sounds yummy and would be ideal for using up the leftover mincemeat I have in the cupboard.

[Deleted User] · 3 January 2017 at 9:43AM

Miss Tara I second that they sound lovely

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Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2017

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