Memorygirls - Make Do and Mend

Firewalker

Hi MG,

I am going to become the pround owner of an ice-cream maker tomorrow. Have been very excited about the whole thing - like a child really. But then gadgets are one of my protected 'wants'. Some ice-cream recipes will be very highly appreciated - and tried immediately.

Wedding sound fun and tour outfit glam.

Firewalker

recovering_spendaholic

Wow! What a wonderful thread! I started reading it at about 10ish and have just finished it! However, in the middle of reading I was feeling so guilty about the mess which surrounds me that I got up and sorted out the porch - filled a bin bag with old coats and shoes for the charity shop, moved DD1 and 2's shoes up to their respective bedrooms and filled half a carrier bag with rubbish (junk mail which had been left, cr*p out of schoolbags which had been dumped there etc.). Anyway I feel really inspired now and am going to try and "make do and mend"! I love the idea of getting old sofas and re-covering them. ATM I really need a new suite as mine is wrecked (it's not even that old - about 5 years ago I paid £1700:eek: for it in SCS and it is truly falling to bits). I was outbid at the last minute for a Collins & Hayes one on ebay last week, and after reading about your find for £35 I am going to really have a good scout round for a bargain!

I was made redundant four years ago and lived off my redundancy money for three and a half years being a single SAHM and for the last 9 months I have been self-employed. My income is less than half what I used to earn and I was very extravagant when working (ex Dh hadn't scarpered then either) and I am now having to live a very different style of life.
This thread has really cheered me up - I look forward to reading how you go on!

Memory_Girl

Firewalker wrote: »

Hi MG,

I am going to become the pround owner of an ice-cream maker tomorrow. Have been very excited about the whole thing - like a child really. But then gadgets are one of my protected 'wants'. Some ice-cream recipes will be very highly appreciated - and tried immediately.

Wedding sound fun and tour outfit glam.

Firewalker

Oooh!!! Gadgets - love gadgets - It's not just boys who love their toys in my house.

My "recipes" are all variations on frozen yogurt recipe from a friend in the states. Goes something like this

1 cup natural yogurt - always got this cos I make my own in another gadget -:rotfl:
1 cup pureed fruit (strawberries, rasps, peaches, blueberries) - or a can of tinned fruit I guess
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp vodka (alcohol stops it from freezing completely)

or if you've got no fruit in she suggests

1 cup yogurt
1 1/2 cups fruit juice (mango, lycee, watermelon, peach)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp vodka

So far we've just been choosing what we've got in and finding out which are our favourites (always happens to be whatever is in our bowls at the time);)

Lets experiment together over the summer:cool:

Memorygirl

Memory_Girl

recovering_spendaholic wrote: »

Wow! What a wonderful thread! I started reading it at about 10ish and have just finished it! However, in the middle of reading I was feeling so guilty about the mess which surrounds me that I got up and sorted out the porch - filled a bin bag with old coats and shoes for the charity shop, moved DD1 and 2's shoes up to their respective bedrooms and filled half a carrier bag with rubbish (junk mail which had been left, cr*p out of schoolbags which had been dumped there etc.). Anyway I feel really inspired now and am going to try and "make do and mend"! I love the idea of getting old sofas and re-covering them. ATM I really need a new suite as mine is wrecked (it's not even that old - about 5 years ago I paid £1700:eek: for it in SCS and it is truly falling to bits). I was outbid at the last minute for a Collins & Hayes one on ebay last week, and after reading about your find for £35 I am going to really have a good scout round for a bargain!

I was made redundant four years ago and lived off my redundancy money for three and a half years being a single SAHM and for the last 9 months I have been self-employed. My income is less than half what I used to earn and I was very extravagant when working (ex Dh hadn't scarpered then either) and I am now having to live a very different style of life.
This thread has really cheered me up - I look forward to reading how you go on!

OOh!!! Welcome aboard - but you make me feel so lazy today - all I've done is some bread, some yogurt, cook some haricot beans for dinner and 4 loads of washing (haven't even been able to get them dry cos it's been spitting all day)

Ok I Just remembered I've also done the ironing but that was when "Glee" was on so I felt no pain:A

Lost my business in the crunch - so I've been on benefits, but funnily enough budgeting on a teeny income is easier than budgetting on an income that fluctuates. I seem to manage the peaks and troughs better - point for me to bear in mind for the future.

Now it's all about creating a plan to get me back into my "old industry" as I really can't see how to juggle the 2 boys and their schooling needs with a regular 9-5 job. Self employment beckons again and I can't say in this economy its making my heart sing.:(

Keep searching for that perfect furniture - sometimes the hunt makes the owning even more precious IYSWIM. I really appreciate my sofas now - and I appreciate the "No Monthly Payments" - EVER!!! even more :rotfl:

Please don't ever feel guilty about your mess -one of the blessings about this forum is you can't see the chaos that is my kitchen whilst I'm typing this. Baby has decided to make himself some cereal for tea - so out comes cereal box, bowl, spoon, another spoon because the first was wasn't suitable for some reason (they're identical BTW), jug, bottle of milk, sugar bowl, place mat etc.

Cereal made and minimal damage to table, chair, floor, cat and my sanity:rotfl: Still he's scoffing the lot so I should be applauding him for deciding what he wants to eat and getting himself organised. Instead I'm thinking - better get over and join the "Bad Mum's Club" thread - :eek:The shame, giving a two year old cereal for Sunday Dinner :eek: Bad Memorygirl:rotfl:

To save my fading reputation, may I just add that DS and I are having

Gazpacho Soup
Haricot bean and Tuna Salad
Mixed Salad
HM Ciabatta

And I predict that the baby will be after seconds anyway - LOL

Off to rescue the kitchen table

Memorygirl XX

PS made my £4.13 payment today as well. I felt quite nervous today transferring the money over into my savings account - which is so silly because it can be slipped back over in a flash. What will I be like when I actually transfer it into the mortgage account??

Firewalker

Thanks MG - sounds good. New gadget waiting to be used.

Always ready to experiment and will leep you posted as well.

Firewalker

Memory_Girl

Daily Mortgage transfer made into the savings pot - without any jitters this morning. I've now been doing this for ten days and have a whole £43.10 saved up - Go Me!!!!:j

I know it seems daft to work so hard to put away these pennies, knowing that if I manage to save up for a whole year I will still have 99% of the mortgage to pay off - but at least in my own little fuddled brain I feel like I am doing something. And I'm hoping that as I get back to work I can start transferring bigger and bigger amounts - it's about creating a new habit I guess.

Hope everyone else is on target to colouring in a leaf / brick / spreadsheet cell - it keeps me going knowing others are out there conquering mountains too.

My littlie - a whole 2 years and 2 months (nearly) old decided to start school today:rotfl:. He marched in at dropping off time, took off his shoes, grabbed the kindy teacher by the hand and with a loud n proud "come please" led her from the boot room into the classroom. Bless her - she went with him and set him to work -same rules as the older kids - take out a mat, take one material from the shelf, be shown how to complete task, complete task, return material to shelf and repeat. 45 minutes later I am still sitting out of sight in the kitchen listenning in - perfect silence, perfect concentration.

After an hour she brings him in to me and tells him "schools over, time to put your shoe on" and he does it - without a murmur, no complaints, no 2yr old tantrums. Just straight out the door, into the car and home for a while.

:j:j I love it when a plan comes together:j:j Kids go to a Montessori school if you wonder why I'm so excited - he demonstrated that he is ready to move onto the next step - and if he was toilet trained he probably could start for a few hours a week. As it is he is "really" due to start in January - but you never know he might decide that August is for him really. I'm so proud of my little man - doing work that the 4 and 5 year olds were doing - and so happily.

Mummy moment over:D

Need to get a wiggle on because we have got an MSP coming for a visit at 11.30 and I need to slap on a face - going the whole "Yummy Mummy" look today, lipstick, matching socks - the lot:rotfl:

He's coming to observe our school in action - and hopefully become a useful contact as we begin the process of relocating the school over the next few weeks - he's a nice guy too which helps.

Last week our older kids had an election - and voted one of their number "President" for the day, so the MSP is going to have a chat about Politics over lunch with them. Trouble is the kid who won confessed to me this morning that he's forgotten the pledges he made in his Manifesto.:) I really don't think he got why I was wetting myself laughing and telling him he'd be perfect to be a politician:rotfl:

So far so NSD - and with risotto for tea I don't think I will have to spend anything. If I am uber careful I might make it till Friday (my birthday) although I may have to go shopping for eggs for a birthday cake then but that would be OK.

Wonder if I'm up to a second £100 challenge??

Memorygirl

cha97michelle

You have done so well on your £100 challenge. I really take my hat off to you as i can't seem to do it at all. Maybe if i switch to just cash and had that in my pocket. I spent £26 in about 8 days, but i could have spent less i know. (That is just groceries. I didn't include the bills that came out too.)

Bless your DS2. Mine is one month younger. I don't think he would sit still even for an hour, although i suppose he might surprise me. Are you about to start toilet training? My DS is showing a few signs that he is ready, but i don't even want to consider it till we've been away and got the new bathroom done, so July at the earliest. He very impressively can wee on demand in the bath, including into a shampoo bottle lid, so it might be ok. The thing putting me off though is we have only just finished the whole day/night training with DS1 really, and it was a year long process. I guess i just need a break from it. Selfish mummy. Next month.

Quiche here today. I picked up some very cheap flour at the local cheap food place. We also have all the ingredients. I am working on emptying the pantry a bit ready for the work. I didn't manage to try the gnocchi recipe yet but it is still on the to do list.

SAHMto2boys

Love the idea of the little payments, I know you say it'll only pay off 1% but that 1% with save interest and get you closer to your goal.

Loving the whole £100 to last as long as possible, I've been drawing out spending money in cash each month and love seeing how far I can make it stretch. Bless your little one at school, this is going to sound dreadfully ignorant but how does your school work?

Thanks for this thread, I find it really motivating to read!

Memory_Girl

cha97michelle wrote: »

You have done so well on your £100 challenge. I really take my hat off to you as i can't seem to do it at all. Maybe if i switch to just cash and had that in my pocket. I spent £26 in about 8 days, but i could have spent less i know. (That is just groceries. I didn't include the bills that came out too.)

Bless your DS2. Mine is one month younger. I don't think he would sit still even for an hour, although i suppose he might surprise me. Are you about to start toilet training? My DS is showing a few signs that he is ready, but i don't even want to consider it till we've been away and got the new bathroom done, so July at the earliest. He very impressively can wee on demand in the bath, including into a shampoo bottle lid, so it might be ok. The thing putting me off though is we have only just finished the whole day/night training with DS1 really, and it was a year long process. I guess i just need a break from it. Selfish mummy. Next month.

Quiche here today. I picked up some very cheap flour at the local cheap food place. We also have all the ingredients. I am working on emptying the pantry a bit ready for the work. I didn't manage to try the gnocchi recipe yet but it is still on the to do list.

I am a great believer in leaving it until boys are absolutely ready before attempting to toilet train - found with the first that when I ignored it he started to do it IYSWIM? With this one I may just find that he gets up one morning and decides to do it for himself. Then again I might just be a particularly lazy Mother:rotfl: Although the baby does come to me trumpeting "stinky boy" :eek: when he has filled a nappy. One day soon I hope he will come to me before though.

Haven't had quiche in I don't know how long - sounds like a plan though. Think I might do a brocolli and blue cheese on this week - with crispy potato wedges and coleslaw - Mmmmmmmmmm!!!

Wonder if my few quid left will stretch to a piece of cheese??

Got my new bag of potatoes today - so gnocchi may be on our menu too later in the week - Just now I am going to have the biggest baked potato you have ever saw with homemade hummous, chopped onion and chilli - YUM!!!

Onwards and downwards (the debt not us obviously)

Memorygirl

Memory_Girl

SAHMto2boys wrote: »

Love the idea of the little payments, I know you say it'll only pay off 1% but that 1% with save interest and get you closer to your goal.

Loving the whole £100 to last as long as possible, I've been drawing out spending money in cash each month and love seeing how far I can make it stretch. Bless your little one at school, this is going to sound dreadfully ignorant but how does your school work?

Thanks for this thread, I find it really motivating to read!

Aw thanks - its everyone chipping in their ideas that keep me going.

Yup you're right - 1% of the mortgage is a lot of money when you think o the interest you would also have to pay over the life of the mortgage - so Knuckle-down Memorygirl and keep paying off your pennies.

The £100 challenge has really made me think about those little bits of food here and there that you buy - when you could really just decide to make something you already have in. Just made me focus on whats coming up for dinner as opposed to winging it I suppose. Also reinforced to me that good food is a touchstone for our family - that we enjoy having the time to sit together and eat as a family. DS is beginning to develop quite a palette too -so he is always up for trying something new.

Not quite sure what you mean about how our school works? But we are a Charity - the parents raise enough money every year to keep it going. We are also the only Montessori school in the UK that takes kids from 2yrs 10 months (better make that 2yrs 2 months after today) right through till 18. Tough work - but all of our kids aer thriving so it is really worth it.

On that note - better get the kindling ready for bed (we are having a movie time tonight) and then ealy to bed - not that I shall sleep because there is a meeting that will decide the future of our wee school tomorrow and I am pretty darn nervous.

TTFN

Memorygirl