Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2015

savingqueen

Finefoot wrote: »

My next challenge is sorting my undies. I'm really annoyed that my knicker elastic is already parting company with my waistband. I'm hoping its not the tumble dryer that's making rubbery 'strings' hanging down, too.
There's nothing wrong with the fabric but at this stage I normally cut my losses and chuck them away. Well that's got to stop.
Has anyone else dealt successfully with this problem?

Tumble dryers ruin elastic on knicks.

I think its probably the TD to blame. You can replace the elastic, haven't done so myself but will have a go next time my undies hang too loose! Hopefully someone will be along for some specific guidance.......

GreyQueen

The TD won't be helping but also be suspicious of fabric conditoner if you use that; it's reckoned to be bad for elastic and that includes fabrics containing elastane (which is sold branded as Lycra and Spandex).

I don't use fabric conditioner at all, despite being in a very hard water area and the world still turns.

Eenymeeny

Lovely thread, really enjoying it and picking up tips with hopefully, some motivation!
Re the curse of the Bank Holidays, many moons ago I worked in a tv rental shop (yes there was such a thing!) people used to bemoan the fact that their (one and only!) telly always went off at Christmas. Maybe it was because it had been on from the kids getting up at early hours until the dot disappeared after the Epilogue?
Am I going too far back now for anyone else to remember?

pws52

Love the idea of making do and mending.
I have been doing it for years and feel that it is now more fashionable and so I am not feeling such an oddity.

This happened to me last night.
We went to friends for a meal. Wife said that hubby's slippers had developed a hole in the toe and he needed to buy new ones.
They are the moccasin type sold at M and S so not cheap.
I said that I would mend them.
Brought the slipper home, re stitched the stitching...took all of 15 minutes. The repaired slipper was posted back through their letterbox. Received a thankyou phone call.
The friends can't believe that I repair stuff. They said that it is cheap to buy new and throw stuff away.
Youu can imagine my reaction!

GreyQueen

CH system now mended and heat and hot water coming up. A thingummy wotsit burned out -great big lump of metal and electrics. Fortunately the engineer could find a supplier open in town.

The cats will be so pleased as they adore lying on the sill over the double-width rad and they haven't been able to do that for 24 hours.

Prinzessilein

Eenymeeny wrote: »

I worked in a tv rental shop (yes there was such a thing!) people used to bemoan the fact that their (one and only!) telly always went off at Christmas. Maybe it was because it had been on from the kids getting up at early hours until the dot disappeared after the Epilogue?
Am I going too far back now for anyone else to remember?

I used to work in a rental shop!...one of my first jobs was to go there before the shop opened and do the dusting and vacuuming! (Those screens attracted so much dust!)


We certainly only had one TV....for many years rented rather than bought. And of course it was Black-and-White. And we had the luxury of 3 Channels! (And none of them broadcast 24/7!)


It's fun telling nephews and nieces this....Black and White? Wot no colour?!!!....and no TV in your bedroom?....what about the internet...what no Nintendo either? What did you do with yourself?


We read books (half an hour walk to the library - and the same back again - but I loved reading and the library let me borrow 3 books at a time!)...played board games....went blackberrying (oh we knew some terrific sites when we lived in Devon...pounds and pounds of the most luscious berries all for the picking!)...did all sorts of craft (I was making my own soft toys at the age of 9 or 10 - hand sewn with felt..a few years later I was into making candles and soap)...writing letters (no e-mails....and no phone!....if you needed to use a phone you walked to the phonebox...and it was button A and button B - remember them folks!)...assorted Brownie and Guide activities...and this was in addition to 'chores'....polishing shoes (scrapping mud off, rubbing in the polish, buffing them up...all took time!).....handwashing socks (white socks for school - and those grass stains had to be scrubbed out!....learned to do this for my Brownie Housewife badge!)....helping to prep veggies for dinner (peas used to come in pods....not tins!)....mending (from about the age of six I was using a thick needle and learning to sew on buttons)


My childhood may not have come with non-stop TV and internet and mobile phones.....but it equipped with a plethora of skills for the make-do-and-mend lifestyle!

tooties

Happy New Year everyone,

I just had to say how much i am enjoying reading this thread,

thanks everyone

regards

cheerfulness4

I'm suspecting it is the dreaded TDryer that's ruining my pants. Don't use fabric softener so can't be that.


We used to rent a tv from Rumblows. I remember the huge excitement when it was delivered because it was our first colour tv! I recently found a receipt from my in-laws house that was for renting a hoover.

Well today I went out shopping. We had a lovely shop and you know what, I didn't spend a penny! :T

First we went to B & Q for two large curtains poles for our new lounge. (the others are too short and one broke last night)
Also into the trolley went paint for our bedroom, 2 x ceramic plant arrangements and a venus fly trap. (present for my mum )
All totally FREE. :j

Through careful saving of vouchers, earnt through doing lots of surveys mainly but by recording shopping on Consumer Pulse and going through sites to earn points while shopping, we've been able to buy so much of the things we need without ever touching our bank accounts.
All these things learnt through this briiiant site! I'd never have known about survey rewards or collecting points for shopping otherwise.

BTW, the ceramic plant arrangements in B & Q had amazing reductions, selling at between £1 - £5. The pots alone would cost much more.

So today is the first of 2015 and so the first day of my £3 per day for 3 adults on groceries.

I will unashamedly copy the model set by the blogger of the aforementioned website: http://365days365pounds.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-aim-for-this-year.html

I couldn't improve on the way she kept track and I've learnt from her. Once a day I'll post how its going in that area to help me stay in the groove.
I shall follow her lead of allowing vouchers earned through survey sites etc to supplement my set allowances. Also any gifted food, food won and gifted money can be used in addition to the set budgets. (not many of those come along though sadly although mum often will pass a chicken carcass for me to play with. )
a
Each day I add £3 to my purse and at the start of each month a one off £15 for non-foods and £15 for any extras we wish.

So here goes!

Total allowance this month 31x3=£93 + £30 floats= £123
Day 1
Money Spent Today - £2.88 Vouchers Spent - £5
Money Spent in Total - £2.88 Vouchers Spent in Total - £5
Money left in purse - £0.12 Float left- £7.42/£15
Oct non-foods left- £15/£15

Big spend for the first day of the month as I dashed to Morries to see if any treats were left as we have our anniversary this month. Some delicious treats now stored and a few bits for the grandkiddies. All these should last the month. £12.38 spent but a £5 morries voucher brought that down to £7.38.
A very big chunky of my extras budget gone on day one. :eek:

£2.88 spent on 1kg clover @£2, celery @ 9p, twin pk rocket @ 9p, 2x steak pies @ 35p each.

I went out in my newly repaired undies today and without meaning to boast, I think I did a good job!
I'll stop talking about my pants now. Promise.

cheerfulness4

effy- I'm trying to teach myself crochet. I thought I was doing okay but since realised no one else does it like me. So many things I need to learn.


pws52, I used to repair my own shoes with stuff from Woolies, but never slippers. Slippers from Mark's aren't cheap as I found out this year buying DS's.

fairy3

Thank you for the tips for the sewing machine Cheerful will look at it properly over the weekend when all the trimmings are down. Have done a small make do and mend today so bit chuffed. My little car had a vanilla type air freshener tree thing but it was making me sneeze so needed another solution as dog travels with me sometimes.
Have a diffuser from rituals nearing the end of it's life so in a da da moment I cut about 4 inches off the diffuser sticks and using leftover tartan ribbon from a gift wound it through the sticks and topped with a loop and knot and slipped over the mirror so looks like a mini bundle of logs and smells lovely. No more sneezing and two more can be made when that one fades.
F x