Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2015

black_cat

ejbg - very impressive!

I've just thrown away a pair of OH's holey socks. I darn my own but he's got too many and the de-cluttering won over the make do and mend!

tooties

Just popped on to say that i am learning a lot from you lovely people

regards

Bobarella

I use my roadkill as I go. I really do not see the point in amassing hoards of low denomination coins as you may as well keep the coins you do have in the bank and spend your change. Especially if you have a proper savings account anyway.

I save Tesco rewards to pay for days out. I paid for an entire day trip to our favourite place Drusillas Park in teaco points which would otherwise have cost us £50+ for 2 adults and a child. Nectar points I save up a bit then knock off my shopping. At the moment I am doing any wombled finds to boost my points with the goal of paying off the equivalent to my credit card.

Ebay money, and cash back site money all comes off the credit card as soon as I have it.

sammy_kaye18

Morning all

Do you have room for another little one please?

I love the idea of make do and mend and have tried to follow it as a lifestyle choice - especially since I have been spending as much time as possible with my nan recently and recounting her life when she lived through the war and her nanna reused the black out curtains and turned them into bedspreads.....I do seriously think the society we live in at the minute really would take a dive if things ever took a turn like that.

Sadly where I live there is very much a divide in classes if thats the right way to put it - your either ''rich'' or your ''poor''. Me - I like to think Im at the lower end of the spectrum at the minute but thats due to being a bit frivolous with spending recently with Christmas (although my son has £150 for christmas and daughter barely had £100 thanks to selling sites/sales/ebay) This year though things need to change....

I currently have two overdrafts - one about £270 and one at £370 that need to be worked on so I need to try and save money where I can and with both kids now in school and Mr P working full time long hours making packed lunches/heatable meals up is taking a fair chunk of my money that does come in.

So I need to try and save elsewhere. Health wise I am off meds at the minute for my labyrinthitis (think vertigo/seasickness/anxiety all in one for the last 18 months!) so have been cooking from scratch more.

Also I have changed my tesco vouchers to christmas only to try and save for the holidays and will be doing saving stamps too.
All my spare change is getting saved aside as well as any roadkill

I will admit I never thought to go in charity shops for the kids clothes until this christmas - there was a pretty little coat in the window (aged 5-6 and my daughter is a big 4) but it was £2.50 and is so pretty so will be looking in there more for her.
I own a sewing machine that I got off a sale site - I havent even opened the cover though.
I have a black bag (or 2) of outgrown clothes/old sheets/spare fabric that I dont even know whats in it.
I own knitting needles and wool but never started.
I have a 3 tier electric steamer which Ive never even plugged in.
:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

What on earth happened to me in the last few years with my frugalness I shall never know.......but any ideas for using the clothes/material etc greatly appreciated!

Wannabgood

After being a long term watcher I am finally joining in as a result of seeing this thread. I knit, crochet and generally craft as well as being an ok cook. Hopefully by joining in I can remember to repurpose all the things I have rather than spending money I do not have on new. Thanks for the wonderful ideas so far.

Margaret54

hi everyone I would love to join too please I have a sewing machine which I am so wanting to use more and learn to be come a good sewer, and I have made a few little things for my grandson who is one now:) I do knit and belong to a little craft group in my church where we knit for charity. I have a stash of yarn which I am steadily working my way through. I have bought fabric recently in a sale and hope to learn to make things from it for presents and I have also sorted out a lot of stuff which my dh and I no longer need for the charity shop, all in good order and clean and it feel great to have sorted it all out. I have also promised myself I will think before I buy in future and save even more. It is a great place to be here and have so enjoyed finding you all. I need to put more into our savings. We have plenty of clothes and footwear etc . It is just the two of us now(all have flown the nest) Margaret x

mrswive

At the end of each month I amalgamate roadkill with general loose change ( I empty my purse at the end of each day and put anything under 50p into a jar) it gets counted, bagged and paid into the bank when it's full; it also means that there's always a bit of loose change in the house just in case (often one of the DGSes needs a pound or two for something at school and DD doesn't do real money, only plastic, so she never has any so it's supergran to the rescue!), and if I'm running a bit low on funds I can always buy milk, bread or suchlike with a handful of 20p s. Vouchers get used for things I need as and when.




I'm definitely going to get the sewing machine out a lot more this year and have a few projects in mind for using up various bits of fabric from the stash

Prinzessilein

Just thought I'd share this photo:





It's one of the hats I knitted....I did one for myself in beige with a brown stripe.


And for the 'beginners' amongst us....I did this just a couple of months after learning knitting!

good_advice

Hi everyone
Today is the first day of saving the 1kg empty marg tubs for planting seeds in.
Last year we found these large tubs so usefull for tomato, beans, marigolds and other seeds.
When planting out is done we then bin them.

cheerfulness4

I wish I had time to read properly and add my bits but Grandkiddies need picking up from daddy's and delivering back to mummy's. <sigh>


Just quickly, Sammy, while you're around, hows that little dog doing that you rescued that night outside Coop. Did you get her well?


Margaret, my GD is just 1. All the 'make' possibilities there. Mine, I've discovered, like knitted toys. So does her 2 yr old brother. I'm thinking there's some fun knitting to be done but I'm after something really special to make. :cool:

Just enjoyed a wonderful YS meal. Only the chips weren't reduced. I'm so full. The little plate idea to lose weight only works if you don't overhang the edges as DH seems to have done. I didn't complain, not while he's doing the cooking and me the sitting.




Will catch up with you all when I get back and in the meantime think what use we could have for the underwires in bras. I've thrown away loads.