Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2015

kittym

She is so lovely Rose, and has such a cute little happy face.
Wish I was as speedy as you.

The weather has been great here today as well, and I managed to get some fruit bushes planted and some potatoes.

Sitting watching Poldark, doing some crochet, and trying to stop no 1 putty tat from tormenting me with his paws :mad:

Hope you have all had a productive day. xx

Lynplatinum

Hiya All

Had a fab time yesterday at my friend's party. Another friend reminded me what I had given her for her 50th and suggested that as a presy. This is a 'Little Book of Happiness' you find a really nice note book (in her case one covered in Chinese silk - in his a moleskin one) and on the front page you write the instructions - which are - everytime something goes right or you have brilliant day out with someone or something makes you smile - you take a moment before bedtime to write it down so as you dont forget it. also so on the first page you write how that person has made you happy! Some one gave me one once and I often use it as a special gift - but at the time of last posting I had forgotten it! I also bought him a really nice pen to go with it. I did not post on here yesterday as I was busy making him a card and writing him a poem to go inside it!

Today I am full of resolutions! On Friday I went over to my son's for a late Mother's day (was with DS2 on M day) and saw some photos of Christmas!! EEEEEEKKK:eek::eek::eek::eek: I look like a beached whale!!! Weight loss must happen NOW!! SO have been back to what I know works following a young man who was on Sunday Brunch today 'Joe Wicks' I think he was called. He was saying about eating mostly veg and protein and as little carbs, fat and sugar as possible! So tonight I used one of his recipies:

Cut a sweet potato into burger sized rounds as thick as a £1
Lightly brush with oil - salt and pepper them
Grill on medium grill turning once
Mix 1lb lean mince with 1 oz oatmeal, 1 egg and any flavourings you like
form into small burgers the size of the palm of your hand
Grill both sides - also grill some tomatoes along side them
Sandwich the burgers by 2 bits of sweet potato also putting into the 'burger' the tomatoes and lettuce - no need for mayo or tomato sauce.
This was very delicious and filling!

Resolution 2 is to take the pictures for e-bay tomorrow and do my banking - I have 4 cheques that are outstanding!

My other two resolutions - to turn the TV OFFFFFFFF! and to live on £10 per week house keeping are going well. I did my 'big weekly shop and spent £8.56 in Lid!ls and came home with 2 bags full of food! Dont need anything else this week!

Rose those dolls look Fab - you really are just so clever - I know I couldnt do owt like it! Well now this movie - whom shall we cast as the villain - the moriarty who is making us spend all our money??? (lets not get political here!) :rotfl:

Lynplatinum

Oh and PS - brilliant suggestion re a book or an audio book but am not sure what, if anything he reads - weird as I can tell you what most of my other friends read. I will, however, store the excellent suggestion and go fishing to find out! Thanks folks!

cheerfulness4

'A little book of happiness', what a lovely idea.

I love the hair and bow on your new baby doll, Rose. I always wanted a little girl so I could have fun playing with her hair and dressing her up but two boys came my way. I do love baby boy clothes so still had fun.

Potatoes planted in their bags now all down the side of the house. We did rather a lot but we like spuds.

My spends today:

DAY 22

Money Spent Today - £3.20 Vouchers Spent - £0
Money Spent in Total - £64.14 Vouchers Spent in Total - £6.80
Money left in purse - £1.86 Float left- £0/£15
Jan non-foods left- £3.39/£15

At Aldi we picked up 1 x pasta n sauce @ 39p and 1kg of bananas @ 68p.

We then popped to Morries to check out YS bargains but none to be had so just got 1 x Rowse Honey @ £1.29 ( on offer), 1 x fresh cauli @ 69p and 1 x sweet potato @ 15p.

From the non-foods budget we spent 78p on personal hygiene.

I pulled the YS frying steak out the freezer that I bought the other day for dinner tomorrow. Will have that with HM wedges using some of my 19p YS potatoes and make a green salad to have with it.
I think I might use a couple of my YS big tomatoes I got recently and grill those to go with it and buy a punnet of the Aldi Super 6 Mushrooms @ 69p for a treat.
I'm making a HM pizza on Wednesday so the mushrooms would be good for that, too. Could even hold back a few to pop in my HM fish pie on Friday next week as well. Wonder if they will stretch that far.


We had a lovely Roast Pork dinner today with cauli, carrots, sweet potato, cabbage and roasties. Half the pork now in the freezer for dinner next Sunday. That will make an easy Sunday lunch for us. I might make a pudding to earn my keep.

kitty - which fruits are you growing?

GreyQueen

:T Oh wow, Rose, those dolls are fantastic, you're a talented lady and no mistake. They will be real traffic-stoppers in a shop window, brace yourself for orders.

Cheerfulness, if you'd've hada wee girl like me, you wouldn't have been able to put me in frocks and fiddle with my hair, any more than a boy - not all girl children are ameniable to being dressed up, lol.

Have been busy gardening and doing extra laundry necessitated by the leak through the linen cupboard ceiling. Have miminimsed my household via several non-damaged but no-longer-necessary textiles but haven't actually mended anything ; the fault is in the CH pipework of the flat above mine. Or maybe even the flat above that, who can know? I shall be phoning it in at 8.00 when the lines open.

VJsmum

And I had a little girl who did like dressing up ....

But not in anything I chose for her :rotfl:

DawnW

cheerfulness4 wrote: »

I always wanted a little girl so I could have fun playing with her hair and dressing her up but two boys came my way. I do love baby boy clothes so still had fun.

Well, I had 2 baby girls, but by the time they actually grew some hair, they had very definite ideas as to what was to be done to it, ie as little as possible :rotfl: Likewise with clothes, they were early crawlers, so it was dungarees all the way, and then clothing which withstood activities such as playing in mud, climbing trees and riding bikes

silvasava

Oh GQ - what a b****er hope its not too long before the leak is sorted. Not much to report. Spent yesterday painting the inside of lockers & relining them from bits of brown shag carpet to some cream vinyl that I'd skip dived. Treated DH to a full house breakfast at the club as he's worked so hard on the boat (very MS £4.00 inc tea/coffee & a top up!) Came home & 'vegged' with the Sunday paper & the crosswords & had a carpet picnic. Need to pick up a parcel from the sorting office - think its a tool for DH - nothing exciting!
Hope everyone has a good start to their week :-)

vhalla1478

Good Afternoon, Everyone, have just got back from lunch with an old schoolfriend - friends for 57 years, which dulled the pain of my DB going back to Norfolk and then to Prague. Not the end of all the hassle for him, but hopefully the beginning of the end. Anyway, we had a lovely time and I'm most definitely on a diet and off alcohol for now!!

I'll catch up to date with all your posts later, but the Geoff Hamilton book that someone here recommended -thank you - has just arrived with the post, so it's too tempting not to have a quick flick through and the housework can wait until tomorrow - DB is incredibly tidy, probably because he lives in a confined space offshore so there's really not much to do, just the usual vacuuming and dusting.

I suddenly remembered that one of DB's brothers works for the BBC so once the house in the Czech Republic is sorted, I shall be reminding him about it after his next trip offshore. and someone mentioned a villain, if we can find a role for one - how about Alan Rickman -I love his voice - I'd believe him if he told me black was white!

Resumption of recipes will start later this evening.

Viv xx

vhalla1478

Good Afternoon, Everyone, hope you all had a good weekend. DB has just gone back to Norfolk, preparatory to his trip back to the Czech Republic tomorrow, when I hope everything will be finalised, but I'm not holding my breath - it could drag on for another four years.

Geoff Hamilton has arrived, so rather than vacuuming and dusting I'm going to have a cup of tea and a quick flick through.

I suddenly remembered that one of DB's brothers works for the BBC, so once DB is back from his next trip offshore I'll be hoping to go forward with the idea. Someone mentioned a villain - how about Alan Rickman? I love his voice; he could tell me black was white and I'd agree.

Recipes later when I've had chance to read all your posts and I've got my head together. No more alcohol for the time being. GQ do hope your leak is sorted quickly.

Viv xx