Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2015

Prinzessilein

Evening all!


It has been a quiet day...I finished off the second of the knitted hats. Two down two to go!


I went to Lidls this afternoon....my app said they had duvets on 'special' last week and I wanted to see if they had any left....and I was in luck!....I now have a new summer duvet - and the old one will be kept and used as an extra 'under' layer to sleep on in winter.


As to the 'haggling in CS'debate...I once helped out in a CS....and yes, we did have some chancers try and haggle, and NEVER gave in!.....some of the helpers were a bit cheeky too though!..one time we had someone offer their services as a volunteer - when asked for the reasons that led to the decision to volunteer they said 'because as a volunteer I would get first dibs on all the good stuff and I do carbooting every Sunday!', they seriously thought volunteering one afternoon a week would mean they could take whatever they wanted from the donated items and sell them for a nice fat profit at the weekend!!!

GreyQueen

Evening all.

I've minimalised by one chazzer donation bag, made do one lot of food into two meals and may mend a pair of gloves before laundering them and putting them away for the season. All three 'Ms' accounted for.;)

I'm a regular chazzer customer and have been astonished at the antics which some of the public see fit to inflict on this sector. Cutting out labels of 'good' clothes to fake-up inferior clothes to sell on Bay of E. Stealing from the Everything 50p Chazzer. Label-switching to try and get stuff cheaper.

In one of my regular haunts, one lady volunteer on the till was approached by a gentleman with a coat who then tried to haggle the (very modest) price still lower. She said, very patiently and politely, that the goods were donated for the charity, the volunteers were donating their time and the price was very fair (sub-£5) and that if he thought it was too much, he should put it back on the rack, but it wouldn't be reduced further. He paid with ill-grace.

I wouldn't dream of haggling at a chazzer. I sometimes see things I would have bought, but they'd have to be cheaper than they are then, but I just walk on by; if the chazzer can get their price from someone else, then more power to their elbow.

silvasava

Evening All - been a beautiful day here so decided not to waste it doing housework! I've been pruning' planting and power washing DH mowed the grass and cleared up the Woodstock corner & swept up so everything is looking neat and tidy. Promised my neighbour I would go shopping with her tomorrow - she needs a dress for a function & apparently as I'm the friend who will tell her if her bum looks too big I get to help her! Went to a little birthday celebration this evening for one of the 'sailing' ladies - she's 81 and still sails her boat - hope I can be like that if I get to her age.
Right - DH has poured me a glass of Sangria so mustn't let it get too warm lol Have a good evening all

frizz2

Evening everyone!
Have had a lovely day as it is my Easter holidays! I have sorted all my clothes out - taken 5 bags to the dump. Also sorted some old t shirts out that I can cut into strips to make a crochet rag rug.
Also sorted all my fabric into organised containers so I can see what I have as opposed to just letting everything get messy.
I did O level needlework and my mum taught me to cook and knit. I have always made clothes or adapted them and made changes to things bought at car boots sales and jumble sales. I don't buy clothes from shops as I always have second hand stuff for me. I have two teenage sons and need to save where I can to help support them through University. I make most meals from scratch.
I waish I had more time to grow veg but Hope I can do that once I retire!
I shop in Aldi or Lidl each week!
Best wishes
Everyone

misstara

Evening everyone,

I was planning on doing some mending today but once I set the sewing machine up I remembered that OH had somehow managed to snap the tip of the needle when he used it last week. I only had the one needle so will need to buy some more.

I have had a day off today so have done some cleaning and baking. Not much else to report - am horrified by all the stories about CS thefts and haggling.

cheerfulness4

Played hooky from all jobs in and out of the house today to go out with mum and dad to a lovely little garden centre we happened on by chance recently. It was gorgeous and a little treasure to have found. Not a big chain and very reasonably priced.
We all had a great time but a couple more plants were purchased. (Smack my handies!)

Spends have gone as below:

MON 6 APR
DAY 6

Money Spent Today - £1.48 Vouchers Spent - £0
Money Spent in Total - £15.95 Vouchers Spent in Total - £0
Money left in purse - £2.05 - Float left- £7.89/£15
Jan non-foods left- £8.18/£15

Today bought 1x milk @ 88p, YS bargains were 3x hot x buns @ 15p each and 1 x Hovis loaf @ 15p.

From the non-foods budget we bought 1x antacids @ £1.40.

TUE 7/WED 8 APR
DAYS 7/8

Money Spent Today - £7.14 Vouchers Spent - £0
Money Spent in Total - £23.09 Vouchers Spent in Total - £0
Money left in purse - £0.91 - Float left- £6.40/£15
Jan non-foods left- £8.18/£15

Quite an expensive shop today. We got 1x milk @ 88p, 1x YS turkey mince @ £1.25, , 1pk YS 4 mini pork and apple pies @ 35p, 1 x YS Topside Beef Joint @ £3.05,
1 x YS Jacksons Brown bloomer loaf @ 25p, 3x YS Wholemeal loaves @ 9p each (but a offer link deducted 18p making it 9p for all 3 loaves ), 1x YS 6pk kipling fruit pies @ 25p,
2 x YS New York cinnamon & raisin bagels @ 29p each, 1 x YS white loaf @ 25p and 1 bag of 2x savoy cabbages @ 19p.

From the extras budget we bought 1x YS frying steaks @ £1.49.

Lynplatinum

Hiya folks

Well, I have been very busy today - I am off on hols to Belgium on a coach trip organised by a friend of mine (not one done by a company). Pennies are tight but I had already paid a deposit so I saved the rest of the monies and am going. But made: flapjack (box of); own sandwiches; own drink to go with and scored AS!A for bargain grapes and crisps (no YS sadly).. Also looked at the part of this site which tells you best place to go for currency and picked mine up today. So kinda holiday with MM&M in mind! hopefully my taking food will save buying so much - also have not purchased any clothes or toiletries. I already have enough clothes and have decanted shower and moisturiser stuff into smaller bottles! LOL

In a way wish I was here as garden is getting interesting and :j my tomato seedlings have come up - now if only the peppers would oblige?? A friend is popping in to keep an eye on the little darlings for me!

See you soon folks!

[Deleted User]

Have a great time in Belgium Lyneplatinum but steer clear of the chocolate shops as they are very alluring and delicious and its so easy to be tempted.They do pretty good chips though with dipping mayo :):)

Well I helped my son-in-law to 'Mend' yesterday I got there first thing as I was looking after my three DGS and he was stressing about how the washing machine had gone wrong.They have had one of those patches of time where everything seems to be breaking down at once The dishwasher has packed up,the microwave is just about useless and now the W/M.He had mananged to take the pump bit off and we could see what looked like a bit of underwire from Dds bra down the pipe clogging it up so the water ,would only pump out at a trickle.He had tried everything but couldn't reach it to grab hold of it .He couldn't find the right screwdriver to undo the bit under neath so we could get closer to dig it out, and the local chap has a £60.00 call out fee plus parts and time. Its not a bad machine, but a bit tempremental at times. But then its on twice a day almost every day of the year so it does get a lot of use as there are 6 in the family.
Well their phone went and it was his work and he was on the phone for awhile (he works from home at times ) so I set to trying to dig this pesky bit of wire out.Even long nosed pliers were not long enough.So back-up plan came into action

I always carry my knitting bag with me when I go to children-sit so I fished out a knitting needle and had a good poke around, and dug no end of chunks of powder out, this loosened the wire a bit and my finger could wiggle it a bit more.Several sloshes of water and a bit more vigorous finger wiggling and out popped the wire Eureka one freed up pump.

Simon came back to the kitchen muttering dark thoughts about 'God know how much a new machine will cost' (cash is pretty streeetched at times in their house) and found his ma-in-law sat at the table grinning with a cleaned pump and a pile of grotty looking chunks of dried soappowder and the offending wire.
He was delighted, and was so chuffed as my knitting needle and patience had saved the machine for working a bit longer .

Cost me a bit of determination and a lot of finger-wiggling ( a technical term for amateur hole un-bungers in washing machines ) :):) result, one much relieved son-in-law.That was my good deed for the day done. I went to the U3A meeting in the afternoon with my youngest DGS feeling quite proud of myself
Time was they would have just bought a new machine, but at the moment money is streetched a bit as their eldest is at Uni and the three boys are growing like weeds Last week-end the 13 year old Henry had some new trainers at they were size 8 He is as tall as me at 5'4" and growing still.I think he will top 6ft plus. Now if only I knew how to fix the microwave :):): (I wouldn't as I would worry about radiation :):)
Today my gardener is coming and we will talk about what I would like him to plant up in the garden for me.
I am making do with the food already in stock this month and eking out until Sunday when I go to W8trose as I have a £6.00 off a £30.00 shop to use up :)tonights meal will be sausages from the freezer,mash and cauliflower and cabbage the veg are wrapped in foil in the fridge and have kept beautifully. I still have a fair bit of salad stuff in the fridge as well so NSD for me today

GreyQueen

:T Well done, Jackie0!

You may not be surprised to hear what the family's friendly neighbourhood WM mechanic told me; the commonest cause of injury to washers is bra underwires; they get out of the bra, thru the holes in the drum and where they shouldn't be.

Perhaps it'd be best not to machine-wash underwired bras, given the price of washing machines and their repairs?

iris

GreyQueen wrote: »

:T Well done, Jackie0!

You may not be surprised to hear what the family's friendly neighbourhood WM mechanic told me; the commonest cause of injury to washers is bra underwires; they get out of the bra, thru the holes in the drum and where they shouldn't be.

Perhaps it'd be best not to machine-wash underwired bras, given the price of washing machines and their repairs?

I have a little net bag with a zip that is for underwired bras etc. I have had it for years and was a freebie recommended by a member of MSE many years ago - it's brilliant:)


Similar to this
http://www.lakeland.co.uk/24030/2-Large-Lingerie-Wash-Bags---D---GG