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Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2015

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  • vhalla1478
    vhalla1478 Posts: 490 Forumite
    Good Afternoon, Folks,

    Only it isn't here. This morning was glorious and I sat outside sewing my rug, sowed some seeds, disposed of weeds etc. Then it changed completely, went dull and dismal and then wet. I sat inside getting on with the rug and did too much and ended up seeing double.

    Here's a useful jam recipe, unusual in that it's made with dried apricots.

    Dried Apricot Jam - makes about 1.4 kilo

    350 grams dried apricots, 1.75 litres boiling water, 900 grams sugar, juice of a large grapefruit or two large lemons, 2-3 tbsp. slivered almonds.

    Wash the apricots, put them in a large bowl and pour over the boiling water. Leave for 1-3 days until the apricots are swollen and soft.

    Turn the apricots and soaking liquid into a pan and simmer until tender. add the sugar, grapefruit or lemon juice and almonds. Bring to the boil until the jam reaches the setting point. (Test after 10 minutes boiling, by dropping a little jam on a saucer and setting it in a cool place for a minute or two. the jam should wrinkle at the edges. When you run a finger through the middle of the jam, it should stay in two separate sections. It may need 15-20 minutes to reach setting point). Pot, seal and cover.

    Have a good evening, All.

    Viv xx
  • nursemaggie
    nursemaggie Posts: 2,608 Forumite
    Seventh Anniversary 1,000 Posts
    It's absolutely pouring down here too, has been most of the week still cannot put my plants in my little tiny flower bed.

    Been making some Christmas Presents and done an awful lot of surveys this week mostly to do with the election.
  • misstara
    misstara Posts: 3,989 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper I've been Money Tipped!
    Nursemaggie what are you making for Christmas presents (if you don't mind me being nosey). Would love to do some HM gifts this year but don't really have a clue where to start.
    Mortgage 26.4.25 - £108,500  1.8.25 - £106,362.86
    Mortgage overpayment savings - £2.11/£50
    Mortgage overpayments so far - £675.98
  • vhalla1478
    vhalla1478 Posts: 490 Forumite
    edited 8 May 2015 at 6:32PM
    Misstara, soft toys for children, notice boards, homemade jams, chutneys, cake etc, in a pretty basket, home made pot pourri, home made lotions and potions, home made cushion covers, hand sewn potholders, matching aprons, cuttings from your garden, seeds Look at a few craft books in a charity shop for ideas that are quick, easy and cheap.

    Viv xx
  • septemberblues
    septemberblues Posts: 838 Forumite
    GreyQueen wrote: »
    :) They were from B00ts and cost £8.29. That's dirt cheap compared with pro thinners which seem to be £45-£75 from my research, but I didn't feel the limited use I'd be getting from them would justify the higher outlay. Haven't had them much more than a week, and have done one snipping session thus far, and was pleased.

    I, too, decided to cut my own hair after having a very poor professional cut, something which looked like I'd done it in the dark, from a qualifiied hairdresser with 6 years' experience (I asked, because I was pretty shocked at how rubbish she was).

    Have been home-haircutting since January. It's not perfect but I get a little better each time, no one has passed negative comments, I've had one or two compliments inc from a very blunt relative, and I shall continue.

    Thank you, when I next have some spare cash I will buy some! Not yet unfortunately, the dog has to go to the vet and I know it's going to be approx £100, have cut my food money from £70 a week to £30 so got a challenge on my hands. I added up what I spent every four weeks on food and sundries and my jaw nearly dropped to the floor :(

    There's loads to do in my house (decorating, minor repairs, making curtains, finishing sewing projects) which could cost me an arm and a leg, but I love to make do with what's already in my house........so looks like I've got this whole thread to read through! Thanks guys for taking the time to post,I shall enjoy the read.
    KEEP CALM AND keep taking the tablets :cool2:
  • vulpix
    vulpix Posts: 2,839 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Photogenic
    Hello good people,
    I have had a productive day.2 loads of washing dried on the line.Folded and back upstairs with no ironing needed.
    Cut one of the lawns before it rained and it is still raining.I also dug the rhubarb up and put it in a massive pot so it can go to a new home with me.Planted some daff bulbs in with some others in a bigger pot.Moved the garden furniture about,and did some dead heading.Shame it rained I was on a roll.
    I came in and had the contents of my dresser out.It contains baking stuff and jam making stuff including the Northern hemisphere's largest private collection of jam jars.I packed a box of stuff and then had a large cupboard out.packed 2 boxes and found some stuff to go.Some mugs and glasses can go to Mr V's work some stuff for a car boot and 8 vases from our wedding,will try them on eeeeeebay.Some of the jam jars can go on freeeecycle.I will save the smaller ones as I find they are nice for giving a little pot of jam away.And as only I eat jam here the big jars take me months to use.
    Yesterday I was out gadding.I bought a new top from tkkkkkkmax.Love,love,love it.If I come to the meetup I will wear it.Its got budgies on it.As hard as I looked I could not find anything to tempt me apart from some nickeeeeeee toilet paper.Nowhere sells it anywhere near where I live.
    Oh I forgot to say,I phoned the estate agent at 9am yesterday morning expecting a difficult call.He was completely different!!!!!!!!!!!!!! so nice,very odd.So we are back to square one.We have decided to see what comes on the market 'till the end of the month and if nothing we will give our tenants notice and move there.I hope not to do this really as they are fantastic tenants and I know that there are next to no rental properties round here.
    Haven't had time to read back yet.Vx
     :
  • nursemaggie
    nursemaggie Posts: 2,608 Forumite
    Seventh Anniversary 1,000 Posts
    Well misstara, vhalla1478 seems to have covered most things.Last year I made scarves for everyone so this year they are getting hats and gloves to match.

    Still struggling through today's surveys I must have done more than 10 still got half a dozen left.
  • GreyQueen
    GreyQueen Posts: 13,008 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    :) No probs, septemberblues. As a OS regular thiftwizard has in her sigline money is just a substitute for time and talent.

    If you can't throw money at a problem, you have to be ingenious. I recall how I was living in a grotty bedsit years ago which was small and had horrible digestive-biscuit coloured walls. Even after scrubbing them, they still looked dirty and horrible. I used a remnant of a can of white emulsion as a sort-of scumble to tone down the brown, then was able to repaint it with a single coat of light green, so fresh by comparison.

    Remember that everything you achieve from your own initiative, rather than just going shopping in new places at full retail, will be a brick in your confidence wall and a justifiable source of pride.

    Today I have worked through some files. Haven't removed a vast amount of volume, but have got rid of some stuff and sorted the remaining into a sensible manner. Most of it is pension stuff, so not exactly the kind of thing which you want to chuck in the bin, but it needs to be in an orderly fashion, and now it is.

    Have finally finished a bottle of sun cream which I was using up as handcream and have cut it open to wash it and put it in the recycling. Have also cut down a small section of garden hose, salvaged from a damaged hose pipe of Mum's, to make a blade-guard for a small but vicious saw which lives in the allotment shed.

    Have also done some cleaning, including cleaning in out-of-the-way places, and the dust bunnies are packing up and moving out as we speak. They're looking a wee bit cross about it, but them's the breaks.:cool:
    Every increased possession loads us with a new weariness.
    John Ruskin
    Veni, vidi, eradici
    (I came, I saw, I kondo'd)
  • janb5
    janb5 Posts: 2,673 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper I've been Money Tipped!
    Thank you, when I next have some spare cash I will buy some! Not yet unfortunately, the dog has to go to the vet and I know it's going to be approx £100, have cut my food money from £70 a week to £30 so got a challenge on


    Hi Septemberblues, without prying would it be possible to ask one of the animal charities to help out. I am pretty sure that there are some vets like PDSA that give help for free. If you look locally there may be a branch near you. You shouldn't have to worry like this needlessly if there is local help available?
  • janb5
    janb5 Posts: 2,673 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper I've been Money Tipped!
    vhalla1478 wrote: »
    Misstara, soft toys for children, notice boards, homemade jams, chutneys, cake etc, in a pretty basket, home made pot pourri, home made lotions and potions, home made cushion covers, hand sewn potholders, matching aprons, cuttings from your garden, seeds Look at a few craft books in a charity shop for ideas that are quick, easy and cheap.

    Viv xx


    What great suggestions! Also some charity shops have little basket for a small amount to put the gifts and maybe cover with some florists polythene and ribbon?
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