Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2015

meritaten

vhalla - your post made me laugh! I had in my china cabinet a truly awful dish inherited from a great-aunt who had usually had really good taste in antiques. I was discussing with OH whether to get rid of it - and he said 'bin it' - and I said 'yeah, but its the ones who hate it and take it to 'Flog it' who get really good prices! so its gone in the 'kids inheritance' box in the attic!
my great aunt had a good many antiques when she bought them- usually just in 'junk shops'. I keep waiting for my own favourites to be featured on Flog it or Antiques roadshow. a couple of miniature Coalport vases - I have tried to research them on the net and cant find anything. either they are rare or common as muck!

vhalla1478

Meritaten, send me photos including the marks on the bottom and I can tell you how old they are and something about them - also their size and I can give you a ballpark price for them. You never know you might have something priceless. A lady had a vase that she had used as a planter in her garden for years and it fetched a million at auction.

Viv xx

Athome1

Prinzessilein wrote: »

Oh...and here is the recipe for Mum's Gingerbread...]

I'm only on page 105 of this thread but I love it here!

I made Princessilein's ginger cake yesterday and it is gorgeous. I wanted to ask how long it would keep for (not in the freezer)? I made 2 as per recipe and we're eating one and I'd like to keep the other for Sunday when we're going out visiting, would it still be ok by then do you think, or should I go down the freezer route?

Thanks to all for the fab recipes and general help and niceness. x

vulpix

Thank you Viv,much appreciated.These auction programmes seem to be pantomime.They often buy things from dealers at half the original price,or less.Gives people the impression that dealers are making massive profit.
I used to go to the auctions 30 years ago but luckily for me it closed down,I bought so much,it was so cheap.I don't know where the nearest one is to me now,and it's happen a good idea!
I sold an old wooden ladder a couple of years ago which i had found in the shed of a house I bought.The woman came from Sheffield for it and gave me £30 for her trouble.
I can see the attraction of the industrial thing but it is just a fashion,and i imagine not very comfortable.
Once we have moved I will see what we actually need and then find an auction and try to only buy what is on my list.hahahahaha the other ones got bells on. All my houses and furniture are just me playing ,like with a dolls house!I have got to rein it in,Mr V will only move 1 more time after this one.
Got to get on,off for a pre op today.Told my friend about the op on the phone last night and it's resurfaced after i had managed to forget about it:(.
have a lovely day everyone Vx

silvasava

Lyn - I'm another one who can't stand Pandora - overpriced tat. Much prefer a small handmade piece that has character & not mass produced. You've been very M MM - I think we sometimes forget because its something we tend to do all the time.
I'm doing a couple of Chicken & Mushroom pies this afternoon (& maybe a treacle tart ) Must have a look at the ginger cake too - its another thing I love. Got part of the sail mended yesterday - exhausting struggling with yards and yards of slippy, heavy sailcloth. It doesn't look that big on the boat and its only the small foresail!! Will tackle the rest tomorrow perhaps.
Blowing a hooley here (technical term) all the garden is getting blown to bits although scheduled to calm down this afternoon. My cats zooming around too with the wind up her tail.
Second cuppa calling so have a good day all x

vhalla1478

Morning Everyone,

I'd just finished posting on here this morning when it all disappeared so here's to my second try.

Welcome to Athomel and yes, I'm sure your ginger cake will be ok. Wrap it in foil or greaseproof paper or put it in an airtight tin.

Secondly, how I agree with Lynn and Silva about the Pandora rubbish - a clever marketing ploy aimed at young girls who want to be like their peers. If they added up what the total price was for a full bracelet it would come as a big shock; the intrinsic value of the silver in each bead is absolutely minimal, It reminds me of the plates that were marketed in the 1980s and 1990s and then their 'increasing' values were published; you see the poor things turning up at car boots and fairs - people can't give them away; another clever marketing con.

I forgot to mention buying Persian rugs last night. Second hand ones are a really good buy. Obviously check for wear, but don't be put off by dirt, they're easy to clean (a vigorous beating outside followed by a scrub with diluted fairy liquid but don't over wet them and check in an inconspicuous corner that the dyes are stable), and it's easy to mend a bedraggled fringe. Just remember to take measurements for all your second hand buys. To ensure you are getting a hand made rug and not a Belgian copy, look on the back for slight unevenness in the knots; a machine made one will be completely even.

I'm disgracefully not even showered and dressed yet, so will do that now and post a recipe later. Have a good day, All.

Viv xx

ps Good luck with the pre-op, Vulpix x

fuddle

Ah now you mention ginger cake. Howay MMMers, play fair. I now have to make and have eat it

In all fairness because of the weather I think a good pud after tonights meal is well deserved. We're having pork chops, roasted veg and mashed potato. The ginger cake will go in the oven at the same time. I have bought custard powder instead of tinned ready made as I think it may save us money (we go through a lot of custard!)

Also major result here. DH is a tea tart. Really won't make use of the own brand teas but for the past year and a half with hard water our tea taste buds are a little mixed up and last night DH (without knowing) enjoyed a cup of 70p for 40 tea bags from essential W8rose. Now it's not cheapest of cheap prices but it's a saving. Very happy with that.

Off to go look at ginger cake recipes!

celtic_moon

Hi All!

Glad to everyone is doing well - JackieO I hope you're recovering well and resting. Welcome to the newbies - it's a fab thread full of lovely, helpful people so grab a chair and stick the kettle on

Not having internet at home is taking some getting used to. I feel like I should be doing something (read a book, sew etc) but feel like I've lost an arm. Didn't think it would affect me this way so kinda glad I have done it now! Been doing quite well on the MMM front recently. Fettled another hog roast carcass into broth and stew We get them off a hog roast butty man at some of the events we go to and it's a win all round as he has to pay to get rid of them so... :T

I need to cut and recover the cushions from the caravan so we have a double bed and a seat each rather than a king sized bed and nowhere to eat. I am hesitant to get the sewing machine out straight onto such a big job. I think I might 'live with' the new layout for a little bit before deciding on coverings - keep the same or different? Colours, fabrics etc.

Some good news though! I have 2 weeks of full time work I will spend the next 2 weeks staying with my parents and working. They are more excited than me cos they now feel like they are helping us through our tough patch. I get to spend time with them whilst my Dad goes to some tough hospital appointments. It means 2 weeks away from my DH and furbaby but it'll pay the rent for most of the summer and give us room to breathe. Fingers crossed it'll lead to some more work in the long term too .

It means that DH will not have much help with the business in that time, so he is a little concerned about that. I will be able to do somethings remotely in the evenings but the hands on stuff like labelling and bottling he will have to do. The breathing room it will give us will mean we are both a little less stressed so.......

I have been keeping a close eye on the purse strings and managed 50% NSD in the last 3 weeks I am a bit gutted that @ldi seem to have stopped the newspaper coupons but it means that I don't 'have' to shop in that last week, so I may stretch it by a week each month and see if it works.....

I too am considered 'weird' by other people - quite rightly so to be fair :rotfl: My family and closest friends ALWAYS ask me for things and then give me ANYTHING they are getting rid of. I currently have a full house to kit out for my brother and his family who are returning from doing missionary work in Africa. I am doing quite well and not paid a penny for any of it. The meadery is looking like a storage warehouse but.......

I cannot bear the thought of anything that is useful going to landfill!! My spare room/office used to look like Steptoe's yard until I found the likes of Freecycle and local swapping sites on fb. Only 1 local charity shop will take ANYTHING (except old TVs) AND they take rags for weighing in. We bought a variety of dish drainers last week and paid 50p for all 5 of them

I better get back to the paperwork so it's all sorted before I go for 2 weeks. Have fun everyone and thanks for all your posts - they keep me going :j

Celtic xxx

Nargleblast

fuddle Elaine on her site Mortgage Free in Three posted a recipe for home made custard powder a few months back. I ddn' t know how it works out pricewise but the custard it makes tastes like heaven on earth, and now that is the only kind of custard we have.

[Deleted User]

Is anyone else having problems with MSE today? it keeps giving me the 'website not available message', is it all of us or just me? I don't seem to be able to able to access my PMs either.