Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2015

silvasava

Janb - had intended to come to the meet up but was visiting friend in hospital who was admitted as an emergency. I did think that as I hadn't pm'd you for your address you would assume I wasn't coming. I'm so sorry. Would you please pm me your address though 'cos I would like to contribute to your fundraising.
Sounds like you all had a really great time and I'm so jealous that I missed it!

meritaten

it sounds like great fun - and I am dying to know 'who didn't look like they oughter'?


fuddle - I LOVE that insect house! I have a feeling that may well be Tuesdays 'craft project' for the grandgirls after school. I have canes and a quick walk up in the woods should net some bark (not me, OH, I cant be scrambling about in rough terrain), I also have some raffia and green twine - so would be all set.

vhalla1478

Hello All,

I'm the last back from the 'Meet' as I had the farthest to go and am just putting in a quick post to say how nice it was to put names to faces, especially as no one looked anything like I imagined (except Jan). What an interesting afternoon and didn't we have the hostess with the mostest. It was lovely to meet you all.

Must fly, speak later.

Viv xx

Lynplatinum

Evening All

Well folk the Binner Dinner was wonderful! It was BBQ themed and there was loads of sausages and burgers - masses of bread and 8 different salads!! Lots of pickles and sauces. My son made some special vegan stuff that imitates a BBQ ed ribs. It tasted wonderful!!! there were yogurts and poached pears for desert! they did over 40 dinners and the atmosphere was lovely - so friendly and helpful. Those who were able to prove that they had visited a food bank recently were fed for free. At the end there was STILL food left over - very discretely those who visited food banks were offered first choice of taking stuff home - then everyone else could take stuff. There was no waste, everyone went home stuffed and all with something for the next day. When I went to put my money in the donations pot it was full of notes (presumably £5 and £10s) :j So MM&M - all there very much of our mind set - no waste and how wrong it was that all this could have gone in the bin or for landfill!!! (PS all the plates and cutlery were also from second hand sources - including one CS who donated what they could not sell!!!)

Any profit goes to the Lab - the venue where it was held which is aiming to be a venue for music; art; poetry; spoken word for the community - they get so much donated - such as much of the new flooring - everyone spent a whole week painting the place/doing the flooring /repairing windows a few months ago! :A

Today has also zoomed past - lovely day for doing the washing - took the old kitchen cupboards to the tip - and having a walk with my friend and doing my HUGE weekly shop - £4.30!!! Purse now shut!!!

Glad all back home from the meet OK and will look forward to meeting the rest of you (if possible) at some point. The looks thing was quite funny - I thought Jackie O would be taller; I thought Viv would look older (I am sure she has got a portrait in the attic - she looks 20 years younger than she is!! honest!) and no one thought I d have long hair!! What fun guessing for next time

Must go - I have loads to do tomorrow and MUST be in bed before 12! Hopefully!!!
Nite all

misstara

Great to hear everyone had a lovely time at the meet

Today I tried making a banana loaf with GF flour for the first time which came out really well, used up some eggs and bananas which were a bit past it. Tea was salad using up leftover chicken, still got plenty leftover for tomorrow night as well. Have spent the evening reading and doing a bit of knitting.

camelot1001

Sounds like you all had fun at the meet!

Lyn, I've never heard of a Binner Dinner before but it sounds good, what a great idea. Sorry I may have missed it but what was the charity?

DD came home yesterday with the hem of her (reasonably new) work trousers down. Now they would usually have hung around for a week or so before I fixed them but I did them straight away so feeling very pleased with myself!

I've also cut some buttons off a cardigan I no longer want, that will go in the rag bag and the buttons will go in the tin. I love a button tin!

vulpix

Lyn,the Lab sounds a triumph and something that I hope catches on and expands further afield.Where did you say it was? Sounds just up my sons's street,he has a dream of something similar but with a bookshop involved.My son lives near Oxford so perhaps a visit wouldn't be too far.
Vx

pinknfluffy28

Hi everyone. I only found this wonderful thread last night, after having a "light bulb" moment, and deciding we need to start living more frugally!

We are due to move into our dream home (or it will be once we have replaced the 40 year old carpets, decor, kitchen etc) this summer. And the task of de-cluttering and packing our current home has left me bewildered, and more than slightly embarrassed, by just how wasteful we are as a family.

So I aim to pay for all our home renovations, by saving on all the wasting!

Make do and mend, rather than see it and spend!

My mission now is to read through the whole of this thread (currently on page 12) and continue to write a list of all the wonderful ideas I can use.

[Deleted User]

Good Morning everyone,I'd have love to have been taller Viv,I think over the years you 'concertina 'slightly I now am a hair's breadth under 5'4" wet through as my late OH used to say. Even my eldest DGS Danny pats me on the head and says 'How's things down there little Nanna ' cheeky scamp:). I must admit if shopping in the SM I have to look for tall chaps to get things down of shelves for me

I found everyones stories facinating, and Viv quite an amazing person, in fact I think you all were very interesting.

Lyn that binner dinner sounds great wouldn't it be good if it caught on all over the place and less food was thrown into landfill. I too hate waste of any sort. I had my 'left-over' veg from DD'd Sunday dinner last night for dinner and very tasty it was too.

I am definitely working my way through the food cupboards between now and August when I go on holiday as I do have far too much in stock.I managed to do well yesterday though I had just £17.06 in cash back from my Capitol One card to use up so I went into sainsbobs and bought all my fruit and veg and shopping for the week and it came to £17.71 so my weeks 'big' shop came to 65p then I spent £4.35 in M&S on eggs (I love their organic free range ones)some reduced watercress and a box of reduced strawberries that were perfect. so total spends for the week are exactly a fiver No more shopping to buy at all now :):)Purce clanged shut for at least another week:)
Bit of ironing to do today then as its looking rather nice outside I may sit in the garden and read my book with a large pot of coffee to keep me company.My idea of heaven, especially as my noisy neighbours have moved out last weekend so my little patch of the Garden of England will once more be a peaceful haven:):):)
Hope you all have a good day
Cheers chums JackieO xxx

bexster1975

Hello all!

The meet up sounds like it was fab. Lynn, your sons binner dinner sounds amazing. I second what others are saying in that I hope it spreads. I may talk to local food bank to see if it can be set up.
Pink and fluffy, good luck with the move, although if you plan on reading the whole thread before you move it may be delayed
Don't feel bad about your previous lifestyle, it's encouraged and most people do it that's why it doesn't seem an odd thing to do!
Why not try selling stuff you don't need or want before you move, then use the money to help with renovations!

Good luck with the move ( and catching up with the thread)

Bexster