Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2015

dND

Just a quick flyby to say hi and update. Unfortunately not a no spend or MMM day/week here I only have well water and the pumping system has packed up :eek: I thought I'd done well finding a replacement pump online for less that I'd bought one locally 6 years ago but it didn't cure the problem. So it looks like something in the electrical system and I really don't like single phase electrics let alone three-phase which this installation is. So waiting for someone to come and fix it or at least point me in the direction of someone who can fix it.

Having to bucket all your water from the well each day make you really appreciate what a luxury water 'on tap' is. And it's not just for me - I brought up 100 litres of water for my alpacas yesterday and will probably have to do that every day this week as we are forecast temperatures into the 40's in the shade :eek: :eek: this week.

camelot1001 wrote: »

DD has homegrown lettuce in her salad for packed lunch today, it's lovely to be able to pick your own!

That is so true Camelot, I find myself becoming a bit of a garden food snob and thinking 'well that's more than 5 minutes old since being picked so I won't buy it :rotfl: With the lettuces I always treat them as cut-and-come-again and pick the larger leaves from each plant while leaving the rest to go on growing.

JackieO wrote: »

But I will get the piece of gammon out of the freezer to defrost and cook in some cola for slicing for next weeks lunches.tennis will be starting and I am glued to the t.v. when thats on. JackieO xxx

Cooking it in Cola?? Please do explain more and is it full cola or diet cola? I can understand where you are coming from as it's not that much different from using brown sugar and I guess a whole lot more convenient.

Well my weekend is sorted doing well dipping ( I also need to draw enough water to have a sluice down this evening - the water can stand on the patio until it heats and thankfully I have no neighbours apart from the birds who say they won't tell:rotfl:)
I hope everyone else has a great weekend and am looking forward to reading about it and everyone's sucesses with MMM and not buying it (as these threads overlap quite a bit).

sashanut

silvasava wrote: »

Sashanut - I bought a Mail in Lidlee & inside was their leaflet with a £5 off £40 too & valid to the 5th. Not publicised as far as I know?

Just found that the Mail on Sunday has the voucher in too.....inside on the back of the free Lidlee paper...HTH if you want to pick one up today..

Floss

dND it's full-fat cola for cooking ham/gammon, never diet It makes fab bean soup afterwards, and if you cover ham in cold water, bring to boil & discard and then cook covered in cola the meat & stock are less salty.

Synonymous

Hey everyone :wave: I've been lurking a while and recognise some of you from the NBI thread

I have been doing some MMMing today and wanted to share with people who wont just think I'm a saddo! Reading the thread has got me motivated to use things up so thank you all!

A while back a friend gave me loads of shower gel sachets for when I used the work gym, but I can't be doing with those fiddly sachets in the shower, so I sat and decanted them into a few small empty bottles to take when I visit family.

Then after some internet research, I melted down the stubs of a few concealers (the twist up stick is slanted, so a big wedge of concealer is left that you can't get out), and then moulded it back into one of the sticks - it's in the fridge now so hope it works!

I'm now contemplating making my own liquid clothes detergent with some hotel soaps, and trying to make some tinted moisturiser with unwanted moisturiser and foundation that's the wrong colour!

Can you tell I'm attacking the toiletries? The bottom of their drawer fell through so it was time for an intervention! :rotfl:

silvasava

Synonymous wrote: »

I'm now contemplating making my own liquid clothes detergent with some hotel soaps, and trying to make some tinted moisturiser with unwanted moisturiser and foundation that's the wrong colour!

Can you tell I'm attacking the toiletries? The bottom of their drawer fell through so it was time for an intervention! :rotfl:

Synonymous - do the foundation & moisturiser a little at a time & test a bit in your hand first. I tried the same thing but mine curdled!! but I have decanted all my old sunscreens into a pump bottle & use as an everyday moisturiser

ps: Welcome to the thread

cheerfulness4

Athome1 wrote: »

Coming out of lurkdom again to say Thank You to whoever posted the 'Non-Alcoholic Pimms recipe'. It was a very hot day here yesterday and I made a jug full and drank it all myself throughout the day! It was sensational. Please forgive me for not remembering who posted it. Came to this thread as a latecomer and am still catching up, gradually, - on page 138 just now. I can't skim read as there is just too much interesting stuff, so try and do 2-3 pages each morning. Thank you everyone for the friendliness, fun and fantastic recipes and information. Shirley x

Glad you enjoyed it, Shirley. It is really refreshing ,isn't it? I've got my pot of mint growing by the back door in readiness for a few jugs of this during this stifling week we are expecting to have. :dance:

meritaten

Blessed today! No1 son came in with a pound and half of strawberries from mums garden and the request 'Can you make these into jam'? hmmm, after raiding my hanging baskets (most people have flowers in theirs - I have strawberries) I gathered another half pound! exactly the right amount for the pack of jam sugar that's been lurking in the cupboard. so tomorrow will be making jam.
No1 son went home with a knitted jacket and a knitted cotton bolero for the baby, and pack of sliced boiled bacon I had put in the freezer for him yesterday (its his favourite food).
so a good day MM&M wise - and a NSD too!

[Deleted User]

dND its been a real warm few days in France hasn't it,my brother lives about 10 miles from Ruffec and when I was talking to his partner yesterday she said it had been very warm and even their pool was too warm to swim in :):).she is like me and doesn't like it as hot as that yet she has lived there for about 10 years
Today I was taken out by my DD and we went to Westgate-on-sea the temps there were around 22c with a nice breeze.Just right for me.DD even treated us to lunch bless her,had a nice afternoon just sitting watching the tide go out and drinking coffee in the sunshine DGS played on the beach and went rock-pooling.Wimbledon starts tomorrow Yay my favourite time of the year I can no longer play as I used to years ago,but I really enjoy watching it.
Hope everyone has had a nice day I did spend a little bit ,but it was from my Happy cash Stash and it was for some 99 ice creams with a flake in (first one of the summer :):))
JackieO xxx

Synonymous

silvasava wrote: »

Synonymous - do the foundation & moisturiser a little at a time & test a bit in your hand first. I tried the same thing but mine curdled!! but I have decanted all my old sunscreens into a pump bottle & use as an everyday moisturiser

ps: Welcome to the thread

Thanks silvasava, I haven't tried it yet but will bear that in mind! Made the detergent but not sure if it's correct, my clothes tonight were clean and smelt ok though, but hard to tell if that's partly the fabric softener.

I'm drowning in the little bottles of moisturiser and all the suggestions to use it up are things I don't do/need, so looks like I'll have to actually slap it on my body!

Night all

[Deleted User]

I have a empty jam jar that gets filled with soap scraps ,plus any from the small hotel bars of soap that my family save for me.My friends OH travels for his job and always brings home the little bars and they get passed on to me .I bought an old saucepan at a boot sale to use just for melting the soap down in.great way to use the little bits up and slightly larger bits I just grate down or dice small with an old knife.Reconstituted into anothe bar of soap I have cut back on having to buy soap quite so much.I may save some up though and have a go at making edwicks soap to use in my washing machine It looks like a winner