Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2015

[Deleted User]

Luckily Ben's girlfriends Mum is doing the pick up.The departures and arrivals all come out of the same door unfortunately.

It's been so chilly this afternoon I've had to put my heating on.The washing is more or less dry,I'll finish it off on the radiators.
Dinner is smelling gorgeous and I may open a small bottle of vino as well.
Just been looking at holidays cottages for next year as they get booked up so quickly on the IoW. Fingers crossed the weather will imrove by next summer :):)

iamsalt

Gosh it's been cold here today. I have definitely gone into nesting mode, spring makes me want to go outside and my mum says I do autumn cleaning.
So I have been through 2 bags of things, throwing out most of it, I still wonder why I hold onto things, even 10 year old body lotions which have dried out (although that's now in the bin) , I am making far more of an effort to use things up, both in the kitchen, the garden and the bathroom, and minimise those things which have been hanging around for far too long. I do feel much lighter when I do this, funny that.

Dinner was veg entirely from the garden, courgettes, beans, sweet corn and radishes in butter, all with home made quiche from the last time I had things to use up in the fridge.
Off to help a friend at a wedding fair tomorrow, but I want to go through a drawer or two before I head off there, I need get through as much as I can before I get distracted by panto rehearsals and some doggy visitors who are staying for a couple of weeks.
Really shocked by the airport story.
S x

vulpix

Hi,
have been on my own all day.Son and Mr v in Wales to watch the rugby,dd1 at bf's dd2 at friends for a sleep over.Well not entirely true,the boyband plumbers have been as has my builder.

I went out to buy a radiator at omebase.They didn't have one but were giving away free pansies,have planted them up for the back garden.3 trays per customer.Not often you get owt for nowt.I also cut the hedge at the front and had a tidy in the back garden.There is a nip in the air,came in at 6pm because I was cold.

Found a piece of slate which I am going to use to make a sign to say that I am in the garden if people ring the front doorbell.

Busy again tomorrow,family stuff,lifts,taxi service etc.may go to the pub later with a friend.Oh o,I am a very cheap night out,I cannot hold my drink and am drunk on 1.

Vx

i do not know where today has gone.done some batch cooking for the freezer,including soup,the first since last winter.

misstara

Hello all,

Have spent today with a horrendous hangover, tea out with the girls last night turned into lots of wine and dancing. Finally started feeling better a few hours ago.

Had HM pizza for tea which was yummy. Got a meal plan written up for next week, me and OH are planning to go to Aldee on Monday to get supplies in.

Lynplatinum

Hiya

Well I did better today - its all washed down and ready to paint tomorrow. :j I would have done more but a CAMRA friend popped round firstly for business but also some chatter. then I picked up after a friend who had fallen ill and that took an hour or so! Also got an offer of work but I am not sure when I can fit it in!!

Jackie O that is horrendous!! Very very naughty not to pre warn you! If one is not a frequent traveler how would you know? Perhaps you would not have the cash on you? And I dont like paying for such things on cards! (for example I go to quite a few festivals and rock concerts and if I am taking someone new I always warn them about the lack of loos and the extortionate price of drinks! - including water!).

Several of us seem to have had some peace and quiet and been able to get on with things today!

Heavens above!!! As I sit here typing the first fireworks of the year are going off!! Bangers! How dare they! My poor dog - if she was alive - would have been quaking by now! Last year it used to send several new babies up the road screaming too! Its not right!! Not yet! :mad:

Tea today was curious - rice (left over from yesterday) mixed with sauted onion and courgette and garlic - a pinch of chilli flakes - a shake of soy - topped with a blob of yogurt and toasted cashew nuts. Now I know this sounds weird but it tasted all right and used up rice, courgette and cashews! :rotfl:
Frugal NSD day and will be same tomorrow - sleep well folks!

FairyPrincessk

Morning all,

Just setting ourselves up for another busy MMM week at the FPK house. OH is ironing his shirts for work now. I've done the menu plan and we'll do the shop when Ald! opens. It should be under budget but at least a little this week, particularly as Mr. FPK has two nights at school late where they'll give him his tea. I'll also get some washing done. If the sheets dry in time I'll change the bed linens, but we only have two full sets so I need to get those from our guest washed and dried before I can change ours. My knitting is still progressing, and I'm hoping to get a bit of time to knit this afternoon.


I've got the 'make something beautiful for the house urge today but not a lot of brilliant ideas. We have quite a large kitchen and have a wicker chair in there with some HM cushions, just in front of the radiator. I'd like to make a small rug--it would be far away from cooking areas but I've yet to find a way of effectively making rugs from things I have. I did try the braiding and sewing method and I ended up with a bowl. :rotfl: I'll have a think.

I did try to get some minimizing going this morning. OH woke up with lots of energy to get things done. I said, 'Great, you can choose three things to drop off at the CS on the way to Ald!" since he really needs to declutter some things. He said he could think of two already--me and the cat! I did try.:p

candlelight_2013

Hello all

Have had a few days in Norfolk and met up with old friends. Stayed in a lovely hotel and we were looked after very well.

Popped to Lidl today and one of their offers was on tulip bulbs. I do so love them, but this year I am going to put them in pots scattered around the garden. Their offer was 2 packs for £3 each containing 12 bulbs, so I bought 4 packs to start with. When the summer bedding plants are going over I will refresh the soil and plant the bulbs.

I have sorted the freezer out (yet again) and thrown a couple of odd bits away. I stocked up on chicken, mince and cubed casserole beef so should last us the month. I do try to have at least one day free of meat, and Himself has come to accept that.

I am currently replenishing my store cupboard because to me it feels like Autumn and I feel the need to stock up for winter. What I don't like is that one week it seems like summer and then the next Autumn, there doesn't seem to be a gradual lead up to it.

Have a good day all

Candlelightx

Lynplatinum

Hiya All

Been really busy today - washed down all of bathroom - found paint etc - read to do to morrow! Mowed lawn - cut back some shrubs weeded front garden - tidied away clothes - prettified everywhere so I could take photos of house to put on web site - collected fried (in the middle of this) the washing machine in their hmo (house of multiple occupation) had leaked again due to someone fiddling with it! He CBA to fix it again for no thanks or acknowledgement so came over to mine to do washing. He will call landlord tomorrow! He helped me drag large amounts of cut shrubs to recycle bin!
Later on gave friend a lift to Mr M. Went in with him - I needed lettuce and came out with a large bakery loaf (i.e. a good one not a sliced one :-) for 9p and a large lump of Wensleydale cheese for 99p. I love YS bargains!!!! There was some meat on YS too but a large hoard of folks round there hassling the poor girl on the butcher's counter so I did not feel like joining them - some ethnicitities seem to think its ok to shout and haggle (as I am given to understand is appropriate in their contries of origin) when the poor girl just has to do what she is told - I think security should have made them wait and queue and take one item each. But I refused to join them. Other folk politely negotiated over cheeses and breads.
Tonight phoned son and had a nice chat with him and his dog which joined in the conversation. Then while watching Trials of Jimmy Rose I decluttered 4 arch leaver files of paperwork - so loads of shredding tomorrow! But 1/4 sack of recyling already!! Am knackered! But v pleased with myself as it has been a busy - get stuff done day! :-)
Frugalin on!

GreyQueen

I had a happy day yesterday, bit of a lie-in, then up to the lottie in the late morning. Weather was rather unstable here, and I'm still getting over all the decorating I did for the folks' a few days ago, so didn't feel like doing oodles.

Did just over an hour with the hoe, covering a lot of ground which had got a bit weedy, although it was immaculate two weeks ago. Then harvested some courgettes, swung into a Liddly on the way home for some essentials and some bakery requisites, which weren't available.

Never mind, home for a lunch of the blackberry-courgette-peach pie made on Saturday, up to the library to return two books then into a Tosspots on the way back for the bakery stuff. And they had bunches of bananas reduced to 11p each (for a bunch of five). Bonzo! And not the slightest bit over-ripe, still a bit green.

Home and spent the afternoon pottering and batch-cooking and have a fridge and freezer stocked with loveliness (mostly incorporating courgettes, it must be noted ) to see me through the coming week at work. I do like to spend a bit of time on Sunday getting things sorted out or I spend the workweek in a muddle.

Haven't mended anything but did add the book I finished right into the charity bag.

Onwards and upwards, lovely peeps.

FairyPrincessk

Morning all,

Strange day today. I'm off to the academy for a haircut this morning. They only do certain days of the week and I need a bit of tidying up before my conference/start of term. It does take awhile, but it is very economically priced. Not sure if that is making do, but given how much hair I have, getting it trimmed is definitely minimizing.:rotfl:

Home to do work this afternoon and then off to the gym. Quick tea tonight--probably a pasta dish with aubergines. I'm just finishing off the first cardigan sleeve, but it needs concentration so I may not get much of it done today. OH made carrot and kidney bean burgers last night so I'll have some of those for lunch with a bit of salad or whatever I find.

Yesterday we did drop of a small supermarket bag at the CS. Probably around 8 books and some kitchen scales that aren't particularly accurate and that we replaced with better quality. I also moved furniture around in the lounge--nice to have a change and I'm hoping it will discourage Maggie the Cat from scratching a particular chair. I've tried all sorts--wrapping it in foil, putting a scratching post next to it, blankets etc.

I also tried the dates in flapjacks as suggested by Mrs. LW. I saw them at Ald! and had a bit of wiggle room in the spends so got a bag. I added in a layer of finely chopped walnuts as well. They were a hit, and if I can just get the texture slightly less crumbly I think they'll probably start to make it into OH's work bag. As it is they're good for him to scoff when he gets in from running home after coaching football.