Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2015

[Deleted User]

Thank you for the quinces, thank you for the lovely cuppa and the chance to meet your lovely OH and Valkyrie what a super way to spend a Monday morning. Not needed to Cookie walk this afternoon so I'm just about to start on the processing, the kitchen is going to smell amazing, Lyn xxx.

Hard_Up_Hester

I was given some quinces today, I'm just trying to decide what to do with them.

fuddle

Funny, I'm smelling quince with a touch of cinnamon now Enjoy!

I finished my second crochet cardigan. It's a shrug (so easy just a rectangle, folded in half and stitched up the sides only half way) It's mustard in Drops Alaska.

On with eldest's shrug and completed youngest's cardigan.

I'm also on with mittens. I'm knitting on eldest DD's loom. So easy for a non knitter. Mind the mittens won't have a thumb. I don't know how to do that. :rotfl:

mcculloch29

I smiled at the bath foam as shampoo. My friend decided to give up baths after I'd bought her a litre of bath foam as part of her Christmas stocking one year. Nobody else I know has baths either, or has sensitive skin, so it lay unloved in my wardrobe until a eureka moment when the handwash in the bathroom and kitchen was running low.

Further eureka moment when the washing up liquid was running low, half the kitchen handwash is now in there and some of the bathroom handwash will probably join it.

I regularly use bath liquids in the shower, but I have plenty of shower gel in stock. I was thinking I would run out, then got some Bronnley sent to review. Lovely, but way overpriced and had no natural ingredients.

I bought my 65p for 400ml shampoo and conditioner from Aldi, it's not open yet as I got sent both Pantene and Garnier shampoo and conditioner to trial.

I haven't made laundry gloop in ages, and think I probably will soon as it is so economical and I have the needful.

Once again, I got soap powder to review the other week. Literally soap powder too, 100% very finely grated pure olive soap. Meant for babies and delicates but I just shoved a scoop of Oxy in the powder drawer and it's worked fine.

nursemaggie

I called the housing welfare department this morning. They got things moving and we have an appointment on Friday morning. We should get rehoused. It will take too long for us to get the flat I would like. Thanks GQ for your advice they were very nice at the different housing departments.

mcculloch29 It is even cheaper to use soap in the shower and for had washing. I only use two bars of soap a year. Even if you use posh expensive soap it works out cheaper.

fuddle a simple mitten pattern with a thumb, using any double kitting, even using little scraps in stripes.

Cast on 32 stitches

work in k2 p2 rib for 6cm

k 1 row p1 row*

k 12 Make one picking up the yarn between you last st and the next

k1 m1 cont to the end of row turn and p 1 row

k 12 m1 k 3 m1 knit to the end

cont shaping until you have 7 stitches for the thumb gusset ending on the right side.

k12 m1 k 7 turn cont on these 8 st until the thumb is the desired length
end on right side

k 2 tog 4 times. break off yarn and thread yarn through stitches. sew up thumb.

rejoin yarn at the base of thumb picking up two stitches from base of thumb.

cont in stocking st until the mitten is as long as the longest finger on who ever you are knitting for ending with rs facing

k1 k2 tog to end

p 1 row

k2tog to end break yarn leaving yarn long enough to sew up the side of mitten. Thread yarn threw remaining stitches and sew up the side.

other mitten

from * k to last 13 st m1 k1 m1 continue shaping thumb gusset as before then cont to the end of the mitten

The brilliant thing about this pattern is you can make it in any size by increasing 2 st and adjusting where you shape the gusset by one stitch and go right up to adult. It does not take very much yarn around 30g to 40g depending on the size and you can use up small scraps to make stripes or even a fair-isle patten or picture.

Sorry this is so late did not sleep Sunday night and spend all morning making and receiving phone calls so had a long nap this afternoon making me a bit behind.

camelot1001

I always use soap in the shower, I find the shower gel just slips down the plughole! Once when the children were young I ran out of shower gel and put soap in, they asked what it was and I just told them it was solid shower gel!

Came back from Spain and had no food in, I picked a small cabbage from the garden and pulled some carrots, it was just the job! I have now been shopping and am back to normal meals.

I seem to have cured the problem pjs (the buttons at the front came undone during the night), I machine stitched right down the front as I can get the top on and off without undoing them.

Good news nursemaggie, hope you find somewhere soon and get settled before Christmas. I may try your mitten pattern.

I don't think I have ever tasted quince, in fact I will have to google it as I'm not even sure I know what one looks like!

GrannyKate

Mins Day 20

1.2. Gift bags x 2 to dil for reuse
3. Plastic pump came with toy but no use - had to use proper one
4. Hand wash - 2 almost empty bottles combined into 1
5. 6. Two cardboard boxes to RC
7. Photo to mil
8. Birthday card purchased for mil to her house
9. 10. 2 more sections of Family History papers culled to RC
11. Perished rubber wine stopper
12. 13. 14. 15 pots of toddler paint x4 - died in storage
16. Nativity DVD from 2013 to go back to DS home
17. Hand washing liquid died in storage -smelt awful - pot to RC
18. Padded envelopes to dil for reuse
19. Dutch phrase book to CS
20. Stain powder - combined into 1 pot from 2

One of the things I am finding is that I go back to kondoed areas and find things which I kept because 'I use all that' but where I didn't actually look at what was really in there.

Just realised I posted this here instead of Kon Marie board.

GreyQueen

nursemaggie wrote: »

I called the housing welfare department this morning. They got things moving and we have an appointment on Friday morning. We should get rehoused. It will take too long for us to get the flat I would like. Thanks GQ for your advice they were very nice at the different housing departments.

I'm very pleased to have been helpful - I've been worrying about you. Hope the appointment goes well (housing advisors tend to be very compassionate sorts btw) and that you get rehoused somewhere suitable quickly.

Have been eating down some food stocks and using up some other supplies. I find it helpful to imagine I've no money to buy myself out of inconveniences and problems, so it forces me to think creatively and use what resources I have to hand. It's all too easy for me to slip into the habit of just buying more stuff, rather than using what I already have.

That way lies a lot of clutter and wasted money.

Have a pair of socks which need darning but that will happen in a few days time, as I only darn under natural light, and won't have time after work today as going to my archery class, and it'll be dark by the time that's over.

Other than that, work is taking up a big chunk of each day, but I'm keeping on top of the domestic stuff, which is important. In a tiny flat like mine, things can quickly go to hell in a handcart.

Have a good day, lovely peeps. GQ xx

silvasava

Very pleased to hear your news Nursemaggie - do hope they can get you somewhere quickly.
Not much MMMing at the moment although I did put some beef shin and skirt in the slow cooker on Sunday & we had second helpings last night & there's enough for another meal for us in the freezer now. I've just got lots of 'bitty' jobs to do so I'll hit them this week & get them out the way! Off to make a list so nothing gets overlooked
Have a good day all x

vhalla1478

Good Morning, Folks,

I haven't been on here for a few days as I've had a hectic social life; I'm not complaining, but why oh why do these things come in 'clumps'?:j and not in well spaced out intervals (I used to say the same when I had my antiques business and you got surges of customers and then boring intervals in between).

Anyway, the school reunion was wonderful - great to see everyone and everyone recognised me for which I was grateful, although in fact we all had name badges with our maiden and present names on, so there were no embarrassing moments! It was such a happy day - and we're going to repeat it next year before we all start popping off!

After that I went to stay with a friend on Saturday night - she avidly buys clothes as she was in the rag trade for many years, and most of them are not her size, so I managed to buy a new pair of NYDJ from her for £25, instead of £140+ and a pair of £45 Per Una jeggings for £10 - I consider that a bargain.

Another friend picked me up on Sunday and we returned here where my DS had cooked Sunday lunch for us (Ddil and all GC had gone to see family in Harrogate for the day); it was wonderful - organic roast chicken, stuffing, roast root vegetables and fab gravy - I'm proud I taught my son to cook - a lifeskill everyone should have, in my opinion.

And yesterday I met up again with my school friend who now lives in Italy and who has invited me over - happy days.

My DB has a little more work in Aberdeen at the moment, so at least that's better than nothing; I just have to hope there are a few jobs offshore for him soon.

Nursemaggie - so pleased you have a little good news at last - what an anxious time when you don't know where you will be living - next to bereavement, it is the worst thing in my book. all best wishes to you.

Right, enough waffle, I need to catch up on everything today and get back to MMMing.

Have a good day, All.

Viv xx