Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2016

tooties

Evening All,

All our meals are still coming from stocks in the fridge and freezer,
I have started using and e-cig and i am finding it ok so far,
Brought a bag of clothes down from the attic most of them are only fit for the bin so they have been stripped of all useful parts, one hand knit jumper will be frogged for future use,
I too have also made all my bread this year.
All the wood for the wood burner has been salvaged (with permission) so all heating and hot water has been free (bar petrol for chainsaws).
All in all i am not doing too badly so far.

regards

threepenny_bit

well I have a personal challenge to sell stuff I no longer need or use and raise $100 per month. I have lots of knitting needle sets and can't possibly use them all so I put each set with a case/holder and sold them. I raised $165 towards my total

Still eating from freezer and pantry stocks so no shopping yet

NO mending today but I am swing on some buttons for a little knitted cardigan I made

nicki_2

charlies-aunt wrote: »

Nicki - we have three rescue dogs and find that they are happy to eat up left over cooked veg (except onions, which are poisonous to dogs) this uses up leftovers & bulks out their dried food healthily and also any slightly elderly eggs can be boiled or scrambled to substitute for a portion of dog food

Thanks for this. When we got him last March he was on meaty chunk "dry" stuff from Aldi and tins of meat which was costing us a fortune so I switched him to the working dog stuff (he's a border collie so I thought he'd be okay) with tinned meat in gravy. He used to pick certain shapes out and leave them all over the livingroom and his poop was disgusting, then his skin started getting really dry and itchy which we put down to an allergy to the dry food. So I've now switched him to Asda branded tinned stuff in jelly, and Burns Chicken and Brown Rice dry dog food from Petsathome and he seems much better for it. Plus its the brand of food our vets recommends...I just won't buy it from there as its a lot more expensive that way!

He also has organic cider vinegar (with the bits in) mixed in with his food to try and keep the recurrent water infections at bay. That's something I NEED to find a cheaper source of because 500ml doesn't last long but its so much cheaper than more antibiotics & vets bills purely down to the fact he won't drink due to the water infections he's had so we're stuck in a vicious circle. I've tried adding water to his food but he won't eat it then. This dog is a diva! :rotfl::rotfl:


I went grocery shopping and found some reduced wafer thin meat dated for tomorrow so I bought a pack of each, brought it home and made it up into single portion bags (I need to buy a new vacuum bag sealer thing, my one couldn't seal a glued together tissue now. I might see if I can save enough through multibuys and reduced items to fund a decent one as they're about £64+ depending on where you get it from) which are rolled up then put inside a proper freezer bag and in the freezer. The packs said 10 servings, I got 12 out of each Now all DD needs to do is be organised enough to get a pack out the night before!

I also went through the budget with DD for the next few months. We overspent by 55p last year, but we used the credit card alot. I worked out we really need our grocery budget at £30 a week to make savings but thats with me over estimating the water & council tax bills deliberately as I know they'll go up in April so we have a little wiggle room for now. So can that be classed as mending today? I fixed our budget, kind of while we're in that lovely limbo stage before the new financial year

Lynplatinum

Evening All

Wow - roast pepper soup - sounds yum - any chance of a recipe Zaxdog???

Well, as those who were on 2015 thread might remember - Tuesday eve is my YS hunt night at the above mentioned store because I work near there on Tues and finish about 7.15. LOADS of ys!! tonight - packs of sliced ham (does it freeze ok folks?? I bought it assuming yes???) breads galore (got crumpet - 15p (!) and WMrolls) - half a white cabbage 15p (for HM coleslaw!) - bacon - chciken drumsticks - loads!! Am trying to loose weight so am only buying healthy stuff so how did the 89p onion bajiis get in my basket?? No need now to shop for ages but will so a Lid!l for oats and oatcakes as these are cheaper in Lid!l and it will make me do 1/2hr walkies (help with weight loss)

Jackie O - when you say crackers for your lunch - which ones to you have?? Ryvita leave me still hungry. Any guidance appreciated as I would love to loose as much weight as you have! :A

Finally tonight, dear friends, advice please. I received several unwanted gifts this Christmas. Most have been repurposed (marshmallows to a friend who loves em for example - yet another wooly scarf to the collection for the local food bank at Morr!sons)

But one gift I am in a quandry about. It is a pressed glass bonbon dish. On a stand of glass it looks Victorian (but isnt). I really like the look of it. I occasionally make sweets for occasions such as parties and it would look lovely holding them. However, it would only be used rarely and I am trying to declutter and am unlikely to ever have this person to my house.

Dilemma is keep or not to keep - that is the question - and if not where to take it to?? E of Bay or Chazzer??
Opinions very welcome :A
Anyone else got Christmas pressies with dilemmas????
Nite all

Floss

Lynplatinum under the MK principle, does it give you joy? If yes, put it somewhere you'll see it, maybe to put watch in when washing in the bathroom or use for car keys? If not, pass it on to someone who will gain joy from it prob by chazzer as fleabay may be more bother!

Hughesfamily

Lynplatinum I echo Floss, my boss gave me a toiletry set which is lovely but I cannot use scented things so this is useless to me (as have the past four year sets been the same!)

It will however go nicely with the very much reduced slippers for my mum for her birthday in April.

Tea last night was the last of the Christmas turkey from the freezer with veg and the lingering veg from the bottom of the fridge was made into soup last night and that will be my lunches for the rest of the week with the last of the Christmas gammon chopped into cubes into it for protein. I too am on a weight loss mission this year.

I have three bags of dahl mix bought from app food last year - does anyone have any suggestions to how to make this more appetising than it looks from the instructions?

No mending although I did sew name tags into the cardigans that we were gifted from year old school lost property yesterday - does that count?

Nargleblast

I make a red lentil dhal using the recipe in The Takeaway Secret, and I stir in some peanut butter at the end which adds extra protein and taste.

FairyPrincessk

Morning all,

Those awkward gifts are always such a conundrum for me. I always feel guilty not enjoying them. I'd probably try to find a more productive use for the bonbon dish if I liked it. I keep my paperclips etc. in one, I have a few for jewelry etc. Could it replace something you're already using that you don't particularly like but which is functional?

I've just resolved this morning to stop reading a website that never fails to make me feel as if my life is on the wrong track. It is aimed at people with very different life goals than I have. It will be hard to stick to it as I think it has become a habit.

Last night we had tuna steaks, broccoli, rice and some of the salad base made up into coleslaw with half greek yoghurt half mayo dressing. I made extra of the rice and tomorrow night that will go into peppers after I heat it with a tin of tomatoes, some herbs a tin of kidney beans and most of a packet of feta. Tonight is cheese on toast with salad base. I'll try to think of an interesting dressing--maybe something mustard based.

Yesterday I took down our very small amount of xmas decs (shoebox full) and the tree can go out next week for the collection. Speaking of trees, I've just spotted a neighboring cat out my first floor window. There is one who is a daredevil and regularly gets quite high up, but this one is looking a little perplexed. I'll keep an eye on it and hope it makes it down. I think it is the Magpies enticing them up and then flying off.

I don't think I have any mending today, but the food budget is still functioning well on minimal (minimal money time and effort) and work is going well--is that a fourth M, maintaining??? Tomorrow night is the first screen free night for us and I'm looking forward to it!

Ah--relief--the cat has just made it down with only a few near-misses!! I think if I were a cat I'd be the boring variety that camped out in a window over a radiator. My constitution can't take so much excitement!

savingpennies

A mend day. We have one of those beds with drawers underneath and on one of them the bottom had come out. So off to B&Q to get wood strips to make the bottom more secure. I did this before with our old bed and the drawer was much stronger. It's diamond day as well so should get the wood with a discount. Might look for strips of wood for my little square foot patch as wire didn't work well last year.

[Deleted User]

Lyneplatinum I use Lidls Rivercote brand of crackers and they are lovely and cheaper than the other 'Cracker breads' The sesame ones especially are gorgeous.As I use soft cream Philly-type cheese as a spread or low fat pate from Lidls around 49p a pack as a spread I no longer buy or keep butter in the fridge The only stuff I have is a block of cheapo butter that i use for making my DGS biscuits with
Hope this helps
JackieO xx