Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2016

mrs-moneypenny

Morning all
Busy all day today do no time for much really
Dh will be making do with last nights shepherds pie leftovers for his lunch (I did plan it that way) I'll be using up some mushrooms, Christmas Stilton and tomatoes to make stuffed mushrooms for tea, and I never got round to doing the mending yesterday so must do that tonight.

Have a good day all.

patentgirl

It was my turn to host my group of friends at mine only happens about once every 4-5 months really pleased only spent £3.18 on some speciality breads everything else was leftovers from Christmas and what I had in fridge before thinking about making do would have spent probably nearly £20!

Hughesfamily

A good day for me yesterday - we both had tea from our home stores - little one had alphabet bites, nuggets and sweetcorn (nuggets YS at 25p for 36) and I had literally half a pound of sprouts chopped and pan fried in stir fry with AF kung po sauce, left over veg from night before, 1/2 an onion and the last of the Christmas prawns and some cashews.

My minimising was bringing all the Christmas chocolates and sweets into work and for everyone else to eat them.

No mending but I have begun stock piling my outstanding sewing jobs and I need to take up some bargain jeans I bought by about 4 inches. It will be my weekend activity to prevent us going anywhere to spend.

plumduff55

Hi, I'd like to join you all ��

I have read the Old Style blogs for several years and they have motivated me to pay off mortgage 7 years early and then have rainy day savings. Through this I was able to retire in October aged 60. I have always been frugal but it is different now that I HAVE to be frugal as I am using my pension lump sum to subsidise my works pension till age 66. Now that I have time I want to add to these post and hopefully help readers the way that I have been helped.

Making do - through no choice of my own I am having to make do with an oil heater and a gas fire as my central heating broke down over a week ago. Because of the holiday the part needed is not coming till tomorrow. It has been so miserable, as soon as you step out into the hall it's like opening the door to your freezer.

Minimising - when I buy bread in greaseproof type paper eg War****ons, I use the paper to line baking tins. I use the tins to cut the paper to size then store the paper in the tin till I next need it. It works perfectly.

Mending - I knitted my Mum an aran waistcoat for Xmas. It has one button fastening but fastening is too high so I'm going to sew on large stud fastening in correct place and cover with button. I will then sew up buttonhole.

Hoping that when I next post my heating will be fixed. I must have been much tougher in my younger days before there was central heating.

lollyfin

I made a collage out of an old cork board and some of my favourite photos today to brighten up my kitchen and I'm cooking a 5.5kg turkey crown that my DD was given as a Christmas freebie so free food for a while here.
No minimising today tho as the wool I ordered arrived, it's gorgeous, and I'm ridiculously excited to get started knitting

Minihauk

Good morning All.

I'm waiting for the repair man, he is due between 12-5pm. Am trying to declutter kitchen before he arrives, why, oh why, is it so difficult to part with carp??? I know I won't use it ...... but it MAY come in handy, lol. No, out it must go!!

Cooking up a storm as freezer is now defrosting and I don't want to lose it all. Hoping once he has been it will be working again so I can freeze the cooked food.

Enough procrastinating - I'm going in, wish me luck!

VJsmum

Making do on the food front this week - though we are getting a little desperate...

Tonight i am having left over christmas dinner and new year dinner (not quite enough from each, but the separate bits frozen and can combine into one meal) DS is having some lamb i found in freezer with spare left over roasties from christmas dinner. OH not home for dinner.

if i don't shop tomorrow then we are down to goats cheese and onions - so pizza it is with goats cheese and caramalised onions. Might have it even if i do shop, sounds yum

Working from home today so am holed up in our office with some candles burning to generate heat. i must look into one of those plant pot heater efforts....

FairyPrincessk

I'm having a chilly day working from home as well. Second half of a tin of tuna on a sandwich for lunch today with a bit of cucumber and some hummus. The simpler recipes often me no leftovers for my lunch, but I sometimes miss things like sandwiches since I rarely get to eat them! It is almost time to start planning next week's meals and I think I need to look through the cupboards. We have lots of some things and not much at all of others--the tinned tomato stock is shockingly low but I think we have lots of pasta and other grains so I'll try to balance it all out a bit through strategic buying and eating. I guess that is a combination of making do and minimizing.

Unfortunately something went wrong with my brownies last night and we're now out of eggs so not sure what to do about pudding for the rest of the week. It is one of my best recipes and I think the result has put me off delving into an eggless recipe for something else tonight--I may be in a bit of a mood about it as I was looking forward to them.:o Depending on how much milk we have it might be a good night for cocoa...

Tonight is screen free night. I've decided to work on my knitting and I've a radio drama I'd like to listen to on catch up--this will technically require the use of the laptop, but only to use it as a radio system, which I think is permissible. That is only if OH hasn't already planned some music he wants to listen to. I also need to make some sort of decorative pin cushion for storing hat pins. I have one I use very regularly (useful things, no idea why they're out of fashion!) but I recently minimized the dried flower petals I kept it stuck in. I have plenty of material I could use to cover it but will need to find something to stuff it with.

I like to idea of using the bonbon dish as a fruit dish. Our fruit gets storied in a tiered cupcake unit.

beautiful_ravens

Good afternoon!

Yesterday the car wouldn't start. Had a feeling it might be to do with recent wet driving, and the distributor cap has got wet before and stopped it from starting, so today ...

Mend - Opened up distributor cap, sprayed it and HT leads and plugs with wd40, mopped up damp, put back together, hey presto - car started! [lucky, as I have no spare money to get it fixed by a car fixing man.]

ETA-
Minimise - Got 3 bags of books and cds ready for charity shop/ebay.

Also - Thanks for suggestions about the awkward picture!

fuddle

So many MM&Ming.

Making do at the moment: the inner sole in my wellies has annoyingly come loose but it's been a blessing as the sole in my walking-to-school-shoes-when-it's-not-wet has flattened so it's uncomfy on my heel when I walk. I thought to swap the sole from the wellies and will just pop it back in when I need the wellies.