Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2016

themadvix

Hi All, and welcome newbies

Mending - I finally finished knitting my dishcloth! It takes months because I have to put it away otherwise the cats would get it and then I forget about it. However, Top Gear, aka 'the knitting show', is back - DH watches, I quite enjoy, but I don't need to be looking at the screen - my knitting skills are fairly basic! So TG = knitting time Also on the mending front, our neighbours gave us their old garden bench a few weeks back, so we spent the weekend sanding it and painting it a cheery blue colour. It's not quite finished but looking a lot better than it did.

Minimising - tonight's dinner will minimise some quinoa and lentils that have been lurking at the back of the cupboard. Minimised some rhubarb in a crumble that's gone to my Nan - it was appreciated last time, so hopefully will be again (she has dementia) - and the triffid in the garden is looking less of a threat to humanity!

Making do - well we only bought cheese and milk and the weekend. Instead of making loaves I made tortilla wraps; we didn't have a veg delivery last week, so using bits up; end of bottle of Jack Daniel's BBQ sauce had mould growing in it (less than a cm left and it was 4 years old!) - DH washed bottle out and add a couple of chrysaths - very pretty!

So glad the weather has improved at last - I had to put the heating on a couple of times last week, way too depressing for June!

Have a good week all!

pinkypig

Hi everyone.
Back down to earth after a lovely weekend of walking, running and lounging around in the sun:)
Minimise - finished my current batch of exam papers on Friday night:j Pinkflamingo - have you tried exam marking? It's a bit of a pain on top of your day job but it doesn't last long and the extra money is handy.
Make do - I've had a no spend weekend:money: everything we did was free. We did a mountain walk, parked in a free of charge lay by and took lunch with us. Dinner was in a cool box in the car when we got back and we ate it sat in the sun looking out over the hills. Enjoyed it more than any restaurant I've ever been to! Our other day was an early morning run before it got too hot and an afternoon picnic by the lake. Used up fridge, freezer and cupboard stocks. Amazing what you can rustle up when you put mind to it.
Mend - nothing - too busy enjoying myself:o
Hope you're all enjoying the sun. Doesn't it give you a boost?
PP x

elona

Making do and minimising


My kitchen now consists of a plastered set of walls and ceiling, a tap, two sockets and a microwave. The previous owner bodged the electrics so badly I need to spend an extra £1500 on it to make it safe. Looks as if I won't get my kitchen in till next week now.


I chose some bleached oak flooring which should complement the ivory gloss units and the pale grey paint. I saved £15 on the paint and £3 a metre on the flooring as there was a sale on!


Minimising


I lost three and a half pounds last week and hope to lose more and the kitchen is as minimal as you get get!!!

savingpennies

Hi everyone and a special hello to all the new folk.

We've been really busy here the last week looking at updating/re-vamping some of the house, now that we have the time. I dug out my carpet cleaner and cleaned the dining room and landing carpets. Can I classify that as mending?

Minimising: The weather has been glorious in my neck of the woods so lots of gardening: mainly weeding and pruning. I gave the conservatory a good clear out last week. DD2 had a bit of an obsession with cactus years ago and I've never really liked them so I threw them all out and disposed of some ornaments into the car boot box. I've now got lots of plant pots which I am thinking of spraying in nice colours to match the cushions. however, I've still to work out how to clean the pleated blinds that cover the glass roof! This week's job is to go through the kitchen and declutter/minimise because ...

Make do: ...we've decided to wait until next year for a new kitchen, but I cannot put up with it looking so tatty any longer so Wednesday I am off to buy some paint to spruce up the walls and might even try painting the tiles.

CathA

Good weekend here! Finally, finally the lounge is finished-yay!! Minimised the hideous purple carpet at the tip this weekend (whole lounge was purple, walls, carpet, settees, curtains). I spent all day yesterday making a start on taking the plastic off the glass on the new doors and side panels, 64 panes of glass to deal with, plus cleaning them as well.

Today started off badly, had a shower and when I got downstairs couldn't work out what was wrong. I'd had my shower and forgot to wash my hair, so had to go back and shower again! This was followed by leaving my phone at home when I went out so I had to go back to get it, and then I left my purse at the counter when I was in a shop. Luckily a very nice chap called me over to pick it up-phew! Time to put me down, methinks!

When I got home, operation 'sort the lounge out' started. I finished off the glass, took ages. In between times, I mended the curtain track in one of the bedrooms as my daughter had pulled it off the wall (don't ask me how!). I also tidied up the spare bedrooms, minimised a bit of dust, got the charity box that's been kicking about upstairs for ages downstairs, so that's a bit closer to going to the CS, and hoovered up for the first time in ages (NO point hoovering the hall as there is constant building dust and bits all over the floor from the lounge work). I found the fire and tv from where it was stored, dusted that and put that in place. Dusted everything in the lounge and hoovered the new carpet, just waiting for the settees to arrive now, so excited. We've been renovating this house for 2 years whilst living in it, and there's now more done than is left to do, no more brick dust in my hair soon!
After doing the lounge I was on a roll, so tidied the dining room, hoovered it and the kitchen. I briefly thought about mowing the lawn, soon had a word with myself about that!
Making do- I knew I needed to get something from the shop today, but couldn't think what. I realised tonight I hadn't got anything for dinner, so made do with beans on toast (hubby is away so I don't cook).

Now all I have to do on my list for today is my tax return, now THAT'S a definite minimise.

Happy Monday everyone.

nomi01

Hi all.
Busy few days here at the new house.
Off to reclamation place tomorrow for fire place parts.
Lots listed on eb@y
More stuff sorted for CS and collection arranged.
Decided to revamp a gents wardrobe left at the house so have a bit of a project
Allotment sorted and lots of plants in the ground now.
I need to keep decluttering as I go.
A few lovely CS finds too.
Need to keep the momentum now.

CathA

Tax return done -37 minutes, is that a record? Mind you, learning from experience last time, I kept a running total of all interest payments etc on a piece of paper stuck on a cupboard door, not very hi -tech but hey it worked!

Frugal_gem

Hi all I'm de-lurking to join in if OK?! I've been following since the beginning.

No mending here to speak of, at least not today.

Making do - NSD's over the weekend. DH out with work tonight so plan to have jack Monroe's mixed bean goulash that I made on the weekend over some toast that needs eating up.

Minimising - trying for myself by eating less (!) and walking more. I signed up for the walk 500 miles challenge that Ilona posted about in another thread.

I've generally been minimising my stuff with the help of the kon Marie board and feel soooooo much better for it !

villagelife

Making do with tea with chicken pie bulked out with veg past its best and it tasted good. Used left over pastry for jam tarts and it helped minimize last year's homemade jam.

More minimizing of weeds in the garden.and planted out some fennel plants.

mrs-moneypenny

Morning mmmers
Hope all are as well as can be. Welcome frugal_gem.
Not sure what today will bring re mmming. Want to minimise some more wool by finishing the sock off, and I've got done body scrub I'll finish when I have a shower. But first job is to get the lads off to school/work and water the garden.