Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2016

Floss

I've "mended" my strawberry jam that wouldn't set; am "making" bags of chopped onions for the freezer using the allotment onions that have bolted; we will be "minimising" the fridge, freezer & wine rack contents by having 2 portions of h/m chicken pasta bake for tea with h/m rhubarb fool for afters, accompanied by DH's h/m beer & wine :beer:

HOWMUCH

Floss, did you re boil your strawberry jam?

Prinzessilein

Afternoon all!....I have been occupied for a few days...but still managed some effective mm&ming!

A couple of days ago I got a cheque from my old Electric Company...apparently they owe me £28 and have enclosed a cheque!

A shop in the town centre (it is a QD shop...lots of cheap stuff, mostly tat but some good bargains if you have the time to hunt) has sadly closed down...and were selling off all their stock...so Mum and I thought we would stock up on their wool. (Not great for clothes, but terrific for knitting toys for grandchildren et.c and puppets for OCC boxes)

My herbs are coming along nicely, almost ready to move from the windowsill to the garden. One of the other residents is growing lettuce and has said they are ready to pick now, and told me to take one if I want...so I will!

Finally, I have made some homemade joghurt - some of which may well be 'swapped' for a taste (or two!!!) of Mum's homemade icecream!

debbiedodge1737

Hi .... I have posted here in the past but not in a long time.

Floss - Home made Beer and wine ... please share your recipes and secrets , my husband has just started making ours. He has Rhubarb wine and a ginger wine on the go ..... they smell delicious we have a grape vine also in our small garden and tried to make some wine with it last year ... which just turned out awful. Have made lots before but always from kits so any tips would be great

I minimised my flowers that had seen there best in my raised beds today to make room for bargain chilly plants I bought on sale in BnQ (x2 yellow banana pepper plants , x2 jalepeno plants and x2 Thai Dragon Chilly plants for £2) they are all rather small but still have alot of flowers on them

I have made do with a tray of YS potatoes and YS Pork Loins for dinner with some sweet corn as I'm on a no waste mission in the kitchen so it needed using.

No mending really today .... I will be sewing a bit later , but just a recreational christmas cross stitch project Im starting.

Im loving all you MMM'S
x

Prinzessilein

Ooooh debbiedodge...what is your Christmas Project?...I have started a beauty of a project...it is called a Peace Angel...cross-stitched Angel with scenes of the Nativity, with highlights done in metallic thread...and beadwork in places too...I'm not sure if it wil be done for THIS Christmas or next!

debbiedodge1737

Prinzessilein your project sounds very nice , I would love to see it

I have got a small christmas toy shop store front picture , its a snowy scene , from the dimensions the petites collection. I really am just getting back into stitching and this is my first project back lol although I have been looking all over for christmas card patterns , which I think I will be starting soon .

Floss

Howmuch I did, added some lemon juice AND a bottle of Certo too - will update over the weekend!

Debbiedodge DH swears by the River Cottage Booze book - he makes wine from it's but also from fruit off our allotment. We've currently got strawberry and rhubarb on the go, with blackberry and elderberry wines maturing, and last years strawberry, rhubarb and apple wines being drunk. His beers are generally all full grain recipes, from a magazine he picked up some time ago.

misstara

Have internet in the flat now so hopefully will be able to start posting more regularly again. Still minimising stuff from the old flat, have 2 bags to go to the charity shop plus chucked out 2 black bags worth. Think me and OH will need to do a trip to the dump at some point too.

Did a supermarket shop today and got some good YS bargains - 5 gf loaves at 25p each and 2 packs of gf wraps at 25p so really pleased with that.

t14cy_t

made do with eating from the freezer this week, mended two of my dogs limbs from fighting, 1 foot, 1 leg and minimised 9 20ft conifers taking over the back fence, 8 tips to the tip. this was yesterday. horrid nights sleep. but today is much calmer all round. phew. x

PinkFlamingo30

Hi Folks, sorry for the delay, but i did say i would be back once school finished.
Had to take a week and a half off school as i hurt my back badly. Hoped to craft while lying prone, but body said no. Grr.

Had a quick catch up:
Peachyp - DIY is not hard, google and youtube are great, as are charity shoos for diy books. Read it all very carefully before you start and think out what you need to buy and you will be fine - we are a great diy family with very little experiance. Nothing has fallen down yet. For major stuff (leccie and water) we seek professional help.

Claire1A i am 30 and i have just finished my nqt year for secondary science. I got bursaries for a lot of my stuff, but i still needed a second loan. Just like normal student loans, i dont count this as debt because the school pays it off before i get my wages. Use your student status: get a years nus card now, then the three year one just before you graduate. Get a rail card, if not a student one, then the national rail card is £30 for a year and i have just saved £40 using it on one trip to London. It is not advertised, but exists for everyone with upto 3 adults and 4 kids.
The decision to go into teaching was the weirest i have ever had, but i have loved it. Cannot wait until sept to keep learning myself.
If you start to really struggle financially, then talk to your uni, they have bursaries available too. Apply for all financial aid, they can only say no and nothing has changed. Someone here recommended that i do exam marking, this might be a way for you to boost income too?
Pm me if you want any more info fromsomeone only just ahead of you ( i did pgce then nqt)

On the actual mmm note
Minimised old towels to cats protection
Minimised used inks to school for recycling
Gained some cross stictch kits for free loving it
Make do, going to get some oallets this weekend to make planters and a bench. Also got some ideas for xmas gifts to make from scraps of fabric
Booked hol to london using rail card and 2for1 vouchers for the attractions. Lse for accommodation £400 for two adults for 4 nights b&b.
Booked free physics school so i get to see oxford too this year.
Mend need to re-see chiropractor to get back checked again. Then need to work on loosing my cake baby, so charity shops become more viable for clothes again.

Will keep you posted on my achievements this summer