Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2016

Treasurequeen

Minimal spending today, my granparents tooks me out for a hot drink and then had lunch back at there house. Tea tonight was stuff from the freezer and some carrots that had started to turn, I am trying to use up stuff from the freezer as much as possible. I had to do a top up shop as I forgot to buy bread. Mended two dog toys one was nearly headless and the other one was missing a ear. Did manage to find the ear under the dogs bed (hiding the evidence)

cafelady

Poppy I'm very sorry to hear about your husband.

Well last few days I have...

Made do with veg from the garden instead of buying any. Worked out that tonight's dinner of pasta, sauce made with tinned tomatoes, hg courgette, garlic and onions, lentils, YS cheese and hg salad cost 35p per head! Also made do with making SR flour for cake yesterday when I realised we had run out and only had plain in stock.

Mended nothing unless you count tying up some tomato plants which had collapsed.

Minimised some plums a colleague had brought into work from their glut by bringing a few home and making pickled plums. Will be very nice with roast meat.

[Deleted User]

Poppy my condolences to you honey its not easy when two become just one as many of us on here have found out. but if you want to have a bit of support or help or just need to have a rant about the unjustness of life fell free.We are all here to help each other in the good and the bad times.I know how much folk helped me 13 years ago when I lost my OH and then 5 years later when I had to go through all the horrible treatments and operations for breast cancer,without the amazing folk on here who I will probably never meet in real life I probably wouldn't have made it,but thanks to all the lovely folk I have got back up on my hind legs and walked again :)only piece of advice I could give anyone in your position is be kind to yourself and if you feel like howling then do so, try to remember the good times and ignore the bad.Not easy but definitely doable.
One day at a time and baby steps,if you get stuck we are here to help xx


today being a blooming melting hot day in Kent even my DDs dogs couldn't hack the heat and hid halfway up her stairs on the landing in the coolest part they could find
Made do with what I had in the fridge for lunch, and dinner tonight was bangers and chips in the pub with the quiz (our team came 3rd) 32.00 all including the quiz ,a bargain in my eyes
Just off to bed to minimise my library book in front of the fan as its 23c indoors at the moment
keep frugalling on chums

JackieO xx

Lynplatinum

Evening All

welcome cafelady!!! these folks are great supporters and very inspirational. :A
Prinzessilein - wow - you have done just so much!! Feeling v lazy here more about this later double

dND - I cannot believe the different culture - when I was selling my place earlier this year I had the complete opposite experience!! Estate agents were knocking on the door - sending me a letter each week saying they could do a better job than Tep!lo (who were excellent). They actually became a nuisance!!

Sad to hear your news Poppy - you are very welcome back here and, to echo other comments - be kind to yourself and take it easy. It takes time to get used to the shape of the hole in your life but I know the folks on here :A will support however we can.

Hanging head in shame here Overspent my 'Happy Stash' last week by £5. So on Sat felt a bit 'smug mode engaged' (Red Dwarf joke) and went out and bought just a loaf and some milk. Then pottered along to Hayle harbour day - it had that lovely kinda 'village fair' type feeling - save the Badgers stall - rifle range - kiddies roundabout - tombola - WI stall, and here my downfall began - £2.50 for a jar of pineapple jam (I haven't had any since I was a kid!!). No alarm bells yet - a treat from Happy Stash. Then there were bands as the evening drew on on a small but very professionally run stage - great to dance to - queued up for a pint - and it was £4.00 eeeek!!! :eek: However, having queued, I still coughed up! Then I got hungry and queued again - for a cajun fish burger - very very tasty BUT £6 spent!! So we are already on £12.50. Did have a saffron bun from home with me which I ate as well as I stayed out much longer than expected as I was having such a good time!!
Then today had to go to St Ives to the bank which (unbelievably) closed at 2.30 so I missed it!!! It also bucketed down with rain and thunder. Felt cheesed off all round as the only reason I had to go to the bank is was that the flippin Nat West business account people said I had not set up telephone banking (which I had! GRRRR!) and needed to pay for a new garage door at my rental property (which is annoying - I keep on spending out it seems!)
So spotted through the driving rain the Weatherspoons. Was hungry by this time so dropped in for a pint and a jacket potato (about £7 - get a CAMRA voucher discount) Then it dried up so went for a brilliant walk and paddle round St Ives which is still very beautiful. But far from public loos needed the loo so popped into a little cafe that does cracking cakes and that was another £5 gone - let alone the bus fare of £4.50 (which I can justify as the parking is £5 for the day - the only car park where it is possible to park for part of the day is usually full until about October). SO that is a Happy Stash over spend of £23 :eek:
On top of this I have the following mending projects which I have not been getting on with:
1) picture frames to revamp (2 of em)
2) Some metal garden chairs and a table which need wire brushing and wire wooling and then painting with hammerite then they will be good for a long while..
3) I bought a table which I was going to sand and paint a soft grey
4) I bought a beautiful rose which I need to go and buy compost for a re pot.

Keeping to a budget for food tho - spending £6.01 at L!dils and that will do me beyond Friday.

I need help to inspire me to stop spending on outings and to get on with my mending projects. Inspiration please me good friends on here
Sorry for rambling confession but I know you lot will understand whereas other folk will go £20+ what's the problem???
Thanks for any advice and help :A

dND

Welcome back Poppy and many condolences - this is a great thread. Everyone has had so many different experiences that there is always at least one person who know what it's like or has dealt with a problem before. It's like going back to the Old Style extended family.

Lynplatinum wrote: »

dND - I cannot believe the different culture - when I was selling my place earlier this year I had the complete opposite experience!! Estate agents were knocking on the door - sending me a letter each week saying they could do a better job than Tep!lo (who were excellent). They actually became a nuisance!!

And wait for it Lyn - agency fees are 4 - 11% !! :mad:

Lynplatinum wrote: »

I need help to inspire me to stop spending on outings and to get on with my mending projects. Inspiration please me good friends on here
Sorry for rambling confession but I know you lot will understand whereas other folk will go £20+ what's the problem???
Thanks for any advice and help :A

I find it goes like that Lyn - I think it's because we cut back quite strictly and then there is a long list of little things that eventually you have to get/do and it hits all in one go.

I ended up with a massive spend a couple of days ago. I decided I needed some hair dye and face serums as I've let myself go a bit over the summer :eek: Because I'd not bought on the 'well I'll need it soon' principle there was none in my stash and instead of just having to buy just one product at a time I had to buy 3.

Also with the change beginning in the weather I saw Butane bottles on offer (about 10€ cheaper than the version of bottles I have) with only an additional 1€ deposit for the bottle; so along with the car fuel, I bought one of those to see me through the chilly evenings without firing up the central heating.

Then on top of that I had to take out cash ready to buy more hay for the alpacas in the coming week.

All in all, instead of my 15-20€ spend, it was suddenly 220€ :eek: :eek: :eek:

Once I'd sat myself down and got over the shock of totting it up :rotfl: I realise I can justify it occasionally. We're not in purgatory and the occasional indulgence is good for the soul as long as it doesn't become a habit. Well that's my line and I'm sticking to it.

Prinzessilein

Hugs and prayers for Poppy.

I had a big bag of clothes ready for the charity shop....and Mum had a look...'oh that fleecy dressing gown!...are you sure you want to get rid of it?'...'Mum, it is WAY too big, and I have the pink one!'...'Yes, but this is so snuggly....'....'it is rather isn't it...'....'....don't forget, being so big it means you can really wrap yourself up when it gets cold....'.......guess what is coming back up here!!!!...I will now have TWO dressing gowns, for winter, one of which is HUGE but very snuggly when I wrap it round - and it will mean I don't need to put the top-up heater on first/last thing in winter!

Flipping through a magazine I saw a recipe for banana bread...and since then I have had this insatiable longing for a tasty moist fruity slice. I may have to give in! I do love cookery magazines and cook books - but they are not good for the purse, or the waistline!

Booktokens arrived yesterday, so I now have the fun of deciding what to choose when I redeem them.

I have a hankering for a burger today...Homemade not McDs!...I have skinny burgers and a roll in the freezer, must get them out in time to thaw before cooking tonight....and instead of chips I will have....sprouts!!!....I just love them! These are of course, early ones, sprouts really taste at their best after a good frost.

Floss

Prinzessilein wrote: »

Hugs and prayers for Poppy.

I had a big bag of clothes ready for the charity shop....and Mum had a look...'oh that fleecy dressing gown!...are you sure you want to get rid of it?'...'Mum, it is WAY too big, and I have the pink one!'...'Yes, but this is so snuggly....'....'it is rather isn't it...'....'....don't forget, being so big it means you can really wrap yourself up when it gets cold....'.......guess what is coming back up here!!!!...I will now have TWO dressing gowns, for winter, one of which is HUGE but very snuggly when I wrap it round - and it will mean I don't need to put the top-up heater on first/last thing in winter!

Could you make a sort of snuggle -bag for your legs with it? I thought if you sew up the neck for your feet, and use the "body" for the bag bit, and maybe use the sleeves for a muff for your hands & wrists, if that makes sense?

Floss

Morning all from the sunny Lancashire coast :hello:

DH and I are gradually making sense of the detritus from the wedding - he has rinsed out all his wine bottles, divvied up the excess truffles & ducks for the neighbours and is making steady inroads into our lumps of cake

I on the other hand have begun taming the allotment, picking 1kg of rasps a day & 3.5kg of rhubarb for jam & chutney, along with the oversize courgettes.

I've also sorted my work wardrobe & washed some of my things in anticipation of starting a new job in a couple of weeks...much as I loved my last job, it didn't really like me and following a difficult 18 months for DH of a job change, stroke (his 89 yo dad) and the deaths of both his parents, we have both got to the point of crashing. A 50 mile/ day motorway commute and long hours in a very stressful NHS corporate office does not make for a happy Floss, so after almost 3 months off sick I'll be travelling 7 miles through lanes to work for a local charity

cuddlymarm

Hi guys

Poppy I'm so sorry for your loss, please take life gently and look after yourself.

I'm afraid I tend to lurk rather than post but I thought I would today.

We've recently retired, well semi anyway. We have an investment villa in Florida and are over there at the mo to decorate and gets some jobs done while we've no bookings. When we get back home we move up to the North West ( we move where the work is but are now settling back near family ) and then I plan on looking for an Xmas job.
The plan is to live frugally so we can afford treats occasionally.
So today we are

Making do - I'm cooking off a pack of chicken which will do 2 meals and freezing half and cooking a big pan of spuds which will do today and tomorrow.
Mend - we are painting the inside of the villa ( not exactly mending but much cheaper than getting someone to do it)
Minimising - getting the recycling ready for the bin men. Up to now we've used bottled water over here but I did some research and bought a filter which fits on the tap. American water is safe to drink but tastes yucky so this saves money and plastic.

Also I'm working on a chunky scarf for OH. Up to now I would be the one walking everywhere while he was at work, but now we won't be far from the beach and shops so the car won't be as busy. Both of us really do need to lose weight and it's free exercise.

Anyway better get on.
Hope everyone is keeping well.
Cuddles

purpleybat

hello all
after weeks of inactivity due to a trapped nerve in my neck I'm finally feeling more human so time to do a few chores before returning to work.
this week I've made 3 shopping bags with my new machine using up some of my fabric stash.
knitted some fingerless gloves for a poster here using up some wool oddments
sorted a big bag of books for the charity shop
taken magazines given to me to my doc's surgery
while sorting under the bed for somewhere to store the huge box of reduced price shower gel I bought,I found some tatty picture frames I bought years go, a few nails and a bit of glue and they're ready to spray paint tomorrow
after days of eating 'freezer surprise' tubs (I must get used to labelling stuff but always think ill remember what's in them or that ill be able to tell) have a chicken boob for dinner that I think ill use the last of my homegrown spuds and homegrown tomato salsa
oh and I sewed some patches on some gardening trousers


all in all I think that's been quite a productive week so far, am feeling rather pleased with myself