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Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2016

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  • Well, first day out after falling flat on my face. I managed to cover some of the damage with foundation so as not frighten the children and did the Christmas shop today with OH. Got everything we needed and more to feed the hordes descending on us Christmas Eve/Day.
    Make do: some more left over cauli/broccoli made into soup with some strong cheddar, so that's tomorrow's lunch sorted. Used the chicken carcass to make stock which has gone in the freezer. I made a chicken and leek pie and had some left over pastry and made jam tarts, something I haven't done for years. However, less than 24 hours later they have all gone; we had a visitor yesterday and they scoffed half of them! Never mind fewer calories for us.
    This afternoon I've been busy sorting the fridges out for all the Christmas goodies. Tonight, we are off to DD and her boyfriend's caf! to try out some of his menu items. They have worked so hard on this and spent all their savings and I hope and pray it will be successful. They are only young (22 and 23), I know I wouldn't have had the courage to do what they are doing when I was their age.
    Have a good evening everyone.

    Have a good evening everyone.
    Books - the original virtual reality.
    Tilly Tidying:
  • misstara
    misstara Posts: 3,987 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper I've been Money Tipped!
    edited 22 December 2016 at 11:00PM
    Lyn - sorry to hear of your plastered wrist. Take it easy.

    savingpennies - hope your face is feeling ok and good luck to DD and her boyf, I wish them every success with their venture.

    So we're finally moved. There's boxes and boxes of things that are still to be unpacked but we found the christmas tree and put it up yesterday :D so beginning to feel properly christmassy. Just tomorrow to go at work and very much looking forward to a few days off. Still need to do our food shopping so plan to do that tomorrow/Saturday - can't decide which would be the better day. I'm inclined to go early Saturday morning rather than tomorrow after work.

    MMMing seems to have gone a bit recently but my plan is to properly get back into it next year. Now we have a little bit of outside space, we plan to try a few veg - nothing ambitious, start nice and slow. Within the flat, we still have carpets to get as well as light shades and various other bits so will be trying to source them as cheap as possible next year. There's also a little more space inside so hope to be able to set up my sewing machine and learn how to properly use it, I can do a basic stitch in a vaguely straight line but that's about it at the moment. So lots to do next year ;)
    Mortgage 26.4.25 - £108,500  1.7.25 - £106,653.66
    Mortgage overpayment savings - £33.53/£50
    Mortgage overpayments so far - £612.99
  • chickadee
    chickadee Posts: 1,447 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    Congratulations on the house move Misstara. I am sure you will soon be properly settled in. A few vegetable seeds sowed early in the year will do you well. As for the sewing, you would be amazed at what can be achieved with a straight stitch! Start off with some simple envelope-style cushion covers and move on to curtains when you have more confidence. The sheer volume of fabric in curtains can be daunting. Have a lovely Christmas in your new home.
    Sealed Pot Challenge #8 £341.90
    Sealed Pot Challenge #9 £162.98
    Sealed Pot Challenge #10 £33.10
    Sealed Pot Challenge #11 Member #36
  • misstara
    misstara Posts: 3,987 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper I've been Money Tipped!
    chickadee wrote: »
    Congratulations on the house move Misstara. I am sure you will soon be properly settled in. A few vegetable seeds sowed early in the year will do you well. As for the sewing, you would be amazed at what can be achieved with a straight stitch! Start off with some simple envelope-style cushion covers and move on to curtains when you have more confidence. The sheer volume of fabric in curtains can be daunting. Have a lovely Christmas in your new home.

    Thanks chickadee. Neither me or OH have the first clue about growing veg so I'm sure I will have lots of questions for those MMMers who do.

    Merry Christmas everyone! Hope you all have a lovely Christmas day :D
    Mortgage 26.4.25 - £108,500  1.7.25 - £106,653.66
    Mortgage overpayment savings - £33.53/£50
    Mortgage overpayments so far - £612.99
  • silvasava
    silvasava Posts: 4,433 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Congratulations on the move Misstara! Just a tip - grow veg that you like to eat - runner beans are a good start, they look pretty with their red flowers and produce really well. Have a lovely Christmas in your new home.
    Small victories - sometimes they are all you can hope for but sometimes they are all you need - be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle
  • nursemaggie
    nursemaggie Posts: 2,608 Forumite
    Seventh Anniversary 1,000 Posts
    Merry Christmas Everyone.

    :xmastree::xmassign::snow_grin:santa2::xmassmile
  • Lyneplatinum what are you like ,fancy going breaking bones at this time of the year, not great honey. Hope you coped OK yesterday, and hopefully next year you will get through with no more broken bones.

    Congratulations on your move misstara I hope you will be very happy in your new home

    Well another year has whooshed by, and before you know it we will all be thinking about the Christmas next year :) I swear time goes quicker the older you get.

    Lots of belt tightening to come in the New Year:) and I have got a book as one of my presents from DD which is called a to-do book where I can list all my to-do things in order of importance.

    I will, when I finally get back to my house in the New Year list all my aims and objectives in order of importance .

    Number one will definitely be eating down my food mountain in my freezer and cupboards. I am deternmined to get at least the freezer cleared and defrosted asap. I have had replacement drawers to go in there for ages sitting in my spare room awaiting the freezer major defrost :)
    I also have a good few painting projects to finish off, mostly furniture bits and pieces .I enjoy recycling junk furniture and I am quite happy to be rubbing down and putting several coats on stuff.It normally ends up as part of my DGS bedrom stuff :):)They love stuff done in their favorite football teams colours.

    I am also quite keen to learn a new hobby or skill next year ,not too sure yet what it will be, but I shall have a thunk about it and see what I can come up with.

    Clapped out joints mean gardening is a bit too difficult for me ,but possibly I may get the chap who does my garden to rearrange things a bit.
    I love the excitement of a New Year challenge, how about the rest of you not so much a resolution, more of a
    'this time next year' sort of thing. Any thoughts chums ? .We are all quite good at various things on here, I'm sure you will all be full of bright ideas

    Get your thunking caps on and post any thoughts :):):)

    JackieO xxx
  • I hope all the mmmers had a lovely Christmas.
    Our was busy and full of family with 12 for dinner and 13 at teatime as mil left but two more arrived. I'm still picking up wrapping paper now!
    Weve eve had our traditional Christmas soup for Boxing Day dinner.
    I'm going to try and be more organised next year more mmming and more of a him Christmas.
    Children surprise us by all jointing together and getting us tickets to see kiss for Christmas so really looking forward to that.
    I got some cross stitch kits and more wool along with lots of toiletries.

    Will fill next years calendar with birthdays etc later.

    I've put lots of gift bags away for reuse next year but not much more mmming than that and the left overs soup.
    SPC~12 ot 124

    In a world that has decided that it's going to lose its mind, be more kind my friend, try to Be More Kind
  • Hiya all,

    Well done misstara for finally moving - nows the time when you unpack boxes and say ' what on earth did I move with that for??' :D

    We have had a fab but frugal Christmas - son is a v good cook!!! So food was good! Full explanation of reasons for frugality later but pressy were practical/ edible and under £15. Also playing old board games that we havent used in ages. :D Son has set up my dvd player so old dvds and Sky box in full use!

    Make do: re viewing old dvds from son's childhood and giggling! Stir fry cooked by ds's GF for main meal + toast spread with tomato sauce topped with turkey; a poached egg and wilted spinach for lunch (told you we were a foodie inventive family - try it - v yummm!) three meals so far from one turkey!
    Mend: Well - my fingers have stopped looking like they come from a zombie movie and, as the bruises lessen, my flexibility and grip is slowly coming back! :D Also mended is garden - all tidied by ds + gf - it was all over the place as ds2 had ripped up the old, slippery decking for me.
    Minimise: stocks of naughty treats bought for Christmas!!! Also me as we have been out for long walkies with dogs every day! which I love. :j I am just so lucky that I live somewhere that has such wonderful walkies! we also gave house through clean today so have minimised house dust which was aggrivating ds's asthma.
    Hope all are faring well after any Christmas excess! :rotfl:

    Will report on how turkey frugalling goes!! Nite all
    Aim for Sept 17: 20/30 days to be NSDs :cool: NSDs July 23/31 (aim 22) :j
    NSDs 2015:185/330 (allowing for hols etc)
    LBM: started Jan 2012 - still learning!
    Life gives us only lessons and gifts - learn the lesson and it becomes a gift.' from the Bohdavista :j
  • I hope everyone has had an enjoyable Christmas.
    Lynplatinum, I hope your arm is feeling better.
    Misstara, congratulations on moving in to your new home.
    Christmas Day was nearly a disaster. My mum bought us a frozen turkey this year and I took it out of the freezer on the evening of the 23rd. Christmas morning I was up early to get it in the oven and there was still ice and frozen bits on the inside. I could have cried! I had 7 people to feed. :eek: I sat it in a basin with some cold water and kept checking it. Thankfully, we had lots left overs from a buffet the night before, so lunch was roast ham, chicken drumsticks, cheese, veg sticks and dips. Finally dead on 8pm, we sat down for Christmas dinner. My Italian guests thought it was wonderful and really got into the spirit of things. But never again, next year it's a fresh bird for the savingpennies household.
    On the MMM front, I've portioned up the turkey leftovers for the freezer and made two soups from leftover veggies. We haven't eaten much at home since, as DD's boyfriend has been testing out his recipes for the caf! on us: pizza, pasta, tiramisu, lasagne. :D
    My aim in the New Year? To lose weight.
    Books - the original virtual reality.
    Tilly Tidying:
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