Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2016

elona

Gammon and pineapple?

Pineapple fritters?

savingpennies

Lynplatinum wrote: »

Evening all

Last night went out to my curry/beer club (well its only W!spoons but some of my CAMRA friends meet there every week. I havent been for ages and they were v pleased to see me - which was nice

Then tonight bumped into my friend and her OH on way to pub so popped in with them for a pint!

Both 'evenings out' came in at under £10 allocated for happy stash! So I am 'Tilly Tidying' £1.31 from that this week.

Oh yeah for newfolks - Tilly Tidying is where you only put a certain amount into your purse each week (on a Friday for me) and do NOT spend above that (Card spending is forbidden). Any you have left you remove the following week (Friday) and put into saving pots or jars.

Amazingly I havent spent a penny this week on groceries this week so that £10 is intact! Am going to let it 'roll over' into next week tho as I am running out of essentials like oatcakes and salad.

Have a large can of pinnapple which I need to minimise - thought of a sweet and sour chicken but beyond that and/or a pinapple upside down cake (and wouldnt want both in the same week) I cant think of a 'use up' - any ideas folks?? :A

Also anyone know how/if I can freeze contents of the can once opened?? Ta :A

Nite all[/QUO

We do something similar - put the week's budget in cash in tin1. Then as we spend, usually on cashback credit card, we put the receipts in tin2 and take the cash out and put in tin2. It means we physically see the money disappearing and can modify or not as the case may be. At the end of the week the totals go on a spreadsheet so that we can budget and we start again. It probably sounds more complicated than it is but works for us.

Hard_Up_Hester

Lynn, yes you can freeze most tinned food though some stuff goes mushy, but pineapple freezes just fine.

[Deleted User]

Hard_Up_Hester wrote: »

Lynn, yes you can freeze most tinned food though some stuff goes mushy, but pineapple freezes just fine.

Hopefully apricots do as well, as I have a huge tin that once I have room in my freezer I will open portion up and freeze as it takes up so much room in my cupboard.
One of my 'mad' buys last year at 99p its really huge almost a catering size:D:D:DI enjoy apricots but couldn't eat the whole tin in a week I would be sick of the sight of them :):)

Today I will minimise my ironing pile by putting the darned stuff away :)
I will make some celery soup for next weeks lunches and make do for dinner with a nice 'Barnsley chop' from the freezer with piles of veg from the fridge
Very cold and frosty outside so I am staying indoors in the warm

Cheers chums JackieO xxx

plumduff55

Hi everyone

GOOD NEWS is my heating was fixed on Thursday afternoon - I really appreciate the warmth after so many days shivering !!! It did cut off again last night but I was able to re set it myself - I'm really hoping it was just a one off. It's a Baxi back boiler and the light reflecting on the hearth should be Amber or Green. When it cuts out the light goes red and is easily noticed on the marble hearth. You can tell I've spent a lot of time checking the hearth :rotfl:

MAKING DO - I visited my ds, dil and grandchildren yesterday and took the buses instead of driving. I got my free bus pass in October. it would normally take 1 hour to drive there but takes just over 2 hours by bus. My family think I am mad. But I hated driving there - there is this horrendous roundabout ( Raith Interchange for anybody that knows the area). I have always hated that roundabout but to make matters worse there are now road works there and every time I go the lanes are different. I am terrified by it. So yes, I really enjoyed travelling by bus and probably saved myself at least £10 in petrol. I did treat myself to a little whisky when I got home.

MENDING - I will be repairing a cadigan for Dil today. I knitted her a cardigan probably 8 years ago and asked to see it yesterday so that I could take measurements to knit her another one. There were a few bits needing mended so I have it home with me to repair.

MINIMISING - Still eating my way through the tons of cheese I bought for xmas. Mrs-Moneypenny, thanks for the tips re freezing cheese. I will cut a block into 4oz chunks and freeze these individually.
Will probably make pizza for dinner.

Have a nice day everyone

HOWMUCH

Plumduff55 my family too think I'm daft going most places via my bus pass. I go into the Peak District for free and DGS is under 5 so I don't even have to pay for him either. I just love a freebie.
I've made a large vat of chilli this morning which will do us twice or maybe thrice. Later when the oven is on for the evening meal a lasagna will be put in. Evening meal will only take 20mins, so the rest of the time some apple turnovers will be put in. I got some YS flakey pastry for 30p and some Del Monte chunky apples in tins 99% fruit from Heron Foods at 49p for 750g. So making the most of the oven whilst it's on, so double cooking saving money.
Any extra food is placed in the freezer for another day, home made ready meals.

nursemaggie

Ds seems to have lost his jeans, 4 pairs, in the move. Me I lost this thread.

I lost a pan and this thread. I did sign up but never got any notices and although I kept looking for it I could not find it. Last night I searched again and got it. I managed to read half the pages so will have to catch up.

A Belated Happy New Year to you all and welcome to all the new ones.

We have snow our first of the winter. It has just fallen in the last hour.

We are making do with the curtains from our old house but they don't quite meet in the middle. Will have to get some new ones in the next few weeks. So annoying there are so many different sizes of windows and less sizes in curtains available today.

Table not strong enough to take a sewing machine and not really room in this shoebox flat to make any curtain so will still have to buy wrong size.

GreyQueen

Afternoon all.

I have minimised my household by one donation bag and quite a few bits and pieces for the recycling.

I've mended the loo roll holder and got it back on the wall.

I shall make do with something from the freezer for tea, I think there's some breaded fish in there which will do nicely with HG spuds and leeks. Plus I have some cherry toms from the Magic Greengrocer, for a bit of colour.

Pottering on, with some books to read this evening, plus some blogs etc etc.

HOWMUCH

Well the lasagna is ready and in the oven with the jacket potatoes and cheese n onions pasties. The apple turner overs are ready to go in when latter two come out. The tin was so full of apples it has made 4 turn overs and plenty left over for a crumble and Eve's pudding for the two of us. I added a little sugar because it was listed as an ingredient on the tin.
So tonight's tea is cheese and onion pasty with jacket potatoe and coleslaw. Have a good evening everyone.

mummyjane

I'm minimising the freezer again today - need to keep spending down this month so will be using up as much of its contents as possible (making do) over the next couple of weeks. Also going to try and minimise our wardrobes over the next couple of weeks. Can anyone recommend a cash for clothes type company? I've never used one before but thought as they often collect it might be a good way to get rid of some of the bulk. I've also found a new home for some more of my books, bought so many when ds was diagnosed with autism but no longer need or use them so they need to go. Once I am fit again I will do a car boot to get rid of more of the clutter in the house. It's somehow easier when I know I'll benefit financially from it!

Hope everyone's having a good day x