Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2016

candygirl

Can I join in again, as really enjoyed last year's thread ? :j

savingpennies

May I join? I'm retiring very soon and I am off work because of ill health at the moment, so making do and mend must become my mantra. I do already do this to some extent but I need to be more hard core about it. So here are my new year resolutions to make do, mend or minimise:
1. My first job is to declutter and donate, re-sell or just get rid of 'stuff'.
2. Being off work means I am already meal planning and using up leftovers much better but I want to try new recipes, so one new recipe a week to add to my meal plans.
3. I've a large stash of wool and lots of patterns and magazines to I have taken up knitting again and want to keep that up.
4. Keep up with reading the huge number of books I have.
5. I also plan to grow more of my own food and have just received the first seed catalogue of the year to plan what I want to grow.
I love the idea of a non-TV night so might add that to my list.

threepenny_bit

I would love to join please
This year we have some unexpected expenses and really need to minimize and save more.
Trying to destash and sell things we no longer use - aiming to get $100 per month in sales. Hubby will be selling his skis and boots so that should be Januarys $100
I also want to go through my craft things and downsize them, use more of my yarn stash on gift knitting and sell some of my duplicate patterns/needles etc.

fuddle

Welcome everyone. Looking forward to reading about all you get up to.

I awoke at 5am so got up and set to on the potato peeling soup. HFW recipe:

fry onion, then add in potato peelings. Cook for 5 min.
add veg stock, simmer. Season.
add warmed milk towards the end. Blitz.

There will be enough for my lunch tomorrow and 2 smaller bowls for the smaller people as snack after school. I will knock up crouton-esk bread ends for them too.

I am quite cross with myself that I took veggie water for my gravies yesterday but discarded the rest without thinking. I had to use a stock pot for the soup. That's the second time I have done that and putting it down to not being able to use my sieve that was rusting (now gone) so using the bigger, bulkier colander. Must try to think on!

We'll be having purposefully-made-too-much-veg-so-we-can-have-a-fry-up today. I have 300g of lamb that has to go around a family of 4 plus an extra one for DH's lunch tomorrow. I'll cut it thinly adding it to the fry up so it goes further. Yorkshire pudding to bulk out and yesterdays gravy - with a dollop of mint sauce added.

As you can probably tell the majority of my MM&Ming is being done in the kitchen at the moment. I am trying very hard to make my food stuffs and energy work harder.

Hard_Up_Hester

Nice to see so many new faces joining, well done Fuddle on stretching the food stock.
I read every day but don't always post, must try harder.
I have a few items to get rid off that need to go on the bay of E, I will try to take some pics today.
I have two crochet & one knitted blanket being worked on so that will minimise my stash.
I've not increased my wardrobe and I'm still managing with just 8 dresses, 2 tshirts and 4 cardigans, I can't wear trousers or skirts due to medical problems.
Hester

threepenny_bit

fuddle wrote: »

As you can probably tell the majority of my MM&Ming is being done in the kitchen at the moment. I am trying very hard to make my food stuffs and energy work harder.

I am trying to do the same fuddle - looking at the amount I use and how to make a second or third meal from it or bulk it out with extra veg etc. I am going to start with an inventory of cupboards and freezers to make sure I know what I have and then plan what I can make.

camelot1001

Can I join in again please? I got lots of inspiration from you all last year and planning the same this year.

Starting off by minimising the fridge contents, lots of left over veg from New Years Day so I will be having that for dinner. Breakfast was toast (I don't usually eat bread but didn't want to waste it), the really dry stuff has gone out to the birds. I also have some wraps but they came out of the freezer, do you think it would be ok to re-freeze them? They will be used for enchiladas at some point anyway.

Making do with freezer contents, should last me a while. I have an integrated fridge/freezer and the bottom hinge of the fridge broke over the holidays so will have to replace that soon so better if I use up everything from the freezer. I wont get another integrated one, it was here when I moved in.

Nothing to mend at the moment but I'm sure something will turn up!

[Deleted User]

Good Morning all.woke up with a bit of a sniffle and I am going to dose myself up before it turns any worse.

Already weighed and sorted three breakfasts for this week.

Following my little book of dieting given to me by the diet nurse (free from our local clinic along with a free weigh-in once a fortnight ) W/W and SW won't get any cash from this lady :):)

I did this diet last year and lost around a stone and a half and its stayed off so I thought I could do with losing perhaps another couple before the summer.

Far too easy to put it back on in the winter.I have three plastic take away boxes on the side in the kitchen and every couple of days I weigh out breakfast This morning its 45gms cereal(I like bran flakes)) tomorrow its 45gms porridge (I make mine with water and flavour with a dash of salt and a splash of cold milk and Wednesdays will be 45gms of muesli which I will add some semi skimmed milk and perhaps a chopped banana to. .

Buy weighing it out and putting in a box I can see exactly the amount I can have. If I don't eat a piece of fruit with it I save it for mid-morning snack.A cup of tea or black de-caff coffee takes me through until lunchtime easily.

So I am making do with less to eat at breakfast time (no hurried handful of biscuits and a quick coffee as I dash out of the door:):):)

I am mending my sloppy ways of eating

and minimising (hopefully) my weight which in turn will keep me living longer (fingers crossed ) and healthier

When I did this last year it was easy once you get used to just weighing and measuring stuff in advance.
I also drink gallons of water as its so good for your 'detoxing' of all the Christmas over eating that's been done.I like to keep a bottle of water in the fridge that I change daily as I only like really cold drinks, can't stand lukewarm water.

Lunches will be HM soups all this week and maybe cheese or ham on Crackerbread with some side salad I pile up the lettuce and tomatoes and cucumber so you really feel like your full.Cheese is always grated as it looks more and goes further :):)

I find this simple to follow diet suits me perfectly and fits in with my busy days.Fingers crossed the winter coat of extra weight will soon be behind me and I look forward to a newer slimmer me My diet nurse is great she says don't have unreasonable expectations and a loss of 1-2 lbs a week is fine. No point starving oneself it will only make you ill.
So fingers crossed my healthy MM&M for my body will be my new goal for 2016.I tend to eat badly because I am always in a rush to do or go some where.I am going to try and make more 'Me time' this year
JackieO xxx

[Deleted User]

THIRZAH wrote: »

We used up the last of the Christmas brie in toasties at lunchtime

I have some left over brie does it cook well in toasties ??

I would never have thought of using it in those. Just thinking it could make a nice warm lunch with some sliced tomatoes for mid-week.I'd have to get a couple of slices of bread from Dds though as I no longer buy bread indoors and just eat Crackerbread and Philly spread

Minihauk

Good morning lovely people. Dark and dismal here today.

Am popping over to DDs later, so will be taking some of the stuff she left here when she moved out nearly three years ago :eek: There is a lot still here. That will help with the minimising.

My fridge freezer is broken - the fridge is not cold and I though I would lose everything in the freezer, but luckily all still frozen solid, so should be ok. Still in warranty but they can't get to me until Thursday, so will manage until then.

Have a good day.