Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2016

Bubblesmum

Afternoon all

Lurker here after some advice .... Made Royal icing Sunday before Christmas using egg whites, left over in Fridge meant to freeze it - forgot.

It still looks good and we are still eating the Christmas Cake... Do you think I can freeze it?

Been googling but mixed messages re egg and salmonella !

Thoughts would be appreciated

Frugalsod

Make Do: Eating the contents of the fridge to empty it. So I can clean it. I have some cauliflower cheese to make.

Mend: Fixing my mums computer so it is up to date for her.

Minimise: Last few weeks I have been living off YS items from the supermarket so have spent practically £15 this month. Planning a YS raid tonight to top up the fridge and freezer.

117pauline

I have had my new bed delivered and it is truly wonderful!!

So I have decided to completely empty my bedroom of all clutter and then add things back in. So far, I have added two empty bedside cabinets, lamp, books, some smellies, candles and incense. I even went to bed early last night, lit candles and watched the sky whilst listening to a play on the radio.

Now I would like to say this is all down to minimalising but I have replaced my single bed with a kingsize!! So the actual space in the room is very much smaller. I have culled clothes in the wardrobe and drawer below so it is a very peaceful area at the moment.

Still making do with the contents of the freezer although there is still much to go through still.

Mending - well does it count that I am making a real concerted effort to mend my health by regularly swimming, walking and reducing portion sizes

MrsCD

Bubblesmum wrote: »

Afternoon all

Lurker here after some advice .... Made Royal icing Sunday before Christmas using egg whites, left over in Fridge meant to freeze it - forgot.

It still looks good and we are still eating the Christmas Cake... Do you think I can freeze it?

Been googling but mixed messages re egg and salmonella !

Thoughts would be appreciated

I wouldn't risk it myself. I know the sugar won't go off, but the eggs aren't cooked, so you're eating raw out of date eggs.
When they're fresh, it's not a problem, so long as you're healthy and not in an 'at risk' category, but it's a month since Christmas....

MrsCD

candlelight_2013 wrote: »

Mrs CD, have made your fruit cake today and it is absolutely gorgeous.

I managed to buy a tin of crushed pineapple, so didn't have to put it in the processor. I love a nice fruit cake, and this definitely is. Thank you so much for the recipe

Candlelightx

Pleased you like it candlelight,

Nursemaggie, did you get your curtains sorted? I was just thinking, and thought you could put up two pairs of curtains side by side, so you have the fullness to keep the heat in. If anyone asks, it's the new thing, didn't they know.;)

[Deleted User]

I made a large pot of carrot and coriander soup this morning and I'm going to make the pineapple cake tomorrow morning as DD visited this afternoon instead of her normal Sunday morning

nursemaggie

MrsCD thanks I had not thought of that but no I do not have any others. We are making do for now until all the bills for moving stop coming in and we know if we can afford it.

Although the rent is much less that makes not difference to us as we are on 100% housing benefit. The other expenses are much higher. Heating is more than twice for heating only until early evening, we may not be able to get a water meter as it is a flat and many flats have the water intake from the same pipe and not individually. If we can't that will also be twice as much too.

I have set in motion the change over to a cheaper provider for electric. I don't really know how much it costs yet will take a few month before I know if I save anything. According to the energy club I will save about £400 so that makes it about twice the price of gas.

I can't see me being able to do a budget until next year. If we have a warm day I can't switch the heating off and save money.

FairyPrincessk

Morning all,

NurseMaggie, I don't envy you having to sort out the storage heaters and figure it all out. The first flat I lived in when I came to the UK had storage heaters installed sometime in the 1980s. They were completely unknown to me and even once I figured out how they were meant to be used they weren't as effective as some of the newer models. I used a lot of hot water bottles and spare blankets that year.

Trip to Ald! in a bit and then it is cleaning upstairs as usual. I've just started the shoulder shaping on my last cardigan sleeve so hoping to make progress again on that today. We'll make another drop off at the CS on our way to Ald!. I've added a couple of jackets to the pile replaced by a 3 in 1 found in the sales which will cover both functions and fit properly.

Made do with lunch yesterday, 3 carrots shredded and made a dressing out of store cupboard items, tin of tuna and some bread, defrosted earlier in the week and a few slices edging closer to the blue stage but caught in the nick of time.

OH has a parents evening on Wednesday, so I may go for two screen free evenings this week. Hopefully I can get this cardigan sleeve finished and then I can block it and assemble it. I suspect the button band will take me awhile as it has two new things to learn. I managed to pick up an ex-library guide to knitting from the CS last spring and I find it very helpful. It breaks things down differently than some of the youtube videos and means I can just refer back to things quickly without having to watch a full video. I'm sure I'll manage. I'm already dreaming of my next knitting project, but afraid I have the rug and a number of clothing re-makes in the pipeline first.

nicki_2

DD went away on Friday night to stay at her dads. Normally I'd buy some frozen ready meals from A$da to save me cooking, but this time I've made do with what we already have in, which is also minimising. I'm also pushing grocery shopping to tomorrow instead of today as DD has tomorrow off school so she can help me when the shops should be quieter. I hate shopping on a Sunday but if I don't then the packed lunch things tend to get munched over the weekend.

I've also been knitting my squares for my blanket, a bigger one finished off and I knitted a smaller one (only 35 stitches wide) yesterday while watching some TV. So thats one ball of wool less in my stash and I'll be starting my next one today hopefully.

Mending I'm about to do. After washing DD's school blazer I noticed one of the sleeves has come away from body in the armpit so I'm going to carefully try and repair it without having to split the lining and doing it from inside. Hopefully it'll be an easier repair than it looks but we'll have to wait and see. When I told her she said "Does that mean I need a new blazer in September?" I said yes, but I'm really really hoping that I won't have to replace it as she's going into year 11 then and would only be wearing it until the April.

charlies-aunt

Spent last night making do and mending - patching a patchwork throw and a patchwork effect quilt cover to repair the ravages of puppy chew-age. Both now good for a few more years.


I have also started making do - I bought a thick, thermal 'sheepskin' effect fleece from CS for £1. It was cosy, but too bulky around the arms to be able to work in so in a moments inspiration, I unpicked the sleeve seams to remove the sleeves. All I have to do now is fold back and stitch in place the material around the armholes to neaten and show the 'sheepskin' lining and I will have a warm waistcoat


I have unpicked the sleeves and have two nice pieces that I am going to stitch together to make extra bedding for the feral cats bed in the shed


Still need to get more minimising done though!