Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2016

FunBrum

Congratulations lyn:T

minimising Today I helped my friend sort through some of his huge amount of clothes into three piles. One to keep, one to sell and one for the charity shop, which I took whilst I was out for a walk.:D

making do I made a budgeting book using a photo album I had but hadn't used. It's padded and has embroidery and sparkly gems on. It worked out well, so I now have something very pretty and functional.

mend I'm just about to see if I can mend a zip on a cushion. If not I will have to replace it.

Shortypie

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone

I do half-heartedly meal plan . . . . but often forget the list at home I also have a slow cooker and often use it when I'm working til 6 and the kids are at after school club, it's just being organised enough, especially as I don't like the texture of mince when it's not been browned first!

Make do: I had to bring a cake into work as it was my birthday, I did buy butter on my top up shop on Sunday (only 6 items) but already had the flour, sugar, lemons and last of the eggs (I was planning on using 4only to find DH must have used some and there were only 3 left!) and some cream cheese for frosting, leftover from my boys' birthday cake in Jan. It went down very well at work Now that it's open I intend to use it up as I always find a mouldy half-tub of cream cheese at the back of the fridge a month after making a cake :rotfl:

Also tried to make granola bars from some granola, about 3/4 box, that I didn't like. I almost threw it in the bin but though, no, I can use some OS magic to save this! I mixed it with butter, maple syrup and honey, with 6 chopped up squares of cheap chocolate that's been knocking about for a couple of months. It didn't quite set, it's more like granola sludge, but it tastes nice! If you eat it with a spoon or resign yourself to sticky fingers :rotfl:

No mending recently, I don't think.

Minimise: the freezer by making a "bits and pieces" meal for tea tonight; chicken nuggets, pizza, garlic bread, also the last bits of cucumber, one of the last of the carrots, half a slightly tatty pepper and some hummus that said use by 20th but smelled and tasted fine to me and one tin of spaghetti hoops I'd got on offer.

Sold 2 Disney Princess dresses via FB, £3 each, and have interest in some others. Bagged up some kids' books for the CS and bag of junk for the bin, however since they are still currently in the house, they're not quite minimised yet!

nicki_2

Not sure much of what I've done lately could be classed as MMM but little things are happening and it seems my thought process is shifting faster than I'm actioning stuff.

Today I went shopping, and the only extras I bought were things I knew we were running low on. I literally did a large Mr S, jumped the bus to a large Mr T, then jumped the bus home in less than an hour as I just went to the aisles I needed to and checked the reduced sections which I knew of! Normally I'd wander up and down all the aisles making impulse purchases but not today. I also skipped all my usual haunts in town and all the charity shops between Mr S and Mr T that I would usually visit. I did enjoy a good wander around Waterstones though and still came out empty handed.

I went into a Banard0s next to my local h0mebargains (where I was actually going) on a whim. No idea why, I thought it was just due to habit but maybe something else was at work. I looked at all the books (ignored the DVDs/CD's!) and saw an old fashioned homemaking book (I'd say about 1950s and aimed at teenagers) which I collect but instead of buying it I put it back on the shelf. I just wasn't feeling anything once I'd looked at it so I decided it wasn't worth getting. As I was walking out the store empty handed I spotted a white hoody for my daughter (She wanted one for a costume she's making) and at £1.49 I was more than happy to buy it for her as I hadn't spotted any in any the shops I'd tried.

I did have a little spending spree this evening though. I have a Mr A delivery tomorrow and although I'm paying £1 delivery, thats cheaper than a taxi and I'm buying the biggest pack of toilet roll & the biggest pack of tinned dog food I can get which I'd not be able to get home without struggling since I don't drive! I also paid the extra 40p for them to use carrier bags, so if I bake for cake sales in school I can put the tins of cakes in them. I only have 1 plastic bag for life and the last time I sent one of my fabric ones in it didn't come home so 40p is a lot better than having to buy more fabric bags, plus it will make the unpacking of the crates quicker.

I also went on the online mega store named after a river. Its DD's stepmums birthday on Tuesday and DD's going away on Friday to spend the weekend with Ex & Sm to go out for a meal etc. She'd asked me to pick up a voucher for the river store but the cheapest I could find in the places I went was £20 or £50 :eek: Well beyond my "over 18" birthday budget. So I decided to buy one online for her, and while I was at it I added another £20 worth as I had the link for getting the £7 bonus credit if you spent £30 or more on vouchers I was planning on spending about £40 anyway, so the extra £20 I added to some I'd earned, bought myself 4 books (and I spent quite a bit of time working out the cheapest option to buy them before I actually did) and a 'miracle' lead which I'm hoping will help our dog to be easier to walk because all the ones so far have failed miserably and he's hurting himself pulling. The 4 books I bought were the 2 Konmarie ones, another decluttering one that came recommended if you run a business from home (I've not found one book yet that can help with that), and one about working from home online so all useful. I just need to make room for them on my bookcase now lol

mrs-moneypenny

Morning mmmers
Frosty one this morning so be careful and stay safe out there.

Making do with what's in for tea tonight, think I'll make veggie lasagne.
I minimised a bit more stash yesterday be completing the patchwork quilt, I'm donating all the binders full of instructions to the local CS along with the templates so that's a bag for life full of stuff heading out.
And the quilt can now be used instead of being bits in the cupboard.
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/dd/a8/d8/dda8d843bdcf74c6b1233b32fb2c83ce.jpg
Also minimised a bit more wool knitting a baby hat.
Finished reading Still Alice so that will be donated now.

Hoping to get the zip mended in dads jeans today then I can return them when we visit again to see step mum on Mother's Day.

Have a good day all.

FunBrum

You may have a new tasty invention there Shortpie.....yummy granola sludge!

Nicky....You have been so busy! :T

Well the zip hasn't worked out, and I can't mend it so I guess it's back to the drawing board!

mrssnowy_2

mrs-moneypenny wrote: »

Morning mmmers

I minimised a bit more stash yesterday be completing the patchwork quilt, I'm donating all the binders full of instructions to the local CS along with the templates so that's a bag for life full of stuff heading out.
And the quilt can now be used instead of being bits in the cupboard.
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/dd/a8/d8/dda8d843bdcf74c6b1233b32fb2c83ce.jpg

.

Love the quilt,so neat and lovely colours.

MrsCD

Lovely quilt, mrsm. It looks nice and cosy. DD has started to make quilts with her leftover bits and pieces.

Nonnadiluca

What a beautiful quilt, I am in awe!

nursemaggie

The quilt is gorgeous mrs-moneypenny wish I could do something like that.

mrs-moneypenny

Dd2 has asked if I'll make one from all her old Tshirts for her birthday I'm really looking forward to planning that out. It will mostly be band and slogan Tshirts that are now too small for her.