Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2017

culpepper

Hello , this time is a gardening theme...

Recent mends were making a little clip for the greenhouse window-opener out of a piece of wire .I take it off in the winter and had lost the clip. Then cutting the guard off the brushcutter. The guard has stupid bolts that you fix on before you put the blade on and the bolts had all worked loose so that they were scratching the blade as it went round. Of course the nut on the blade was so tight that neither hubs nor I could get it off. The cutter still works and we are very careful with face guards and proper protective clothing.

Making do with the usual old seed tray inserts for sowing seeds in after washing them out. They are about 10 years old and made to be replaced every year but its such a waste so I scoop out the seedlings rather than pushing the bottoms of the trays up to get them out.
Next I made our own seed compost with compost from the bins and sand mixed together.

Minimising was sowing all my ancient old seeds so I could throw away the packets (most of them probably are too old but I cant let myself think that I wasted them without at least trying them first).
Also minimised half the weed pile by actually remembering for the first time ever to put the garden waste bin out. Of course hubs then decided we couldn't cut the hedge as the bin was full.

We had some large machines from my home business which were relegated to the shed once I wound it up..They were finally sold :beer: freeing up space for Hubs and DS's tools which has improved the shed's usefulness enormously.

Also dairy free here and found my weight is much much easier to keep stable now cheese and chocolate are not part of the equation

misstara

Welcome to the thread Irish mum

Thanks for the replies regarding going dairy free. At the moment, I've cut out everything but planning to reintroduce goats and sheep's cheese in the future. I'm using the lactofree cheese just now which seems fine but limited to cheddar or soft cheese.

Treasurequeen - I've tried the vanilla and caramel ones but not the chocolate ones yet. Not keen on the caramel but vanilla ones are lovely. Chocolate ones are next on my list to try.

Made scones using almond milk which are lovely, much nicer than the ones I made using soya milk. I also made some mackerel pate which will do for lunch over the next couple of days.

Had a nice easy tea of scrambled eggs on toast tonight. Planning to do fajitas tomorrow night so will attempt to make some wraps. Found a recipe online that looks easy and I've got all the ingredients - the ones I usually buy are £2.50 for 4 so will definitely be much cheaper

Minimised the huge ironing pile tonight while watching catch up TV - must keep on top of it!

Lynplatinum

Evening all

Well, still havent got stuff on eofbay!! Getting cross with meself now! I could do with the space and any few pennies!! Honestly!! :mad:

Also did not manage tip! :mad:

It is so easy to get annoyed with yourself isn't it! I didnt get these things done because family stuff gets in the way - its a great effort to the basics such as cleaning, washing up, food shopping and cooking done to time with DS1's GF + one year old and 2 large mad dogs! I have to get up with an aim for 2 -3 things I need to get done and may achieve one of them!

Anyway I have gained something (yep I know this is make do; mend and MINIMISE ) but it will save me money in the long run. the builders accross the way were about to chop down a metre high bay tree!!! :eek: And my son asked if they would dig it up and put it in a pot for me instead - which they did! So that is something I wanted for my garden which I got for free!!! Bless the builder chappie! :A

Making do - amazing how minimal my habits are:- the DS1's GF commented today and asked why I cut my toothpaste tube in half!! I forgot that I did it! But she is getting the moneysaving bug and is enthusiastically meal planning so we are not wasting any veg or yogurt etc!
Minimising: GF can crochet so I went through my craft stocks and we found two hooks. She found some wool in a CS for 20p for 4 balls and in the library she found a craft book suggesting a pompom ball and finger knitted bunting type thing (v pretty) and she is making this for the GDs bedroom.
Mend: - Nowt to report but there is definitely some gnome or other piling stuff up in the mending pile!

culpepper - how I envy you the ability to start stuff going in the garden - unfortunately my son's dogs keep on 'watering' all my pots in my easy care garden and so what I had hoped would be a pretty and edible display (herbs mostly but also an alpine strawberry plant) are coming to nothing Am currently looking for old chairs etc to put them up on so that I can use them again!

Growing your own herbs saves you a fortune!!! So Im desperate to get em all back to full growing again! (some are up on garden chairs already!
On the plus side there are lots of free doggie cuddles and they bark loudly at the builders so no one is going to try burgling my place :rotfl:
Nite all

Siebrie

My dds are away for two weeks (Easter break) at their aunty's and grandparents' places, so dh and I get to eat all grown-up foods, and we are eating the weird ingredients in the store cupboard.

When we were in my hometown dropping of the dds, we went to a discount diy place and bought wallpaper, paint, and all bits-and-pieces for the living room and 2 bedrooms for only €160 (GBP 137). The living room wallpaper has been removed, the walls have been sanded and holes filled, the ceiling has been painted. Today: wallpapering!

[Deleted User]

Lynplatinum could you hang some pots off a wall or fence to keep them out of reach of the mutts.DD has two dogs and they like to do their bit of 'watering' things and she grow her herbs in hanging pots nailed to her fence and on her garage wall out of reach of the dogs firing range :):). She also found one of those plastic shoe holder things at a boot sale for £1.00 and filled each of the holder bits that normally hold shoes with peat and grew stuff in those ,a few holes in the bottom of each 'pocket' made for drainage

JackieO xx

silvasava

Lyn - you are not alone - I have a number of pieces of Tupperware waiting to be photographed to go on Fleabay but RL keeps getting in the way! All this lovely sunshine doesn't help either - who wants to be indoors

Lynplatinum

Evening all

No I havent gone nuts!! Yesterday me and DS1's GF went to Falmouth - earlier in the week I had taken my son there for his training in his new job and found the most amazing hippy type shop at the back of St George's Arcade there. Such nice folk running it too! Saw THE rug that I had been looking for my new front room (it has a beautiful but chilly Cornish slate stone floor - great in the summer as it soooo cool to the feet!

So I treated myself/the house to that.

And then - I am going to a wedding at the end of May and found this lovely little discount shoe shop - the couple who ran it were again so helpful - they took out loads of different shoes and really made constructive suggestions - so bought a pair as I had nothing to wear with a summer dress and it will be that sort of wedding! But my friend deserves it - first husband was a swine - this guy seems such a sweetie - and they knew each other as teenagers! A good love story!

Sooooo - Make Do, Mend and Minimise????? Well we afforded the day out and the spending because we have been MM&Ming.

Making do: parsnip curry + riaita + Chappati for tea - all according to meal plan; All 3 of us sitting reading books from either the library or my collection or my donated (friends have given me) reading pile in my conservatory using natural light and heat so saving money! :D
Mend - well kinda - my herbs - have aquired 2 more old unwanted chairs which my mint and my one flowers pot are now on! So they should be able to grow without 'help' from the dogs! (Jackie O - your suggestion re high up containers is a good one but the walls of the cottage are granite and v hard to drill holes in - the fences are my neighbours and not in the best of repair tbh so am worried any weight might make them collapse! :eek:)
Minimise: today I have gone round the house and got rid of small drifts of paper such as receipts for my business and my card receipts (I always check them against my bank statements) and recipe pull outs etc. All now filed and findable if I need to! :T
Frugalling onward - NSD today but milk, butter and wraps needed tomorrow!

misstara

Hello MMMers

OH made a lovely tea last night - gammon done in the slow cooker with mash and asparagus . Had some gammon tonight for tea with salad and tomorrow it will be in an omelette with mushrooms that need used up. The rest has gone in the freezer for another day.

OH mended one of the garden lights yesterday with some tape so it now stands straight instead of listing to the side. Still need to go and buy some things to plant.

dragonlily

Come on here to have a rest. I have been trying to tidy my daughter's toys and arts and crafts, and am now feeling completely overwhelmed and the conservatory looks like a bomb has dropped.

I have been doing it with her because she knows exactly what does go with what. Main problem is everything has since I last did it with her properly about 12 months ago has got mixed up. I just want to agree a place for everything and then need to keep more on top of getting her to not mix things up, now she is getting older.

I haven't helped though as in general as whenever I just want to be able to get the room straight to clean it, I have literally corralled everything into storage bags, which she then gets things out of.

Girls toys have so many tiny parts it is unbelievable .........

candygirl

LYNP We used to stay at the Falmouth Hotel for 2 weeks, for years when I was a teenager. We met up with a big group of friends, n often went out with the Navy lads, who were docked in the harbour