Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2017

YorksLass

Have been MIA from this thread for quite a while but have been following everyone's posts.

Efforts to declutter the house are continuing and I've been using the kondo method for some things. It does seem to work for me in that once I get categories of things in front of me I can see what I can let go of. Example: skirts - I very rarely wear them now therefore don't need so many. The ones I'm keeping are back in the wardrobe and the ones I'm not keeping are waiting to go to the CS.

Therein lies the problem - getting things out of the house! For now, everything that's going is in the spare bedroom and no, I'm not tempted to drag things back out. If I had a car they'd already be gone but I don't. The plan is to take a couple of carrier bags worth of stuff to the CS each week; I have a choice of 5, all of them in a direction I don't normally go in, it's a good 25min walk - uphill - and I'm no spring chicken so can't carry as much nowadays. But there is method in my madness as it will get me out and about in the fresh air and is good exercise. It just might take me a while!

So far, I've done: clothes, shoes, bags, books, cassette tapes, CDs, vinyl, ornaments and other bric a brac, knitting yarn/patterns and other crafting items, cards and paperwork.

On the mend front, there's a sewing pile that needs tackling not to mention the knitting projects that are finished bar the sewing up. I did one last night so I have a new long gilet for my hols and that's spurring me on to get the others done. Quite a few of them are Xmas pressies so I'll need to get a wriggle on.

Making do has mostly been using up food stocks and that's helping to minimise spending too.

The weather forecast for tomorrow is good so I think I'll begin sorting out the garden. Well, not a garden as such as we live in a ground floor flat but we have a small patio outside with pots on it, hanging baskets on the wall and a small border either side of the patio. It's all been neglected this year (real life and all that) but I'd like to make a start on it before I lose the urge!

RicardaRacoon

Evening all

I've only been lurking this year - have posted in last years tread every few months... - but really need to get back into some OS ways... I just came home from a holiday last Sunday and although I didn't had the feeling that I had been shopping constantly I still ended up being slightly overwhelmed with the stuff I brought home... So til my next holidays in two months I will have to watch my spending and will try to stick to essentials.

Make do: I saw a very fancy compost bin lately and decided that I needed it... Justified it with the fact that my compost bin is old, a bit grubby and has a small hole... Well, yesterday morning I gave the bin a proper clean and put some sticky tape round the hole. It is a compost bin after all, I don't need a fancy one as long I have an "unfancy" one that does the job...

Mend: hole in a jumper

Minimise: some messy spots around my flat. Not really throwing much away but a few small bits and bobs are gone and some more are back in their proper place.

@Jackie, I am surprised you still find things to minimise! After all you are a master in only buying things you really need.

@kboss I would not even know what to do with this thing :-)

Lynplatinum

Evening all

Making do: I took DIL and DGD to the beach the other day and we stayed longer than expected. I rang DS1 to say we would be late home and should we pick up some fish and chips on way home. 'No,' he said 'I'll be home before you - I find somat to cook! Let's not shell out for food when we have plenty here'. well, bless him, we got home to a wonderful chick pea curry and rice! (He works - Im semi retired and DIL doesnt work) So, while not on meal plan we still ate from stores! :beer: Other than this we are sticking to meal plan which included using up some Dukka I bought DS1 for Christmas which we didnt enjoy much - it had hazel nuts in it and mixed this with some stuffing mix and coated pork loin chops (on offer from L!dil) with a beaten egg and then dipped into the mix and baked in the oven. Have to own up and say that the stuffing mix idea was gained from Jackie O. :A We roasted some potatoes with it so they got used up before they went off.
Mend: under my counter tops was a space where the previous occupants of the house had a dishwasher. It was just concrete. I used it to put the rubbish bin in. But stashed behind it was towels for the dog , spare dog bowls etc. But out in the back behind a shed was some of the tiles (limestone) for the floor. I cleaned them up and put them down (not grouted in but at least they look better than the concrete and is easier to clean. In my tenanted house they left a clean and unused large flip flop top bin - which I bought home and gave a good scrub. I have used it for storing said dog towels etc. So all tidier and easier to clean now.
Minimise: Got rid of old door mat that the dog had thrown up on - could not get the smell out and it only cost £1.99 in the first place! I did try first tho! Also been quite good on the diet so perhaps again i have minimised me (trying to eat mostly protien and veg and a little fruit - less carbs and v little sugar)
NSDs over past 4 days = 4!!!!!!!!!!!!! :j Yea!

Re the bits of wire etc making up a chandelier type thing. One word Duchamp (look him up) thats what I think. the daft way the rich spend monies beggars belief - mind you some poorer folk spend their dosh in silly ways too - usually on food or clothes they dont need! I ve done it in my time and thank heavens every day for MSE which taught me better!

Mind you art is very individual - what I love you might hate and visa versa. So each to their own way I suppose! :rotfl:
Off to bed soon - nite all

house_elf

Morning!

Make do:school Prom tonight. Did not buy anything new. Found a dress in the wardrobe with tags still on! Did my own nails using gel nail kit and led light. (Getting better with practice). Not as if anyone will notice me anyway :rotfl:, but don't want to let the students down!

Mend: weeded a flower bed overgrown with lemon balm and brambles. I can reach more of the washing line now!

Minimise: They said it couldn't be done! ......I have sold the trampoline on EBay!

[Deleted User]

RicardaRacoon Most of my minimising seems to be an awful lot of paperwork.I swear it multiplies in my study/spare room:) Plus I used to be an avid boot sale lurker and would buy odds and ends that caught my eye:) don't go near them now far too much effort for little reward

Although small white knitted wool cardis were usually bought,brought home unpicked ,wool washed and dried and re knitted into my Charity blankets that I make a 20p small cardi is far cheaper than a £2.00 ball of wool :) Thats proper economy :):)

What I seems to find mostly to de-clutter were odds and ends stuck into drawers to 'save' What for I wonder .I am being quite ruthless now and if its not been used in 6 months its going out Far too much detritus hanging about .I have a friend who is seriously minimalistic she allows absolutely nothing in her house that doesn't have a use or purpose Do I really need all those unwanted large shopping bags ??? no I don't think so so they will be found a new home In my other spare room I found a great stash of left over Christmas wrapping bags that both my Dds had given to me as I think they think because I am frugal in my ways I will try to find a use for them, well I have, they are going to a friend who has a wood burning fire so she can use them for lighting it My minimising is going to be of epic proportions this week :):) Its just gotta go :):)

RainbowHippie

Hello all, hasn't it been a gorgeous day! Well it has up here (in the North West), hope it's been as nice everywhere! I've been making the most of it out in the garden for the most part.

Welcome Kate and well done on the MMMing you've done already, sounds like you're off to a great start!

Thanks LynP and good point about the definition of NSDs! I think for me it makes sense to include all discretionary spends (including our grocery shop etc) to start with, as it will make me think very carefully about what i'm spending. I'm not going to include direct debits for bills etc, or postage for things i've sold on eb*y (but our local post office is in a shop and i'm terrible for picking up a few bits and pieces every time i go in to post something off, so i'm hoping this will stop me doing that!). I've managed 2 NSDs since Sunday so not doing too badly, but i've spent today on some shopping, and i know i will have at least one more spendy day as an activity i'd planned for today has been rearranged to the weekend!

I've made really good progress with mending this week and have got through most of my sewing pile, very satisfying to finish things and put them back in my wardrobe. Mainly just little things (altering a dress given to me by a friend into a skirt, cutting and binding a top to become a little vest, cutting away some tatty ends of sleeves and adding new cuffs to made what's left a reasonable length), but i also have a couple of OH's old shirts to make into tops for myself which will be a project for tomorrow when the weather is not so nice.

Making do has been a hanging contraption for my tomato plants! I'd read they do well upside-down, so have saved lots of 2l plastic bottles which i've cut in half, pushed the roots of the plants into the bottle through the neck and then filled it up with soil, and hung them upside-down from a hanging basket holder. Although our garden is mostly south-facing we're very short of walls suitable for attaching brackets to, so OH suggested using some old wooden coat-hangers to make the most out of the one that's already up. So we now have a little forest of upside-down tomato plants suspended at all different heights (so hopefully they will all get enough sun and not get too tangled as they grow). Quite pleased with myself to be honest! Now just need to tidy the rest of the garden!!

Minimise - our old fridge-freezer to the tip, sadly it had been very useful in the garage for a couple of years but there was something wrong with the freezer bit and everything we took out recently tasted and smelt horribly chemical-y and went straight in the bin, so it was time for it to go. We will hopefully replace it with a second-hand under-counter type freezer (we didn't really use the fridge bit) so it will take up less space in the garage.

Hope everyone is well, happy MMMing! xx

Kemiera19

Thanks for the welcome RainbowHippie, your tomato venture sounds interesting- I hope it works out for you.

Still going great guns over here, our roast chicken on Sunday stretched until last night meaning last nights meal will come again another time. Also made a crumble with some pears which we're going over so minimised some waste there along with 4 brown bananas which went into a cake. Defrosted the freezer at the weekend and had a good sort out so I know exactly where I am.

Another sale on eeebay with a better profit this time, with another three auctions ending at the weekend.

Have had a sort out of some books for the CS along with some videos- do they even still take videos? If not they'll go to the tip.

Managed to clear out the garage enough to get the washing line set up however when I put some clothes on it the line broke so there's a mend for the list! Have certainly minimised the tumble dryer use as more conscious that I was using it too much rather than just on wet days.

Off tho Truro in a minute for dental checks and to have the boys feet measured as I think their shoes are getting too small - there will be nothing minimal about that job!

simplelivingcottage

Hello all,

Finished my dad's Motorbike socks yesterday. He had previously bought them thinking they would be fine but they were to chunky in the foot part, so I made a sock to attach at the bottom with DK wool instead of Chunky. Photo here.

[Deleted User]

They look amazing simplelivingcottage I can remember knitting socks for my brothers years ago, and my late mum showing me how to 'turn' the heel while listening to the wireless ,no TV in those days
Minimised by carting a big bag of stuff to the CS yesterday and today have been knitting some more squares for the blankets .
making do with stuff from the freezer for tonight's dinner and the last of my Y/S cauli.
Nothing mended at the moment but tomorrow I have some hooks to put up in the cupboard to make room as my kitchenalia seems to be taking over :):)
Have a good evening chums


JackieO xx

misstara

Loving the socks simplelivingcottage

Trying to minimise spends at the moment as bank account is not looking great and I don't want to dip into my various saving pots. Have managed 3 NSDs in a row but will definitely need to get some food shopping in tomorrow although mostly just fruit and veg plus some gf/df stuff I've run out of.

I'm currently saving yoghurt pots which I'm going to try and grow some herbs in. OH and his friend managed to pull up the herbs that I'd planted in the garden while they were weeding, however, they weren't a huge success anyway so will try in pots to see if they are better.

Finally managed to eat/give to neighbours all the lettuce from the garden. There's now more growing now but definitely a lesson for next year to stagger out the planting so we don't end up with heaps all at once.

Hope everyone has a good weekend. We're going to a BBQ tomorrow so fingers crossed it stays dry.