Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2017

[Deleted User]

Making do :using up more of the odds and ends in my food cupboards,semolina pudding today as I have a lock'n'lock jar that I found in the cupboard which was two thirds full of semolina I shall also use some to make shortbread as well :)Last of my leek and potato soup for lunch and will make celery soup tomorrow for next weeks lunches as I have almost a head of it in the fridge

Mending : I will sew up the seam on a jumper that has started to come adrift

Minimise: still working on my freezer, but at least I have some 'wriggle room' so it seems to be working ,long slow job though I swear it multiplies in there :):)

Have a good and frugal Friday chums

JackieO xx

Slowdown

Make do - loads of chicken stock from the carcass plus two meals from the meat, jazzed up the left over black beans with onions and spices, left over custard with disastrous cupcakes for dessert

Mend - our own gutters instead of going with the roof man's quote starting on Saturday

Minimise - sold another item on eBay, reduced the ironing pile by actually doing it and minimised the length of the lawn yesterday by a good mowing.

Happy MMMing everyone.

Slowdown

JackieO - semolina pudding?!?! Haven't had that since the 70s in primary school. What a blast from the past. Preferred it to the frogspawn rice pudding they used to serve:)

carlislelass

Slowdown wrote: »

JackieO - semolina pudding?!?! Haven't had that since the 70s in primary school. What a blast from the past. Preferred it to the frogspawn rice pudding they used to serve:)

We classed Tapioca as "frogspawn"

Lynplatinum

Evening all

Welcome Slowdown - thought Id seen you before on old style somewhere? This is a great thread -full of ideas! Enjoy! Btw the 'frogspawn pudding was tapioca wasnt it???

Anyhooo am back to the chaos of living in my tiny house with DS1; 'DIL': GDG (20 months); their two large and crazy dogs and me! It is a house full of love with never a dull moment but sometimes I do long for the peace and quiet before they moved in and to watch (undisturbed ) an adult TV programme!

However DS1 has been on holiday this week but living where we do it was a staycation! But 'DIL' s Mum and Nan turned up having booked into a nearby BnB for a surprise visit! Nice people but I thought it a bit rude - first we knew was a phone call when they were 40 mins away on train! Seems they had booked with Monarch and got let down so decided to come here instead! Hence why Ive not had time to think -let alone get on here.

Anyway they went back on Saturday and we just slobbed out! But on Sunday it rained and so DS1 decided to have a tidying fit - which at the end of it has restored my reading/sewing area in the conservatory so they minimised:

Minimised: children's toys that were mostly gifts from her family and noisy! (Its great now we can see whats in her toy box, so can she and she asks for stuff she wants to play with rather than having it all out at once in our small space); clothes that no longer fit the baby/toddler; clothes that no longer fit 'DIL' (shes lost weight - deliberately) ; clothes that no longer fit DS1 (since working at chazzer hes gained upper body mass/muscle due to all the lifting of stuff up and down the stairs!); a carrier bag of my clothes (3 pairs of black 'smart trousers' in a material I dont like and in a style which makes me feel v uncomfortable - why??) And 2 books for the chazzer. Also sold the horrible plastic fire that came with the house on FB local site for £10! Yea!

Make do: tonight I created a quick meal because we didnt have time to wait for a butternut squash to roast (we had planned to have risotto or biryani or over pasta with pine nuts or soup). Gazed into fridge and came up with bacon, onion and garlic sauted together with half a jar of pesto over it and sauted mushrooms on the side (for those that like them) all over pasta. Thus minimised a jar from fridge and ate for nowt. Tomorrow oven will contain apricot filled flapjack (apricots - dried were on offer in L!dil last week); fenel seedy biscuits (as a presy for friend's birthday - they are now borderline diabetic so cant have seedy cake any longer); and said butternut squash - so a full oven is v frugal and making do with only one lot of heat!

Mend - yep found time for that too. Finally started doing surveys so might mend my finances a bit. Going to re apply for the Energy Saving Club offers as the previous one they couldnt do because my gas meter wasnt registered properly! Grrrrr :mad: So that will save me more cash. Also mended my plants by giving them a much needed hair cut - am gonna plant out cuttings and see if they ll 'take'

Frugaling onward! :j

Slowdown

Of course you are so right. Tapioca it was. I think the mushy looking puddings of my childhood have merged into one bowlful of stodge in my mind.
The dessert I did like was the spotted d!!k type of sponge in big squares with custard. And the pastry based brown caramel looking thing. I'll have to ask my mother-in -law what it was called. She was a dinner lady in the 60s and 70s.

silvasava

Been away on Hollibobs for two weeks so will try to catch up over the next few days
Re darning socks - I take a 7 1/2 shoe so I used to poke my toe through ladies socks. I now keep a look out for men's small size as they start from 8! Maybe not pretty but so much more comfortable!

[Deleted User]

slowdown was it treacle tart made with pastry and golden syrup and breadcrumbs perhaps :):) a good dollop of gloopy custrd made it a filling pud back then

osbornbiscuit

Hi Everyone
It seems ages since I posted but I have been busy lurking, full of the lurgy for the last two weeks. Just can't seem to shake it.
I have been minimising all the junk we seem to gather and it was the charity shops gain. I do try not to favour the one I work in and spread the wealth! I was amazed at the number of boots I had acquired in the last couple of years which absolutely cripple me to walk in. You get to a certain stage in life when comfort wins over fashion every time.
Have also minimised some of the plants in the garden and pruned back the bushes. Do need to buy some pansies/violas to add that much needed splash of colour.
Have also minimised the every increasing wool stash by knitting some tiny jackets and hats. I get so much pleasure knitting things that can be done in an evening.
Managed to mend the bathroom door with a quick spray of wd..
Found a few bags of meat stuffed at the back of the freezer, luckily they were both lamb so managed a lamb curry padded out with lentils and a curry mix that was only slightly out of date.
I am even almost ready for that day in December, cards bought last year, got nearly all the presents throughout the year. It must be the first time ever, thank you early retirement that gave me the time and charity shops for the best bargains ever.
(sorry to gloat but it never ever happens to me)

Slowdown

JackieO wrote: »

slowdown was it treacle tart made with pastry and golden syrup and breadcrumbs perhaps :):) a good dollop of gloopy custrd made it a filling pud back then

I do remember this but it's not the one I'm thinking of. It was a pastry base with a creamy brown filling. It tasted nice but there was never enough of the caramel topping part.

Anyway, on to the MMMing

Make do - really wanted to buy lunch today but made sandwiches and took fruit.

Mend - nothing today.

Minimise- the fat on my thighs with a lovely long walk in the forest with my friend.

Not a lot going on there but still didn't spend a bean. So good news.

Hope everyone's day was sufficiently MMM.