Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2018

evuka

dolly84 wrote: »

I've been unsubbing from various emails recently but find that they still come through and sometimes the unsub link is broken - does anyone else have these issues?


I am going to have a No Buy March so I will be making do with everything, the only exception is things to decorate DD's room.

Dolly84, I noticed that, too with the emails although far less frequently since I started using unroll.me - this is a page that helps you unsub in a very convenient and easy way, it gives you the option to roll more emails into one "digest" to cut down on emails coming in to your mailbox and it's free! You just need to type unroll.me into the url and you land there.

I think that maybe our email addresses are held at several lists and that may cause the problem. For example, I subbed for jobsearch notification from Monster. I had 2 different searches, one for my main occupation and I created one for jobs that could be done if all else fails and I need something, anything to work. I unsubbed and the other day, after long weeks of no emails from them, I got one, with results for the "whatever" jobs. So I think when I unsubbed they only deleted me from the list of my main search but somehow my email was still live for other searches (I really do hope it makes sense! )

What does your No Buy March include? Or rather, exclude? Would be interested to join you!

make do
Yesterday I had spag bol from the freezer and today it wil be chilli beans, from freezer again. I'm thinking of making it into that "pie" thing with the mashed potatoes on top. I need to buy spuds though but I could walk to Lidl (instead of bus) so that would be my exercising :j done as well.

mend
There are a few things (a pair of socks with holes, a sweatpant with a tear to sew and a clock with flat battery) but I honestly don't feel like mending today as I want to

minimize
the time I spend indoors as the weather is gorgeous! :cool:

notmy1sttime

I would love to join this challenge please.
I have learnt to crochet - my new hobby, other than the cost of buying (probably expensive) yarns, it is something cheap to do to keep myself out of trouble.
I have a skirt that needs sewing at the hem at the bottom so that I can wear it again, this is a Coast skirt that was £4 from the charity last year and is made out of some amazing fabric.
Minimise - I have a bag of stuff for the charity shop to donate and a small box of books to sell to one of those sites.

YorksLass

Treasurequeen wrote: »

I’ve got a balcony and on it I have two ceramic pots I got from gumtree,
they were looking a bit bare, my nan gave me some crocuses from her garden and they now look nice in one of my pots along with some mini carnations from last year, now there is some nice colour. One pot will be a mini herb planter, my Grandad gave me some cuttings of our family mint so that’s now in the corner of my balcony. So I didn’t need to spend any money so far which is good.

Early flowers like crocuses never fail to brighten up the long winter days. We don't have a garden but do have a small patio for pots and planters. The daffs are almost ready for flowering and the dwarf tulips and hyacinths are budding up nicely - but I think they might get knocked back a bit with the cold weather that's forecast!

misstara wrote: »

Put a YS gammon joint in the slow cooker earlier which will be for tea tomorrow night. Unfortunately some of it has already been minimised :rotfl: just making sure it tasted ok :rotfl:

Chef's perk, don'cha know!

Minimised a winter coat this week. Sounds a bit strange when it's still winter but it's one I've had for ??? years. I know I bought it before I retired so probably 12, maybe 13, years ago. I've never felt comfortable in it, although it was very effective at keeping out the cold, especially when waiting for buses to turn up. It hasn't been worn for the last couple of years and I have other winter coats that I like much better so off it went to the CS instead of taking up space in the wardrobe.

I've also minimised a knitting magazine subscription. I've always looked forward to it coming through the letterbox each month but of late the patterns haven't inspired me at all. Fate stepped in when Mr Postie brought a letter saying the subscription cost would be going up next month and that was the nudge I needed to cancel. I probably have more patterns that enough anyway! :rotfl: On a more practical side, the money saved will cover the 5% increase in this year's council tax.

Yesterday afternoon while DH was glued to the rugby on TV, I set up a spreadsheet for our annual budget (I always do it ready for the new tax year in April) to populate with the figures as/when the bills start arriving over the coming weeks. I have it broken down into sections, one for essential bills paid by direct debit (utilities etc), one for miscellaneous/occasional bills paid by debit card (eg dentist) one for weekly cash purchases (groceries, toiletries etc) and one for monies diverted into a savings account for annual holidays. This way I can see whatever cash is left from our pensions is "spare".

There's not a lot on the essentials list that can be pared back any further but I'll be looking at phone/broadband next month ready for when our current contract runs out in April. Could be a switch or a haggle in the offing!

The miscellaneous list is also as low as it can go so that just leaves the regular cash purchases. These are always a work in progress to have as good a lifestyle as we'd like on the budget we have.

Making do could be interesting in March as I'll be s t r e t c h i n g 4 weeks' grocery cash over 5 weeks. Should be achievable, given the stocks we have in the freezer/fridge/cupboards.

Lilith1980

Minimising came in the form of 'minimising' the mess inside our cars today with one of those car hoovers, not to mention the dirt on the outside :rotfl: The car hoover isn't great and we can't park near our house so I took in the car mats and hoovered those with the proper hoover.

Making do did involve a bit of spending, but instead of going to the local car wash to pay £10 each for a wash and hoover we spent money on cleaning supplies and a couple of new brushes for the cars which will last us much longer.

Also on making do, we'd talked about getting our dog a new bed but actually it just needed a good wash! So into the washing machine it went and hung outside to dry on the line

Again, nothing to mend today but something is bound to come up in the future!

dolly84

evuka - you are very welcome to join in my No Buy March. I will only be buying the essentials, so food/fuel and anything needed for emergencies/repairs to car or house that type of thing. So no buying things from charity shops or pre-made sandwiches on days out, or takeaways etc.

lilith1980 - I am always amazed at how many of those hand car washes there are now and how many people are in them, I have never been to one but being bossed around by a miserable faced man wielding a cloth is not my idea of money well spent.

I have a small bag to go to the CS today hopefully and two ebay sales to post. No mending done but I have noticed a hole in one of DD's slipper socks so will wash and mend that before it gets any worse.

Siebrie

Mended:
2 socks (of a pair; they both had a small hole in exactly the same spot)
1 pants where the elastic had come loose from the body of the pants for about 1 inch
1 double fitted sheet with a tiny hole in the middle (why throw out a piece of 2mx2m cotton with cheerful blue polkadots for just 1 small hole?)
reattached the waist elastic on dd2/s Scapa skirt
reattached a button to dh/s thick woollen cardi
mended several small holes in a flannel hot water bottle sleeve

Minimize:
we have new drinking glasses (wombled from a clear-out a work) and the old 1kea glasses are now in the attic for donation (I never liked them, but the children were small and they were cheap). The new ones are Villeroy&Boch handmade!!

Make do:
The easy chili recipe called for baby corncobs, chili powder, a diced courgette, water and kidney beans ; I substituted those with tinned corn, piripiri powder, a homegrown frozen grated courgette, the liquid from the defrosted courgette, and ordinary brown beans. Very tasty!

YorksLass

YorksLass wrote: »

Yesterday afternoon while DH was glued to the rugby on TV, I set up a spreadsheet for our annual budget (I always do it ready for the new tax year in April) to populate with the figures as/when the bills start arriving over the coming weeks.

First brown envelope through the door yesterday for rent wef beginning of April - :j it's gone down! (Something to do with Government legislation as to what councils can charge.) Slight savings reduced by the weekly service charge (for cleaning of communal areas) that's gone up. Still, it's a small saving for us and every little helps.

Today we both received our letters from DWP for pension payments from April - again, it's a :j

Last night's dinner was a make do from fridge lo bits - diced lamb, chickpea dahl, half an orange pepper with a handful of freezer peas - for a lamb curry-type topping on jacket potatoes. Sliced banana and cream for pud.

No mending as such but I've still to sew up a jumper I've knitted for DH. And I've also been knitting a throw using wool from my yarn stash. I've done 3 wide panels and 4 narrower panels that need sewing together; once I've done that I'll be able to see if it's big enough. If it is then I can do a crochet edging around the sides.

mcculloch29

Minimised a BB March 2013 dated packet of dried peas in ham broth, and they were fine. A too short for cycling sports jacket left with my cleaner.
I was going to bin a bottle of wine that had been a raffle prize, as it was way past its best on opening, but a sachet of mulled wine spices and some brown sugar restored its palatability. The spice sachets are past their BBDs too, but still taste OK,

Not much else happening, I was given a vacuum sealer to review, hasn't worked completely well - seals but doesn't create a vacuum. Can't decide if it's it or me, Fine for creating sealed packs of leftovers for the freezer, though.

YorksLass

Today's minimising was cutting DH's hair for him. I've been doing it for a good number of years now and he's more than happy with it. The nose & ear trimmer was running very sluggishly so new battery fitted and old one ready to go next time I visit the library where there's a recycling point for them.

Also minimised the cost of security software for the pooter when I was t'internet browsing at the weekend and saw there was a flash sale on at C*rrys/PC W*rld. Normally £40'ish, paid £15.99. :j Not needed for a few weeks but, at that price, may as well get it now. Just need the postie to bring it now - poor soul hasn't been spotted today but hardly surprising with the weather as it is.

More minimising: Have unsubscribed from some email newsletters, updated/edited numbers on the mobile and have some parcel packaging ready to go in the recycling bin.

On the mending front, last night I started to sew up the jumper I've knitted for DH; if I do the last side seam tonight that just leaves the collar to attach. It's a wrap-over shawl type and I'll leave that for tomorrow as I think it will need some concentration!

silvasava

Yorklass - there is a free security programme called Avast that you can download - they are reputable (been going for years) they do upgrades and add one's for a small fee if you want but I've just been in sing the free basic for about 5 years and its been fine.
Minimised a quiche from the freezer - I'd made it with some leftover ham last year but tbh it was a bit tasteless as I usually use smoked lardons. Think what's left may feed my Jackdaws! Also used some bubble & squeak cakes - they tasted much better!
Think that was my make do too.
Minimised the dust upstairs but no mending yet although I'm sure some will appear!