Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2018

villagelife

Mend - sewed buttons onto DS2 shirt and a pair of shorts for him. He wanted to throw them away!

Make do - with food in the house and soft fruit picked from the garden other than the beef which DS2 went out to buy.

Minimise - much has been done from bag straps to paperwork and scarves.

[Deleted User]

YorksLass wrote: »

Nice one! You've reminded me, I need to look at mine. It's working OK but I know it's a long time since I last did it. And I could probably do with washing the vaccuum filter too while I'm at it.

I get my DD to do the filter on my washing machine as its at the bottom of the machine at the front and getting down there isn't a problem its getting backup with my clapped out joints

Years ago back in the 1980s my late OH was working on contract in the Sudan, so was away for three months at a time and I was left with two hormonal teenage girls to bring up:)

One day the washing machine plug literally melted the socket it was plugged into Luckily I smelt the smoke and turned the electric off Not having much of a clue what to do I got a screwdriver from OH's tool box and removed the whole of the double plug from the wall and went to my nearest electrical shop and said 'I want one of these please',The burnt out washing machine plug was still attached although I had cut it off from the lead

The man looked at me and sucked his teeth a bit and said 'Hmm you obviously need an electrician'.to which I replied 'No, I just want a new double plug please'
'Are you sure you know what your doing' he asked
'Nope' I replied 'but if I can get this one off the wall it can't be rocket science to put a new one back on'

I came home with the new one and rewired it the way it had been removed ,switched the electric back on an Voila the washing machine started and finished its cycle cost of the plug back then was about £2.00 cost to me for fixing it immeasurable. Commonsense and lack of available cash meant I got it fixed, and when my OH came home on leave he checked it out (it had worked perfectly well following my reair for 9 more weeks) but you know how men like to think they are the only ones who can mend anything and he said well done its fine ( as if I didn't know :rotfl::rotfl:) from that day onwards I decided that if I could fix it I would, and most of the time I do . apparently a loose connection in the three pin plug had caused the short, and turning the electric off straight away was the best thing I did. Today if things fuse or short out there is a fuse box that trips things out to stop things like that happening thank goodness

YorksLass

JackieO wrote: »

I get my DD to do the filter on my washing machine as its at the bottom of the machine at the front and getting down there isn't a problem its getting backup with my clapped out joints

Today if things fuse or short out there is a fuse box that trips things out to stop things like that happening thank goodness

I know the feeling about the getting down but can't get back up scenario! One of the best things I ever bought was a garden kneeler, even though I don't have a garden. One way up it's a seat, the other it's a kneeler and with my hands on the legs I can get up again. It gets used whenever I need to kneel down eg washing skirting boards, clean out bottom cupboards etc.

Love the story about the washing machine and installing a new double plug. :rotfl: I once had a washing machine that set on fire when, unbeknown to us, water was dripping from the drum onto the motor. Luckily we were in at the time but, wouldn't you know it, the machine was out of warranty. It couldn't be repaired either so new machine had to be bought. This was before we had a new trip-type fuse box put in.

Making do is the usual of using up food stocks before shopping but I've had to make an expensive purchase of a new mattress that should be coming on Thursday. The existing one is sagging badly and I'm not surprised I wake up with back ache every morning. When I checked my box file of receipts, guarantees etc I found we've had this bed for 13 years! Still, on the bright side, at least we have savings to pay for it, thanks to being careful how we spend our money. :)

Mending - nothing at the moment.

Minimising - seems to have ground to a halt Must try harder.

Mrs_Salad_Dodger

Monday

Make do: couple of tins from store cupboard to accompany the salad we had for dinner

Mend: toilet flush handle tightened

Minimise: Drinking glasses & coat hangers added to cs bags

Frudd

This month I have minimised breadmaking ingredients. I have stopped using the bread maching and switched to sourdough. Much tastier bread and only 3 ingredients!

silvasava

Cleaned out the washing powder drawer in the WM - black mould from fabric conditioner so think I'll be using white vinegar in future!
Minimised some carpet remnants from the loft to the tip
Made do with freezer contents for tea.
I've also FINALLY cleaned the inside of our windows - we have a lot and they are large so its a bit of a marathon but all done now

Hopeless_Case

Make do: Using 50-50 decaf and caffeintated tea in teapot to use up bag of decaf teabags; made paella from some very frosted, sorry for themselves ingredients; saved the little pot the YL squid was in for freezing herbs from the garden

Mend: Fixed perspex lid on mini greenhouse (Which i think a cat must have jumped on and flattened!) - hopefully it'll last a while and still be waterproof

Minimise: Hmm, can't think of anything concrete, just generally living frugally and trying to reuse things and not use single use bags etc

Mrs_Salad_Dodger

Make do: Food from stores with just the chicken bought in sm yesterday - very proud of myself as the only other thing I bought was my weekly magazine :T

Mend: toilet flush handle tightened AGAIN

Minimise: the two large heavy bags full of donations were delivered to cs yesterday

villagelife

Make do - good from freezer, drive and the garden. Had some odd leftovers for lunch but using stuff up.

Mend - nothing I can think off at the moment.

Minimize - I've sent off some stuff sold on eBay which makes my bank balance look slightly better.

misstara

Hello all

Currently making do with a travel size lotion as a hand cream and bath cream as shower gel, both of which from the giant toiletries stash that I'm trying to minimise. I swear it will be almost Christmas before I use up everything that I got for presents last year, at least it saves me money

Used the last of some coconut milk to make pancakes, very yummy and will have the leftovers for breakfast tomorrow. Picked the first rhubarb from the garden so will be having stewed rhubarb and custard for pudding the next few days