Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2021

MrsCD

Wow Laura, that's a Lot Of Paper and books! You were absolutely right to walk away, and you now have your lovely MrElsewhere to share your life with.😁

MrsCD

Finished my rainbow scrappy lap blanket so that's  a bit more used up from the stash. Not going to bother blocking it. It's been sitting in a bag for I don't know how many years waiting for me to notice it and finish the border!

London_1

Slowly taking read and uneeded  books to CS, I have so many, and my room upstairs is so full of stuff that I really no longer need or use. It is important, as I am hoping to move next year and certainly don't want to take any more stuff than necessary with me.
It seems to have accumulated over the past 28 years in this house, which, when I moved in in 1995, had already been vastly reduced when my late husband and I downsized from our previous much larger house. So every day a bit more gets decluttered. 


Mend : DGS Henry asked me to sew up a tiny tear in his favourite black weekend shirt so I shall do that this morning .wont take long, his Mum (my youngest DD) doesn't even own a needle )


Making Do: with a small cottage pie from the freezer for dinner tonight no shopping needed at all this week

JackieO xx

Laurasiamos

Made do with a tin of paint I found in the cellar, save me buying a new one whilst I decorate my bedroom. 

Pair of curtains and some of the kids old books to go to the charity shop today. Minimising. 

Mended a pair of my son's pyjamas by sewing up a hole. He still fits them so they'll do for a while longer. 

SeekingFlight

I'm not sure if its a mend or a minimise but upon finding out I don't own any short pyjamas i cut the legs off an old pair that were getting worn around the cuffs. Now i have some short pj bottoms and some fabric. I'm thinking i might make some little lavender bags out of the cut offs 

London_1

Minimised another 12 books gone to the charity shop and another 6 to go next time I'm across to the shops. 

Made do with using up some minced beef yesterday and diced onions and carrots all from the freezer and made 6 cottage pie portions that once cold were frozen for individual meals.

Mended a tiny hole in the pocket of my winter lined coat ,I knew it was there from last year and it was on my to-do list 

So three jobs on my 'to-do' list have been moved to my 'been-done' list
I'm quite happy with that I also shred lots of old paper stuff I not longer needed and the shredding went into the recycling bag

Car passed its MOT this morning no problem, I've only driven  just over 8K miles since 2020 what with lockdowns and health problems I just haven't been far at all, and I have ordered my new one, slightly smaller as all my grandsons have grown and flown so no longer need a 7 seater, but delivery is not until December so I'm OK with that .My dealer is really nice and not only did I get a service and MOT but it had a nice clean as well FOC and free tea/coffee while I waited.  

So all in all a very productive day  

JackieO xx
,

MrsCD

It's good when you find a garage that doesn't rip you off, and knows how to look after their customers.😊

London_1

MrsCD said:

It's good when you find a garage that doesn't rip you off, and knows how to look after their customers.😊

I agree I have used my Vauxhall dealer for 17 years and have always been very pleased with their service and hospitality. They ring tomato sure I am happy with what they have done and nothing is too much trouble for them I'm treated with courtesy and patience at all times ,and its a local business as well
JackieO xx

YorksLass

Mend - A T-shirt around the join in the neckband that appears to have been sewn with a nylon thread that was itching and scratchy, so I've unpicked and re-sewn it with proper cotton thread.

A fair bit of minimising:

(1) - Three small artificial cacti that have been on the bathroom window ledge for 2, maybe 3, years.  Pretty and trouble free at the tine but the sun has leached the colour out so they've now been binned.

(2) - Several of DH's toiletries eg after shaves, body washes etc.  Two were completely empty (!), a couple almost empty and one that he rarely uses because he doesn't like the fragrance.  I hasten to add we didn't buy them -  they were all Xmas and birthday presents over the years and they've probably "gone off" by now anyway.  We've asked our offspring not to waste their money on smellies for us so there shouldn't be any more coming in!  

(3) - More yarn from the stash that I've knitted into a large mitred square throw, big enough to use as an extra layer on our bed.  That's another 900g of DK gone but not wasted.

(4) - A dozen clean knitting magazines added to the CS bag (I have far too many), along with oddments of yarn that I won't use.

Making do - The usual focus on using up food stocks before buying more and I'm pleased to say the cupboard contents are now (mostly) all within date and under control.  A few exceptions - baking essences, cocoa powder and chicken gravy granules - but they're fine long after their BB dates and will get used.

Wraithlady

Mending: I have a pile of mending to do, but have managed to sew a new zip into a favourite hoody - a bit wonky but no-one will be looking that closely.

Minimising: Getting rid of a load of stuff from MIL's house - just offered random stuff (model railway tracks to a record player) on Freecycle, and the only thing still unclaimed are a job lot of cushions. Come this time next week, they should all be with new owners. Also managed to give away an orange and black tea-cosy to a friend (who doesn't drink tea). It's for a costume, apparently. 

Making do: I lost my metal cross-stitch pattern holder, so used an Amazon cardboard envelope, some paperclips and an English Heritage bookmark to hold the pattern. It'll probably turn up eventually so I don't really want to get a new one.