Make Do, Mend & Minimise in 2025 (and 2024)

YorksLass

Minimise - Yesterday I had a delivery of two new frying pans that I'd ordered so the old ones I mentioned in my last post have been binned.  The new ones are good quality and have a 10 year guarantee so I'm hoping these will see me out!     

Make Do - All meals this week are courtesy of the fridge/freezer and cupboards so no spending.  Have blitzed bread crusts into crumbs that I'll be using for coating home made fishcakes and will also be making veg soup.  Just the job for this chilly weather.  

mandy47

Minimised.
Offered a box of craft and stationery bits on Olio. Collecting later today. 

Living out of freezer and cupboards for the best couple of weeks. Only buying fruit and veg. Resisted last of reduced Xmas goodies at Aldi this morning. 

Made a soup with a variety of bits from the freezer and the bottom of the fridge. Bulked it out with a tin of mixed beans.

Took soft plastic to local SM aswell as a couple of flat batteries. 

gemmajenkins0208

Little bit today;


Made do by using 2 tubs of something from the freezer. Also got sausages out the freezer for tomorrow night's tea.


Minimised by taking a parcel to work for colleague to post off for me as they live right next to drop off point. Also one of the 2 Tubs of something was broken so that went in recycling. Person came for an item I had listed on marketplace so that gone and some extra money. Also minimised a nail apt as I can't afford it/money can be better spent elsewhere currently. When I got home from work I minimised packaging into recycling and bin of a cheese selection from Christmas, and a box of winter Berry and custard tarts.


Don't think there'll be much tomorrow as I'm working in the morning, then OH's mum needs some help to move furniture as her new flooring is laid, then I need to get tea then off to the gym, shower when I get home then probably bed as ill be shattered.

suzeesu2000

Minimise - Got some cupboard sorting in the kitchen to do Tuesday as new pans need a home and I will then put old ones in recycling except one for melting wax. I save all my bits from candles I’ve used, melt together and just add some colouring and essential oils to make new ones. My friend usually gifts me a candle in some type of jar for birthday or Christmas so glass gets reused too. 

Minimise - will also be listing 2 duvet sets, a big throw, a heated throw, a scratching perch thing and a small drawer unit on Marketplace. I’ve only just joined FB so not sure how successful it will be. I might also put on our local selling site too, cover my bases.

Make do - Eating from freezer, nice leg of lamb today which DH cooked to perfection. I did the veggies and we had a tasty meal. Tuesday I will be making veggie soup. Dinner will be eggs, bacon, tomatoes, mushrooms. DH has asked for bacon and egg crusty rolls. Rolls are in freezer, everything else in fridge or on pantry shelves. 

No mending today.

Moorviews

Minimised - first time in a supermarket yesterday since 22nd December and I stuck to a strict list. Inventory of the fridge and freezer and meals planned beforehand. I am going to try and keep this up, although I do find it a bit time consuming. Made a decision about clothing I ordered in the sale; keeping two items and the other two will be returned. Old eye serum finally used up and am starting on a sample tube now. So I still haven’t opened the new eye serum that I had as a Christmas present. That should mean that it lasts me for the year. 

Making do - using up what we have in for meals. We had a very tasty beef stew made from cooked brisket and gravy from February 23! Bulked up with some pearl barley cooked in the gravy. I had a lot of milk to use up so made a cream of celery and Stilton soup, plus a large rice pudding. Last night, leftover roast turkey and gravy from the freezer with lemon and thyme roasted root vegetables. All vegetables bought before Christmas. Diluted my shower cream down to keep it going until the new order arrived. Cut open my tube of hand cream to access the remaining fifth of the product. 

No mending although I did complete and weave in the ends of a crochet project. 

Florafauna

Also minimised a toastie maker to a neighbour who'll use it in his campervan
Made do with freezer dinner - Stilton and broccoli soup made with frozen broc and xmas cheese.
No mending needed right now. 
Keep warm folks, it's freezing here 

London_1

Just watched a 'Loving life on Less 'on YouTube and its very interesting.
She's pretty good at frugalling and has lots of good ideas. One of the bits was taking things down a notch which seemed eminently sensible for those who are starting out on their frugal journey .
Basically its slowly evaluating and using stuff slightly less than you normally would

 i.e. if you take two sugars in your the/coffee drop it down to one for awhile , then once you have got used to it drop it down a little more until you eventually take none at all

 I haven't had sugar in a drink for around 40-50 years but then back in the 1970s there was a sugar shortage so it was a necessity not a choice

But lots of ways you can take things down just a little , perhaps walk or bus instead of using the car even for only one day a week, the exercise would be good for you plus less petrol to use and a little less pollution.

 Buying even slightly less than you normally would or just thinking about what you really need to buy and not buying with your eyes. She suggests using cash, and leaving your debit card at home when shopping and keeping say a fiver just for reduced or special items in the shops.

Shops are big business, and the large supermarket know how to catch a shopper attention as they want you to spend your cash as much as possible.I don't believe the guff about 'Every little helps' as it mainly helps with their profits not your purse. 

I'm an old hand at buying frugally but then I've been doing it for a long time, but to those who are starting to struggle with the CoL and the price of food and goods in the shops where they never had to before it can be daunting. But its doable and you certainly won't starve or have the world crashing round your ears if you prepare and think about your weekly shop. 
1. Never go shopping when you are hungry
2. Try to shop from your cupboards or existing stock first
3. Make a weekly menu out before you go so you know what you actually need to do the meals within point buying more dried pasta when you have umpteen packets in the cupboard
4. Most important STICK to your list as much as possible,

Today I will be shopping for only the second time this month as I have also been using stuff up thats in the cupboards first, I know I need some eggs, but I also know that of the 6 I buy I will be using them during the week for various things.My fridge egg holder holds 7 for some reason and I always wait until I only have one left before I buy another 6. I don't need a dozen as the ones I buy will be enough until I need to buy more.

 I have a shopping list already written, and I am hoping it will roughly come to between £25-30 maybe less .I'm halfway through the month, so my budget is doing ok at the moment,

 I've done two lots of batch cooking this month so have around 16-17 ready portioned meals in the freezer. Mostly what I will buy today will be fruit and veg (I do like a lot of veg ) and some dairy stuff eggs, cheese, milk etc although I have UHT in the cupboard. I know I don't need meat as my freezer has a kilo and a half of ground beef in there and still some chicken plus some diced beef for a casserole, that I will cook up when I have some more room for ready-cooked meals .The bottom basket is full already in the freezer .
I don't need cleaning stuff or toiletries but will get some more flour and granulated sugar that I blend down to caster sugar for baking. With luck what I buy today will be enough with whats already in stock to be the last shop of January. I normally shop evert 10 days or so but streetching this month out fingers crossed will mean only two shops this month instead of three.
 Making do and minimising on the shopping is my goal this month  

No mending to do at the moment. No doubt I will find some during the next week though.  


  JackieO xx

SeekingFlight

Loving this thread i find it so motivating

Make Do - Rearranging the kitchen to make it easier to clean and using things I already have as storage solutions.

Minimise - I sold a blind and gave away anther item on olio

Mend - I fixed the bunnies enrichment toy

YorksLass

Wise words from JackieO (as always  ).  It's all too easy to go at something in a gungho fashion and then get discouraged when it doesn't happen as quickly as you'd like.  The bit-by-bit approach definitely works better for me and I've been minimising that way for 4 years now in an effort to clear out unnecessary or unwanted possessions.  I'm probably on round 4 or 5 and still finding things to let go of!  Two main reasons (1) I don't want to lumber my offspring with the job when I've gone (not for a long while yet, I hope  ) and (2) it's much easier to maintain a clean and tidy house.  I've also adopted the "one in, one out" approach, be it clothes, shoes, household items etc.  Before I buy anything new, as well as asking "Do I really need this?", I decide what will be going and find this helps curb spending too.

Today's effort was clearing out the drawer in the TV stand.  In there were lots of cables that are now sorted into bags, each labelled with what they're for (printer, DVD player etc).  Two remote controls, one obsolete (binned, but with battery removed for recycling).  No less than 23 DVDs, 3 with accompanying magazines, have gone in the CS pile.  Most have been watched multiple times and a few just once but won't be watched again.  A dried up Sharpie pen binned (not sure why it was in there in the first place).

Tea tonight is a Make Do from the freezer of corned beef hash with Yorkshire puds, fruit & yogurt for afters.

suzeesu2000

Make do - eating from freezer/fridge/pantry shelves

mend - nothing needed yet

minimise - actually got around to recycling old saucepans and frying pans, out of cupboards along with the lids. Gone. Removed a stack of old medicines (2019 when DH had BIG heart issue), NHS won’t take meds back and we don’t need them so no alternative than to dispose of, so wasteful but understand the reasons. Anyway, they have now all gone. Loads of cardboard boxes in recycling too, dustmen are going to love me on Monday lol. Items for sale listed on FB.