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

YorksLass

That's a good idea for the face cloths @London_1.  I do something similar with old hand towels that morph into oven gloves.

My parents were also of the wartime generation and until the late 50s we lived with my dad's mother who was born in 1880, had been through two wars, was widowed three times and had nine children with only two living to be adults.  Not surprising I grew up with a Make do & Mend attitude!  That said, I like to use and enjoy things on a daily basis, unlike my late DM who kept them for "best".

The dressing table I mentioned in my last post belonged first to my DH's grandmother, was passed down to his mother and then to us.  Dating from around 1920 or maybe just a bit before, it's definitely not a modern piece of furniture and could do with the top re-varnishing but the large mirror is perfect.  It has a bevelled and scalloped edge with no chips or tarnishing.  I like it so it can stay with me, even though it is very heavy!

DH was always very "protective" of his tools so I wasn't totally comfortable with the idea of getting rid of them but my "sensible head" told me they were no use to man nor beast just sitting in a cupboard so I did what I thought was best.  Shades of your mum's Use it up motto.    I've kept some (just the basics), DS has taken his pick and I've let the rest go to the tool library.  Now on my own, I don't have any immediate plans to downsize but it could happen one day so at least I'm semi-prepared.