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.     

YorksLass

On the Minimise front I've unearthed two more things to go to the CS - when the weather allows!  One is a very large baking bowl given to me many years ago by an ex-neighbour when she was downsizing and, although I've used it a lot over the years, I don't need it any more.  The other is an equally large bright yellow plastic colander. 

Today I've binned three pieces of foam that I bought some time ago and never got around to using.  Sadly, they're now starting to disintegrate so of no use to the CS.

I'm still Making Do (and Minimising) with freezer contents for yet another week's main meals coming from there.  I must be making space surely, but I can't see any noticeable difference yet!  

As for Mend, I've shortened two new pairs of PJ bottoms and have started knitting yet another jumper from the last batch of yarn.  I definitely won't be short of winter clothing!

Another Make Do is resisting buying something new to hang on a bare living room wall.  Instead, I've used two Japanese style wall plaques inlaid with mother of pearl that DH and I bought on holiday several years ago.  They've lived in the small spare bedroom where they were hardly ever seen but now I can enjoy them (and the memories) every day.    

Another Minimise that's not of my making is we seem to have "lost" one of our communal general waste bins, as in it's disappeared!  No idea why, although the lid was badly cracked so maybe it's scheduled for renewal by the council.

Green_hopeful

We have been doing the Fast 800 diet well the 5:2 version.  I had an aubergine and basil in the greenhouse and some halloumi cheese left over. Did the fast 800 ratatouille bake with halloumi cheese. It was totally delicious. 

my husband’s elderly aunt is in a care home. People often send her gifts which she then gives us to get rid of. We got some green tea and some loose leaf tea. Managed to offload the green tea to our daughter in law last night so thats good.

i am still painting windows. I think I have nearly finished five big ones on the first floor. There is one more big one on the first floor. I had to break the handle to get it open because the lock had broken. There are four small ones that I can’t paint from inside so they will have to wait until my husband can help with the ladder. He is still recovering from his detached retina. Then there is one more big one and three small ones on the second floor.

I still have 2 and a half big ones on the ground floor that I couldn’t get to because of climbing plants but at least they are easy to get to once the plants have died down. 

Then joy of joys I need to paint the insides!