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

Teadrinker_4

Been a little quiet lately as been busy getting the garden ready for spring.
Make do: We had corned beef hash for tea last night and instead of having seconds I saved some for lunch today.  However there wasn’t that much for two of us so used it as a sandwich filling! Warmed through with brown sauce on the bread was a game changer.

Mend: None today, as yet. Might do a little hand sewing this evening, in front of the TV.  I do have a pair of hand knit socks that need darning but it’s not my favourite job.

Minimise: Charity bag offloaded including a table lamp which was my late mother’s (kept it just in case, never used it 🤷‍♀️) That was 13 years ago!! 

Since coming home from the charity shop I’ve sorted another bag. I’ll keep it in my car ready for when I go out again.

Happy Weekend everyone 

YorksLass

Hi @London_1 - I used a 400g tin of coconut milk plus the same amount of water, then used just over half for the rice pudding and the rest for the custard, no special recipe for either - just make as you'd do with "normal" milk.  I did find I had to add a bit more milk to the rice pudding though as it was quite thick!  Added bonus - you don't need as much sugar.

How is your house sale going?  The IoW must be getting nearer!    

Still Making Do with existing food stocks but I do have a small shopping list, mainly to replace shelf stuff that's been used.  One of those items is teabags - I do hope people haven't been panic buying!  Can't be doing without my cuppas, especially first thing in the morning.

Mend - Leggings still waiting to be shortened.  And I have a cardigan that needs a couple of stitches in each button hole as they seem to have stretched and are too large for the buttons.  I'll tackle those over the weekend.

Minimise - nothing for a few days but normal service will resume next week. 

suzeesu2000

Saw a really simple recipe for red lentil and carrot soup. Have both and stock so will be making over the weekend. 

Make do -  ham, mushroom omelette for dinner

Mend - nothing

Minimise - sorting through all my family tree papers to put in the folders DH bought me for my birthday last year, yes just getting round to it now. So quite a few bits of paper being shredded which will go to my friend for her rabbit rescue centre bedding. 

Cherryfudge

@London_1 and @Katiehound, I love hearing tales of the winter of 1962-63. What a date for a wedding! I was born right at the end of it - Mum told me the ambulance took her to hospital through a blizzard though I've never been able to verify just how blizzardy the blizzard was (Mum loved colourful tales). I've read somewhere that the day I was born was the day the thaw started but elsewhere I've seen slightly different dates - but it may have varied across the country.

@Teadrinker_4, I'd imagine corned beef hash sandwich with brown sauce is fun!

London_1

YorksLass soon as we get a firm offer on my house we will be off to the IoW house hunting DDs one has confirmed the offer on hers so hopefully won't be too long.

suzeesu2000  recipe if you can, I am an avid collector of tried and tested recipes

Making do ; today it will be one of the cottage pies for dinner tonight with some steamed veg all from the freezer

Mend ;       no mending to do today ,but I will be doing some more knitting for my charity blankets

Minimise: ;  decluttered some ancient makeup from the bathroom cabinet, binned it as dried up lipstick and mascara  are well past their best  

Have a great weekend chums ,there is a strange light in the sky in Kent at the moment a nice blast of sunshine, long may it last ,but I doubt it. 

DGS Ben & Henry are enjoying Marrakesh, although Henry silly chap, sat in the sun for an hour and his face looks like he's been blowtorched, but then he is very fair skinned and blonde, so like me, just doesn't go brown, only red and hot. But he will learn to use factor 50 as I do, even in English sun

 I once had heat stroke in March when I was not long married and lived on Mersea Island off the Essex coast, combination of spring sun and a gentle breeze lulled me into a false sense of security  

Cheers chums 

  JackieO xx

suzeesu2000

London_1 said:

YorksLass soon as we get a firm offer on my house we will be off to the IoW house hunting DDs one has confirmed the offer on hers so hopefully won't be too long.

suzeesu2000  recipe if you can, I am an avid collector of tried and tested recipes

We live on the IOW! A been here 24 years yesterday, on the 25th anniversary we can officially be called islanders. Best thing we ever did was moving here, wish we had come sooner. When we came, you could buy a flat for &14,000 and a house for & £25,000 now provides have gone mad. Such a stunning place though and so much to see and do. 

Recipe for soup is: 
600gm grated carrots
2 teaspoons cumin
pinch of chilli flakes
140gm split red lentils
125ml milk
1 litre veg stock
2 teaspoons oil

add oil and spices to pan and let the release flavour
add veg stock
add lentils, milk and carrots
stir well
bring to a boil
add a lid
reduce heat to a simmer
simmer for 15 minutes or till lentils have softened
use a stick blender to make a smooth thick soup
if too thick just add more veg stock

freezes very well too

plumduff55

I've not posted on here for ages so will try and think what I've done 🤔
Make do - One evening I couldn't be bothered cooking so made do with a tin of spaghetti bolognese from my storecupboard. 

Mend - I have 2 pairs of identical trousers, one navy and one black. On Tuesday while having lunch with a friend I realised I had worn the navy ones instead of the black ones. A combination of poor lighting in my bedroom and deteriorating eyesight 🥴. I have since embroidered a B and an N inside the waistbands. I won't wear the wrong trousers again 🤞.

Minimise - I have gradually been upgrading my knitting needles from bamboo to the knit pro birch wood ones. They are a delight to knit with. I went through my needles and have 3 pairs of bamboo ones to go to the charity shop.

@suzeesu2000 thanks for the recipe. I have taken a screenshot and will make it during the week as I have lots of carrots that need used.

London_1

Indeed Suseesu2000 thank you for the recipe I too have taken a screenshot and will use it shortly as I have some lentils I want to use up I am doing my best to use up stuff as much as possible as I don't want to be packing tins or food bits when I move  My late OH was born and bred on the IoW and DD has always wanted to return to live there.He was a Northwood chap from Cowes. We are hoping to maybe settle around Ryde or Sandown perhaps We like Bembridge but its a bit pricey but we shall see 

Make do : using some spicy Halloumi for lunch today to use it up as I found it in the freezer (I go to DDs for Sunday dinner every Sunday evening so only need a light lunch )

Mend : sewed a small tear in my wool bag that I keep the wool I am using at the moment for my knitting. I do have a large stash upstairs in the spare room, but that all zipped up in a big holdall.

Minimise : well the halloumi from the freezer plus a couple of rolls also from the freezer for lunch


Food stuff being used up as much as possible.

  JackieO xx

Moorviews

Make do - finding meals to make from what we have in. Obviously, I had far too much in the freezer and larder and wasn’t using it up properly before. Last night, we had a kedgeree using a tin of salmon, frozen peas and frozen spinach. Earlier in the week I made a small piece of cooked brisket into a lovely filling for flatbreads. I chopped and fried a small chunk of chorizo then added a sliced red pepper and the sliced beef. Plenty of salt and pepper and into the flatbreads with sliced cucumber and a smidge of Greek yoghurt. It was much nicer than a burger or a kebab. I was trying to think of how to use up a whole cucumber. Then thought, just eat it 😂 It has gone in all my sandwiches this week. 

Mend - rehung a drooping curtain because it had come off the hooks. Replaced the zip in a pair of trouserlegs.

Minimising - decluttered and cleaned the bedroom. Got the water DD reduced to a sensible amount and the excess credit returned. Kept the grocery bill minimal by not shopping. All the usual recycling has been put out and taken. Finally finished a cut down tube of face cream. 

YorksLass

Minimise - The 5 large carrier bags of unwanted stuff that I've been minimising over the last few weeks have finally left the building!     DS has taken them to the CS for me.  He's also sorted through a storage box of his stuff that's been here for the last 20-odd years (I think we all tend to save our adult children's possessions until we get the green light to get rid of them) and happily most of it has gone and what's left will be going home with him today.

Make Do - We had a h/m chicken curry last night and today we're having corned beef hash so that's made a bit more room in the freezer.  I've just managed to do a meal plan for the coming week with existing stocks so that's good, but the next shopping list is getting longer - which is not so good.  I'll be keeping it to the minimum though.

Mend - Still haven't got around to the two items waiting on the pile - I'll have to give myself a good talking to.