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

Siebrie

Mended:
wash mitt
sock
2 pairs of pants
thermo longsleeve

YorksLass

This afternoon while DH was watching the rugby I took myself off upstairs and sorted through all my clothes and now have two full black bin bags to go to the CS.  It seemed to be a combination of things that are either too big (because of weight loss that I'm not complaining about ) or just never get worn.  On the plus side, I can now get into some things that were too small before, so it feels like a new wardrobe.  I've also condensed T-shirts and tops from two drawers into one using the Marie Kondo method - it works!  A couple of items have found their way onto the sewing pile for minor alterations.

There's also two large boxes to go, one of knitting magazines, the other the last of my hardback books/video tapes.  Plus a small box of assorted bric a brac.  Good job DS is on hand with his car!

Tonight we're having a picky tea so that will minimise odds and ends from the fridge and after that DH and DS will be watching the France v England rugby that I may watch (whilst knitting) or I might just have my nose in a paperback.

London_1

Got back last night from our house buying trip, and hopefully will be moving early summer, so a lot of minimising ahead.

Last night minimised a cottage pie from the freezer, and will definitely be eating up existing stocks over the next couple of months.

 I guess its
Make Do with what I have in at the moment.
 I had half a loaf left when we left our holiday house so brought that home. and it will more than do me for several days as its only a small loaf and I don't eat a great deal of bread.

 DD and my son-in-law prefer white bread and I like brown seeded Hovis

 I have four oranges and half a dozen apples to eat up this week in stock so no shopping this week at least I also have UHT milk and I brought home some potatoes The veg I can use from the freezer It won't kill me not to have fresh veg this week.

No mending but a bit of knitting to finish off one of my charity blankets

I must also go through some of my spare wool stash as I know I have some stuff there that I can donate to my local library knitting club .

Hope everyone has a good week 

  JackieO xx

YorksLass

Today's Minimise: More paper shredded; two wash loads done (empty laundry basket - well, for now) and - the biggest surprise of all - DH has parted with three jackets!  They're in the CS bag pile and I want them gone before he changes his mind.     

Make Do: Last of the minced beef defrosted for a cottage pie for dinner today that we had with green beans.  Lunch time was a snack of crackers topped with cream cheese mixed with the last bits of finely chopped gammon and a sprinkle of paprika. 

plumduff55

Good morning, it's been ages since I've posted so here are things I can remember from the last week

Make Do - Used a tin of corned beef that was a bit out of date and it was fine.

Mend - I found a tiny hole in a silk vest. Hope I've not got moths 😳. Anyway it's mended now.
             I bought 2 turtle neck tops for wearing under Aran cardigans and had to shorten the sleeves.
             I shortened pyjama bottoms for mum 
             I mended holes in 3 bamboo socks. Only bought in October and holey already.

Minimise -  I got rid of One Drive on my laptop. I say 'got rid' as I couldn't delete it and it was using up loads of memory.  I couldn't get any emails and Microsoft  wanted me to pay £59.99. I had to save everything on to an external hard drive. Delete everything then log out of One Drive and then transfer everything back on to lap top. I have given this long explanation as it was all so complicated. I am so pleased with myself that I managed to sort the problem and avoid paying Microsoft. 

The sun has come out and it's a lovely morning 

Moorviews

Make do - still working out of cupboards and freezer for meals. It’s amazing how long it is taking even working through the dregs of the freezer. And it can get a bit boring at times although the grocery spending has been very low as a result. I am also baking the weekly cakes based on what needs using up instead of whatever I fancy making. I really want to have a reset of the food storage so it makes sense to get as much as we can used up. Soft double sided lint free cloths were made from an old white cotton vest. Just by machining around two layers of fabric and turning them out to leave most of the seams inside, then sewing up the opening. 

Mend - new elastic into pyjamas as the original had given up. I wasn’t sure how to do it at first as the elastic is stitched down into the waistband these days. By making a small slit in the channel I was able to thread a thinner elastic through using a small safety pin. It has worked out fine and has been stitched in firmly. A snag in the front of a very fine knit jumper was remedied with a tiny crochet hook. This was a bit nail biting but I got it pulled through to the back of the fabric without making a hole. I had two aprons in the mending pile. One was stained and the neck strap was worn through and the other had a missing waist tie. I chopped off the ties from the first apron and replaced those on the second. The first has gone into the garage rags container. 

Minimise - various bags with small amounts of frozen vegetables in. Washed out and recycled. Several very old vest tops in which the Lycra had finally perished were binned. I think they were 3 for a fiver and have lasted brilliantly for a good ten years. They really have been worn to death! I did harvest the little strap fixings first though, in case I have a go at making replacement vests. 

Moorviews

@plumduff55 - that was very impressive and money saving to boot 👏

YorksLass

Minimise:
1. My Mother's Day tulips have been binned after lasting more than the 5-day guarantee but they brightened up my kitchen window ledge a treat for a while.  I have, however, exercised will power and haven't yet opened a box of chocolates.  
2. More paper shredded - considering we're almost paper-free these days I do wonder where it all comes from!

Make Do:
Found a small 2-portion cheesecake in the freezer that we shared at lunchtime and tonight we're having sausages (again, courtesy of the freezer) with mash and green beans.

Mend:
Shortened a pair of PJ bottoms just in case DH needs to stay overnight after tomorrow's lung biopsy.  He doesn't normally wear PJs so they had to be bought in a hurry.  We'll have to be up with the sparrows to get there on time so I doubt I'll be in a  fit state to do much at all by the time I (or we) get home.

plumduff55

Make do - I've had Spam sandwiches yesterday and today for lunch. This tin was from my storecupboard and was 4 months past its best before date but it was lovely. I don't think I'll have this again for lunch tomorrow so I shall have to find something else to make with it.

Mend - No mending today but I did start making a table runner for my son. It's interlocking squares and so far I'm very impressed. Hoping to finish it before Easter.

Minimising - I've just had bread and butter pudding from the freezer.  I always make a full dish then freeze what's leftover. It microwaves really well and tastes as if just out the oven.

Cherryfudge

@YorksLass, I hope all goes well with your husband's procedure tomorrow.

As for me: make do - the last of the Stilton for lunch and a fridge and freezer concoction for dinner tonight.

Mend - reattached the cover of an umbrella to three spokes whence it had separated. I counted 12 umbrellas in the house, not including any in the car. I'm not sure I'll get through these in my lifetime, especially if I persist in mending them!

Minimise - hacked away at the jungle and donated the stem of a dead currant bush to the woodpile. The corner looks better and seeing the ivy had apparently taken advantage of the wet winter to grow lush, I'm thinking of trying to make ivy laundry liquid so at least it's useful! Last year I pulled it out by the yard, but that's not stopped it growing back.