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

Floss

plumduff55 said:

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.

My mum used to make spam & egg pie - same principle as a quiche, chopped spam with seasoned eggy milk in a pastry case with a top on.

YorksLass

Thanks @Cherryfudge, it was an early start but we're back home now so just need to wait for the test results, although we have a fair idea of what they will be.  Treatment is likely to be radiotherapy and palliative care - we already know surgery and/or chemo are off the table.

So far, I've emptied the kitchen bin ready for tomorrow's collection, put on a wash load that will need to be dried on the airer, made the beds, baked a loaf of bread and am now having a break.  If I don't nod off I'll mop the kitchen floor but it can wait till tomorrow if needs be.     

Easy tea tonight of egg & chips and there's half a tin of baked beans that can be used too if we fancy them  Frozen chicken defrosting for tomorrow's stir fry that will also take care of the last carrot.  The fridge is looking fairly empty now so I'll give that a clean out before filling it again.

Cherryfudge

I'm sorry you're both going through this @YorksLass, I hope the news is as good as can be. You seem to have been very productive today (and reminded me I need to clean the fridge). The egg and chips sound yummy.

gemmajenkins0208

Make do - well, errrm, I've been doing the complete opposite of making do... had some money come in so I've been buying rubbish from the shops on an almost daily basis... but that ends here and now else I'll have no money left. On the plus side, we have bought a few things we wouldn't otherwise have had the money to get.


Mend - nothing.


Minimise - as above, no real minimising due to the almost daily shop purchases, but I am still going thru older cupboard, fridge and freezer stocks still. I have also got my Sundays back! I used to work Sunday evenings so felt like I was sitting around all day waiting to go to work. I was too afraid to do anything in case I'd then be late getting to work. My last Sunday evening shift is tomorrow which means I'm off from Easter Sunday! And I've got meats to use for roast dinners!

London_1

YorksLass my thoughts are with you honey and everything is crossed xx

Make Do : Used up the second half of the tin of beans last night on top of cheese on toast as a quick tea.I had had a cottage pie from the freezer with steamed veg, plus pudding at lunchtime so was still fairly full and Saturday night is relax and feet up time 


Mend : not mended, but more knitting of the new charity blanket I've started managed 4 more squares while watching TV and the 'Finders Keepers' drama I had recorded on my TiVo box. Saturday night TV with all its daft shows leave me cold so I usually watch something I've recorded.


Minimised : Well slowly minimising my freezer stocks and eating from the freezer and cupboards as I hope to move by June so don't want to be packing tins etc and I bought it to eat so I will darned well eat it I had made some stewed apple and custard yesterday morning so had some of that for pudding at lunchtime.

 Takes a month of Sundays to empty a freezer out doesn't  it . I want to get it as empty as possible for the new folk who have bought my house, as I am leaving them the fridge freezer and the washing machine in situ

  Onwards and upwards chums 

   JackieO xx

Cherryfudge

Make do - we've been eating mostly from stores including finishing up some stuff bought for Christmas!

Mend - nothing for me but DH is sanding down a dining chair to revarnish it instead of replacing.

Minimise - I've donated some of the grape hyacinths from our garden to a family member. The flowers are a beautiful blue but like to take over the area so that not much else will fit in, so an occasional thinning is good, and the person concerned is starting a new garden. I also found a box of toys left behind from our children, but no one is wanting them so they will probably end up in the toy box for DGDs. So that's a failed minimalisation.

YorksLass

Make Do:
Busy morning in the kitchen.  We had lamb for dinner yesterday (a rare treat as it's so expensive) and today I've sliced and frozen the rest in gravy, enough for 6 portions.  The odd trimmings can be made into a lamb & barley hotpot for later in the week.  I've also made a rice pudding in the SC (about 4 portions) and have baked 8 large fruit scones that used up some plain yogurt.  There was one small lonely chicken breast in the freezer so that's been cooked in the air fryer and then turned into a tub of coronation chicken for sandwiches.

Minimise:
I've finished one of my favourite perfumes (Ghost Serenity) and have put the empty bottle in my undies drawer and binned the box.  Sadly, it's been discontinued.  

Mend:
Not exactly mending, more knitting in progress of a sweater (for me) in a lovely sunshine yellow with a panel of cabling up each sleeve and two down the front.  I've dug out three hand knit cardigans that are now too big but will unpick/unravel them so I can use the yarn again.
One of the candle bulbs in the living room chandelier popped over the weekend and tripped the fuse.  Bulb replaced but not before I took the opportunity to clean all the drops etc.  A bit of a faff, but now it's sparkling again.  

London_1

YorksLass you have reminded me I need some pudding rice as I have a good bit of milk to use up and a slow cooked rice pud will do me for several days.

I also need some tiny marshmallows to go with the hot chocolate I want to use up

Makes a nice afternoon treat Hot chocolate, marshmallows and squirty cream
 I was given a large tin of squirty cream yesterday from the lady in the coffee shop as she knows its my treat when I go there weekly
She said they had over ordered bless her. I think its because I always ask after her family which is back in Poland and take the time to smile and say good morning. She said call it an Easter treat certainly nicer than an egg and a lot more useful 

   JackieO xx

YorksLass

Thanks for your good wishes JackieO, I hope you enjoy your rice pudding.  We're still waiting for test results (maybe this week) and some kind of treatment plan, although I suspect that may be just palliative care.  Someone has definitely decided to rain on my parade this year!  Not only has DH been diagnosed with lung cancer, his younger brother has been told he has prostate cancer and our DS is currently in hospital for investigation into a heart problem.  Whatever next?

Last night I watched Sort Out Your Life with Stacey Solomon, not my usual type of programme, but I actually enjoyed it and found myself inspired to start tackling the Room of Doom aka the back bedroom.  Now, I don't have a warehouse at my disposal to lay out all our possessions but today I've emptied the built-in cupboard and have sorted out the contents into Keep/Bin/Donate piles.  The Keep stuff has gone back in (neatly) although I can see that getting another prune at some stage and the Bin stuff is in the bin.  The Donate stuff might have to wait until DS is up and running again; failing that I'll try to get a CS collection.  One pleasing thought after watching the programme was that I'm nowhere near as bad as some people - at least all my clutter is hidden in cupboards and drawers!  

Towel wash done today, hung outside and it's almost dry so will finish it off on the airer overnight.  Bathroom floor has also  been mopped. 

A couple of Mends - (1) I've replaced a mop head and Minimised the old one into the bin (2) Have tightened up the screw on one arm of my glasses.  I have a small optical kit with a screwdriver, a couple of screws and washers in it that came out of a Xmas cracker years ago and it's proved to be a very useful piece of "clutter".   And yes, I do know where to find it - it's in the kitchen gubbins drawer!     

On the Make Do front, we had a change to what was planned for dinner last night (unexpected hospital visit to take spare clothes and toiletries for DS) and ended up with bacon, egg and some cold potatoes, sliced and fried.  Probably not the healthiest of meals but it tasted good.  

Cherryfudge

That's certainly a very rainy parade, @YorksLass.  I'm so sorry to hear there are so many poorly people. It's so tough for you, do take care of yourself where you get a chance.

Well done on the clear out and having the resources in for an emergency meal. Egg, bacon and fried potatoes sounds good to me. Do you have far to go to the hospital? Visiting cuts into the day a lot, but you wouldn't want people to go unvisited.