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

weenancyinAmerica

What! Fit a car in the garage! Can't imagine that happening again. 12 years ago it did - then 4 roommates later, almost nothing more will fit in - especially not a car. 

mandy47

Annoying when the person who requested item on Olio doesn't turn up. I left the porch unlocked. 
DD dusted and packed the box carefully and put extra tape on the base to make sure it was safe to handle. 
So minimising didn't go to plan.
May just take them to the charity shop tomorrow with the other items DD sorted out. 

Floss

weenancyinAmerica said:

What! Fit a car in the garage! Can't imagine that happening again. 12 years ago it did - then 4 roommates later, almost nothing more will fit in - especially not a car. 

I moved into a 1975-built house with garage in 2001. I had a smallish 3 door car, and drove it into garage for the first time...and promptly reversed back out again as I couldn't open the car door to get out 😳

realthing16

Hi folks, I don't know if this is the right place for this or not? I am happy enough to be frugal, as a Boomer brought up by parents who had survived the war I am familiar with making things last, home cooking and so on. I never thought I'd have this mentality at this age. Due to few knock backs, its pretty much hand to mouth here. I do confess to running a car, but my MH is wobbly and losing this would be the last straw.

Thanks for listening.

Cherryfudge

Hello and welcome, @realthing16, I'm sorry things haven't been going so well. There's lots of support on this thread (and this board) so please do join in.

I think our generation has an advantage due to the skills and mindset that were handed down to us.

Nelliegrace

@realthing16 It is surprising how many really useful skills you find that you remember from post-war austerity. I feel that I am turning into my Granny with her skills at Make Do and Mend, and all of her proverbs such as, “A stitch in time saves nine.”

Florafauna

Make do- chugging my way through fridge and cupboard food so made massive veg packed cheesy pasta bake which was dinner tonight and will be tomorrow 
Mend - the belt loops on a skirt
Minimise - large box into the recycling

Cherryfudge

Make do - yesterday I invented a soup to use up fridge veg so now there are three types of veg soup, except I had some for my tea so now there are four or five portions of two varieties.

Mend - not quite a mend but a rescue: I found the garden centre voucher that I thought was due to run out and I was right - I have till next week to spend it so I've been indulging in spring bulbs. It was also a make do as I spotted a pack of indoor-flowering narcissi which I intend to grow on as gifts.

Minimise - the next lot of cleaned up plant pots have gone to the garden centre to be recycled, making 130 out and only about 12 in!

Florafauna

Make do- banana  fruit and nut cookies. Made from manky bananas and store cupboard ingredients. Plenty for us and a box full for family also

Mend - stuck zip on jacket. Applied tiny amount of handcream using a cotton bud and it worked!

Minimise- couple more cardboard boxes plus some sashiko threads 

YorksLass

That's another month gone by, with today being the start of meteorological Autumn.  It certainly feels like it here first thing in the morning and late in the evening.  I'm closing the curtains by around 8.15 pm and have dug out the sofa throws - already!  So glad I knitted those last year.

I haven't found anything else yet to put into the CS bag but I'll be taking it tomorrow anyway when I go to the opticians that's next door but one to the CS.  I'll have a browse while I'm there as there's a couple of things I'm on the look out for.

My freezer is playing up but I know what the problem is (a fairly easy fix I can do myself) so can't really justify buying a new one just yet.  Tbf, it is 11 years old so may well be coming to the end of its life but I'm sure it can be revived for a bit longer.  I'll be seriously minimising the contents this week that in turn will minimise grocery spends.  Released so far: half a loaf of bread, a tub of soup, cooked gammon slices, pate, x2 battered cod plus some bread crusts that I've blitzed/dried into crumbs.  More to follow this week.

I've had a tidy of the baking ingredients cupboard too and now know what's in there, nothing out of date but more than enough for home made cakes etc for a good while.  It's one of those awkward corner cupboards that gets messy very easily and I tend to not use the top shelf 'cos I can't reach unless I use the stepladder.  Not a good idea at my age.      

One book returned to the Little Free Library and another three borrowed, bringing the winter reading pile to 15.    Once read, I'll be returning them though.

End of month finances done with no nasty surprises.  August bills were as expected, grocery/household spends for the last 5 months only £6 over budget so I'm pleased with that.  I have £41.20 in loyalty points and a £25 refund on my credit card for an item I'd ordered and paid for but didn't receive.  And I have some round-ups to transfer from my current account to a savings account.  The round-ups are the odd pennies on the balance each Friday that I ring-fence and, once I've got £10 worth, I move them into savings.  Once upon a time I would have just left them sitting in a current account that doesn't pay interest but not now.  Only small amounts I know, but it's so satisfying to see savings building up.