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

Cherryfudge

Siebrie said:

maybe ask him to unsubscribe and cancel anything digital? Or write down log-in details? 

I think it's something we should all do - and let someone know where the details are kept. I'm sure my digital trail is as tangled as it's ancient, but subscriptions, online accounts, and forum memberships... I need to go through these and give DH and DS1 a copy of what's where and how to work out my passwords. Am@zon for instance has a recurring subscription that's no longer something I want and I've just kept deferring it 
(time to cancel).

YorksLass

@Siebrie - Thanks for the reminder.  It's not an issue with DH as he doesn't do anything digitally (not a Luddite but very technology challenged!), that's my domain.  See below    And I've always been the one running household budgets etc.

@Cherryfudge - You're right, I'm in the process of compiling a list of everything that DS will need to deal with when I depart to make it easy as possible for him.  I'll be putting a reminder on my calendar to check it regularly to make sure it's up to date.  My late DF was pretty organised but surprisingly there was still quite a lot to sort out.

Make Do: Leftover chunky veg and minestrone soup mixed together for today's lunch with crispy rolls from the freezer.  Tea tonight will be a shared large Cornish pasty with baby potatoes and veg of some sort, haven't decided what yet.

Minimise: Just the household rubbish ready for collection tomorrow.

Mend: Another item added to the pile - a double size duvet cover to cut down into a single bed size.  I'm also looking at two no longer used pillows and thinking about using the filling to make a large cushion for when DH is too tired to get up but wants to sit up in bed.  I've plenty of fabric for the cushion case and cover, it just depends what state the filling is in.

Cherryfudge

I'm glad there's no digital sorting for your DH to tackle.

Would one of those 'L' shaped pillows offer good support? 

So far today:

Make-do/minimise: my sore throat is rebelling against anything rough to eat so lunch was bananas and custard, which also used up some bananas that needed it, and was perfect comfort food. Same could be said of a large dish of ice cream for lunch yesterday!

Mend: I bought some jeans second hand the other day and turned them inside out to wash - and discovered some skilled person had already taken them in to my measurements! However the unfinished seams they left were very 'hairy'. I've trimmed the frayed threads and saved a few long ones for possible mending or creative work as they are cotton denim without elastic. The rest of the trimmings have gone in the compost, though I'm not sure the dye is the right thing to put there.

While sorting out some summer things to put away I came across the two 'Indian' dresses I retrieved from the loft months ago. They aren't going back: they're going in the mending pile.

Minimise:
Some hole-y socks and knickers have been binned (won't compost and probably won't recycle but our waste goes to incineration so they will power something somewhere). They don't need replacement yet: I'm still working through the pre-LBM stash!

Used up some odds and ends of chicken from the freezer for yesterday's and today's tea.

Resisted using the tumble dryer for yesterday's washing and put it on an airer with the dehumidifier going. It's around 80% dry now so has gone on the line (and a black cloud appeared).

YorksLass

@Cherryfudge - I've looked at different support pillows and was thinking about one of those.  But, me being me (i.e. a proper Yorkshire girl, not tight but careful with money ) thought "I'm sure I can make one".  If the filling in the unused pillows is no good then I probably will buy one.

A pleasing Minimise on this month's gas/electricity, £20 lower than the same period last year.  The VAT was more or less the same, the standing charges were (obviously) more and the units used roughly the same but the unit cost was less.  And we still have a decent credit balance for the winter months.  

YorksLass

Mend: Sewed up a small hole in a pair of leggings before it becomes a big hole.  Strange, I have another identical pair bought at the same time and worn just as much, but they haven't got a hole.  

Minimise: The filling in the pillows isn't quite what I hoped it would be so I'm going to order a support pillow for DH instead of making one.  Oh well, the thought was there!  I've saved the fabric casings though and will add them to the fabric stash once I've washed them.

Soft plastics deposited at the Co-op's recycling bin.  Small shop done, bought a ys punnet of mushrooms and saved £1.43 on membership offers.  I didn't bother with their carrots as they looked rather sad and I've still got a couple in the fridge to be going on with.

Tea tonight is haddock loins poached in milk with baby potatoes, peas & sweetcorn.  I'll use the poaching milk for parsley sauce.  Ice cream for afters.

Cherryfudge

It’s a bit hard to see what’s in this photo but it’s what I found when I cut open a ‘completely empty’ tube of foundation. I’ve scraped it into a tub and there is enough for a while, possibly months as I don’t use much.

It’s really brought home to me how wastefully some things are presented. I tried and tried to squeeze more out but only cutting it open gave me access. I feel as though buying things in tubes (or squeeze bottles like mayo or ketchup) forces us to throw away a significant part of what we pay for.

I’ll try to buy it in a tub next time but if I can’t, it will be a repeat of this performance.

I mentioned a while ago that when a couple of salt deodorant sticks wore right down, I soaked the salt so I could recycle the plastic holder. The resulting salt lumps were quite chunky (and inaccessible while still in the packaging) so I now have one glued on a lolly stick for ease of application. (Got to be inventive sometimes!)  I’ve been using it at least a couple of months and there’s plenty left. Another thing I paid for but which was presented so I’d throw it away.

leftatthetrafficlights

Cherryfudge said:

It’s really brought home to me how wastefully some things are presented. I tried and tried to squeeze more out but only cutting it open gave me access. I feel as though buying things in tubes (or squeeze bottles like mayo or ketchup) forces us to throw away a significant part of what we pay for.

I normally lurk but I'm jumping in to say that this is something that really annoys me too! I'm impressed with your ingenuity with the deodorant stick stuff!! 😁 

With toothpaste I cut open and scrape the tubes into a small glass jar and I use it to clean marks off walls and doors, it's really effective! 

Tubes of tomato puree are cut open and the contents scraped into ice cube trays, frozen and then popped out into a bag to be chucked in to what I'm cooking. 

With my sauce bottles/jars, if i have a few near to their end, I use them up by adding a little water to them, shaking them up then emptying the contents into a saucepan and heating. It makes an interesting sauce or marinade - the last one I did had tomato ketchup, tomato puree, hoisin sauce, brown sauce and chilli sauce in it and was gorgeous!! If I only have one which is pretty much empty then I'll add the water and chuck it into whatever I happen to be making. 

Sarahspangles

I have one of these. It is so satisfying to use!

I originally bought it to get the last bit from tubes of watercolour. You can split those, and I usually do but this gives me control over the amount I squeeze out right up to the last dab.

When the toothpaste is running low I’m practically dancing with the excitement of getting to make the tube crinkly!

ladybird1106

Where did you buy that? It would be really useful for my daughter, has issues with her hands. 

 Love 🐞

annieb64

I've started buying foundation in tubes again. I used to buy the little glass bottles with the pump but it's hard to see when you are running low and there always seemed to be foundation left in the bottle that wouldn't come out.