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

Floss

I have one of these, a stainless tube key. Mine came from the Body Shop but Boots sell them for £2:
https://www.boots.com/tube-key-10289304?srsltid=AfmBOoqJVLvjMnIdAud2VxG_1Nn0WrAdemdBD5usCrNDs64dtOQlDcZQ

YorksLass

The grocery budget for September has been Minimised considerably, partly because I was on my own for a week while DH was in hospital and partly because we were eating out of the freezer so it could be defrosted.  I had an under-spend of £48 - I can't remember the last time it was as good as that!    Over the last 6 months, the average spend on household and cleaning stuff has gone slightly over budget (no idea why) but that's been balanced out by under-spends on food, toiletries, OTC meds and "sundries".

On the Mend front, I've finished knitting another jumper, just need to sew up the pieces.  I was going to use oddments of leftover yarn to knit another throw but when I sorted through them I've decided to put together three different colours (all the same yarn) - an off white for the main part of a jumper with a pale denim blue and a lemon to make up the shortfall.  I'll use these for bands of colour in a slip stitch mosaic pattern that looks very similar to Fair Isle but is much easier because it only uses one colour per row.  And I have another idea in my head to use up some other oddments - blocks of different colours that seems to be on trend right now.

Make Do for today's dinner is a h/m pork casserole from the freezer with mini Yorkies, mash and sprouts.  This morning we had eggy bread for breakfast to use up some eggs.  I've started having porridge now the weather has turned cooler so I'll need to add a bag of oats to this week's shopping list.  I also use it for Yorkshire parkin so it won't go amiss.  We like a square with a coffee in the afternoons or sometimes as a pudding with custard.  And there's always flapjacks!     

YorksLass

The unused/unwanted single bed + mattress was collected today by a charity I'd booked a collection with, so that's a decent Minimise.  

I'm back on the minimising the freezer contents merry-go-round - I thought I'd fixed the problem but no, it's playing up again - I think it's definitely on its last legs.  Thankfully, I haven't stocked it up too much since defrosting so it should be emptied over the next couple of weeks.  In the meantime, I'll look for a new one, probably a bit smaller than the one we have now.  Good job I have a Rainy Day fund!     

Tonight for tea we're having lightly dusted basa fillets with a few oven chips (plus side salad for me).  Tomorrow I'm having cataract surgery on my other eye so have planned very easy meals for the next couple of days.  When it's healed in about 4 weeks' time, I'll need new glasses - another expense!     

Katiehound

Specsavers have glasses from either £25 or £35 per pair. Hobson's choice when it comes to choices!- just one 'design'.

YorksLass

@Katiehound = I'm hoping I can have new lenses in my existing frames as I quite like them.  Surgery done, not as good an experience as last time - methinks the surgeon could do with some training in bedside manner.  Still, all done now.

Tea tonight is jacket potatoes and beef balti, chocolate sponge with chocolate sauce for afters.  

Green_hopeful

@yorkslass can you get glasses online. My son has had some and he thought they were fine. They were very reasonably priced. 

YorksLass

@Green_hopeful - I think it all depends on the complexity of the lenses that are needed and I won't find that out until I've had a check-up at the opticians.  Tbf, they do have a good selection of reasonably priced ones if I can't keep the existing frames but it might be worth a look round before I decide.

Make Do: Some almost-wrinkly mushrooms in the fridge have been turned into soup for tomorrow and I've had a lamb shank cooking in the SC with onions, carrots and pearl barley.  Just waiting for it to cool down so I can strip the meat off the bone.  That will be Sunday dinner and if there's a bit left over I can pad it out on Monday with dumplings.

Now going to tackle the meal plan for next week using as much as possible from the freezer.  I've already taken out two haddock loins for tonight's tea with some oven chips.  Might have some mushy peas with it as well.

YorksLass

Not as much done this week as I would have liked, thanks to the eye that had cataract surgery.  It's gritty (very uncomfortable), extremely light sensitive and waters a lot, so I'm limited as to what I can and can't do.  Time spent reading, knitting, watching TV and using the laptop has to be almost rationed!  Early days, I suppose, mustn't be impatient, but I don't remember the first eye being as troublesome.  

Not much progress on reducing freezer contents either but at least nothing else has gone in.  I think my original estimate of a couple of weeks to empty it was a tad over optimistic - end of month is probably more realistic.  Still, it gives me more time to look for a replacement fridge/freezer.

Tomorrow we have a telephone appointment to set up our Wills (yes, it should have been done long ago but better late than never) that prompted a search of documents for various bits of information.  That unearthed yet more paperwork for shredding so I'm doing that in batches today - don't want to burn out the shredder!

No idea what's for tea tonight, it all depends on what DH fancies or can manage to eat.  I might have the same but it's more likely to be some kind of salad for me since it will use up various odds and ends from the fridge.

I've ordered a higher tog duvet, a V-shaped support pillow and a lap tray for DH plus a pair of PJ bottoms and a pair of thicker leggings for myself.  I think I've spent so long being frugal that I almost felt guilty at ordering these but they're all needed so we'll enjoy them when they arrive.  I'll pair the PJ bottoms with some T-shirts that have gone a bit baggy so it's not all frivolity!  

YorksLass

Oh joy, the cataract eye seems to be settling down - only 4 more days of the wretched drops to put in.  Today I had a walk up to the Co-op, without glasses, and my distance vision is so much better than it was.  Not perfect, but better.  Just need the reading vision to settle down now.

I bought just a few odds and ends to put us on over the weekend and saved 87p on membership offers.  Not much, but it all helps.  Last night for tea we had lightly dusted lemon & herb sole fillets from the freezer with some mushy peas from the fridge.  The fish was very tasty and good value at £1.97 for two decent sized pieces.  Two crumpets came out of the freezer for lunch today as well, so that's another couple of bits gone.  There are 3 teacakes to use up (disappointingly rubbery) and I'm thinking a bread & butter pudding might fit the bill.  Tonight is soup and sandwiches, with Cornettos for afters (something else from the freezer  ).

One book was returned to the Little Free Library today.  I shall have to stop walking that way since I've borrowed yet another two for the winter reading pile that now totals 21.    One is an Ian Rankin that I'm looking forward to reading.  My taste has definitely changed over the years as I no longer go for historical romantic novels and now favour autobiographies and crime thrillers.

The other night the fuse for the ceiling lights tripped when a bulb pinged in the living room chandelier.  Thankfully, I had a spare and the spent one has been minimised.  I've also got a pile of packaging to dispose of now my parcels have arrived.  DH is made up with his new duvet, support pillow and lap tray.  My PJ bottoms and leggings are also nice but, as usual, I'll have to chop about 6" off the bottom of the legs.  Tall and willow-y I'm not!  I might tackle those tomorrow.

Our draft Wills are now being processed following a rather lengthy phone call yesterday but it's a step nearer for our "When we're gone" preparations.  It's being marked as Urgent given DH's circumstances - not a pleasant thought, I know, but it puts our minds at rest.  Next we'll be organising funerals/cremations.  The more we can do now, the less there will be for the offspring to sort out.

SpikyHedgehog

Could I join in please? 

Today's make do was using some of the potato mountain in the fridge for roast potatoes with dinner.   (I'd bought them for harvest supper,  but they weren't needed.)  Younger son ate very few of them, as they didn't go crunchy enough for him.   So that's my lunch and breakfast sorted. 

Minimise - I took a carrier bag of clean tea towels back to church,  and didn't bring any home!  Also minimised for consumption by not going to a course in the middle of the countryside where one needs high beams on as soon as one comes out of the car park...  my dad's really not well,  and I couldn't face the idea of driving back from no-where land after a phone call. 

Mend - sewed up the seams in my light weight rain coat.   This is annoying,  I don't know why they'd ripped out at the same time.   The rest of it looks fine,  and it's only 7 years old.   Anyway,  the fabric of the mended section is in a ditsy floral,  so doesn't really show where I've had to pull it to cover the frayed material.