Make Do, Mend & Minimise

YorksLass

@Cherryfudge - I've had a closer look at the pens but alas, to no avail, so they've gone back in the recycling.  They were from a pack of 10 of which 5 have been OK, so no idea why these weren't.  Pity, but worth a try.  Brilliant idea of yours to use willow twigs for the basket repair.

Minimise:
Personal papers shredded and recycled
Finished a jar of tartar sauce, jar washed and recycled

Minimise Maintenance:
A large shoulder bag in CS carrier, replaced by a smaller cross body bag that came as a freebie with an online order.

Mend:
Have started to sew up the pieces of a cardigan that I knitted quite some time ago.

I'll have to make more of an effort with the Mending as there are now 7 garments waiting to be altered!      

Make Do:
As ever, still using up freezer contents as part of a low-spend month.

Nelliegrace

I like the idea of repairing a willow basket with willow twigs. Soaking them would make them pliable. The beekeepers planted a fast growing willow hedge at the teaching apiary. 
I inherited some baskets from Mum, and bought British made ones at a very good price from The Willow Basket stall each year at the County Show. I used to take hen/ duck/ quail eggs, honey and jam to WI meetings in my sturdy baskets. 

Cherryfudge

Those baskets are lovely, @Nelliegrace. There's an online firm that does kits and courses and some places near us do live courses too, but too expensive for me.

I've used the green twigs which I store in the garden and in this weather they are keeping pliable for a few weeks but normally, yes, they would have to be soaked (I did this once and sprouted some!)

I still have a woven basket which we had to have in the second year of secondary school for cookery lessons. In those days you could buy covers that slid over the handle and had elastic round the edges so they stayed in place (think shower cap with a slit across!). I don't know if those still exist: the old plastic ones may have been waterproof but they will long since have cracked up. We used to carry our cookery ingredients and a dish in them to school, and the finished dish came home. The baskets were very stable and thus good to survive bus journeys, though a bit of a logistical nightmare if it was the same day as a violin lesson and possibly PE as well!

YorksLass

@Cherryfudge - I too had a woven basket for school cookery days, they were a gondola shape.  And yes, it could be a juggling act if cookery was on the same day as games/PE, not to mention another bag for books!  I wasn't musically gifted so at least didn't have the hassle of an instrument to carry as well.

Another week of eating out of the freezer with a tub of cooked mince & veg defrosting for tomorrow's cottage pie but that will be replaced by one of mac'n cheese which is what I'm having tonight - cook two/freeze one.  I'll use up a small Xmas truckle of Red Leicester & Chilli cheese for that along with some bacon bits.  Other items that will come out this week are sausages, a tub of h/m chicken tikka, a basa fillet and some leeks for a batch of leek & potato soup.

Making Do from the pantry stores - malt vinegar, coffee, a tin of fruit and a tablet of jelly. 

I noticed last week when I was hoovering the stair carpet that it's getting a bit worn on some of the treads, not fraying to the point of being a trip hazard, but definitely thinning.  I remember years ago the fitter would tuck under an extra bit of carpet at the top and bottom so it could be moved up or down with the worn part being on the riser rather than the tread.  Alas, I have no 'extra' so it's gone on my Wish List for a replacement later this year.

elly68

Well not much make do or mend but minimise well my clothes are done 4 black backs to go whoohoo 
ohh make do i did cheap cusion covers put directly on to the old cushions they look fab 
mend nothing so far 

Working_Mum

I am feeling very virtuous because this week I have helped my daughter move into a new flat and have managed to minimise LOTS of kelter:-

• ks quilt and 2 pillows along with associated bedding and towels
• cleaning stuff (brought from my office which I have exited after 22 years!)
• crockery including 4 x Hornsea Pottery storage jars
• assorted glasses and cocktail making paraphernalia
• a first aid kit I made up from an old tin and various things from stores
• a "could come in handy" tin which has a couple of screwdrivers, roll of Sellotape, measuring tape, screws, nails etc - all made up from stores which I had duplicates of!
• various storage boxes, bins and baskets
• a couple of blankets

I managed to pick up a gorgeous sofa-bed and standard lamp from Freegle - which saved them from landfill.

On the make do front I have eaten from stores for January which has saved me chunk of money and shifted my feelings around (lack of) food in my fridge and cupboards.

I don't think I have mended much unless you count repairs I have done in the office I am exiting after 22 years so that I don't incur charges from my landlord! It is looking really lovely - much better than when I moved in to be fair. I am hoping the Agent agrees when he does his inspection next week.

January has been super busy and I feel as if this is the first time I've been able to catch my breath properly. I've read along and it has certainly kept me motivated. Thank you everyone.

Here's to a MMM-ing February for everyone,

((WM))

Cherryfudge

Not huge progress here, but I have finally reached a point where several small items of clothing seem to be wearing out at roughly the same time. Years ago I realised I had more than I needed but of course when there is too much, it doesn't get enough wear to wear out for absolutely ages. I also prefer to mend than to throw out. However, a few items have come to an end recently. I was tempted to buy more but counted what's still in the drawer - without going through the laundry bin - and I'm still not all that low on stock! However, a small amount of minimising has happened.

Making do - I had some bargain fishcakes but not a lot of freezer space so I had one for supper last night and another with cheese for lunch. It wasn't in my usual range of lunches but very handy. I also discovered some oatcakes in the store cupboard that had gone past their best but soaked them in water and melted some lard and bird seed into the result and hey, presto - bird food fat balls. The birds seem to think they are okay, possibly because there's a lot of seed in there.

Mend - two lots of spaghetti straps reattached and much more comfortable.

YorksLass

@Working_Mum - That was a busy January for you, fantastic progress.

My WM finally gave up the ghost last week after 17 or maybe 18 years of good service 😕 so it's been 'Minimised' to the tip by my neighbour and my Rainy Day fund has been Minimised to pay for a replacement machine. My neighbour installed the new one for me yesterday and, knowing he wouldn't accept payment, I've bought him some cans of beer, a saving on what the store would have charged me. He's also disposed of the packaging into the bins for me.

Now he's finished I can give the under sink cupboard a clean and a sort through the contents before putting stuff back in, I already know there are some things that can go.

On the Make Do front, various bits and pieces continue to be eaten from stores including finishing jars of sweet pickle and chutney, jars washed and recycled. I've replaced the chutney with a Xmas one (apricot & sage) from the pantry.

Not doing so well on the Mending but at least I haven't added to the pile! 😁

Florenceem

My granddaughter is in her first year of teaching at an infant school. Tomorrow is numbers day - she had a white tee shirt. I appliqued numbers on using odd fabrics from my stash. No spending involved as I had bondaweb in my stash too.

YorksLass

Lovely job @Florenceem, I think the children will be impressed!