Make Do, Mend & Minimise

YorksLass

@Cherryfudge - Yes,my machine has expensive tastes too so I use my cheap thread for tacking garment pieces together. An aunt taught me how to machine sew and one piece of advice I've never forgotten is to always use quality thread in the machine. Others were: use the right type of needle for the fabric, clean/oil the machine regularly, always use stainless steel pins and press as you go.

It's been almost two months since I last posted on here, not because my decluttering journey has finished, more that there's less to part with. 😆 However, I do have to be strict with myself about not bringing stuff in, My motto now is One In, One Out and it does seem to be working, plus it's so much easier and far less stressful to find things.

Pleased to say I've managed to find a home with someone else for the gifted bathroom storage cabinet, I have three items in the CS bag that will be leaving the house this week and this morning DS has returned four books to the Little Free Library for me (less temptation to borrow more). The day to day minimising of junk mail, soft plastics, things for the recycling bin and paper shredding continues on a regular basis, as does putting things away where they belong when I've finished with them. 😁

On the using up front, this morning I've put the very last bottle of shower gel from the toiletries stash into the bathroom (a gift from Xmas 2024, not bought by me) and a bottle of kitchen cream cleaner is almost finished. This came from my late DF's house no less than 16 years ago! 😳 And yes, it's still fine to use. I was amused to see the price - just 59p.

The recent hot weather has enabled me to wear summer clothes that haven't seen the light of day for quite some time. Most do still fit but some will be going to the CS and others will join the mending pile for alterations. @Green_hopeful - Thanks for the shoulder seam tip, I shall be using this!

Food wise, my last grocery delivery came with a substitute of turkey meatballs that I'm not keen on but won't waste so I'll use them to make a meatloaf. Sadly, I had to bin half a tub of yogurt that had been hiding at the back the fridge for too long so not everything is a success.

Cherryfudge

Thanks for the sewing machine tips, @YorksLass , I need all the help I can get! I was amazed how quickly dust built up in my machine after just a few short seams, so I will try to keep on top of that. Now I know I need to investigate what the right needles are, though I think the place where I sent the machine to be 'looked at' could probably help me there.

I feel there ought to be a thread along the lines of the one where people have paid off their mortgages, but this is for those rare people who have reached the end of the shower gel stash! (Or shampoo, conditioner, nail polish etc.) You might be the only one on it - so many of us have toiletries lurking in odd corners. I'm trying to use up unsuitable shampoos to clean the bath (works well and smells nice) but was surprised the other day to find the remains of a tube of hair mask in a cupboard that I thought contained soap, nail varnish remover and grout whitener! I've cut said tube open and it still smelled nice so I treated my hair to half the remainder. I also found an old hair conditioner that wasn't really suitable for my hair but makes good shaving lotion for my legs!

YorksLass

@Cherryfudge - It's surprising how many toiletries can be repurposed for other uses, that's how I've succeeded in using up my stash. My liquid hand wash bottle in the kitchen contains all the dregs rinsed from shower gels, shampoo etc - does the job and smells nice. I will confess to having several bars of French soaps dotted around in bedroom drawers and my wardrobe but that's because I buy them once in a blue moon when I can get a cheaper deal on them. They make clothes smell nice and it hardens them up so they last longer and don't swizzle away so quickly. The only toiletry 'spares' I have now are a bottle of shampoo and a tube of toothpaste, both bought by me, and a tub of body butter that was a gift. Little wonder I'm feeling smug. 😁

Esmeralda2662

Hi, it's been a while since I posted. I hope everyone is ok.

Make do: Bought some YS pate yesterday and didn't particularly like it. Finished it off today rather than eating something else and had the indigestion to prove it!

Mend: Sewed some markers onto my new pants so I know which ones are mine.

Minimise: Had a craft day at home with my friend. Minimised a kitchen roll tube and assorted wool to make some little pumpkins. Another friend had given me 2 dark brown suede coat elbow patches so I cut them to make small leaves and used some driftwood twigs to make the stems. Really pleased with them and it used some of my craft stash up (once I'd found it!). Had a lovely home cooked lunch and plenty of chatting so it was a lovely day.

A lady said that looking for/buying craft supplies is one hobby and making the crafts is another and I know what she means! Time to organise what I have before buying any more. X

YorksLass

Hi everyone, I've not been on here for a while but a few things have been disposed of since I last posted.

A couple of weeks ago the grill on my cooker decided to give up the ghost (it is 18 years old!) so I've treated myself to a new all-singing/all-dancing oven/air fryer. Luckily, most of my baking tins, trays etc do fit in but there were two that are too big. I've tested the bake function and now I know it's OK the big tins can go in the CS bag. That will be leaving the house on Wednesday when I go for my annual eye test as the opticians is next door to the CS. Fingers crossed I won't be decluttering any money on new glasses!

Other things in the CS bag are a T-shirt, a jigsaw puzzle, three pairs of sunglasses (DS's, not mine), a folding umbrella and a large piece of fabric that I don't have any use for. Binned items were a waaay out of date small tub of antiseptic cream and two ancient mixing bowls that weren't fit to be donated.

My current big Making Do/Mending project is changing my pleated top curtains over to eyelet tops. I find they're much quicker and easier to hang (hence the change) and, besides, I like my existing ones. The tape was quite expensive but it's still cheaper than buying new curtains. I've done one pair so far; no doubt the other ones will keep me out of mischief for a good while. 😁

Speaking of sewing, how are you getting on with your machine @Cherryfudge?

A lesser project is a small Xmas themed cross stitch that's nearly finished and hasn't cost me anything other than time. The chart was a free download and I already had the Aida fabric and silks in my stash. I was planning to put it in an embroidery hoop when it's finished but the hoop is too small; instead it will go in a photo frame given to me by a neighbour.

On the other hand, I'm slowly adding books to my winter reading pile and will be on the lookout for some more jigsaw puzzles. However, their residency here will be strictly temporary! 😄

@Esmeralda2662 - That lady is quite right! The looking for/buying craft supplies is totally different to actually doing the craft. I'll admit to looking and being tempted, but (apart from the curtain header tape) have resisted buying any supplies for well over 12 months.

I hope everyone is doing OK and being successful at MMM'ing.