Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2017

Still making do food-wise. Used an inventory of what’s in the freezer/stores/fridge to make a meal plan for the coming week. If we stick to it, then we shouldn’t need to spend anything at all this week. I thought I had used up all the Xmas stuff but have just found two bags of crisps and a packet of shortbread fingers at the back of store cupboard no.3 (now cleaned and organised) so crisps on “use up” tray and shortbread in biscuit barrel.

Freezer veg is getting a bit low now but I’ve put what’s left together (peas, broad beans, sweetcorn, green beans) so we can have mixed veg for a couple of dinners after the fresh has been used.

This morning we minimised bits & bats from the fridge for breakfast (a fry-up of mushrooms, left-over potatoes, black pudding and an egg). Naughty but nice! We also shared a small carton of fruit juice that needed using up.

On the mend front, I’ve sewn a button on DH’s coat; it hadn’t come off but I could see it was loose and I’d rather sew one on now than have to replace the whole set because the loose one came off altogether and got lost.

Just smiling at the mending tights Q&As: I haven’t worn tights since I retired 9 years ago. Wow, does it save money! In summer I prefer bare legs anyway and as the weather gets colder I wear jeans/trousers with socks. They start off as trainer socks, then ankle socks and finally long socks. A small men’s size does me just fine.

misstara - I got an unexpected council tax bill

Ouch! That’s just what you don’t need.

CAZBEAR – I try not to use the tumble dryer as well but living in a flat it’s sometimes a case of “needs must”, particularly for towels and bedding.

On the subject of bedding, I’d been toying with the idea of getting a new, thicker duvet but after a rummage through the linen cupboard I found a practically new fluffy throw (DB size). That’s now sandwiched between the existing duvet and the top sheet (much warmer) so it’s saved £££s. Another tick in the make do column.

MMMing on folks.

Hello all,

Well yesterday we split my rhubarb not quite minimizing but I've had the blighter for over 9 years and never split it before. We got 5 "plants" from it so hoping two of them grow well and that will be me for the next five years and if the other grow they will go onto happy homes I am sure .

Not done much on the other fronts, but I'm making notes in my diary, I want to start doing the weekly flylady and I'm going to start getting rid of an item or two a day till I feel happier. Oh and I need to mend my bed jumper this weekend, it's probably to far gone but I love it to much. Oh and before I forget I've been looking into doing a wartime rations diet, realistically I wont be able to do anything till we are back from holiday in March, but I've started to add recipes into our menu plans and think if I do it slowly, once we hit the point of going on the diet the other half will never know. Plus it gets me cooking from scratch again.

Hope everyone is well. Sorry for the yatter!!!

Well done all, sounds like there's lots of good MMMing going on!

We've had an MMM-ish weekend, been away to Whitby with some friends. I took my Christmas money with us as i didn't want to spend on a meal out and treats from the normal budget and had mentally allocated some money i got for christmas as 'treats' funds. Didn't end up spending much really, we planned to eat at the lovely cottage (a cheap rental of my boss's family holiday place as she likes to keep it occupied as much as poss over the winter so they can run the heating etc) on the Friday so we'd brought plenty of food. We intended to eat out on Saturday but weren't that hungry and everywhere seemed to shut very early as it's out of season, so we got a small takeaway meal (£30 between 4 of us) and drank wine we took with us, so it was much cheaper than eating out. Before coming home yesterday we had a quick wander around the shops and i managed to tick something off my 'needed' list of things for the house - two sets of lovely wrought iron house numbers for front and back of our house as there is currently no marking to show what number we are. They were reduced and it came to just under £15 for both sets which was much cheaper than similar i'd seen online so i was quite pleased. Treated OH to some map-patterned storage boxes for his office to hopefully replace some of his current ugly plastic ones, and resisted the beautiful hippy clothing in the same shop.

Like JackieO and Siebrie I'm also one to mend until it can't be mended any more!! I so resent the idea of discarding something because of a problem i could fix. I wear 'support tights' almost daily and was recommended m and s ones by the nurse when i first started wearing them. Honestly they seemed to develop holes after one or two wears, and ladder so easily, and even with lots of mending, careful hand washing and line drying i was getting through a couple of pairs every month - which at £5 a pair was not ideal! :eek: Because i'd been recommended them as 'the best' though i thought it must just be me being careless! By chance i spotted some in B00ts for the same price and thought it can't hurt to try them. The difference in quality is astonishing and shortly after i bought 4 more pairs. That was last June and all are still wearable. To be fair most now have slight ladders and have visible stitching where they've had holes fixed, but as i wear them under jeans/thick tights in winter it doesn't matter and i won't buy any new until the weather is much warmer. It has definitely been a lesson in the value of shopping around even if you think the item/brand you use is as good as it gets.

JackieO i agree re. trainer socks - for some reason i have quite a few pairs but rarely wear them as they always seem to end up bunched up around my toes! Recently i had the idea of cutting some up and sewing a portion of one onto the top of another in an effort to make longer socks - no idea if that would work but i might have to try it!

I meal-planned last week, only for dinners (and shamefully for the first time ever!!) and found it made life so much easier - I usually have an idea of what we have in and what needs using up the quickest but having it written down meant much less mental effort! I'll do the same again this week with a focus on clearing some freezer space. We have loads in there but very few 'packed lunch' meals for OH, so i need to clear some space then do more batch-cooking to ensure he has enough for the next couple of weeks at least. My own lunches take much less planning as i am in no way fussy, and normally work from home so just eat leftovers, fruit, crackers and/or whatever i can find in the fridge!

Happy MMMing all! xx

So glad, just minimised an old Singer treadle machine to a family that really knows how to restore things and I know it has gone to a good home. It was given to me by an old lady who was a sort of adoptive granny to me and the children, many years ago. Then she died and I lent the machine to someone who did not care for it at all, they left it in the garden! I managed to get it back and had it serviced but it has been neglected for a long time. Now it has gone to these good people who I am sure will restore and love it the way it deserves.

Finally also minimised that duvet that nobody wanted, I took it to the large machine in the laundrette and washed it, now it is going on my DS's bed, as a mattress topper. With all the clothes, this and the sewing machine gone I am starting feeling I am making some progress