Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2017

niftythrifty33 · 24 January 2017 at 4:23PM

A newbie here. I have a diary on the Mortgage free wannabee board but have been lurking here for a while so thought I'd join in. I LOVE the whole MMM idea and any motivation is good. My biggest battle is living with a modern DH, DD & DS who think I'm really tight and just want to buy everything new!!

Here's my first attempt for this week...

Make do - Have eaten only from the freezer and cupboards this week by meal planning the night before. Have taken packed lunch to work yesterday & today. End £25 mobile contract and change to £5 p/m sim only (got a great retention deal).

Mend - I have curtains that need taking apart and sewing back together to make 1 set into 2 for lounge and bedroom window. I will start tonight.

Minimise - I have a few bags of clothes in the boot of the car for charity, I might have another look through to see if there's any worth selling.

Bubblesmum · 24 January 2017 at 8:00PM

Lynplatinum wrote: »

Evening all

Very happy to see lurkers come out of the shadows. Brilliant!! I lurked for a long time before becoming a regular poster and the inspirational people on here (silversava; GQ; Princesszellin; Jackie O; Misstra to name a few!) kept me on track and there was always an answer on here for me!! No matter what daft question I had - so speak up folks!
Nite all

Thats lovely to know and echo the words about inspirational people as I am a long time lurker very occasional poster, and determined to do better both MMM and contributing on this thread.

silvasava · 24 January 2017 at 8:53PM

Nifty and Bubbles - welcome and hope to see you both posting! Friendly and helpful bunch on here. The more the merrier!!

CAZBEAR · 24 January 2017 at 10:21PM

Hi all,just a little to report today.. made do with chilli from the freezer for lunch,in which i had made do with butter beans instead of kidney beans (bought by mistake..they were next to the chickpeas!!)

Also been taking my fruit and veg plastic cartons(clear ones mostly) to work to use as parts bins for small items (i work in a warehouse)

And minimized my messy "sweetie shelf " by putting all the loose choc bars in a pretty panetonne tin we'd had for christmas instead of all over the shelves..hopefully we will eat less if we can't see them all there !! (or maybe not:rotfl:!)

Lynplatinum · 25 January 2017 at 12:33AM

evening all

just read pg 10 - Hester I too had a fit of post Christmas nobility earlier this week and polished off the last 3 After 8s!!! thus saving anyone else having to do the chore

Make do : we so enjoyed last night's meal - and had so much left over rice conjee that we had the same again tonight! DS' GF found that local CS had a sale on so she got a skirt for her ; a pair of trousers for her and some new jeans for DS for £4.50 in total! These were needed items as they could only bring so much stuff down with them on train and GF's trousers had worn (unrepairably) through!
Mend: hopefully me as had first physio appointment today got told i was doing well and obviously doing all my exercises! (smug mode engage! - sorry a Red Dwarf joke!)
Minimise: left over food and flower vases (kinda - not sure if this belongs in Make do section). the old, beautiful mug (with no handle) which had held pens by the computer got broken. thought 'oh no will have to buy pen holder in £ shop, then i remembered how many flower vases id got so i used one of them :T Great! the pretty vase is no longer hidden away in a cupboard

nite all

pandamonium · 25 January 2017 at 12:50AM

Got to love a Red Dwarf joke :T

A bit of minimising here over the last couple of days. Managed to free up 3 boxes out of the storage unit of doom. Realised that I have about 5 weeks before it starts costing me again. I work better under pressure, but would prefer not to have to clear it in a week.

Also tidied some plant pots in the garden. Didn't get rid of any but at least they now take up less space.

Tomorrows plan is to empty a box of bathroom type kibble - how many bathroom products does one family actually need

?

Also planning to reassemble the 2 storey indoor Guinea pig cage as the one they are in at the moment is taking up far too much room. They'll actually have more space to run around but will be taking up less floor space - I'm calling that creative minimising

.

Making do continues to be using stuff up out of the freezer. Must be getting to the stage where meals will be 'buffet' style as we are getting down to odd bits (odd portions and leftovers mainly as a result of not knowing how many people I'm feeding from one day to the next).

RainbowHippie · 25 January 2017 at 3:00AM

Hehe Lyn's 'smug mode engage' always gives me a chuckle

It's been a busy day here, what with work, laundry (again! i swear it breeds in the basket) and other bits and pieces. Still some of it was MM&Ming and none involved spending money!

Making do was using up some delicious salmon steaks OH's friend who's staying with us bought last weekend and wasn't going to have time to use. I made teriyaki salmon using some teriyaki sauce from the back of a cupboard and roasted veg including a rather sorry-looking cauliflower as cauliflower cheese - nom! Our guest has found a job now and has a long commute so we've agreed i'll cook for the 3 of us during the week and when he has time at he weekend he can cook and i get a break. It's forced me to do a meal plan (which i know i should be doing anyway!) so i can check he likes what i'm going to be making as well as me and OH. He's not fussy and very appreciative so he is a pleasure to cater for.

Minimising - nowt today but my lovely dad came and helped me put up shelves in my office - it's also a second guest room so there's little space for floor-standing shelves and most of my paperwork has been languishing in disorganised boxes under the bed. Now i have lovely sturdy shelves built over the bed, so over the next couple of weeks i will be slowly going through boxes and minimising/organising. Quite looking forward to it despite having been putting it off for so long!

Mend - finally made a start on some clothes i need to alter by trying on and pinning where i need to shorten stretched-out straps or take in bits. If i can find time on Thursday (i know i won't tomorrow as i'm working away from home for a change) to do some sewing then i will have four items of clothing made wearable again!

Actually LynP you have reminded me, i did do some minimising today - also of Christmas chocolate!! we seem to have had a mountain of it this year and i'm trying not to be too 'naughty' so it's taking rather a while to get through. I'm impressed though as i don't think i'd ever be able to leave 3 after-eights for another day, in our house it'd be 'oh there's only 3 left, no point keeping them' and they'd be scoffed in a second! You are very restrained :A

Keep up the good work everyone!

[Deleted User] · 25 January 2017 at 9:10AM

Morning chums down to the last of my 'christmas biscuits' I wonder why folk think I need a tin of biscuits at Christmas when for the rest of the year I am happy to make my own and often get asked for them by the very folk who buy me a tin at Christmas

:):) Only two chocolate ones left so they will be minimised at some point today

I do so hate waste don't you ?:):):)
Knitted the band up and sewed together the rest of my charity blanket last night when I came home from quiz night (which we won a bottle of merlot which will join the stash in the cupboard.When we have won enough for a bottle each I take them and share them out to the team.Usually takes us about 3-4 months of Tuesday night quizzing.

Making do for dinner tonight with a turkey stuffing covered steak from the freezer and some salad.I bough two y/s ages ago and dipped them in flour ,egg and dried stuffing and froze them they were reduced to around £1.50 so at 75p each they have made two nice additions to a salad I shall pop the last one into my remoska to cook for my dinner tonight:)
Well done on emerging from lurkdom the more the merrier on our MM&M forum

Cheers chums keep warm and dry

JackieO xx

Hughesfamily · 25 January 2017 at 10:22AM

Morning all, it's payday today so the frugalmising really begins in earnest. My lovely FIL sorted through my MIL things, he's been doing it steadily since she died last year and gave me her travel wallet and some gift vouchers he had found. There was €61 and $28 and £85 in Next, M & S & TK Maxx vouchers! I feel very blessed. This year we have booked to go to Spain in April as we have done for the past 2 years, just me and my daughter but my other set of inlaws have just retired and have paid entirely for my daughter to go to Disneyworld with them, I just have to pay for myself, only flight and park tickets - hence the frugalmising. Food budget for the month is £110 bought I am looking to come in under that.

Minimised the cat which had chosen to die in my greenhouse yesterday and 2/3 of the ironing pile. I am looking at what left overs we have from Christmas and making them fit into the meal plan for the coming week.

I have started a mending pile which will I'll take with me when I go to visit my next door neighbour in hospital and do. She is in and out of consciousness so can do it quietly whilst she sleeps.

Making do with whatever food we have in the house until Saturday when we food shop, but also making a list tonight around the food we have in to keep the overall spend low.

Happy MMMing all x

117pauline · 25 January 2017 at 11:58AM

I am still on the "see the bottom of the cupboard/freezer" game. This week we tend to be eating rather a lot of pork.

A couple of weeks ago my OH was taken to A&E by ambulance and it made me so grateful for the services we receive. We were dealt with in such a kind and caring way. We still don't know what is causing the problems which is rather scary. It has made me realise just how important it is to make some lifestyle changes so we can perhaps move to Spain for a while whilst we are able to enjoy it fully.

So the MMMing and Not Buying It is now even more important. This month I have been recording every purchase which has made me very conscious of what I spend money on. I have also just had cash rather than using my debit card.

Mending

Mended a bit of the greenhouse to make it a bit more waterproof.

Making Do

Eating from the freezer and cupboards
Sorting out to use bits from my stationery stash - if not now, when?

Minimising

Paperwork but still haven't done my tax return
Emails and subscriptions culled
Kitchen equipment

NBI

I received my replacement Tower multicooker this morning. I spoke to the company at the beginning of the month because the heating unit failed and as I had registered for a free extended warranty, it has been replaced free of charge - result!!
Tried a new fakeaway dish instead of getting takeaway

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Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2017

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