Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2019

silvasava · 16 September 2019 at 1:33PM

Invited to a BBQ at DS1 house on Saturday so minimised 2 lots of pre-cooked YS chicken breasts. A tub of Patatas Bravas and some sausages from the freezer., I also took a couple of mini cucumbers and some tomatoes from the garden. Yesterday was a joint of pork from the freezer.
I've also minimised a gooseberry bush to a neighbour along with some apples.
Made a Dutch Apple cake for dessert yesterday with apples from the garden. It was supposed to have a dash of vanilla essence in the recipe but I didnt have any so I used the last dribble of almond essence instead

froze another lot of apples for later in the year.
'Mended' my dishwasher by clearing out the limescale from the spray arms - wondered why it was 'chucking muck' - I do use salt in it but I live in a very hard water area.
Sorted a kitchen drawer out and found a use for a plastic container & threw a cardboard box into the recycle bin.
Seem to have done more than I thought - go me!

calleyw · 17 September 2019 at 5:03PM

need some help with minimising something.

I found a large bottle of opened bubble mixture. Its been in the cardboard for about 4 years. I assume it can be used for cleaning as its just a soap mixture?

Yours

Calley x

Siebrie · 17 September 2019 at 9:27PM

Just smell it, maybe give it a good shake.

silvasava · 18 September 2019 at 11:05AM

Got some curtains down from the loft yesterday that I'll be using as a door curtain. I've still got a couple of boxes of my mothers things up there so I had a rummage in one and found some books and paperwork (they've been there since 2001!!!) The gardening books will go to the CS and her personal paperwork I'll shred,seems a shame as she'd kept her retirement card from work which had about 6 foolscap pages in it with good wishes from her colleagues. Quite a few little mementos but not of any interest to anyone but her and me

so I've got to be a little hard hearted. I havnt looked at them for 18 years so in the shredder they go!

calleyw · 18 September 2019 at 12:36PM

Siebrie wrote: »

Just smell it, maybe give it a good shake.

Oh had a thought could use it it a home made weed killer mix that requires some sort of detergent

Yours

Calley x

cafelady · 19 September 2019 at 7:27AM

calleyw wrote: »

Oh had a thought could use it it a home made weed killer mix that requires some sort of detergent

Yours

Calley x

Hi. Using it as weedkiller might be bad for wildlife and insects. It's probably fine to use as soap, especially if unopened. If you don't want to use it on yourself, maybe use it for cleaning like you said?

villagelife · 22 September 2019 at 3:05PM

Mend - a large pile of jumpers are mended and buttons seen in trousers and a short for DS2.

Make do - using up leftovers for lunch.

Minimize - been on a roll with this at the moment. Painting stuff has been moved to the shed. Old records, photos, photo albums and pictures have left the house. Feeling happier with the house as more clear space.

YorksLass · 22 September 2019 at 3:32PM

YorksLass wrote: »

I have lots of small oddments of wool to use up (most of it came as freebies with knitting magazines) so I've gathered them all together and am knitting a throw with them. Nothing elaborate, just garter stitch strips - knit with one colour until it's finished, then join in a new colour and so on, then sew the strips together.

Am now on strip no.5!

Minimise: A cheapy old mobile phone (minus SIM card) gone to Oxfam who apparently can refurbish or recycle them.

Mend: This morning DH unblocked the waste pipe from the bathroom hand-basin (an awkward, almost 90 deg knuckle bend that plays up from time to time).

Make Do: Grocery shopping confined to essentials only and topped up by what's in the freezer and store cupboards.

Siebrie · 23 September 2019 at 10:13AM

mend:
a wash mitt, 1 T-shirt, 1 pyjama top, 2 socks.

minimise: stores. we have a very expensive month; September is always expensive, but this time it seems extraordinarily so.

Water EUR 198 (op top of quarterly payments of 135 - it seems a lot, but we use as much as an average family of 3 for the 4 of us. I have put a small bucket in the bath to catch the warm-up water to use to flush the toilet.)
sports/clubs for dds: 85 + 130 + 130 + 80 + 40
sports clothes for dds 15 + 15 + 29 (required by sports clubs)

mortgage insurance for the whole year for both of us: 495 + 480
school charge 70 + 70
husband's speeding fine (grrrr) 148
socks for dd1 17 (she had completely outgrown all her socks, and I had none in her size in the attic. She has the same size as me now, but mine are all black, which I find unsuitable for an 11-year old)
electric bike 75 (we had eco-couchers to a value of 1200

)

2Scratters · 24 September 2019 at 2:33PM

Hi Peeps,
we are all busy and been busy with the summer we have probably seen the last of. It was nice. Now we are back indoors will be more focussed on doing MMM. I am working on reducing my hoardings of anything I have collected overtime. It is slowly leaving the house and generating a little financial return. Any purchases made I am having to make something go for it to be allowed in the house. Using up my store of toiletries and stuff in the food cupboard. The trips into the loft keep highlighting how much more stuff needs to go:o
Am managing to work on the fridge items too and getting it to nearly empty. Bought some cream to make butter then find out I had previously thrown the hand blender out

need to make a new purchase of one, I need to justify that spend too.
Still not got that sewing machine out!! there are a few items now that would benefit from me doing just that

Here's to the next week or 2.:rotfl:

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Make do, Mend and Minimise in 2019

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