A stitch in time

Do you mend? Do you "upcycle" clothes or other items? Do you make things from scratch?

I would like to do more of this including making some jewelry. In the last few days though I did the following mending to keep what we have in use.

- Sewed a button one of Hubby's shirts. Found the button in the washer.

- Mended a tiny hole in a casual shirt.

- Turned an old casual shirt into an infinity scarf.

- Added a snap & decorative button closure to an old sweater

52 Projects Sunday - jewelry & estate related tasks

29. Sold broken/unused jewelry and had other items repaired or resized

30. Shipped to a cousin some items that had belonged to her Father and that we found in my Mom's house

52 Projects Sunday now at 28 completed

26. Hubby fixed wood rot above the back door overhang

27. Sprayed invasive plants in wooded area

28. Went through Mom's recipe box; kept a few to try and recycled the rest

Another week, another 52 projects and accomplishments update

More projects completed:

23. Sprayed yard for mosquito control before they hatched. Hope to stay ahead of the problem this wet summer.

24. Altered two pairs of shorts so that they fit better and I am happier wearing them.

25. Hubby washed the front entry and siding. He also touched up some paint chips around the door using paint on hand.

Other accomplishments & all seem to be food related LOL.

- Made a coleslaw dish to take to the neighborhood potluck and summer party with what was on hand (green & red cabbage, green onions, red pepper, carrots and a vinegar dressing). It was a hit.

- Used up extra ripe bananas, applesauce and walnuts to make muffins

- Had 5 people over for lunch before a play matinee. We had fallen out of the habit of having people over to eat and are trying to get back to doing that more.

- Made a menu plan and followed it. No dinners out again this week.

- I am trying to break my going out for coffee & a treat every afternoon habit and managed not to do it at all this week.
 

52 Projects Sunday and this week's accomplishments

 

Projects Completed:

19. Replaced all the door and drawer "bumpers" on kitchen cabinets as the originals had dried out after years of use.

20. Refashioned a thrifted summer shirt so I like it and will wear it

21. Sold my Mom's wedding/engagement rings, loose diamonds and some other estate jewelry. Tip: find a diamond broker to sell to rather than going to a jewelry store as they will buy a wider range of gems and pay more for the gold.

22. Replaced shower door "sweep" with one bought through internet after the local company I tried to use was unresponsive. The sweep is the vinyl piece that fits in the bottom of the door to keep the water inside and the old one was warped and grungy.

In addition to the above, I did the following.

- Ate all dinners at home - that is an accomplishment for us. Since we have company next week and will be showing them around and taking them out, this was a good week to stay home.

- We are now on the summer electricity rate plan which means rates are higher from 2 to 7 pm on weekdays. I have adjusted when I do laundry, run the dishwasher and use the computer to use the low rate time only. Nothing I can do about air conditioning, but I am opening the windows/doors and running the whole house fan in the morning if it is cooler outside than inside and not too humid. Also am using small fans to cool area where I am instead of turning down AC to a lower temperature in the afternoon.

- We stopped drinking beer and wine as a result of Hubby's gout and the research that shows not drinking and/or drinking very little beer can help prevent future episodes.

-  Bought a discounted gift certificate for a haircut and a CVS gift card for 10% savings on each.

- Submitted on-line application for Medicare Part A.

- Remembered to ask if had accumulated enough points for a free dog grooming and was far past number needed. Dog was groomed for free except for tip for the groomer.

- Let my sons and DILs decide what would work best for our family visit. They decided to all meet in Pasadena over Labor Day weekend so it would include my 65th birthday! We are going to rent a house through Airbnb so that the 4 of us who don't live there can stay comfortably. I am very happy.

- Used what I had on hand to wrap a bottle of wine for a retirement party gift.

Once again a combination of everyday savings and plans for large travel and entertainment expenses. As always trying to put our money where it means the most to us.



 



52 Projects Sunday

Despite being on vacation for 5 days in Key West, we finished 2 more projects. Small tears in pillowcases were mended and a feature wall was painted in the guest room! That is projects 7 and 8 so only 44 to go if I make it LOL.

I also have a success from some time ago. I was ready to toss three old potted geraniums when I decided to try applying fertilizer instead. The results are amazing! They look better than when I bought them a few years ago and are a cheery addition to our sunporch.

52 Projects Sunday

I'm still trying to catch up on the 52 projects challenge over at Living a slow and simple life given that I started at the beginning of week 13.

This week I finished the first version of a custom skirt pattern. I used to sew a lot when I fit retail patterns without alterations but now I am taking on the challenge of making my own pattern using the instructions and basic pattern in

and next I will make a "muslin" to see if the dimensions are correct. I have two lovely summery batik fabrics I received for Christmas and I need to get going if I am going to have skirts to wear this summer.
Keeping the sewing theme going I also mended a tear in a mattress pad and some in a set of pillowcases. I'm now at 6 completed projects.

Do you take care of your belongings and do the chores you can?

It's been a while since I thought about where my "do your own chores", use it up, fix it, make do, etc. mindset came from. Not that I don't know! My Mom and Dad really believed this as well as having to do so for many years earlier in their marriage do to financial concerns. Later on it was more due to being perfectionists! Fortunately my Mom has accepted that she has to hire people to do things for her at this stage of life but that is another story.

There was a point where we hired a housecleaner. We had a preschooler and a teenager who were involved in assorted activities that we supported, worked very long hours and just wanted some time to do other things that were more fun. We quickly found that the cost was not worth the time savings for us and went back to doing it ourselves. Of course both sons were also trained in all housekeeping skills and helped out and as adults they continue the tradition of doing most things themselves.

So what have we done lately that is just routine for us. I mentioned renting the right saw so that Hubby could take down the damaged fence sections in the woods. I fixed a small hole in a favorite shirt so it will last another year hopefully and hand washed an alpaca sweater rather than having it dry cleaned. I used a box we had plus drawing paper for packing to ship a book sold on Amazon. Due to decluttering I was able to repurpose a small plastic storage container to hold small kitchen items making a drawer less cluttered.

What to we outsource? Mostly things that are beyond our skill levels or current physical capabilities. There is a crew taking down our at risk trees. There will be a crew building a new retaining wall. However we first try to think through if there is a way we could do the work such as when we rented a saw rather than hiring someone to do the work.

I am much less of a perfectionist than my parents yet continue to live this tradition. I wonder how many of you were raised the same way or, if not, have come to do for yourself for other reasons?

Today is wash day and I'm chipping away at chores

The laundry hamper was full so today has become laundry day. Wouldn't it be nice to have a lot of machines at home so it could all be done quickly LOL. I was talking with my Mom recently about doing laundry and she started reminiscing about how excited she was to move from a washing machine with a hand wringer to one that spun the water out. I remember that wringer washer. Most of my childhood she did not have a dryer and hung all of the laundry outdoors in the summer and in the basement in the winter. Then she would sprinkle water on the clothes to be ironed, let them sit for a while to get damp and she (or I) would then iron them with a non-steam iron. So I'm really not complaining!

Yesterday I finally stopped procrastinating on a few things and finished altering a new pair of ankle pants to take up the waist a bit and mended a recently purchased dressy sleeveless linen/silk top bought secondhand. The top is supposed to be hand washed but I don't do that so it is in a net bag going through the washer right now and that hopefully will work out. I also buckled down and finished raking and sweeping the street and sidewalks to get up all the oak seed droppings before they were ground into dust even more than they had been. Clearly the drought is over here as I haven't seen so much mess from the oaks in the 15 springs we have lived here.

Today I intend to stop procrastinating on a few more things.
DONE next day - Clean the upstairs (have I mentioned how much I hate vacuuming!)
DONE - Iron the shirt hubby bought for our son's wedding (I'll iron it just this once)
DONE - Scuff up the slippery soles of the shoes I bought for the wedding so I won't take a prat fall
DONE next day - Mend the little holes in our down comforter as we have the goal of making everything possible last for 5 more years and then not moving the worn out things.

What is on your list for today?

What's up for April and March retrospective

I'm looking at the calendar and see I've got quite a bit planned for April.

Travel 
- trip to visit my Mom, brother and SIL in NH in early April
- book club weekend away at a member's mountain get away
Art
- one or two classes a week at nearby county arts center and "homework" in between
- I am hoping to be a "judge's assistant" the day before a big arts festival
- hoping to walk to nearby festival
Volunteering
- planning meetings and activities for May Friends of the Library book sale
- regular weekly shift sorting donated books
Exercise & Health
- final two Pilates sessions
- home exercise space ready to use
- start a home exercise program to replace private Pilates sessions with trainer
- find out if my braces are going to come off before son's wedding
- pre-op testing for cataract surgery
Celebrations
- our 32nd wedding anniversary
- a bridal shower for a friend's daughter
Personal Challenges
- stick to Spring Project 333 wardrobe with no purchases for that season
- shop thrift/consignment stores for needed summer clothes
- limit time on computer to maximum of 1 hour a day
- try for an "Austerity April" in terms of food and entertainment spending except when visiting Mom.

In addition, it will be time to get some Spring yard work done, the dog needs grooming before she is boarded in early April, and all the routine stuff will need to happen.  

Now let's take a look at how March went! 

I kept up with my Pilates weekly sessions and walked the dog a bit more including taking her to the park a couple of times. Not so great at keeping up with my PT exercises on a daily basis but my shoulder is getting better.

I bought quite a few clothes including getting my Mother of the Groom outfit and am happy with them all. Created list for my Spring Project 333 wardrobe and decided to get rid of one item on my Winter list as I really don't like it. I also bought a Kindle and have found ways to get free ebooks. I'll take it on my trip in early April and be happy to have reading in a very lightweight format.

I did more fun things and started an art class. Spent more time with friends and talked to loved ones who live a long way away more often. This was a really good thing!

My goal of saving EXTRA for retirement is progressing. I saved or made decisions that will save money later this year to a tune of $848.41 in March for a total of $1686.12 in extra savings so far this year.

We didn't Fix Up much - just a doorknob and the painting of a purchased table so it fits with our decor.

Not the most productive month ever but it will do.

Clothes rationing in Britain during WWII

Clothes rationing began on June 1, 1941, two years after food rationing started. Clothes rationing ended on March 15, 1949. Initially each person had 60 coupons for clothing per year, but it was later reduced to 48. Children received an additional 10 coupons to take into account growth during the year.

People were highly encouraged to make do, mend and remake clothing as well as to use curtains, old sheets/pillowcases, etc. to make clothing. I saw one guide to encourage using men's wool suits to make new clothes since so many men were in uniform and the suits were mothballed. There was also a lot of knitting reusing yarn from unraveled sweaters and socks. You can watch a Ministry of Supply move about Make Do and Mend on You Tube. You can also buy the original or a reproduction pamphlet via Amazon but get a taste of what was recommended here

There are archived free materials too such as MakeMendForVictory

My personal favorite in the make do and mend category so far are the materials by "Mrs. Sew and Sew" as shown on this Pinterest board

Their is a also a blog written by a woman who tried to follow food, gas, clothing, etc. guidelines for the US during WWII for a year. Lots of resources on the web and other blogger's challenges if you are interested in more.

I can relate to rationing as a driver for limited consumption and extra creativity than I can to stories of suffering during the Great Depression. I think it is because everyone was in the same predicament with rationing (not true for food of course if you were a farmer) and that led to resources and community efforts.

On fixing appliances, strange packaging/pricing, and other daily adventures

We spent several days trying to find the correct replacement washing machine drain hose as ours has a hole in it. Hubby drove to Home Depot - nope. I searched online at Lowe's, ordered one and drove to pick it up - nope. Then, Hubby verbally smacked himself on the forehead and said "maybe we should search online using the make and model number?" Well, yeah. Why didn't I think of that? So we did, found the right part, ordered it and payed extra for fast delivery as I really don't want to haul everything to a laundromat even with his help.  The questions is though, why did GE design this part of the  washing machine so that nothing standard will fit?

I went to buy some Ibuprofen on Monday. I immediately went to the generic versions and had picked up a container of 100 for $7.99. On the way to the cashier I noticed a display with bottles listed for $5. But you had to buy a package of two. I don't need 200 of them and the pricing and packaging logic escapes me. The savings did not so we now have extra that I hope we won't need.

I discovered that our Friends of the Library IRS EIN document has the former Treasurer's home address as the group's address. She doesn't know why. Oh joy. Now I have to call the IRS and find out how to change it!

Just a few of the "exciting" things that happened this week. Of course there was still lots of time for this!

And fix it we did! January's results

We were busy with fix-it ourselves projects in January.

- Hubby painted the newly resided shed and it's new door. 
- I shortened the sleeves on one of my coats.
 - Hubby painted one wall in the upstairs sitting room so the room is more cheerful. 
- I used Old English Scratch Cover to hide a multitude of sins on our old dark wood roll top desk. 
- I refreshed my reversible belt with shoe polish we had on hand. 
- Hubby replaced the leaking washing machine drain hose. 

We had to pay others to replace the leaking 15 year old dishwasher (my earlier fix didn't hold up). We found one on sale, but still with installation it is a nice chunk of change! We are loving how quiet it is though and it is using less water and electricity.

Another make it last success & $40 saved

I have this reversible leather pants belt that was looking very worn. I wear it with jeans. Coldwater Creek sells them for $40. I realized we had both black and brown shoe polish in the house and went to work. It looks a lot better. The buckle is still a bit worn, but that is alright!

Make it Monday - That's make it do, make it last or simply make it! 11/19 Edition

In the run up to Thanksgiving only a couple of things to report in this area.

Make It Do: I realized that I could use up sunscreen that will expire soon by using it in place of facial moisturizer. I'm sure this wouldn't be true of all sunscreens but this one is safe on the face and basically a higher SPF version of the daily moisturizer that I use. Save!

Make It Last: I finished reading the manuals for the remaining kitchen appliances to see if there was any care or maintenance that I wasn't doing and should start. Nothing new for the stove, stove vent/fan or microwave although I learned that the oven door can be removed for cleaning. Not sure I want to do that lol. I did learn that stubborn spots in the toaster oven could be removed by setting a cup of ammonia inside over night not that it needs that. The one thing I did was to clean the inside of the garbage disposal. I had been periodically wiping the underside of the rubber flange but had never done this. The instructions say to put the stopper in the disposal, fill the sink half way with warm water, add 1/4 c. baking soda and then turn on the disposer and remove the stopper at the same time. Easy.

We don't know the answer to this, but think we will probably have to replace all of the kitchen appliances before selling our home in 5 years even if they still are working fine. When we get closer to that date we'll see what the real estate market is like and talk to a few realtors. I'd rather do planned replacements using sales than emergency ones so we will keep focused on maintaining what we have for now.

Make It: Although I haven't made anything for Thanksgiving table decorations yet I have been thinking of low cost ideas that can be done at the last minute using grocery store or existing items. We'll see how that works out!

Make it Monday - That's make it do, make it last or simply make it! 11/12 Edition

I've decided to try to make these Make it Monday posts a series for as long as that works! Making good use of our resources is good for our finances and good for the environment. Here are some things I did this past week.
- made a substitute for a maple Pilates dowel
- fixed our leaking dishwasher
- made Berry Applesauce to use as an oatmeal or waffle topping.

Make it do - To do my physical therapy exercises I need 2 pillows, a rolled up hand towel, a shoulder pulley and stool. The shoulder pulley was lent to me by the therapist and the rest I have on hand. However I also need a 3 foot dowel like this maple one which lists online for $19 plus tax and shipping.
So I went down the basement and found a piece of cabinet trim leftover from our long ago kitchen remodel. It is not round and one end is mitered making is quite uncomfortable to hold. Take two old washcloths and 2 rubber band (helpful poodle is optional) and the ends are now the right size with now cost.

Make it last - Just as I was thinking about doing some routine maintenance on our 12 year old dishwasher as my next little Make it Last project, Hubby walked in and reported that it was leaking water and we might need to buy a new one.  It turned out to not be a very large leak. I turned to the internet for advice. This article (How to repair a dishwasher ) suggests cleaning and carefully inspecting the door seal as a first step. Guess what? The seal wasn't all the way to the bottom on one side and did in fact need cleaning to make it more pliable. I cleaned and worked it down to fill the gap.

The trap over the drain is supposed to just pull out for cleaning. Neither one of us can get it out without potentially breaking it and it looks like it has collected a film of soap which may hinder draining. The manual recommends cleaning by adding 2 cups of white vinegar to the bottom of the dishwasher once it reaches the wash portion of the pots and pans cycle with the hot water setting on. We took off the decorative cover at the bottom of the dishwasher front so we could hopefully see where any leak was coming from and ran it through a cleaning cycle.

No leaks! Love the internet for advice on how to fix things yourself.

Simply making it - What to do with half a large  but mealy apple found in the fridge and frozen strawberries that looked appealing in the store but not so tasty when thawed? I peeled the leftover apple, cut it in small pieces and added some frozen strawberries, cinnamon and water. Cooked it slowly for a bit, cooled in the fridge and it turned into a tasty Berry Applesauce oatmeal topper. Any suggestions for the remainder of those frozen strawberries?

Make it Monday - That's make it do, make it last or simply make it!

I've renewed my efforts to make good use of our resources - good for our finances and good for the environment. This past week I did a lot of things but I want to share these three.
- made a shapeable ice pack,
- mended some pajamas, and
- made a treat to take to a party.

Make it do - In my wanderings around the internet I came upon just what I needed to easily ice my painful shoulder. The physical therapist uses one of those shapeable ice packs wrapped in a pillow case and I didn't want to buy yet another one as I have a large one for use on my hip. Well, over at One Good Thing by Jillee I read that you can take 1 part rubbing alcohol plus 3 parts water, put it in a ziploc bag and freeze for a homemade version. It stays pliable so you can bend it over your shoulder. I used a one gallon ziploc bag and ended up double bagging it. Works just like the one I didn't buy and when I no longer need to use it I can just dump it down the drain, wash out the bags, and not add anything new to my house!

Make it last - I'm frequently glad I learned to sew as small mending comes in very handy. I have a pair of knit pajama bottoms that have developed a small hole suspiciously the same size as a poodle princess tooth! It just took a few stitches to fix it so it won't get larger. If you don't know how to do simple mending, find someone to teach you as it eliminates a lot of expense and saves the clothing you like.

Simply making it - I offered to bring cookies to a surprise birthday party for a neighbor couple this past Saturday and decided to follow this recipe for Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting from Laura of the fabulous I'm Losing It Here blog. I decided to make them more bite sized and cut them into squares instead of bars as you can see in the picture.They are more of a cake like bar than a cookie like bar. Delicious and light although not exactly low calorie LOL.

Use it up, wear it out, make do, or do without - but what about make it last?

I spent a goodly amount of time today cleaning the refrigerator inside and outside. I took everything out of the frig and freezer and washed them. I pulled it out and vacuumed floor, and cleaned the frig back, sides, door and top. A microfiber cloth works great for this by the way.

I took off the grill, pulled out the drip tray and washed both. I used a coil cleaning brush and the vacuum to clean out all of the dust on the coils. There was a lot of dust collected on the coils. Now this is a frig that is at least 13 years old which is the average life span of one. I want it to last until we sell the house in 5 years. It would help if I cleaned the coils and door seals more than once every 12 to 18 months. The manual suggests every other month! I will put it on my schedule in Outlook and be more diligent. As the idiom goes, A stitch in time saves nine - or in this case, maintenance reduces the cost of repairs or replacement.

This however led me to thinking about how to help our other appliances, electronics, cars, etc. last until we are ready to move or even longer. We are all used to the following saying.
 
And there are many others. Here's a whole article about frugality idioms - Idioms clarify frugality foundations. Well, I think that it is time to apply these even more about these as I countdown to retirement. I'd rather become more disciplined and have more money for travel, generosity, fun and savings.

So I am starting a new series as I look for ways to stretch the life of what we have, appreciate what we have, learn new skills and resurrect old ones, and maximize our savings while having a happy life now.

So lets all:

Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without - Get creative!
Take a stitch in time to save nine - You already bought it; make it last.
Save for a rainy day - or retirement, a vacation, or whatever will drive you forward.

 a rainy day: One reader, Caitlin L. from California, shares: "The main thing my dad drilled into my head was: 'If you make $40, don't spend $50. Spend $30 and put the rest away for a rainy day.'" #For some people, it seems impossible to save any amount of money when they're trying to provide basic needs. Start a change jar. It's the easiest way to start an emergency fund or to teach kids to save money. #For ways to find loose change and kick-start your savings, visit www.frugalvillage.com/2008/12/14/see-a-penny-pick-it-up/. #A stitch in time saves nine: This is helpful when confronting money issues, repairs and your health. It's better to take care of things, practice preventive maintenance or address problems earlier rather than later, when it gets worse. #Waste not, want not: Think before you spend. Don't be greedy. Take what you will use and no more than you need. Don't waste anything you might need later. Make the most of your resources. #Give a man a fish: Learn to do things for yourself in case you ever need to. Teach or show someone how to do something instead of doing it for them or giving them money. Visit www.frugalvillage.com/2010/07/03/help-without-lending-money for suggestions on how to do exactly that. #Were you raised in a barn? Don't let heat or cold escape through an open door. Don't leave a mess behind you, be kind to others and remember your manners. #Put a sweater on: Turn down the thermostat to save some energy and money. Along the same lines, unplug items in your house when they're not in use. Think: DVR, cable boxes, microwave ovens or coffeemakers with digital clocks. #Another reader, Gabrielle F., shares: "See if you can borrow a P3 International P4400 Kill A Watt Electricity Usage Monitor from the library to check your electricity usage on household appliances. I can't wait to find out what is sucking up the most electricity! The devices start at about $16 retail, so how cool is it to use one for free?" #The grass is always greener: Don't compare yourself to others. Appreciate what you have. Recognize the difference between having the things you want and wanting the things you already have.

Read more at: http://www.monroenews.com/news/2011/sep/18/idioms-clarify-frugal-foundations/