M is for Make Do & Mend

 

Continuing with my A-Z challenge to blog about something starting with every letter of the alphabet, M is for Make Do & Mend.

We love to stretch our money as far as possible and one of the best ways to do that is to Make Do & Mend. We try not to buy anything we already own unless it's irreparable. 

My everyday trainers developed tiny holes on the front where my big toe poked against the material. It was a shame to get rid of them when they were perfectly fine everywhere else and really comfy, so I decided to mend them. I bought some small butterfly patches for a few pounds and sewed them over the holes. Now I have some unique trainers that have been brightened up and I've saved myself the cost of new trainers (at least for a while longer)!

My computer desk started life as a toy cupboard when the kids were little. When we no longer needed it, we turned it into a desk by taking off the doors and fitting a pullout keyboard tray. I say we, JD did it. He cut a piece of wood the right width and fit it onto some runners. It works perfectly and it saved us the cost of buying a desk. It also stopped a piece of furniture we didn't need going to waste.

My favourite little plant pot has led a troubled life. First, he lost part of his arm and we decided it gave him character (we had to, we couldn't find the lost part). Next, he lost his leg. But, we didn't give up on him, JD glued it back on and he continues to do his plant holding duty to this day.

I'm in charge of mending clothes. I mend hole in socks, replace buttons, patch trousers and whatever else needs fixing. It feels good to be able to keep clothes wearable instead of just throwing them away. Clothes are so cheap nowadays that we think nothing of buying new clothes often. I've even made the kids favourite t-shirts into cushions for them before so they can keep them longer once they've grown out of them.

JD helps us save money by doing small repairs on the car when needed. Replacing windscreen wipers by finding what he needs on eBay and attaching them himself. Changing lightbulbs when they blow out too, among other things. 

Our dining room table is one of those that folds down and has 4 chairs that fold up inside it. It was bought when I first got married in 1995 and is still going 'strong'. We no longer use the fold-out chairs and the supports that hold up the table wings have been glued several times but it's really convenient to fold it up and make room. It's folded up nearly every day for someone to play on the Quest in the dining room and on date night we fold it up halfway for a more intimate meal setting. As you can see there are a lot of marks on it from over the years as well as a blob of blue paint from crafts when the kids were little that never came off. One of my future projects is to sand it down and either paint or varnish the top. It would be nice to have a new table but for now this one suits us fine!

All these things are small things on their own but together they save us a lot of money. With a Make Do & Mend attitude you can be satisfied with what you have instead of always wanting the next new thing. Which is the way we try to live.