make do and mend
Repair, don't replace
Make do and mend means to manage with what you have rather than buying new—repairing, repurposing, and stretching resources.
The phrase originated as a British wartime slogan during World War II rationing but survives as a general philosophy of frugality and resourcefulness: My grandmother's make do and mend attitude meant nothing ever got thrown away.
- reuseEmploy something again
- thriftCareful use of resources
- repairRestore to working order
- refurbishRestore worn items
- resourcefulnessAbility to solve problems creatively
darning · stitch in time · patching · budgeting · rationing · wartime spirit · frugality · tight budget · post-war recovery · secondhand goods · fixing · upcycle · salvaging · economy · adaptation · repurpose · self-sufficiency · sewing
- homemakingcooking, cleaning, laundry, recipes, baking
- Postwar BritainAttlee, NHS, National Health Service, rationing, ration books
- rationingration stamps, coupon books, coupons, food rationing, gas rations
make do and mendconsumerism
Preoccupation with acquiring goods
throwaway culture · throw it away · conspicuous consumption · retail therapy · impulse buying
make do and mendthrow away
Remove as unwanted
discard · replace · toss out · dispose · single-use
make do and mendaffluence
Abundance of money
abundance · prosperity · plenty · economic boom · money to burn
make, makes, making, maker, makers, done, undone, mend, mends