At Make-Do Mondays, we discuss how we’re simplifying, downsizing, repurposing, buying used, and using what we’ve got.It’s a carnival you can visit to celebrate creative problem-solving, contentment, patience and ingenuity. If you want to participate, you can share your own make-do solution in the comments or write up a Make-Do Mondays post at your blog, then return here to link via Mr. Linky.Here’s a mini-tutorial on Mr. Linky:
Click on the icon and a separate page will pop up. Type in your blog name and paste in the url of your new Make-Do Mondays post. Click enter and it should be live. If it doesn’t work, just include the link in the comments.To visit people’s posts, click on Mr. Linky and when the page comes up, click on a name. You should be taken right to the page that they provided. If I have time, I come back and update the post by hand.
Make-Do Mondays Participants
- Like Mother, Like Daughter (Winter-Sown Seeds)
- The Goat (bread crumbs, golf tees, airplanes)
- My Practically Perfect Life (Whisk-sifting)
- Queen of the Castle Recipes (10 Tips for Buying Seafood)
- 50’s Housewife (Make-Do Photographer)
- mominapocket (using what we have)
Make-Do Mondays with AnnFor many reasons that I won’t get into here, we resisted investing in a gaming system that hooks into the TV. The kids had resigned themselves to using their handheld Nintendo DS gadgets that they bought with their own money. They enjoy playing Wii at friends’ houses and assumed they’d never own anything like it.As we neared Christmas last year, one of the kids and I slipped into Goodwill. She found a used Nintendo Gamecube (a game system that’s no longer being produced new). It was a little high for a used price, but that week it was half price.We bought it.So while it seemed that everybody in the entire country was buying a Wii for Christmas, we wrapped up a used Nintendo Gamecube for the kids to open together:
They had no idea what it was.And when they opened it, they still didn’t know what it was.Then the sister who was in the know said, “It’s a Gamecube.”The response: 
Can you see the mouth dropped open in shock?They kept saying, “We have a Gamecube? The Kroekers? Us? I can’t believe it! Us! A Gamecube!” The gift came with restrictions–they have to ask permission before playing, for example, and both chores and school work must be completed or the answer will be no. It’s been fun to plug in on some of these dreary winter days.And because we make-do in so many ways, they were thrilled to have a used Gamecube for Christmas.How are you making-do?Updated: Visit Ship Full O’ Pirates and watch the SNL skit she’s posted. It fits with the Make-Do Mondays theme.Tune in tomorrow to see the final logophile lists–there’s still time to submit a word via the comments!
If you have not discovered GameStop yet, then you must. We hardly ever buy any gaming thing new. You can trade in what you are tired of and buy used–and they give you 7 days to try it out! Whoo!
Hi Ann,
We got a second-hand Wii (I know, it seems like there wouldn’t be any, but my son was HIGHLY motivated! knowing our staunch resistance for 20 years 🙂
And we have all the rules too. And I like that it’s just golf and tennis and stuff like that.
I posted an older entry that is still timely, and since I was adding to my seeds yesterday, I’m pumped about it!
I’ d love to know of others who use this method!
I wanted to get my post up before noon my time — and I did it! (If you are still on ‘fall back’ time lol) It’s 12:30 here, but darn, I was so close.
It’s just my husband and I at our house, so we don’t have to worry about kids – but we don’t have any gaming anything. Our computers suck up enough of our time lol I tried to play Frogger at a friends house a few years back – my poor frog never made it across the road!!
Buying used it always a great idea when it comes to stuff like that.
We don’t have a wii either. I doubt if we ever will, unless we get a hand-me-down. I am not sad that we don’t have one and our kids have not complained or begged for one.
They do have a game cube, but it doesn’t get much use. So maybe they are content to go play the wii at their friends homes, knowing that if we had one it would not get much play time.
They are learning that we don’t have to have everything that everyone else has. This is a good thing. They share what we have with their friends and their friends share with them. That way, they all have much more to do.
Thanks for your posting.
Sharinskishe
Ours finally got a video game for Christmas – a used X box. My boys campaigned hard for Nintendo DS, but no way. Even if we could afford to buy everyone their own, I’d not do it. Hate the way it becomes an obsession. 🙁
Our library has Wii night on Tuesdays. Doesn’t that make you want to move to Jersey?? *wiink*
m
Don’t you love it when, by not buying the latest of everything, your kids are so thrilled and thankful to get something like this at a bargain price? It’s fun to find all the games and attachments to older systems at garage sales and thrift stores for just a few dollars 🙂 Great post, Ann!
Love the idea of Make Do Mondays! It is good to find other people that have your same mind frame when it comes to living life. Nancy@mominapocket
Against our better judgement, we were purchased a Wii for Xmas by Grandma. Hadn’t even consulted us about it. But I have to say, I was happily surprised. We love it. Nonetheless, we had gotten our kids a used Nintendo somethin-or-other (I mess their names up constantly) and some games and LIVE at Gamestop – why by new, you know? They like that if they keep their games in like-new condition, they can trade them in for “new” ones at Game stop.
I like this meme. I might participate next week 🙂