The mailbags are full again, so we thought it time to post up some of the more interesting tips and titillations. Ruth from Pahiatua has a tip for frozen spuds. “I often par-boil potatoes for 12 to 15 minutes, cool on cake rack and then freeze. When needed I can just get out as many […]
With the sunny season coming to a rapid end its time to fill your pantry shelves and freezer with food to last you though to the next growing season. Those gardening off the smell of an oily rag will have barrow loads of fresh fruit and vegetables. But even those who have yet to discover […]
Spring has well and truly gone but there will be many who did not get around to the annual spring clean, so we thought we would gather together our reader tips for a good autumn clean! True to form, the oily rag community has lots of ways to take the cost out of cleaning. To […]
A reader has asked for ideas on how to dress up basic meals. When feasting off the smell of an oily rag it’s important to embellish low-cost ingredients that may otherwise be a little unexciting. That’s where sauces, butters and dressings come in. Essentially, by using these, you can serve up the same old thing […]
Daylight saving is about to end, which is a sure sign a new season is upon us and that it’s time to start thinking ahead for the new year’s fruit and vegetable harvest. Here are some suggestions for things to do at this time of the year. • Remove all vegetables and herbs that are […]
A sprinkle of herbs is an easy way to add a sophisticated taste to the most basic of meals (which is a good thing given oily ragger culinary artists tend to work with simple low cost ingredients). There is a lot that could be said about herbs but here’s a quick guide to some easy-to-grow […]
There have been some significant changes to consumer protection law since we last wrote about it a few years back, so we thought it worth going over some of the more important things to know about the Consumer Guarantees Act (CGA), which covers consumers buying from businesses – not from private sellers. The Act has […]
Nearly everyone likes shopping around for a bargain and we all know people who will drive great distances to save 50c on a packet of sugar. But we reckon there’s another better way to save money, and it won’t cost anything in petrol – and that’s haggling. Although haggling is not part of the kiwi […]
Hardly a day goes by without housing appearing as a headline on the news. What you tend to read about are the hard-luck stories of course, not the good news stories about oily raggers making things happen. The aim of those housing themselves off the smell of an oily rag is to have comfortable accommodation […]
Hardly a week goes by that we don’t hear of another hard-luck story from someone who has ended up in a financial mud pool because they did not follow some pretty basic rules about money. Anne from Auckland is determined not to end up in that mud pool and has asked for some tips about […]