The Sydney Morning herald recently ran a story about a women who “bought nothing” for a whole year. The headline did not quite match the story but it has an interesting message for those who are serious about saving. That message is, of you stop buying stuff you don’t need, you will be able to […]
Sun, family, fun – and oilyrag feasts. That pretty much sums up summer holidays for many so we thought we would come up with some kiwi treats. No kiwi cook could be whole without knowing how to whip up a tasty Christmas Day pav’. There are lots of pavlova recipes but the key ingredients don’t […]
Its summer, which means oily rag orchards are about to get into full swing. Here are some ideas for summer treats using in-season and plentiful fruits. Fruit popsicles are wonderful for those hot summer days and can be made with any ripe fruit. Blend a cup of chopped fruit, a cup of yoghurt, and some […]
Many thanks to those who responded to last week’s article about emergency supplies. C. E .P. from Hamilton, but previously Christchurch, has some advice about preparing for an emergency. “When stocking your emergency food supplies, where possible, include the types of foods the household would normally eat. Obviously any food is better than no food, […]
There were times gone by (usually during periods of world famine and severe deprivation!) that animal offal was a common nourishment. Nowadays, at least in New Zealand, it’s generally thought that offal is food more likely to be served to pets, than people – but not so. Lill from Whangarei considers it a special treat […]
Radio NZ’s Nine to Noon program had an interesting segment last week about making cheese. What will surprise many people is that it’s so simple, and you don’t have to wait a generation for it to mature – it’s one of those situations where good things don’t need to take time! The interview was with Jean […]
Spring has sprung which means its time to clean! Here are some cheap and easy cleaning tips from readers. Sue from Kaitaia recommends sugar soap. “I use it for cleaning walls, ceilings, floors and to wash the car. It is really good at getting road grime off the car and does not leave waxy marks […]
While chatting to a fellow oily ragger at our local supermarket the other day, they mentioned how well their banana plants were doing after giving them good coverage of coffee grounds. They have an arrangement with a local café to take away the grinds, which works well for both parties. That got us searching the […]
We have received a great letter from Karen in Northland who has worms, well, we mean keeps worms, in her garden, to make compost and liquid fertiliser for the vege patch. Karen says it’s much better than putting kitchen scraps into the compost bin because the worms do the work and the by-product is much […]
A reader from Whangarei writes, “I am pleased some major retailers are going to eliminate the expiry date on gift cards. In August 2014 I was given a Palmers gift card. I have used it occasionally but when I tried to use it last week they said it had expired and my remaining credit was […]