Muff from Auckland writes, “There is a great book called Miraculous Abundance about 2 French farmers growing enough food on a quarter acre section and proving that a living can be made from it. It is fairly recent and our local library bought it in specially. This could give inspiration to any who might doubt […]
JB from Whangarei has written in response to last week’s column about shopping smarter. “There are many different market places now other than shops and online. Think food cooperatives, farmers market and many innovative local food initiatives. Look up the nearest Transition Town or Localising Food Project to support local growers and cut out the […]
Rachel writes in reply to our column about a spend-nothing year. “I was interested because I have Done the same thing. I had run up a credit Card unwisely. I saw an ad on TV saying If I transferred my balances to their bank they would give me 0% interest for a year. So I […]
Annette from Takanini in Auckland has this tip. “Buy a few cheap solar garden lights. Charge every day, by leaving in the sun, and at night, use inside the home. To avoid switching on electric lights at night, put one in the passage, another in the toilet or bathroom and one in the kitchen. When […]
Mary has a suggestion for mixing pavlova ingredients, which are 4 egg whites, 1 cup castor (fine) sugar, 1 teaspoon vinegar, 1 teaspoon vanilla essence, and 1 tablespoon cornflour. Mary says, “an easy way to mix the pav is put the egg whites and caster sugar in the mixer and beat continuously for ten minutes […]
M B from Gisborne writes, “Re-use zip lock bags by washing in hot soapy water and drying, either in dish rack or pegged up on a hanger”.
MD from Auckland writes, “Cook a large piece of meat then portion and put in snap locks and freeze. Always keep a list of what you have in the freezer and meal plan around what you have”.
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, but there is little point in just stocking up on tinned sardines and […]
Carole from Auckland writes, “I have had a worm farm for a number of years now – in an old Auckland Council recycling bin (and on this matter the Council should be ashamed of itself with wheelie bins discarded and abandoned on sites around Auckland City – I could name a few which could be […]
J from Whangarei writes, “Instead of buying a Piñata for a kid’s birthday, we made one. It’s easy. Coat an inflated balloon with paper mache, with the final coat being white paper. Leave an area at the bottom large enough to put goodies in. When dry pop the balloon and attach a string to the top. […]