A reader writes, “We are about to renovate our house, and it looks like all of our money will be spent on the building so we won’t have much left for the furnishings! Does anyone have a favourite tip for transforming well-loved furniture into a modern look?” Dandelion from Whangarei writes, “Most gardeners we have […]
Dandelion Farm from Whangarei writes, Most gardeners we have found are generous with plant sharing because nature provides an abundance. My husband helps prune people’s fruit trees and if they have a good variety he takes cutting material away. Often we see a plant we like which is in seed and ask the gardener for […]
A reader has asked if there are ways to save money on landscaping costs. In particular, they would like to know which plants are easy to propagate from cuttings. If you can help our reader, please drop us a note. From experience, we can say that Yucca plants are easy. They are very fashionable and […]
Many thanks to readers who are sending in their great ideas for no or low-cost fun activities for children’s parties. A reader from Gisborne writes, “Here are two ideas for birthday parties our children and grandchildren have enjoyed. Firstly, a ‘bad manners’ dinner, where bad table manners were ignored. It was very quiet to start […]
Faye from Hastings asks: “Has anyone mastered a replica recipe for Malt Meal Wafers? They are a large square lain biscuit that was lovely and buttery. You can no longer buy them and I cannot find anything online. I would really like to make some.” We understand Griffins used to make them but stopped doing so […]
PAL from Christchurch is asking for help. “Many years ago I recall a mixture I made up and wiped over clean windows. This helped prevent condensation from forming on them. I have asked several friends and they seem to think I may have dreamed it. But not at all. I recall making this mixture up […]
SW from Christchurch writes: I have found that with online shopping I stick to exactly what is on my list so stick to my budget. Apart from the sweets/snack aisle I look at!
Declan from Christchurch has this question: “Hi there. I keep hearing about how barter is a great way of doing things. I’ve tried unsuccessfully to barter on facebook barter groups. Admittedly, they do seem to have very low memberships. How do other people go about bartering?”
Last week a reader asked if anyone has ideas for fun, no or low-cost activities for a child’s party. Maureen from Glenfield has this tip. “Get hold of a roll of butcher paper or similar. Get each kid to lie down and trace their outline. Then they get to draw and colour their shape in.” […]
Liz from Tauranga has written in about the cost of bulk bin goods, finding that in many cases, the cost was higher than the equivalent packaged product. Liz’s comment is consistent with an exercise carried out by the NZ Herald in April. They found in most cases that unpackaged products were more expensive, and quite […]