OILY RAG
INDEX

What are you doing in your backyard?

Times are tough and want-to-be oily raggers want to know what they can do to make the most of their backyard. Can you help? What have you done to save or make money from your "quarter-acre" paradise? Send in your comments and ideas >>>

Breakfast

A reader has asked what is the cheapest breakfast cereal, so we got our calculators out and come up with some answers. Click here to find out more >>>

Share your oily rag tips?

Do you have a favourite money saving tip, a funny frugal yarn, or a comment about living on the cheap? How about sharing it with others. Click here >>>

Questions and comments

Vanessab asks: “Just wondering if anybody knows where to buy Microfleece in Auckland.” If you can help Vanessab please click here >>>   

Susan asks: "Could you please help me out with an economical recipe for ice-cream. " If you can help Susan please click here >>>   

BW from Auckland says, "This ice cream recipe doesn't cost much and it's easy to make.  The kids would love to get involved too. Use 3 bowls. Place four egg whites in the first bowl. Beat till stiff then add ¼ cup of sugar and beat again. In the second bowl beat 4 egg yolks with another ¼ cup of sugar until frothy. In the third bowl, beat 300ml of cream until fairly stiff. Use a metal spoon to fold in the contents of the first and third bowls into the second bowl.  Pour the mix into a 2 litre ice cream container and freeze approx 6 hours. No need to beat again.  How easy is that!" 

Click for details >>>

READER COMMENTS: "I have read your 'Living off the Smell of an Oily Rag' book and think it is fantastic!… Thank you for such an inspiring book. I have told all my friends about it.” – Wayne. "Thank you  so much for a wonderful book. I hope my son and daughter get as much reward (financial and contentment - knowing that they have done it / made it themselves) from the book as we have. We are about to embark on the next adventure of our life - buying a little bit of land so we will soon be the family on the front of your book - free range chooks included! Can't wait to extend our veggie garden and plant fruit trees and save even more whilst having fun! Thank you - Tina"  "Your book is fantastic and now has a permanent place on the coffee table, where we can brush up on ORT's (Oily Rag Tips) whilst chilling on the sofa. Our enthusiasm for keeping our money in our pockets has been ignited and we look forward to many happy hours of ORA's (Oily Rag Adventures). Many thanks." - Sarah

I buy good quality knitted items from second hand /church shops. Unpick the garments and wash the wool. You need to wind the wool around the legs of a chair or something similar, like someone’s hands if you have a helper to make a skein. Tie it loosely. Wash /soak for a while till all the crinkles of the previous knitting are gone, then tie on the line to dry. Then rewind.  If you try to knit previously knitted wool without washing it will not look nice. I recently did this, buying an item for 50 cents which gave me wool worth $6-$7 dollars in the shops. -  Erina.

When you think your mascara has run out or dried out just stand it (the container) in a cup of hot tap water for a few minutes I get 1-2 more months use from the mascara. – Susie, Hawkes Bay.

I used to buy my groceries every Thursday (pay day),I then moved it by one day each week; Friday then Saturday etc, till grocery day came around to Thursday again. When you reach the day you started you will have two weeks grocery money! This can then be used for unexpected bills or saved!  It really works!  A great way to ensure you use everything in the freezer etc. – Susan, Hastings

Garlic is impossibly easy to grow.  Don't plant supermarket bulbs as they are sprayed so they don't sprout.  Go to your farmers market, garden centre or friendly neighbour.  One bulb will produce 10 or more the next year and so on and so on.  We had over 150 this year.  It also keeps the bugs down in the garden.  We're always giving them away! - M C Geisser, Invercargill.

When raising seedlings, put old tea bags in a dish of water and sprinkle or place your seeds on top. When they shoot and grow up a bit, transplant them to potting mix in raising cups with tweezers from your wife's manicure set (while she's out!). This way you definitely get only one seed per cup. - Shane Dumbell, New Plymouth.

While camping one year we had trouble keeping things cool, milk, butter, cheese and meat, and flies were also keen to get our supplies. I found an old beer crate (or use a box with holes or a grate box, like a bird cage for instance). Place a shallow tray, like foil oven tray or old baking dish (use imagination anything that will hold water will do). On top of the box/cage and pull a muslin bag over the lot and then hang this up in a cool shady place where there is a breeze, like under a tree or at least in shade. Now weight the muslin into the tray with some stones no bigger than say about fist size, and fill the tray with water. Put your food items inside the box and let the Muslin fall down to cover the box and its contents. Hang all this on a previously prepared hook or wire or tree branch in the previously chosen shady place. The water will slowly wick down the muslin and keep it wet. The action of the breeze through the shade will evaporate the water from the wet muslin and lower the temperature inside the food store box so much so that I guarantee the butter will go so hard you will not be able to spread it easily on your bread. If you walk through you wet washing hanging on the line, even on a hot day it is very cool, as long as it is wet, same principle. To take this contraption to the next level fill a glass jar with water and stand it upside down into the pool of water in the tray, chicken feeder style, and you can leave your new fridge for hours unattended, bigger jar longer periods between filling. A fridge of the grid and good for camping as long as there is water in the tray. - Shane Dumbell, New Plymouth.  

I always buy a good quality dishwashing liquid and find I can water it down by about 3/4's and it is still effective. The cheaper liquids often lose their bubbles half way thru the wash. - HREK, Lower Hutt  

I have a family of 7, 2 adults and 5 kids. My growing lot can go through 2 loaves of bread a day, so you can do the math with the amount I spend on bread a week, so I started experimenting with some cheaper alternatives. The best one I have come up with is this. Grab yourself a bag of high grade flour cheapest being home brand at $2.15 for 1.5kg. Add enough warm water to form a firm dough, leave to stand for 30 minutes. Break off small amounts of dough roll into a ball, then roll out on floured surface to circles about the size of small dinner plate. Heat non stick pan (medium heat) then dry fry each dough round about 2 minutes either side. One bag of flour makes about 40 "wraps". Fill with desired filling and send the kids off to school happy. I also fill them with salad, chilli and cheese. Kids think they’re much better then boring sandwiches plus you don’t need butter. So butter bill also goes down...winner! - KM, Te Puke.

Live in a motor home/bus, van etc and join the assoc to get tips about places where you can still camp for free. - E.L., Christchurch.

Purchase Oat Groats (oats not processed) put them in a coffee grinder and grind into a powder.  Add water and soak overnight.  The next day put this in a pan with a touch of olive oil and salt.  In a few minutes, you will have oatmeal. The oat groats cost about 88 cents American per pound.  Add milk and sugar. Great breakfast for hardly anything. - Motivated In Ohio, Ashtabula, OH U.S.A.

After years of dirty nails and hands after gardening I recently discovered that if I put disposable vinyl gloves on then the knit type gloves on top - my hands remained wonderfully clean, and the disposable gloves lasted a considerable time. - N.W., Waverley.

Go to the local Indian food emporium and buy 100 grams each of Ground Nutmeg, Ground Ginger and Ground Cinnamon. Throw together in a suitable airtight jar, shake well and sprinkle a pinch or two over rice for breakfast with a bit of honey. Add Milk or cream. OK on cornflakes and probably OK on oatmeal though haven’t tried it. Lasts quite a few months and gives plain food a lift. - Pamflitt, Hawera

To make chocolate ice blocks that turn out exactly like the expensive store-bought ones, at a significant savings. First make a chocolate custard. Place 500ml milk in a saucepan (I use fresh whole milk, but you can use reconstituted powder milk for extra savings) and bring it to the boil. Then add a tablespoon of sugar, a tablespoon of cocoa, and a tablespoon of cornflour. Stir constantly until thickened, then cool. Second, pour the cooled chocolate custard into pre-moistened ice block moulds. Freeze for at least three hours. Cost to make one ice block (if using powdered milk): approx 6 cents. Cost to make one dozen: approx 80 cents. Savings: $27.60 per dozen (based on the price of a dozen chocolate ice blocks at the corner shop). - LTB, Auckland

I absolutely love your book and I use it in combination with other frugal advice websites. The amount of information about frugal living available is astounding. I am a living example of living a frugal life style. I have 4 children and a husband who all have learnt how it works. Mu eldest son is saving for a house and has told me he would rather pay me rent or board than putting the money in a stranger's pocket. So he is able to save up for his own house while helping his family financially by paying board. What are families for? We are here to look after one another and build each other up. As a unit we are stronger than when we are scattered. By the way we love our vege garden and hot water solar heating system Our average power bill yearly is $140.00 for 6 people in the house! Well I could go on and on. - Anneke

Good liquid soap using Dove soap and tea tree oil. Buy Dove soap when it is on sale at $1 a bar. Grate it finely add three cups of boiling water, stir till dissolved. When cool put in a few drops of tea tree oil. Great anti-rash liquid soap for the shower. - Sam, Te Puke.

I use the bread maker to make pizza dough. Put your favourite toppings on the pizza base and cook it in the oven for 30 min on med/high. On Fridays I use left overs from the previous night or whatever is in the fridge. This is a great way to use up left over food, eg meatballs, crab meat or left over cheese pasta. - Anneke Vandenberg, Hastings.

The cost of replacing a security coded car key can be substantial especially if the car security system needs to be recoded. I have placed a small tag on my key ring with my cell phone number on it and an offer of a reward to someone who finds and returns it. This has "saved" me twice so far and the persons returning the keys refused to accept any reward. – BF, Hastings.

Breakfast dish. Cook 1 cup of rice. Don’t let it get too dry. Chop half a cup of bacon pieces, half a small onion together and fry together in cast iron pan if available. There is enough oil in the bacon to do this. Microwave 2 eggs beaten with milk until nearly cooked - about 1.5 mins. Pour over bacon and onion in pan, mix until egg is completely cooked. Add rice, salt and pepper to taste and mix together over low heat. This can hold three people together until lunchtime at minimal price and effort. Close relative of kedgeree (a traditional British breakfast) - substitute smoked fish for bacon if needed. - Pamflitt, Hawera.

My husband uses dove soap to shave with, he has sensitive skin and finds that it softens his beard and gives a smooth clean shave with no rash. - Off the grid, Otorohanga.

On my 1/8th acre section I have a feijoa hedge, raspberries at the borders, and apple, nectarine and lemon trees. Herbs in a small above ground garden by the back door beans and peas climb up fences on wire mesh. Asparagus in a plot and yams in an old barrel as they spread into anything. Plus a small plot for cabbage, broccoli, red onions, carrots, parsnips cauliflower plus many more seasonally. I plant veges that are more expensive to buy and live well. - Grandma C, Christchurch.

We have a decent sized vegetable patch, with raspberries, strawberries and blackcurrants under netting. We have a row of coppicing gum trees (which means they regrow after being cut at the base) for firewood, lemons, apples, plums, walnuts [which we trade for hazel nuts and almonds), sweet chestnuts, feijoas and peaches all help, and our three hens lay up to 10 eggs a week (which means a couple have a day off!]. Various herbs can be found amongst the flowering plants. - H M K, Waipukurau

 With fuel costs rising we chanced on a little diesel Peugeot 205, and the way we drive we get about 59 miles to a gallon. Prius eat your heart out! - H M K, Waipukurau

  One way to save move is to ‘knock’. When measuring unspecified amounts of stuff (eg tea, sugar, flour etc) knock the spoon on the inside of the jar or packet. Any loose material falls back, so you don’t spill it and you don’t notice any less. Over time you will find you are not using so much or buying so often. - H M K, Waipukurau

Savings first! I make it a rule to buy one Bonus Bond for 20.00 every time a regular payment arrives in my account. This builds up quickly and produces some income through prizes some of which can be a quite decent amount. This can be done online and the amount deposited is always available if needed - with a bit of planning - but not as readily as a bank account so you tend to leave it there. - Pamflitt, Hawera.

Cauliflowers. Years ago I cut the cauli out and forgot to pull out the plant. Months later I discovered at least 6 had grown up from the original root, and in diminishing size, each produced a cauli! In due course, more grew from those roots, and 6 months later another crop of caulis. It is a fun thing! I suggest you dig deep and dig in peelings, compost fertiliser, in a sunny sheltered spot and plant one cauli. When the older ones die, I cut them out being careful not to disturb the roots, and from the same spot, every six months or so, lo! Six or so caulis! - Ann of Whakatane.

Make your own bread — one slice toasted spares the three of bought breads, butter and jam! The recipe (so simple and speedy) — 2 packs wholemeal flour, 3 sachets of Edmonds dry yeast, salt, and add dried fruits, muesli, porridge, nuts, 3 litres of warm water. Put in preserving pan all dry ingredients, but break the yeast into a basin with 3 soup spoons of raw sugar and cover with warm water and leave to rise. While this is trebling in size, butter basins, pyrex dishes, at least six. Pour yeast in to dry ingredients and mix well with warm water. Pile into bowls (I use a soup ladel) put in 100 degrees Cent. Oven to rise for half an hour, cook at 180 degrees for up to an hour. Put in deep freeze — will last you several weeks, one slice only satisfies you till lunch! - Ann of Whakatane.

One very handy easily remembered recipe for a lovely shortbread — say 3, 6, 9. I can only do ounces — 3 sugar, 6 butter and 9 flour! Make as usual. - Ann of Whakatane.

When in a supermarket, always head through so you can drive straight out, NO backing, NO crashes! - Ann of Whakatane.

My house is always looking for mouthwash, and a cheap, easy way to make some is to simply put half a teaspoon of baking soda in with a small glass of water, gargle as normal. Also, for a set of sparkling pearly whites, brush teeth with toothpaste as normal, then brush again, this time baking soda sprinkled on your toothbrush. Over two weeks your teeth will whiten, and save you an expensive trip to the dentist! - K.O., Mahia

I just checked by credit card statement and noticed an $87 charge from Consumer NZ. I could not recall making the payment so I called them and they told me the payment was an "auto-renew" of last years sub. They tell me subs paid by credit card are automatically renewed unless advised otherwise - part of the terms and conditions, they said. Beware, you may find your subscription is renewed when you don’t want it.  – Oily Ragger, Wellington

Chrissy says WheelnDeal is a must view for garage sale bargain hunters. It lists garage sale and market locations. www.wheelndeal.co.nz

We buy most of our clothes from second hand shops. It takes a bit longer looking for 'needles in the haystack' but people are always saying how well dressed we are! - Mary, Picton.

Check out www.whatsmynumber.org.nz to see if you can get a cheaper deal on your power. Power companies constantly change their prices and you may find a cheaper company who won't lock you in to a contract. - Lucie, Wellington.

I detest porridge with sweetening so make it with a little salt and heaps of pepper and eat it without milk. Saves on sugar and on milk and is more a savoury breakfast than a sweet one. - SHB, Wanganui.

Porridge is cheap but can get a little dull. To make it more interesting, soak the oats overnight in a pot with the recommended amount of water, some sultanas and a sprinkle of ground cinnamon. The cinnamon and sultana flavours infuse through the porridge by morning. - Y.W., Christchuch.

As one with celiac disease I use half a tin of baked beans into which I put two tablespoons of pumpkin seeds, 2 of sesame seeds, 2 of ground linseed and 2 of sunflower seeds. Add a little water. Place on toast. Makes a delicious breakfast. I you have celiac disease, make sure beans  have no wheat flour. I use Oak baked beans in BBQ sauce, which is G/F. - Kevan, Kaiwaka, Northland.

Our energy supplier has an online energy usage daily breakdown you can check, I knew we had an issue with our hot water cylinder so checked it over the course of a week and made the decision to turn off the hot water in the morning when wake up and turn it back on at night and wow did it make a difference, also can help to see what your bill will be roughly at the end of the month as can calculate the units and see previous bill for per unit costs so you wont get any surprises and helps you to save the money in the meantime if you check it on a weekly basis. - H.N., Christchurch.

Set up an excel spreadsheet to record monies going in and every bill going out weekly, we do this over a 3month period so we can see what we can realistically put into savings every month with whats left over. We do this on one wage and still manage to put $600+ away in savings a month and treat ourselves to a weekly takeaway!! We are lucky enough to be debt free, partner is on a small wage and I really believe this system has also helped keep our credit rating up as kept on top of bills etc and helped get us a mortgage with only the one wage and a small deposit. - H.N., Christchurch.

Re-use old tyres available for free on Trademe to plant trees in if you have waterlogged soil.  Cut the centre out using a short bladed strong knife.  The roots love the warmth and seem to grow well. I use 4wd tyres that have fairly soft rubber easier to cut.  You stack two tyres on each other and fill with dirt you cut the part out that would usually hold water if you left it in so in effect you just have a rubber wall around the dirt.
- P Medland, Marton.

Milk powder is half the price of fresh milk.  Lots of people don't like the idea or the taste of it but if you keep complaining about milk prices you will do it. Or alternatively find a local farmer that will sell fresh wholesome raw milk to you. We sell it for $1 litre. It is legal and I can't understand why more people don't pursue this.- Farmer, Opotiki.  

When the supermarket has a 20 cent off per litre promotion do this. Go to the customer service and buy the amount you need to spend to get the discount voucher. Example $200 gift card/voucher, you will then get a voucher. After doing your grocery shopping use the voucher to pay for groceries and you will get another voucher. Essentially you receive 2 vouchers for the 1 $200 spend. - Grant, Christchurch.

Broccoli/Courgette:  If you already have broccoli and a recipe calls for a courgette (which you don't have), you can use the broccoli stalk instead.  Broccoli leaves are also edible (raw or cooked). - ANG, Masterton.

How fuel efficient is your car? Click here >>>

Calculate the energy cost of your household appliances. See Energywise >>> 

A reader has asked about loo paper... specifically if we use the "flat roll approach" mentioned on page 107 of Living off the Smell of an Oily Rag in NZ. Here is my reply: "Nowadays visitors are subject to a quota per visit system. Each visitor is provided with a toilet roll as they are greeted at the door and the number of squares on that roll inventoried. They are given a usage quota of 1/2 a square per hour of their stay (or part thereof). On their departure a stock take is done of the remaining squares on that visitors roll. Visitors can elect to become part of an emissions trading system (ETS) modelled on the internationally recognised  carbon trading approach, whereby a group of visitors (typically a family but not necessarily so) may trade their allocated quota. This we believe is a fair system as it accommodates individuality and diet. Those visitors who exceed their tissue allocation are required to provide suitable compensation in cash or bartered goods (at a rate determined by market pricing), while those under quota are provided a return invitation." Just kidding. Oily Rag Ed.  

The great NZ FLOUR Survey

The results are out! We asked the oily rag community where to buy the best value flour. This is what we found:

• The cheapest way to buy flour is in a 20kg bag. A reader from New Plymouth pays $15.60 for a 20 kg bag of high grade bakers flour; that’s 78 cents a kg. The next best price was 90 cents a kg for a 20kg bag bought at Gilmours in Tauranga.

• The only other place to buy flour for under a $1 a kg is in a 10kg bag purchased from New World in Oamaru.

• For those buying smaller bags, 5kg bags averaged around $1.40. There was very little difference in the supermarket prices, ranging between $1.35 and $1.43 a kg, with Pack N Save coming in with the lowest price.  Supermarkets offered better value than some of the bulk bin outlets. The average cost of a 1.5kg bag was $1.55.

• One word of caution, bulk is not always the best buy and there is quite a big price difference depending on the retailer. We found one bulk outlet that promotes the economies of bulk buying, had higher prices.

• Our pick? We reckon you can’t go to far wrong buying a 2.5kg bag of plain Campion flour from Pak N Save. It costs just over a $1 a kg and offers good value and a convenient size for most oily rag kitchens.  

Thank you to everyone who took part in the survey. 

What can you do with a can of baked beans

 We want to know what you can do with a can of baked beans. send in your tips and suggestions.  Click here >>>

Clean the empty Baked Bean tins and take outer wrapping off. Grease , flour and set aside. Ingredients: 1/2 cups of raisins, 1 1/2 cup of sultanas , 1 cup sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of mixed spice and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon of bicarbonate soda. Combine all ingredients. Mix well with 500 mls of boiled tea. Empty into  greased and floured cans. About 3/4 the way up each can. Cover with grease proof paper or baking paper and tie with string. , let stand overnight. Stand in a large pot of boiling water 1/2 full. Steam for up to an hour and a half.  Serve cold , buttered or hot with hot custard.- S.J., Dunedin.

Hide keys, rings, jewellery etc in an empty baked bean tin and place it up high on a shelf when you go away. Should anyone break in when you're away, valuables will appear to be part of the larder ! Harder to find than easy places like the dressing table in the bedroom! - D.H. - Howick

We empty a tube of sausage meat and a finely chopped onion into a glass dish, squish together, then microwave until cooked. Add tin of baked beans and spread over, then cover with mashed potato and a sprinkle of grated cheese. Grill until brown. - Linda Mitchell, Te Puke.

Make a yummy toasted sandwich variation... tortilla wrapped baked beans and grated cheese parcels. Looked in the cupboard for something quick and easy the other night and saw baked beans, but felt bad about serving just that...saw the tortillas and well that was it.  The kids LOVED them! Just be sure to wrap edges so you don't have any explosions.  Stick in sandwich press and YUMMO! - M.A., Hokitika.

An empty used tin of beans can be used as packaging to post things in. It's quite strong and keeps whatever you are sending safe inside. - L.O., Rangiora

I love putting mashed leftover veges with cheese on top with a can of baked beans underneath & heated well.  Its a vegetarian version of a cottage pie! - A Hume, Wairoa.

Carol from New Plymouth says, a tasty easy meal consists of a tin of baked beans and a tin of pineapple pieces. Heat both together gently in a pot and serve on toast! Delicious!

S.J. from Dunedin writes, When we have a surplus of *baked beans* I make Tacos. Ingredients:

Brown mince in a little oil. Add chopped onions and cook until onions are transparent. Add about 1 tsp chilli powder or less if you don't like hot tacos Wash most of the sauce off the baked beans and add to mince mix. Now use enough tomato sauce to make mix moist. This is usually about 1 cup. Add fresh chopped tomatoes and cook through. Serve in taco shells with bean sprouts, spring onions and lettuce, topped with grated cheese. Reinvent recipe to suit your own tastes.

We are looking for New Zealand's biggest pumpkin. Click here >>> Check out the latest newsletter from Sam at GiantPumpkins.co.nz. Here's the link >>>

Here in NZ - interest free loans? Too good to be true? No. Click here >>>

Media play catch-up on milk pricing

TV3’s Campbell Live have discovered what oily raggers have known for quite some time. Read more >>>

BOOK COVER COMPETITION!

Thank you to the many readers who entered our book cover design competition. Thanks to your suggestions we can now reveal the new book cover design. Click here >>

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Frank & Muriel Newman on Breakfast TV 
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Living the real simple life  
(ABC Nightline)

A New Zealander and his family live on a fifth of an acre section in the Los Angeles community of Pasadena. To view the video click here >>> 

Links of interest

Down to Earth blog. Australian site, very interesting stories and tips. Go to >>>

The Oily Rag Club

Join the hundreds (thousands!) of people who are already members of the Oily Rag Club. It's fun, it costs nothing, and we will email you when a real pearler of a tip is sent to us. Be part of the oily rag community! Click >>> for more.

Number of members: 3280
(as at ) - and growing by the day!

The price of milk

Oily Rag News Headlines

Adrian pays between $30 & $60 a month for power

Frugality finds a home in the US...

Wedding cost take the cake (NZ Herald)...

 Tightening budgets and soaring meat prices are fuelling a revival in the cheaper, old-fashioned cuts that granny used to cook.

Don't know how to boil and egg? You are not alone.

Heat pumps blamed for power bill rise (NZH) ...

 See stories click >>>

Oily Rag Club Newsletters

Oily Rag Questions

Do you have any oily rag questions you would like to ask the Oily Rag Research Department? They have their clip-boards in hand, pencils at the ready... to ask a question click here >>>

Oh boy...what have I done now?
When we first wrote How to Live off the Smell of an Oily Rag in 1991, we didn't realise what we were getting ourselves into! Since then the Oily Rag tips have been published as a syndicated column in 30 or so community newspapers in New Zealand and as far afield as Norfolk Island. We have received thousands of letters from those eager to share their favourite penny pinching tips. It would be a shame not to share these gems and what better way to do so than through the web. So here goes...   

The oily Rag 
Stampede 

New Zealander's are joining the oily rag movement in their droves! Lots of kiwi's are becoming disenchanted with the rat race. Millions of New Zealanders (OK, that may be an exaggeration!) are realising they don't have to sell their soul for the sake of a few extra dollars when they can save heaps around the home and have a better quality of life by living off the smell of an oily rag. 

Why live off the smell of an oily rag?

There are lots of very good reasons why so many people are living off the smell of an oily rag. To view or add your own reasons click >>>