An oily ragger contacted us recently to share their excitement about a recent visit to their local McDonalds. It was there that they noticed a “free coffee grinds” sign. They came away with a couple of bags and some useful advice from the friendly McStaff. There are in fact many uses for coffee grounds: from […]
Caron from the Waikato has responded to our recent column about low-cost school holiday activities with some great ideas of her own. “I was in charge of my grandkids recently and was determined that they would not be glued to their devices the whole time. I went to my local Spotlight store and bought some […]
School holidays are a great opportunity for frugal fun-time. Here are just some of the many no or low-cost activities to keep the kids entertained. • Go camping – at home! Pitch a tent on the lawn. An oily ragger writes that the best camping holiday they had was at home. Toasted marshmallows around a […]
Spring has sprung and that means it’s time to do those cleaning and clearing jobs that have been conveniently ignored throughout the winter. We know from your letters and experience that the best way to tackle the task is through a family social day – but with military-like discipline. Organise and arm the troops with […]
Oily raggers are getting busy in the garden, and so too are the slugs and snails. A reader has asked for ways to control these blighters, without having to resort to poison. A number of readers have commented about this problem previously, so we thought we would recap on the oily rag way to control […]
Hoardings with smiley faces have appeared like spring mushrooms and politicians are making their three-yearly pilgrimage to your door to share their love – it must be election time. Not to be denied a soapbox, the Oily Rag community has been out on the hustings, meeting and greeting in supermarket aisles, smiling much while saying […]
A reader has written to us recently promoting the benefits of making your own bread. Not only does it save them money but they are more in control of the ingredients, so they know exactly what they and their family are eating. Oily raggers like being a little exotic so we thought we would delve […]
A reader has written in asking for suggestions on how to cook rock cod. It seems they were out fishing the other day and only caught these blighters, so wondered if there is a good way of using them. It’s fair to say that most fishermen are pretty quick to throw them back. However, Diana […]
A pinch of spice and a sprinkle of herbs is an easy way for oily ragger culinary artists to add sophistication to simple low-cost meals. There’s a lot that could be said about herbs, but here are some simple tips for the ones that are easy to grow. Parsley is rich in nutrients and a […]
Paul has this tip for frugal motorists. “There is an APP for mobile phones called ‘gaspy’. It’s a kiwi bit of software that uses the GPS on your phone to show the cheapest petrol stations near you – and the distance from your current position.” We were aware of the APP and first looked at […]