Peedeenz from Hastings writes, “For those with welding and mechanical skills and a bit of spare time, converting old decommissioned propane cylinders into a pot belly stove for heating the shed works well. There are a number of YouTube videos showing how to do this. Since scrap metal dealers don’t want the cylinders, go to […]
Butterfly Lady from Blockhouse Bay writes, “Slow cookers are a great way of cooking casseroles/stews but who can afford to buy one? Try making your own slow cooker… it’s called a straw box. I use a strong carton or a chilly bin, which I pad with towels (or any clean insulation fabric/paper), one folded neatly […]
Maureen has some advice for beating the winter chill. “I have just made a draught stopper from leftover polar fleece and soft toy filler. Also in older houses check that windows and doors are closing right shut. If not buy the stick on strips for the areas where the windows and doors do not meet […]
Josephine from Otorohanga writes, “Dehydrating Greens. I removed the centre stalks of red cabbage HUGE TOUGH outer leaves which had NOT been sprayed.I dried them for hours in the oven on a low heat (expensive?). Next I did kale on a cake rack in the electric fry pan squashed under the high lid on the […]
Gaynora from Kapiti writes, “I’m shocked re the number of disposable cleaning cloths in supermarkets. I cut up old tee shirts etc; use & reuse them. I can still have different colours for different tasks.”
Alicia from Whakatane writes, “I would like to share with you about the Money Mates program the Budget Services provide around the country. Money Mates is a free, confidential educational program to learn and share in a comfortable environment. A small group of persons get together to learn and share about financial topics that are […]
Essie from Auckland writes, Loquats. An easy care, pretty fruit tree which doesn’t need pruning. I steam (or boil) the big seeds until edible. They could be ground up and used to make almond biscuits with a little almond essence. (Use some flour & butter, too.) A Taiwanese lady told me loquat leaves are a […]
Essie from Auckland writes, Coffee. To save money, and for health, I dig up, wash and dry a few dandelion roots when they get in the way in the garden. When using the oven for something else, I pop the roots in for about 10 min’s all up to get them to dark brown colour. […]
Dutchapple from Waiomu [Coromandel] has this tip. When doing relish and putting hot relish in sterilised jars, to stop them from cracking place a knife in it help release air.
Essie from Auckland writes, To make a big tea cosy, not being a skilled sewer (!), I cut the arms off my worn old jumper, neatened the edges and then went online to find out how to make a pompom to attach to the top of my cosy. I bought two balls of wool in […]