This week the Government released its Budget, so we thought we would have the Minister of Oily Rag Finance deliver an alternative budget. The first paragraph of that budget speech went like this: “Let us not wallow in the valley of despair. I say to you today, my fellow citizens, so even though we face […]
A reader contacted us recently about one of the perennial problems of the oily rag gardener – snails and slugs! So we went down into the basement archives and found this tip that may do the trick. Trish from Tauranga says, “To keep slugs and snails away from newly planted seedlings, just make a small […]
The winter chill has set in so we thought it time to revisit the best of the oily rag tips about low-cost tummy-warming winter meals. Thrifty from Whangarei writes, “I bought an old cast-iron casserole dish with a lid from a garage sale for just a few dollars, and now I make delicious and inexpensive […]
Lorraine from Whangarei has a question. “How can you check if your appliances are power hungry?” There are a number of things Lorraine could do, depending on how far she wants to take this – starting with looking for the energy star rating sticker on the appliance. The next step could be to buy a […]
Those living off the smell of an oily rag are usually keen gardeners – because fresh is best, it’s a great way to save money, and it can be a very fulfilling. So let’s head off into the oily rag garden, to show that it’s never a bad time of the year to be active […]
Pizza has recently been a prime topic of political debate! It seems to have started when the Labour Party’s Leader and new Deputy Leader revealed that they chatted about pizza toppings, with the Leader disclosing that he doesn’t like pineapple on pizza because he thinks it makes the base go soggy. Madam Deputy Leader agreed […]
Living a frugal lifestyle has a lot of advantages, including being a great way to take control of your finances, and avoid costly debt. Unfortunately not all people are in control of their finances, which makes them vulnerable to lenders of last resort. Falling into that category, are what are known as ‘payday’ loans. These […]
Bread is so easy to make, and so versatile in that you can start with the basics and add any number of variations to suit your taste and budget. Here’s a simple, failsafe bread recipe (well, almost failsafe!). To make two loaves you need: 5 cups flour, 2 teaspoons salt, 2 tablespoons sugar, 2 teaspoons […]
The winter chill is about to arrive which means temperatures will soon be falling and electricity bills, rising. So we thought it worth sharing some tips on ways to keep those power costs to a minimum. There are really only two ways to save money on power – either pay less per unit for use, […]
Last week we wrote about Uber and Airbnb and how these “disruptors” were providing money-saving and money-making opportunities. Fiona from the UK has written to us to say that booking holiday accommodation via Airbnb has certainly saved her money. “Here in Europe Airbnb is definitely cheaper. I have just booked nine nights in a lovely […]