Finance

Each month the people at Statistics New Zealand walk the isles of our supermarkets with clip boards and sharpened pencils to see how the prices of what we are putting into our supermarket trolleys have changed.

It goes without saying that oily raggers don't like bureaucrats telling them what they can and can't do in their own back yard.

The streets of the mother country are rioting so we thought we would create a riot of our own by suggesting some traditional oily rag meals from England.

While the country was coated in ice like a wedding cake we got thinking about ways to keep warm in winter - without having to go on holiday to a tropical island! Some people say there's nothing like a good hot cup of tea to make them feel warm.

This week we are ducking into the little room for some quiet time to reflect upon the savings that can be made in the bathroom.

If the legal Fairy Godmother ever shoulder-tapped me and gave me the option of passing any law I liked then the choice would be simple. I would pass a law making it illegal for the New Zealand parliament to pass any more laws on any topic - ever.

Oily ragger John from Warkworth has asked an interesting question. "I recently received an offer from Mercury Energy to 'lock in' my power price for the next three years but at a price that is about 9 percent more than I pay now. Should I do that?"

Here are the results and some of the more "interesting" comments. 86 percent of respondents said they hang the roll with the paper facing to the front; 14 percent hang the roll with the paper to the back. Here's why.

There were some other interesting findings about the way we manage our money.

The oily rag boom is probably a sign of the tough times but also a reminder that our down-to-earth do-it-yourself frugal mindset is still very much alive and well. Here are more of the great and sometimes humorous tips sent in by readers.