Savings & Investment

Spring has sprung so here are some cheap and easy tips from readers to make the chore less of a bore.

A little while ago Statistics New Zealand released its annual cost survey results. Included was a summary of cost increases (and decreases!) over the last five years.

The air is abuzz with anticipation and high expectation as the nation counts down the sleeps to the starting whistle in what will be six weeks of whistles and wails, cheers and chortles, and roads clogged with campervans and lost tourists.

We believe frugality is something most people want to do but don't because they don't know how. The best place to start is with your very own back yard.

The problem, some say, is that consumers are paying too much for their milk. We agree. Most consumers are paying far too much for their milk because they don't know how to shop right.

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.