Read more Oily Rag articles by Frank and Muriel Newman
You have sent in so many interesting penny-pinching tips lately that we thought we would share as many as space allows. You have also been busy joining the oily rag community with the Oily Rag Club now having reached 1600 members.
First from KW from Auckland, in response to last week’s call for favourite potato recipes: “You need 6 large potato, 1 packet cream of chicken soup mix, 250 grams sour cream, 1/2 cup grated cheese, 1/2 cup melted butter, 1 cup milk, 1/2 cup chopped spring onions, and salt and pepper to taste. Partly cook then grate potatoes. Combine butter, soup, milk, sour cream, onions and grated cheese. Combine with seasonings and potatoes. Pile into lightly greased pie dish, top with a thin layer of breadcrumbs and a little more grated cheese and bake for about 45 minutes at 180 degrees.”
Twin Mum from Masterton has a grease stain remover. “Try making a paste of baking soda and a few drops of water. Work the paste into the grease stain and rinse with warm water. Repeat a couple of times if needed. The baking soda will help remove the grease while also removing any smell”.
Natz from Nelson has a couple of tips. “If you want original looking furniture go to hospice/opp shops or look in the local paper (buy/sell/trade) and buy cheap furniture, take it home, sand it down and paint it whatever colour you want. It's cheap and gives you a hobby while furnishing your home with the colours you want. “
And, “I am on a low income and started a coin jar in February. I only ever took money out for the bus. I have just taken it to the bank and cashed it in. It turned out to be $309. Just goes to show how quickly it can build up!”
Keith from Wanganui has an old family remedy for a sore throat. “My granny gave me a handed down cure hundreds of yeas old: one level spoon of sulphur and one teaspoon of honey. Mix enough up for three days. After standing the medicine for a good two hours, take it three times a day for three days by letting it melt whilst going down your throat. For three days. You will be amazed just how good this old hand me down is compared to expensive Strepsils and the like.”
Joan from Wellington has a tip for those with fireplaces or woodburners who don’t know what to do with their ash. “Ash can be dumped in the garden to add alkalinity. I use it to absorb oil from pots and pans and then wash. I also use it on stovetops to absorb splatters, then just wipe clean. I got this tip from an Indian lady who says for places with no water, this is how they clean their kitchen utensils.”
MG from Hastings has been causing ketchup chaos! “I was given a catering size can of pulped tomatoes, so decided to make ketchup, using a tried and tested recipe. All went well and I found plenty of containers to store it in. The problem came a couple of months later when I opened one of the large bottles to fill up the table bottle. The contents exploded all over the kitchen, the benches, the floor, the walls and the curtains, not to mention myself. I was supposed to store the large bottles in the fridge to stop them fermenting!”
For hundreds of oily rag tips, more old-time favourites and other titillating tales of penny pinching gone wrong please contact us at www.oilyrag.co.nz.
* Frank and Muriel Newman are the authors of Living off the Smell of an Oily Rag in NZ. Readers can submit their oily rag tips on-line at www.oilyrag.co.nz. The book is available from bookstores and online at www.oilyrag.co.nz.