Read more Oily Rag articles by Frank and Muriel Newman
This week we have lots of tips – warts and all! It is always amazing how diverse the tips are, and what an interesting bunch the frugal community is.
Jodie from Whangarei writes, “I am into aquaponics – growing fish and plants together. The fish feed the plants and the plants feed the fish!” If you would like to know more about this from Jodie, please get in touch with us via the oily rag website.
Fibertrix from Hokitika has a tip to cut down cooking costs for those who have a portable fish smoker. “If you have a wood burner with a cook-top, place the fish smoker on top. Cut vegetables to size, season and place on the rack. Place on top of the fire box and voila, healthy roast vegetables.”
Lesleigh from Wainuiomata has a warts and all tip. “Ever since I was a child, I have used dandelion milk to treat warts. Break the flower off and dab the plant’s milk onto the wart 3-4 times a day for between 4-5 days. The wart will be gone within 5-7 days (sometimes a bit longer depending on size). Dandelions have so many goodies in the stem, milk and leaves!”
R Williams from Mangawhai has this sneaky tip about introducing silver beet into the kids’ diet. “I like to chop it up fine and put it into a mince Bolognese sauce. Kids won't know it's there if you cook it well. You could also put small raw amounts into a fruit smoothie. Add apple juice, kiwifruit, silver beet, honey to sweeten. Lovely green colour! Rather than steam cooking silver beet, another nice way to have it is to cook in a frypan with a knob of butter and finely minced garlic, with salt and pepper to taste. Yum!”
Ed from Wanganui has a tip for those with a draughty fireplace. “Do you have an unused open fireplace? Get a couple of supermarket shopping bags and fill them with crumpled up newspaper, then stuff them into the chimney. A great way of insulating – and if you want to use the fireplace just pull them out.” A word of warning: Do remember to remove the stuffing before starting the fire!
Erina from Christchurch has a great idea for bird lovers. “Keep Quail. They are gorgeous little birds and you can sell the eggs to your Chinese friends and neighbours – or to Chinese restaurants. Alternatively, swap them for hen eggs or other goods.” Now there’s a good idea that makes a change from chickens!
Ross from Rotorua recommends readers have a close look at how much they are paying in bank fees. “My bank’s cheque account is fee free – if you deposit a minimum amount each month. This amount can be a little short of my wages for the month, so on pay day, before I pay my bills, I withdraw money from the cash machine out side the bank and walk into the bank and redeposit it. I save $5 a month – but that’s $60 a year.”
Frank and Muriel Newman are the authors of Living off the Smell of an Oily Rag in NZ .If you have a favourite money-saving ti or money-making suggestion, send it in to us so that we can share it with others. You can contact us via the oily rag website (www.oilyrag.co.nz) or write to Living off the Smell of an Oily Rag, PO Box 984, Whangarei.
* 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.
don021 - 12 years ago
I bank with The Co-operative Bank and pay no fees on any of my accounts, can use any ATM in town also with no fees. The Bank is wholy owned by customers so profits are returned to investors, not to Australia like most banks.