Emergency Supplies And A Great Little Cookbook

All over New Zealand, people are feeling disturbed by the recent earthquake activity. For those in the affected regions, there is a very real day to day impact, for others, there is a feeling of, ‘where next?’ It is a timely reminder that it’s not a bad idea for households to have at least a certain degree of self-reliance.

Trixie from Christchurch was thinking about this when she sent in her tip: “With all the earthquakes happening, I have rethought my emergency supplies. I buy each week dried veges, peas, corn, onion etc and store them away. Also UHT milk is a little more expensive, but can be stored in the cupboard. Candles stored in a freezer for a few days will burn slower.”

We think Oily Rag ‘Emergency Supplies’ could also include such things as muesli, dried pasta, baked beans, tins of tuna and salmon, dried and tinned fruit, and crackers – all bought when on ‘special’ at the supermarket, of course! Don’t forget matches and some large containers of water as well. The important thing to remember is to only store food products that you are happy to use, as hopefully, they will approach their expiry date before you need them, and will have to be used and replaced.

Please let us know your suggestions for Emergency Supplies for an oily rag household, by contacting us via the website at oilyrag.co.nz or by writing to Living off the Smell of an Oily Rag, PO Box 984, Whangarei.

An oily rag reader has sent through an excellent tip: “Work & Income’s Great Little Cookbook. It was first published after frontline staff in Nelson noticed that some clients had no idea how to cook or budget. It helps you to understand what constitutes a simple, healthy diet, and provides excellent tips and recipes.”

We’ve had a browse through the book and here’s a selection of useful ideas for frugal living.

Takeaways are great for special occasions, holidays or when we are too busy or tired to cook but they can be hard on the budget – so why not try the supermarket and grab a pre-prepared meal that only needs re-heating. Try a rotisserie chicken with fresh bread and pre-prepared salads, fresh stuffed pasta (tortellini, ravioli) with grated cheese, put baked beans or chilli beans with grated cheese and grated carrot into bread wraps, or bake a pre-prepared pizza.

A pressure time for families with children is after-school. Suggestions for snacks include:

• Toast, sandwiches, fruit bread
• Home-made popcorn
• Home-made pikelets, muffins, scones
• Cereal and milk
• Weetbix with spread
• Fruit
• Cheese and crackers
• Food not eaten from the lunch-box – but only if it looks OK!

Some younger children can be very tired by the family meal-time so an afternoon snack may be more like dinner. There’s nothing wrong with scrambled eggs, baked beans or a cheese toastie at 3.30pm.

The book has some great ideas for families with children before they go out: Take 5 minutes to gather snacks before going out with children. Even if they have just eaten it doesn’t take long for them to get their appetites back. Being caught with hungry children and no food can result in everyone getting grumpy or buying expensive food. Grab some fruit, a packet of crackers, the raisin container, a loaf of bread, a knife and the peanut butter. Take water bottles with water (not sweet drinks). If they are thirsty enough they will drink the water.

Don’t forget the benefits of smoothies: Smoothies are a snack on their own. They are also good for non-breakfast eaters. It helps if you have a food processor or milkshake maker. For a Fruit Smoothie you need, 1 cup milk, 2 tablespoons milk powder (optional), 1 piece of soft fruit (banana, apricot, kiwifruit, berries), and 3-4 cubes of ice.  Blend everything until smooth and frothy. You can also add ¼ cup yoghurt for a thick smoothie, and ½ cup fruit juice for a stronger flavour.

And with summer coming up, don’t forget you can make your own ice-blocks at home: Plastic ice-block moulds with sticks are cheap to buy and the ice-blocks are quite small – usually 1½ cups of liquid is enough for the tray. Fill with: flavoured milk, a couple of teaspoons of milo mixed into milk, fruit juice, water with a squeeze of lemon juice and a teaspoon of sugar, equal amounts of orange juice and milk mixed together.

The book is full of sensible tips for frugal living – so happy reading!

By Frank and Muriel Newman. Read more here.

You can share favourite tips or questions with readers by contacting us via the website at oilyrag.co.nz or by writing to Living off the Smell of an Oily Rag, PO Box 984, Whangarei.