Christmas and Beyond Oily Rag Style

Economical Christmas Gifts 

Pam from Waiuku writes, “Economical Christmas gifts. This year I have decided to give a little gift to my friends I meet weekly at the local club. I have made kilograms of strawberry jam as they are so cheap at the moment, purchased little jars from the Warehouse for $1 each, will make the shortbread recipe from the Edmonds book and will put these together in little Christmas bags that cost $1 each. Total cost of home-made gift, approx $5 – total pleasure of making this, absolutely priceless!”

We know of another oily ragger who is going to make Russian Fudge, and package it up in family gift boxes.

One oily ragger writes, “I have just done my Christmas shopping! During the year I have accumulated $400 worth of reward points. So I have ordered a range of vouchers, from petrol through to clothing. In addition to this I will made a food item for each person so they will get an edible handmade gift, a recycled Xmas card, and a gift voucher for them to redeem on whatever they wish. That’s what I call a frugal and stress-free Christmas!” That’s a great tip. Just a reminder that you need to allow a week or two for the vouchers to arrive in the post – so get redeeming!

Christmas Party on a Budget 

Here’s a Christmas tip for business owners. A firm in Nelson had a fun Christmas activity for their staff. They started with a car rally, which involved everyone piling into cars and racing (but not speeding!) around the district stopping off at designated icons for a selfie and writing down place names as they went along.  Not only did they have to navigate their way around the course, but they also had to solve a puzzle using a letter from each of the place names. That was followed by a staff dinner and an exchange of Santa gifts, which had a price limit of $10. It is amazing what can be bought for $10, especially when it’s on special.

Household Tips 

Mavis from Tauranga has this question. “I have some new towels that won’t dry – any suggestions on a fix?”

Each towel has its own life story, but it is likely that excessive amounts of residual detergent and softener, used in the manufacturing process, are still on the fabric – to make them look and feel good to the consumer.

Here’s a tip for Mavis. Wash each towel in hot water, twice. After the first wash add a cup of vinegar to the rinse. Then immediately wash a second time, but this time use half a cup of baking soda to the rinse cycle instead of the vinegar. The scientific explanation of this remedy is that the acidic vinegar will consume those chemicals, and the baking soda neutralises the acid from the vinegar and brighten the fabrics colour as well. Do readers have any other suggestions?

Mel from Whakatane writes, “To remove permanent marker from a white board, scribble over the permanent mark with a white board marker and wipe off while still wet.”

Oily Rag Ebooks 

Valerie from Nelson has a tech tip, “I have started using ‘Overdrive’. With this app, you can borrow library books using your existing library membership. It is free and can also be used on Kobo. I use it on my ipad. If there is a book you want to read, but it is not available, you can request it and when it is available you will be notified.”

Oily Rag Gardening

Finally, some inspiration from Grandma C, who is living the good life. “On my 1/8th acre section I have a feijoa hedge, raspberries at the borders, and apple, nectarine and lemon trees. Herbs are in a small above-ground garden by the back door, and beans and peas climb up fences on wire mesh. Asparagus is in a plot, and yams are in an old barrel as they spread into everything. Plus we have a small plot for cabbage, broccoli, red onions, carrots, parsnips, cauliflower, and many more seasonal veges. I plant the veges that are more expensive to buy and I live well.” That just goes to show how much self-help you can do on a small section!

By Frank and Muriel Newman. Read more here.

Don’t forget to let us know if you have a favourite tip to share with readers, or a question – you can contact us via the website at oilyrag.co.nz or by writing 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. Read our wealth of tips at www.oilyrag.co.nz.