Cheap and easy - our frugal DIY mindset is here to stay

We have been collecting and publishing oily rag tips for 20 years now, and we can't remember a time when we have received so many letters and new tips from the oily rag community. We have also never had so many members on the oily rag newsletter mailing list - 2804 at last count.
The oily rag boom is probably a sign of the tough times but also a reminder that our down-to-earth and do-it-yourself frugal mindset is still very much alive and well. Here are more of the great and sometimes humorous tips sent in by readers.
* PK from Te Puke has a tip for cleaning glass-fronted wood stoves: "For many years I have cleaned the glass with a 'window cleaning' type paint scraper. It is quick and easy. Plastic-handled scrapers are available at any hardware store for a few dollars. The special razor blade insert is reversible and replaceable. I use a Stanley branded scraper."
* Trish from Tauranga has a secret weapon against slugs and snails: cucumber. "To keep slugs and snails away from seedlings, just make a small flat container out of tinfoil and put three or four slices of cucumber on it. The cucumber and tin foil together seem to give off an unnoticed smell that slugs and snails don't like. I put a couple of little holes in the bottom so they didn't collect rainwater."
* JF from Kawerau says: "We all shower often and wash lots of shampoo and soap down the drain. The shampoo is perfectly fine to wash the body with and we need not use much (for the sake of our skin, environment and wallet) ... so I wash with the shampoo suds from my hair before they are washed away."
* TB from Blenheim has a cleaning tip: "Annoyed with unsightly stains around the base of your taps? It's caused by calcium deposits. An easy way to get the stain off is to wrap a piece of cloth soaked in vinegar around the tap, after a day or so the stain will wipe off. It's the acetic acid in the vinegar that does the trick."
* Jules from Napier recommends growing native New Zealand spinach. It is a little-known vine vegetable which is really fast growing, provides huge volumes, keeps weeds down and is incredibly delicious. Simply pluck the leaves from the vine and it continues to sprout. Three to four plants will easily keep a family fed for the winter. It grows year-round and is idiot-proof.
* Still in the garden, Denis from Opotiki writes: "Use broken-up polyurethane packing in the bottom of your pot plants. It keeps them warm and is lighter when you need to move your large pots."
* NP from Hastings says: "To make dog food (dry) make a vege stew, pumpkin as a base, pasta or rice, boil all together and add garlic... don't ever put onions or leeks into dog stew. The garlic helps with worms and fleas."

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 online at www.oilyrag.co.nz