More thrifty tips from household chores to chook runs

Yet again we are reminded how inventive and creative the oily rag community is. Here are more money-saving tips that have arrived in our mailbag recently.
Rosana from Opotiki: The great oily rag ideas have really inspired my lifestyle. From Townie to Coastie, now 51 years old, it's time to get back to nature. We do a swap - hen eggs for duck eggs or a cake or a batch of fried bread for some cows' milk. But the best part is making new friends.
B.H. from Pakaraka: I have a use for small extra pieces of PVC guttering. I buy two stop ends for a piece and glue them into place to make a great feeding trough for my chooks.
Betty from Masterton has a toy tip: Halve children's toys and store in the ceiling for six months ... then swap them over.
Dee from Culverden has a variation on the old clean-the-windows-with-newspaper trick: Clean windows with scrunched-up newspaper and vinegar. Wipe off with a dry cloth. Works every time!
Lil from Whangarei: If I need to bake potatoes fast, I pre-cook them in boiling water for about 10 or 15 minutes. I coat them with cooking oil before placing in a roasting dish. It reduces the baking time to less than 10 minutes. Another trick is to put a metal skewer through the potato. The skewer acts as a conductor that delivers heat to the centre of the potato.
Carolyn from Otorohanga: Seven of my friends and I have given up smoking by reading Allen Carr's The Easy Way to Stop Smoking book. It worked for all of us, cost a lot less than patches or lozenges and we have all been free for over a year. We have all saved thousands (the book is available from libraries).

Kris from Kerikeri: Being a traditional oily-rag type of person, I don't like to throw things away. I even "recycle" citrus peel! I dry the peel on a plate when using the oven. After it is dry, I grate or crush it, store it in an airtight jar and use it in baking to add flavour.
On a similar citric theme, Heather from Owaka in South Otago writes: When I buy oranges, I always grate the skin and use it for adding to recipes (muesli, puddings, cakes, muffins, etc). I freeze any grated zest I haven't used for a later date.
Mum of two from Auckland has a tip for treating head lice: Add one to two drops of tea tree oil to a bit of shampoo in the palm of your hand at bath time and wash hair as normal. Repeat two to three times weekly, and comb hair with a nit comb to remove dead lice. Watch it doesn't get into the eyes as it can sting, and smells quite strong.
Joan from Tauranga: I make the most of a tin of salmon by adding grated carrot. It bulks it up and makes it go twice as far.
While on the subject of food, we want to know what you can do with a can of baked beans! Send in your tips or visit 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 online at www.oilyrag.co.nz.