It seems the festive season is a time for oily raggers to put pen to paper and write about living off the smell of an oily rag. The mail bags have again been full.
Pamflitt from Hawera has a novel savings scheme: "Savings first! I make it a rule to buy one Bonus Bond for $20 every time a regular payment of income arrives in my account. This builds up quickly and produces some income through prizes, some of which can be quite a decent amount. This can be done online and the amount deposited is always available if needed - with a bit of planning - but not as readily as a bank account so you tend to leave it there."
Ann from Whakatane: "Years ago I cut the cauliflower out and forgot to pull out the plant. Months later, I discovered at least six had grown up from the original root, and in diminishing size, each produced a cauli. In due course, more grew from those roots, and six months later, another crop of caulis. "When the older ones die, I cut them out, being careful not to disturb the roots, and from the same spot, every six months or so, six or so caulis!
"Make your own bread - the recipe is so simple, speedy and satisfying. Use two packs of wholemeal flour, three sachets of dry yeast, salt, and add dried fruits, muesli, porridge, nuts, plus three litres of warm water. Put all the dry ingredients in a preserving pan, but break the yeast into a basin with three soup spoons of raw sugar and cover with warm water and leave to rise.
While this is trebling in size, butter at least six pyrex dishes. Pour yeast into the dry ingredients and mix well with warm water. Pile into bowls (I use a soup ladle) and put in 100C oven to rise for half an hour. Cook at 180C for up to an hour. Put in deep freeze.
"One easy-to-remember recipe for shortbread: three, six and nine. I can only do ounces - three ounces of sugar, six ounces of butter and nine ounces of flour! Make as usual."
Nana C of Christchurch: "I brought up six hungry kids and we didn't have much money to spare. I would get mince and chop onions and saute them in the electric frypan then add mince and brown and season it. I'd add water and frozen veges or fresh ones when the garden was plentiful and let it all simmer until cooked. I would then add a large tin of baked beans to build it up. The kids loved it and would look for more. My eldest daughter still makes it for her kids. It made the mince go a lot further and fibre from the beans was good for them. Chilli beans are good, too. I'd also make a big bread wheel with flour, salt and baking powder, mixed together with water and milk, then rolled out and cooked on a griddle."
K.O. from Mahia: "My house is always looking for mouthwash: put half a teaspoon of baking soda in with a small glass of water, gargle as normal. Also, for a set of sparkling pearly whites, brush teeth with toothpaste as normal, then brush again, this time baking soda sprinkled on your toothbrush. Over two weeks your teeth will whiten, and save you an expensive trip to the dentist!"
Frank and Muriel Newman are the authors of Living off the Smell of an Oily Rag in NZ. Readers can submit tips on-line at www.oilyrag.co.nz