Recent Hints

Low cost fake nails stop me biting real ones

I have found fake nails are the best solution to stop me from biting my real ones. You don't have to spend a fortune on salon acrylics every four weeks either. There are DIY kits on AliExpress such as Belle Fille which look easy and are affordable. Making sure to use a cuticle oil or cream regularly during the day also helps to stop picking of said cuticles too!

By: Natalie

Put your nail biting habit to sleep for good

For most unconscious habits such as nail biting, hypnosis is often the best, cheapest and environmentally friendly cure for nail biting. No drugs, no chemicals and usable by any member of the family providing they are receptive to hypnosis. Some people cannot be hypnotised but they are very few and far between. A single personal session might be all that is needed, but there are some very good programs available in various formats for home use. Worth a go!

By: Sharon Woodham

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Hottest Hints

Weekly raffle creates a clean happy home

Our family home is always a clean and happy one, thanks to our weekly raffle! With four children aged from 12 down to two, there is always so much to get done, so we started our very own 'family raffle' as an incentive to get the chores done.

A list on the fridge displays all the categories for a raffle ticket. Some examples are - clean bedroom floor, do a load of laundry, give a music recital, finish homework by 5pm, clean the windows, play with the baby and so on. Every time a chore is completed, the child fills in a raffle ticket with their name and the task done. Then, every week at the same time, we pull out the prize winner. They receive a prize from the discount store - some kind of age appropriate toy such as a pack of cards, fancy pencils and so on, to a maximum value of $5.00. The remaining tickets are pulled out and all are given five points each. Every child who has reached 20 points during the week also receives $5.00. We get so much housework completed this way! We deposit the money in the children's bank accounts online and they are encouraged to save it, or can spend it on something special. This really helps when they need to buy a birthday gift for their friends and can even pay for their own outings and movie tickets. I read every chore they complete out loud and the pride in their faces is worth every cent!

By: Rosemary Downs 4 responses in the members' forum

Keeping track of spending is as easy as 1,2,3

Instead of adding up when you do your shopping, why not deduct? This hint explains all.

I no longer use a calculator when I do my grocery shopping. Something to do with always pressing the wrong button and clearing my calculations!

Now, I simply write how much I can spend on my shopping list and when I put something in my shopping cart, I subtract a rounded amount from the total. For example, if I have $100 to spend and I buy milk for $3.89, I subtract $4.00, leaving me a total of $96 to spend on the rest of my groceries.

By making these deductions with every item, you always know how much you have left to spend. Makes it easier to budget and certainly beats using a calculator!

By: Katrina Bootsma 5 responses in the members' forum

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