Tap into the answer to no nail biting

If you are a nail biter, you may find the solution to quitting the habit by working on the sub-conscious mind. 'Tapping' is also known as the Emotional Freedom Technique. More information is available at www.thetappingsolution.com They are the best I have found. They have some free videos you can watch and follow along online, as well as books which you may find at your local library. Worth checking out!

Lower price promise saved on a new cistern

I saved an easy $40 recently on a new cistern by price shopping between competitors! I first checked the prices at both Bunnings and Mitre 10 and found the latter to be the dearer option. Seeing as they promise to better the lower price on the same item, I showed them the proof of the cheaper Bunnings price. They did indeed hold true to their promise and charged me another 15% less than the lower Bunnings price!

Make your own chicken nuggets

Follow Jamie Oliver's example and make your own chicken nuggets - it's healthier and cheaper! We used to buy the cheap brands of chicken nuggets but after realising how much of their content was fat/skin/fillers and other unmentionables, we switched to only buying breast nuggets or pieces. However, this soon proved really expensive and they often still have fillers. So I came up with a better way and found this home-made version is much tastier too!

Buy chicken breast fillets or tenderloins on special - I usually get them for between $9 and $10 a kilo. If using breast fillets, slice them into smaller and thinner pieces. Remove the tenderloin as one piece, then fillet the chicken into similar sized bits. Dip them in melted butter, then roll in breadcrumbs (press on firmly). I often use hot and spicy breadcrumbs, or stuffing mixes to add more flavour to the crumbs, but you can just use leftover stale bread crumbed in the food processor and save even more money! Layer the chicken in baking paper, then cover in plastic and freeze until frozen. Remove and separate into ziplock bags or suitable storage container.

When ready to cook, place in preheated oven and bake at approximately 200°C for half an hour, depending on the size of the pieces. Small boxes of prepared commercial fillet pieces/tenderloins cost approximately $7.00 for as little as 400g. In comparison, a one-kilo batch for $10 makes at least three times that amount - and without any junk fillers, additives and skin!

The real cost of spending

I have turned my love of a good bargain into something far more valuable! Whenever I am tempted to buy something I could possibly do without, I first calculate how much we would save by paying that money into our mortgage instead. For example, I recently saw a new dress on sale for $49.99 - a bargain, right? However, I paid a quick visit to a mortgage calculator website and discovered that if I didn't buy the dress and put that money onto our mortgage instead, it would take a whole month off the loan term and save us $334.39c in interest. In other words, my 'bargain' dress would really cost me over $300!

Looking at my purchases this way has become a really easy and effective way to curb my spending habit. Now I carry a piece of paper in my wallet with various prices on and I can see how much I would really be spending. It's amazing how much stronger my willpower becomes when I check my piece of paper before buying something and find out what its real cost is!