Treating nails in a positive way keeps biting at bay

I have found the trick to keeping nail biting and picking at bay is to 'fiddle' with them in a positive way. I am 67 and have bitten my nails since I was about three years old. My parents tried bribes, threats, nasty brown stuff painted on my nails - all sorts. I grew my nails when I got married, when my daughter got married - and indeed have grown them since for various special occasions - so determination can help! I now have nails on my fingers, but still bite/pick at my thumbs. My dad said my fingers would become misshapen, and he was right. What helps me is to 'fiddle' with my nails in a positive way - emery boards, manicure tools, nail polish, the nail treatments to stop biting - the taste does stop automatic, thoughtless nibbling. I am not a chewing gum lover, but that can also help. I crochet too, which keeps my hands too busy to nibble at!

DIY 'Cryovac' seals your food at home for free!

My savvy DIY food sealing method has saved me a fortune and is so easy! I like to organise meals ahead of time, and have at times thrown out food due to serve freezer burn. I researched Cryovac machines, but priced at anywhere from $400 - $500, not to mention constantly buying bags, it was out of the question. So I came up with a solution! I fill up a container, or the kitchen sink, and when I have the meals prepared in bags and ready to go, I slowly lower it into the water until it is almost level with the top of the bag. Then I just seal it shut. The water forces the bag together and pushes out the air. It works a treat and I have saved hundreds not having to buy a machine, replacement bags and also power!

Home mixed household cleaner

My mother is chronically ill and disabled. She suffers from a rare type of auto-immune disease, called lupus, and is therefore allergic to most chemicals. This made cleaning difficult because she was allergic to most cleaning products, or those she wasn't allergic to were too expensive to buy on my carer's pension. Because Mum's disease is an auto-immune disease, I have to keep our house hospital-grade clean.

So I have come up with a fantastic recipe, and my house is spotless, smells great and is fresh and clean. The solution cleans and polishes everything, including windows. I have never seen glass and stainless steel taps look so clean.

This solution also lasts forever. Household cleaner used to cost me $80 per month, but now I buy detergent every three months, vinegar once a year at $1.50, washing soda every 18 months at $0.98c and eucalyptus oil once every eight months at $3.50 - a saving of $880 a year minus $20 for the few items I do buy. In total I've saved around $2640 over three years.

Household Cleaner

1 litre water
200ml vinegar
40ml detergent
40ml eucalyptus oil
2 dessertspoons of washing soda

Mix all ingredients together, and it's ready to use. Use 60ml of solution in warm water to wash your floors. Fill a spray bottle and use it to clean your table, benches and bathroom.

How to plan meals for a family of six

I only need to shop for food once a month and am saving $3000 per year on feeding our family of six.

With four children, I was spending at least $800 per month on shopping, so I came up with a plan to try and cut costs. I went through recipe books and chose meals that I was going to cook for dinner. I wrote a list on an A4 page for every day of that month and what I was going to cook for each day. Then, on another page I wrote all the food items that I needed for the recipes I had pre-chosen and that was my shopping list for the month.

The best thing is I now knew what I was cooking every day, without walking to the fridge and thinking 'what am I cooking?' I also put the A4 page of what we were having for dinner on the fridge and the family knew what we were having each day without asking me!

To start with I went shopping every fortnight for food, but now I do it once a month and only spend $550 each month.

Before I began this routine, I was spending $9600 per year on food for four children and two adults - now I am spending $6600 per year! The extra $3000 we save each year goes into our children's bank account, which they just love!