Recent Hints

Replace nail biting with horsetail herbal capsules

A tried and true way to prevent nail biting is to take horsetail herb capsules. Nail biters seek silicone and this herb supplies it. I am a naughty nail biter from way back (and still do because I am hopeless at taking pills!). However I swear horsetail capsules work and my nails grow like wildfire whenever I remember to take them!

A sticky end to nail biting

We found a low cost and easy solution to helping our daughter stop her nail biting habit. We used good quality sticking plasters and stuck them to the ends of each finger, cutting to fit where needed. It's best to use a 'good' brand like Band Aid, which will stay on for a while. These days, Kinesiology tape would probably be my go-to, as I think it sticks best (when heat activated). Sometimes I would paint the bitter tasting polish over the top of the sticking plaster as a reminder if her fingers got to her mouth. She was motivated to stop, and we promised she could have nice nail polish on when her nails grew out, so there was a carrot as well!

By: Tania B

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Hottest Hints

Best ever sandwich wrap

When you are going out for a picnic or taking lunch to work or school, use cloth to wrap the sandwiches. This is much better than cling wrap or foil because it's cheap and reusable. I use tea towels, napkins and chopped up table cloths to wrap my sandwiches. The sandwiches stay fresh and when I've finished, I just shake off the crumbs and take the cloth home to be washed and used again.

There is something pleasantly old-fashioned about this method - and just think of all that plastic not going into landfill.

By: Meredith Coe 27 responses in the members' forum

$2 dinner nights

I am saving around $100 a month on my grocery bills, thanks to a few simple changes to our family meals. I wanted to reduce our food bill and after some thought came up with the idea of making two nights per week a '$2 Dinner Night'. For example, one night we will have something like toasted baked bean sandwiches or stuffed baked potatoes; the other I use up all the leftover vegetables in the fridge to make a self-crusting quiche. This reduces the amount of food we waste and the kids love it. Even the simplest meals can be delicious and filling and the savings we are making from our twice-weekly $2 dinners are well worth it!

By: Wendy Mckenzie 207 responses in the members' forum

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