Dishwashing liquid breaks down hard to remove stains

I have found a cheap and effective solution for tough laundry stain removal! Stains such as fats or body odours can be notoriously hard to remove. Normal washing powders may be made for getting out dirt and stains but not for breaking down fats and body fluids. To combat the problem, I simply add a squirt of dishwashing liquid to the wash, along with my normal powder and soaker and it works like a charm. After all, it breaks down grease and fatty food residue when doing dishes, it makes sense for it to work on clothes too!

A bitter end for bitten nails

To stop biting nails for once and for all, try bitter nail polish. There are a few brands that can easily be purchased in Australia. I’m not a nail biter myself but I worked with someone who used it. The polish tasted so awful so she simply stopped putting them in her mouth and eventually the habit was broken! Check out these links for more information on available products:

https://mavala.com.au/all-products/mavala-stop https://www.priceline.com.au/manicare-bite-no-more-12-ml https://www.google.com.au/search?q=nail+polosh+for+bikint+nails&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-au&client=safari#imgrc=kVOEVCjLBbc5eM:

Deluxe hampers for Christmas

Buying Christmas presents for adult friends and family can be both expensive and stressful, especially when trying to match the perfect present to the person.

So one year I decided to make up small deluxe hampers which contained a mini bottle of sparkling wine, two plastic champagne glasses, chocolates, mixed nuts and home-made shortbread. I purchased the gold wire baskets from the Reject Shop for $2.00 each and the glasses (also from the Reject Shop) were $2.00 each. The mini sparkling wines were purchased from Dan Murphy's and worked out at around $3.50 each when purchased in lots of six. The chocolates were a good quality brand, and individually wrapped, so I bought a large tray and then divided them up (which was cost effective as I only needed around three in each basket). I then purchased a large bag of mixed nuts, which I repackaged into small Cellophane sachets, and I made the shortbread, which worked out to only a few cents each.

The overall cost of each hamper was around $10, including the cost of gold tissue paper (also purchased from the Reject Shop) to line the baskets and ribbon for decorating. I suggest sticking to one colour theme for each hamper, for example, gold covered chocolates, ribbon and baskets or silver baskets and accessories.

It's a good idea to look in places like the Reject Shop or $2 shops as soon as you see Christmas decorations appearing on the shelves. That way you get the best selection and can start putting them together early (except for the shortbread or any home-made foods you choose to include in the hampers). This way you'll have plenty of time closer to Christmas to concentrate on the children's presents!

I saved heaps of money, made something original and had heaps of fun doing it!

Handmade gifts for under $2.00

This tip is from my Mum!

We love Christmas and everyone loves giving and receiving presents. When my mum told me that she had to buy a gift for each of the eight women in her craft group I nearly died! I couldn't understand why they didn't each buy one gift and each receive one random gift.

But was I suprised - they have rules. The gift must be kept to $1.00 and under no circumstances is it to exceed $2.00. You would not believe some of the beautiful gifts that my mother received - handmade decorations for the tree and house that would have cost $20 or more if bought at a shop and an inexpensive hand towel trimmed with a strip of delicate, intricate quilting that used up the creator's scraps.

And there was more. My mum was lucky enough to stumble onto a Royal Doulton Sell-out where she picked up eight tiny dishes, all different and delightful for $1.00 each. She made shortbread biscuits in star shapes and tied them together in pairs like buttons. Wrapped in Cellophane, they made another fabulous gift.

It proved to me that gift giving is not about the cost of the gift, but how hard you make the money work that you have worked for. In years gone by I used to do my Christmas shopping for family and friends on a budget of between $2.00 and $5.00 a person, and I never left anyone out and everyone appreciated their gifts because a lot of thought went into them. I think those gifts meant more than an expensive item bought on Christmas Eve as an afterthought.