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Tomato paste doubles as cheap puree
Tomato paste saves me valuable dollars on buying puree! Whenever a recipe calls for tomato puree, I just use a sachet of tomato paste and then add water to it to make it up to whatever quantity of puree is required. It works as well and tastes just as good. I like to buy the Delmaine concentrated tomato paste, which comes in four little tubs of 70gm each. It is so versatile, and compared to tomato paste takes up far less room in the pantry!
By: Helen 2 responses in the members' forumTap 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!
By: Sasha PrienHottest Hints
Cheap Challenge snack
Here's a great way to save heaps of money on popcorn.
I buy a packet of 200 Home Brand paper bags for about $3.00 from Woolworths and a 500g bag of No Frills popcorn kernels for $1.16 from Franklins. I smear some butter in the bottom of a bag and pour in about 100g of kernels. I then seal off the top of the bag by folding it over twice.
I set the microwave to cook on High for about three minutes but I always listen closely because the time it takes the kernels to pop depends on how much I have placed in the bag. When the frequency of the 'pops' slows to about three to five per second, I stop the microwave and let the remaining kernels stop popping before removing the bag from the microwave and adding salt.
For a healthier version, I simply cut out the butter and salt. I sometimes add chilli flakes or chicken salt, however, there's lots of room to experiment with a variety of flavours. Each bag of popcorn works out to about $0.25c per serve, a huge saving on the ready-made variety at the supermarket.
Storage not hard with spectacles case
Hard glasses cases are a great, cheap storage solution. I was looking for something to carry my make-up in for the holidays and my old hard case was perfect. It fitted everything I needed and the hard cover prevented any breakages. You also avoid the hassle of tipping out a soft make-up bag to find what you need! I then put the loose things in my glove box (screwdriver, scissors and pen) in another hard case and made myself a travelling tool kit. You could use them to store miniature sewing kits when travelling and much more. These cases are cheap to buy in second hand shops, and many are nicely decorated or you could do this yourself.
By: Sheral Stubbs` 4 responses in the members' forumReceive a Free Newsletter