NLP means great nails for me!

If nail biting or picking is an issue for you or someone you know, you may like to consider Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP). I had just one session and it made a fantastic difference for me. I was sceptical throughout the session, until the end of the session when the problem had completely gone away. I was really surprised and completely pleased! Would definitely recommend.

Sock it to draughts with cheap 'door snakes'

With every winter, it's important to make our heating systems as efficient as possible. Draughts under doors (both to outside and to rooms not currently being used) let heat escape, driving heating costs up. Door snakes are often advertised at around $10 each. This means for a whole house you may be looking close to $100. Instead, you can use a pair of men's long, knee-high socks! These can be filled with rice (or sand if you have easy access to it). Either tie a knot or see the top to seal. You can purchase ind the socks at cheap shops or ok shops, use the cheapest rice you can buy and you can make a house-full for less than the price of one commercially produced door snake.

Dinner for two for under $25

Try this impressive five star dinner for any special occasion (perfect for Valentine's Day!) for under $25!

This Valentine's Day, instead of the obligatory card swapping and outrageously priced meals at restaurants, my husband and I decided to make a concerted effort and have dinner at home.

He wanted to suprise me by serving Chateaubriand (eye fillet steak with Bearnaise sauce), which he adores. I, in turn wanted to make him Tiramisu, which has always been his favourite.

While he was out shopping, I whipped up dessert and then locked myself in the study.

After searching the Internet for intimate dinner ideas, I found every possible candle in the house and arranged them throughout our dining & lounge area!

Church candles on candlesticks and on plain white saucers, a runway of 15 tealights on gold tulle ribbon along the middle of the dinner table and on various other side tables and shelves (from my '$6.95-for-100' pack I bought at the Warehouse three years ago and am still using)!

I set the table for two and found some Miles Davis jazz CDs, bought from the Sanity bargain boxes for $6.99 each.

I then went back to my PC and set about writing not a Valentine's card, but a Valentine letter, which I bordered with clipart from a free site. After two pages, I knew that my words were more personal than any Hallmark card, and also it saved me $5.95.

I lit the candles, put on the music and our room had transformed with all the ambience of a private dining suite at a five star restaurant. My husband was lost for words!

Dinner and conversation was wonderful and during the night, our discussion turned to the cost - and saving - of our meal and we both agreed that it was far better to have stayed in than gone out.

Chateaubriand normally costs between $60-$70 for two; ours cost a grand total of $20.45 for two, including vegetables. We could have easily served three from it.

Tiramisu can cost between $7.50 up to $15 each at a restaurant. I bought the ingredients for half the recipe I found and at a total of $7.34, I still made 4 serves ($1.84 each).

Our wine was chosen from our wine rack, saved from previous dinners and occasions, saving us up to $40 on a restaurant bottle.

Altogether, our 'restaurant' dinner cost us $24.12, as opposed to a potential bill of up to $120 if we had dined out. We further saved on fuel, parking and a babysitter as the baby was home with us (asleep).

With the time we saved on travelling, we continued to talk, dance and enjoy each others company without any interruption.

The letter I wrote my husband brought him to a tear, and us just a little closer. As I sat there I realised the effort and surprise we gave to one another was priceless!

Confessions of a shopaholic

Transforming myself from a shopaholic to a smarter consumer has enriched my whole life. Not only am I saving money, my life has become deeper and more meaningful since I decided to live by the following rules:

• Keep away from the shops.
• Buy only what you need.
• Buy second hand if you can.
• Be stylish, not fashionable.
• Don't buy what you can borrow.
• Stop reading glossy magazines that encourage shopping.
• Borrow books and magazines from the library.
• Read about simple living.
• Do it slowly.
• Spend more time with your family and friends.

These rules may sound simple, but they have changed my life. For as long as I can remember, I have loved shopping. I could easily do it all day, every day and never tired of it. I enjoyed the quest to find bargains or something I had 'always' wanted or didn't yet have.

When I felt angry, sad, lonely, fat, old, poor, disappointed, rejected, embarrassed or simply 'not good enough' - I went shopping. It made me feel better.

When I felt happy, confident, rich, delighted, loved, appreciated and 'on top of the world' - I celebrated by going shopping.

Although I work full time, I had never paid off my credit card and financially I was always struggling. Then I heard about climate change and the impact my shopping was making on the environment. That's when I decided I would stop shopping all the time.

At first, this decision left an enormous vaccuum in my life. I used to be very busy - 'Never enough time in the day' was my mantra. Then suddenly I had lots of free time! I didn't have many really close friends, except my mother and sister. We often used to meet for a coffee and a chat while we were out shopping. But with all the free time I now had, I realised I had been too busy to make other meaningful friendships because of my constant shopping.

I don't meet my mum or sister at the shops any more. We now get together in each others' homes and, although I have always enjoyed their company, I rediscovered a deeper connection with them. We talk, laugh and cry for hours and hours. I am learning so much more about them. I have started to deepen the friendships I have with people who were just 'acquaintances' before. Instead of shopping, I invite them over for a cup of tea or lunch or for a walk along the beach. I'm even starting a book club.

Due to the money I was able to save from not shopping so much and because I wanted to entertain more, I rented out my small unit and moved to a lovely old house. However I soon realised I needed more furniture, so I bought it all very cheaply, secondhand from eBay. Everyone who visits my home says how wonderful and stylish it is. I love making cheap, affordable meals for my friends. I had my first party on New Year's Eve and 35 people came, each bringing their own meat, drinks or salads. To any shopaholics out there like me, it IS possible to change - I'm living proof!