Make your own nut butters for a fraction of shop prices

I save a fortune on buying nut butters by making my own. Almond butter, cashew butter and good quality peanut butter can be fairly expensive to buy so instead I buy roasted almonds for about $4 at a bulk supplier (Bin Inn if you're in NZ) and blend it in my Nutribullet with the addition of a smidgeon of olive oil. This gives me twice the quantity of a shop-bought jar which would cost at least $12! You can also add a little honey or chia seeds to add variety. I use the same method to make cashew butter. I simply buy 200g of cashews for $4.80 from an Indian grocer, roast them in the oven and blend them with the addition of a little olive oil to start the process. At around $15 a jar to buy at health food stores, this is a terrific saving!

Put your nail biting habit to sleep for good

For most unconscious habits such as nail biting, hypnosis is often the best, cheapest and environmentally friendly cure for nail biting. No drugs, no chemicals and usable by any member of the family providing they are receptive to hypnosis. Some people cannot be hypnotised but they are very few and far between. A single personal session might be all that is needed, but there are some very good programs available in various formats for home use. Worth a go!

Greener household cleaners

Making our own cleaners has saved us a fortune over the years and we have saved the environment a little too. '1001 Greener Household Hints' by John Schluter is full of simple household cleaning ideas and we went straight out and bought some five litre bottles, spray bottles and some of the suggested basic cleaning ingredients. The following instructions are from the book:

Air freshener: Mix one teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda with one tablespoon of white vinegar. Add two cups of water. Store the mixture in a pump spray bottle. Add scented oils for fragrance.

Spray and wipe cleaner: Mix two tablespoons of cloudy ammonia, a half cup of white vinegar, two tablespoons of washing-up detergent and four litres of warm water. We stored this in large labelled bottles and used in spray bottles as needed.

Bathroom disinfectant liquid: Dissolve 12 drops of eucalyptus oil in 1ml of methylated spirits and then add eight cups of warm water. We used this in spray bottles also.

We paid $5.00 for the book but have saved hundreds in the years since we began making our own cleaning products.

Families work together

With a combined effort, we have been able to purchase the majority of required household items for several families in our community, without incurring any extra debt. By using a common practice from our country of Papua New Guinea, we have been able to join together as families to help each other with basic needs.

Along with other women from Papua New Guinea, we have moved to Paraburdoo, a mining town in Western Australia, due to our husbands'
jobs. In the first month, all families contribute to buy one family's basic need; like a washing machine, freezer, dryer, lawn mower and so on. The next month we contribute and pay for another family and cycle goes on until all families own one item each. Whilst waiting for our turn to come around, the first family that has the item allows us to share it until we have our own and so forth.

The next big project will be assisting each family to obtain a second hand vehicle for starters, then when we have settled in and are mobile enough, we can trade-in the second hand vehicles for brand new ones to suit the timing of each family.

By putting in the effort as a group, we are able to achieve our dreams within a reasonable time and without going into debt. Our culture embodies this practise of sharing and helping each other, and it has worked just as well in Australia as it did for us in Papua New Guinea. A positive outcome which may invoke similar thoughts among close friends and neighbours in other communities.