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!

My health insurer saved me hundreds on travel cover

I have saved $400 on my travel insurance, thanks to my health insurer! I’m going to Europe for six weeks and know the importance of travel insurance. I have a credit card that offers complimentary health insurance, but the underwriter has changed and now NO pre-existing condition is covered. I’ve had a few accidents and illnesses that their previous underwriter covered previously; but the new underwriter said No to ANY pre-existing injury, even if it was healed and needed no further treatment or medication. So I had to independently take out cover for $620 for the six weeks I’m away. In an attempt to offset the cost, I phoned my existing HEALTH insurance. After talking with them, I have suspended my insurance for the time I’m away, and a few weeks when I’m back in Australia, which is two months in total. This has saved me $400 for two months, therefore reducing the cost of my travel insurance to only $220. My annual credit card fee is $150, so I will be cancelling that as well, as it no longer is worth the money if I am not eligible for cover with their travel insurance. So all up, a saving of $150 plus $400 adds up to $550 in total. No small amount and will certainly help fund my travels!

Dishcloths that last for months

I no longer use disposable cloths to wash the dishes and wipe down benches.
 
I recently bought two bulk packets of face cloths, giving me eight cloths. Each cloth is the perfect size and thickness for washing dishes and wiping down benches. I use a cloth for a day or two and then throw it into the wash with the tea towels.
 
I have been reusing the same cloths for over a year – just think of the savings now that I'm not buying disposable kitchen cloths every month!

Half price ricotta

Make your own ricotta cheese and save at least 50% on the inferior product you buy at the shops!
 
Whenever I buy ricotta cheese it usually goes off in the fridge while I figure out what to do with it! But recently, Better Homes and Gardens featured a very simple recipe for ricotta made from scratch.
 
Ingredients:
 
2L milk
4 tbsp white vinegar
 
Method:
 
Heat the milk until you see small bubbles at the side of the pan. Turn off the element and add the vinegar. Strain the curds off the top and then drain through a butter muslin cloth. Really easy!
 
Two litres of milk makes 500g of ricotta cheese. While in the deli the other day, I noticed they were charging $1.00 per 100g, or $10 a kilo! I shop at ALDI, which charges $2.20 for two litres of milk – that equates to $4.40 a kilo, less than half the price of store-bought ricotta. Plus, I no longer waste the product that I buy and never use. It also sounds super impressive when you tell people you make your own ricotta from scratch!

You can find the footage at http://au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/better-homes-gardens/tv/watch/-/6888083/ricotta/