No more shopping lists with free app

We have eliminated paper shopping lists by using a free app called Our Groceries. You can link the app via entering one email address, so everyone who does the shopping at your house has the up to date grocery list at any time. The best thing is, you can customise the list to be very specific about what you want. There is a paid version of the app but we have been successfully using the free version and love it. No more wasted paper and no more forgetting things as the list is always with us!

End ant invasions pronto with Talon gel

I have found a truly fantastic product which gets rid of ants like no other pest treatment I've ever seen. Upon my recent invasion of ants, the faithful old borax and sugar mix was barely making a dent in their numbers. I couldn't use my own kitchen bench, guests were commenting and while I hate killing anything, it was driving the whole family crazy.  Thank goodness for Talon Ant killer gel! It works immediately (I saw ants leaving food and running to this gel), they swarmed it and as the product promises, they are gone in 48 hours. I can leave food out on the bench now and there are none to be seen. The gel works for 14 days, but at $8 for 5ml, it is totally worth it!

Wonder cleaner for the stove

I had moved into a home with an old kitchen and the stovetop needed a really good clean. I tried everything to shift the baked on grease from the rings that surrounded the coil hotplates but to no avail.

My friend suggested removing the rings and soaking them in Napisan and hot water. I actually used a generic brand nappy cleaner and it worked just as well. To my utter surprise, it removed what must have been 20 years of baked on grease. The stove looks brand new! I then did the same with the grill and oven racks, and they too came up sparkling and shiny.

For maintenance, some vinegar in a spray bottle cuts through any grease or grime left on a stovetop after cooking. But beware of vinegar on or near marble, as it eats right through it!

I thought this hint would be particularly useful for anyone moving into a rental property or having to clean their rental property before they move out. You'll save on cleaning products and get your bond back! And don't throw out pots and pans covered with grease or grime. Give them a Napisan treatment and save dollars.

Doona dollar saver

Instead of paying for one expensive doona, and the dry cleaning costs that come with it, buy two or three cheap doonas, pin them together at the corners, and put them into the same doona cover.

Because cheap doonas are thinner, you can wash them one at a time in your washing machine, and you can also adjust the warmth. When the weather starts getting warmer, just take one doona out of the cover and put it away in the cupboard.