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!

Laundry liquid makes the best handwash soap!

I stumbled upon the best hand soap ever by accident! I had a bottle of laundry liquid I didn't like the smell of. The perfume smell was far too strong but I didn't want to throw it away. Instead, I refilled the liquid soap bottle in the laundry with it. To my surprise, I have found it is the best hand wash ever! In fact, once I finished the laundry liquid, I bought some more, to fill the hand soap bottle with!

Bi-carb soda and vinegar replaces other cleaners

I have saved heaps by no longer buying expensive cleaning products. To clean my toilet, bath or shower, I quickly wet the area and let most of the water drain away. I then sprinkle the whole area with bicarbonate soda, using a small shaker (you can get them at Kmart for a few dollars). I then spray it with cheap white vinegar in a spray bottle. There is a slight chemical reaction that dissolves all the mould and dirt. Leave it for a few minutes to work. You still have to scrub a little and you may need to re-do any heavily soiled areas. It also works for benchtops and sinks, it's a cheap alternative to chemicals and good for the environment too.

Quick hint about slow cooking

I leave for work at 7.30am and get home at 6.30pm, but I still need to prepare dinner for my husband who starts night shift at 5pm. If I turn on my slow cooker at 7.30am, the food is sometimes overdone by the time he gets up at 3.30pm.

To solve this problem, I have purchased a cheap plug-in timer, just like the one people use to turn on their lights when they go on holiday. My cooker now comes on during the day and dinner is perfectly cooked by 3.30pm! This saves on power because the slow cooker is not turned on all day.