In days gone by, larger houses usually had a “stillroom” and some households even employed a dedicated “stillroom maid”. The stillroom was the place that was used for storing, drying, distilling and generally preparing herbs to make into all the everyday remedies, lotions and unguents. While most houses these days aren’t built with a special room for this activity, most of us can certainly get busy in the kitchen to take advantage of the medicinal properties of many common herbs.

Aloe Vera: The gel from this succulent plant is perfect for treating burns. It also makes a good moisturiser for chapped hands.

Allheal: Not such a common herb (try a garden centre – its Latin name is Prunella vulgaris), but as the name suggests, it was used for all sorts of medical reasons, the most common being to dress cuts and wounds, and to soothe sore throats.

Basil: Crushing the leaves on your skin helps repel insects… if you can bear to use basil for any reason other than cooking.  When eaten, basil aids digestion.

Chamomile: Traditionally used as a soothing tea, chamomile can also relieve the symptoms of pregnancy-related nausea, haemorrhoids and hay fever.

Cloves: This acts as a painkiller and as an antiseptic. It is ideal for all mouth related infections, including gumboil and toothache. It also helps with sore throats and for teething babies. Clove oil was in every dentist’s toolkit until Novocaine became widespread.

Comfrey: A compress or a tea of comfrey helps in healing wounds and in reducing bruising. Comfrey stimulates tissue growth thanks to the allantoin in its leaves, and the old country name for comfrey was knitbone.

Dandelion: An excellent diuretic for relieving fluid retention.  The white sap can be dabbed on warts to help treat them. The leaves are full of vitamins A and C, and taste good in a salad.  The roots can also be used as a mild laxative.

Fennel: Make a tea from this herb to help soothe indigestion and treat colic in babies. Some users also report that fennel tea quells hunger pangs and can be used as a slimming aid.

Feverfew: Research has proven that a tea of feverfew helps relieve the symptoms of migranes.

Garlic: It would be easier to list what garlic isn’t good for.  It reduces cholesterol, it is packed with antioxidants, it has antiseptic properties when applied topically and it is considered one of the top Super Foods. Eating it raw is the best way to get the full benefit of garlic, as some of the principles are destroyed by heating.

Lavender: Soothing and antibacterial. The leaves and flowers can be used to make tea or “lavender water” for soothing cuts and stings. Crushing the leaves on the skin helps repel annoying insects. Lavender is one of the most popular essential oils because of its stress-relieving and antiseptic properties.

Liquorice: Even in the form of the popular sweet, liquorice is a first-class laxative (never give children too many liquorice sweets). Liquorice tea also helps soothe sore throats, and it can be mixed with bitter herbal remedies, as it has a strong taste that covers the bitterness.

Marigold: This refers to the English marigold of the genus Calendula rather than the French marigold of the Tagetes genus (which is great for keeping pests out of your garden but isn’t so good for medicinal purposes). Make a tea from the flowers to use as an eyewash for conjunctivitis (when it’s cooled and strained, of course). A handcream made from the tea is very good for chapped skin and soothing grazes.

Raspberry leaves: A tea from raspberry leaves can help ease menstrual cramps. It is also said to assist in the birthing process, and women who drink a lot of raspberry tea in the last few weeks of pregnancy can have a slightly easier labour. For everyone else, raspberry tea helps with diarrhoea.

St John’s Wort: This herb is well known as a herbal alternative to anti-depressant medications.

Yarrow: Used as an antiseptic wash for wounds and as a tea for treating fever. This was supposed to be the wonder herb used by the Greek hero Achilles to treat war wounds on him and his companions during the Trojan War.

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Your home is your castle, your safe haven and your port in a storm. Well, it should be. There have been only too many cases of homes being broken into, for burglaries at best and assault, etc. at worst. Home security systems are a must for everyone. But what works?

Dogs: an age-old method of defending your home from intruders.  Some breeds of dog are “watch dogs”, which means that they give the alert that an intruder (or a visitor) is approaching the property. Others are “guard dogs” which means that not only will they give the alarm, but they are capable of defending you if needs be. If you choose a guard dog type, you do not have to take any special steps to make sure that the dog is “tough” enough to defend you – you don’t want it attacking the meter reader or your neighbour. Dogs defend what they love, so treat a dog well.  Dogs, of course, aren’t suitable for every household – some people are allergic and other homes are not permitted pets.

House and garden design: A burglar is not likely to attempt a break-in in full view of the street and will want to tackle the back or something well-covered. It’s best if you keep front fences low so they don’t screen the view of the house from the street. At the back of the house, smaller windows are better and make sure that you keep bushes, etc. that can provide access to windows small and well trimmed – or prickly. A rose-covered trellis looks lovely but also poses a thorny problem to would-be burglars.

Locks, etc.: Deadbolts are best and are less easy to pick or force. Some people seem to think the more locks, the better, but this is not necessarily the case – having five locks on your front door is a real pain when you’re trying to open up so you can get in while holding half a dozen shopping bags and a grumpy toddler (and are downright risky during a fire). And don’t be so silly as to have three or four locks on the front door but only one small Yale-style lock on the back door. Guess where the burglar will go…

Peepholes and chains: These are simple and cheap to install yourself and are a great security measure. You can see who’s at the door before you open it.

Cat flaps: If you have one of these in your door, either make sure that someone can’t reach the door handle from the inside via the cat flap, or that you have more than just the sort of push-button lock that allows the handle to be turned and unlocked from the inside.

Sensible precautions: don’t advertise the fact that your home is empty or that you have things worth stealing inside. Arrange for a neighbour to clear your letterbox when you’re on holiday (or arrange with the postal service to stop your mail, and get a “No Junk Mail” sign). If you have just bought new expensive appliances, don’t make this obvious, e.g. by leaving the old carton out on the street to be collected. Don’t leave keys in the locks. If you have a spare emergency key for if (when!) you accidentally lock yourself out, don’t put it in traditional places like under the doormat or in a pot plant – be more creative. If you’re going away for a holiday, don’t make the place look too neat and tidy – leave it looking lived in.

Other security measures: common ways of deterring burglars, especially for people living alone, include turning lights and/or radios on, and putting a pair of men’s shoes by the door so it looks as if a big, tough bloke lives there. However, having just the hall light on plus a radio simply screams “empty house!” and a very neat, very clean pair of carefully lined up men’s shoes is a bit of a giveaway. It’s better to have a light on in the living room or in a bedroom (with the curtains pulled), along with the radio or TV. And if you’re trying the shoe trick, make sure the shoes look worn and possibly a bit messy as though someone has just dropped them by the door.

Alarm systems: these are a deterrent, but don’t let them lull you into a false sense of security. An alarm by itself won’t do anything – it needs to be backed up by a security firm to really be effective.

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And the list of natural ingredients used in cosmetics continues.  It’s kind of encouraging to know that many of these are used commercially. It’s a great improvement on the whale oil, bear fat, musk and arsenic concoctions of the Victorian age… if Victorian ladies owned up to using them.

Milk: Cleopatra’s favourite cosmetic, and it makes a wonderful skin softener. Unsurprisingly, powdered milk makes a first-class addition to the bath. The lactic acid is a mild chemical exfoliant, so milk powder and other dairy products go well in face masks. Milk products go off quickly, so don’t be tempted to add them to lotions that you want to last for a while. Use a vegetable oil instead.

Neem oil:  If you have discovered this first class organic pest control and can spare a little from the garden, you can use it cosmetically, like they do in India. You can use it as an insect repellent, as  a hair oil, and as an acne remedy. Why don’t they sell this almost miraculous oil by the litre like they do petrol?

Nut oils (all sorts): While each different type of nut oil (hazelnut, walnut, macadamia nut, etc) has its own benefits, they’re all excellent for use in moisturisers and bath oils.  They can be substituted for each other and blended at random.

Oatmeal: In powdered form, it’s soothing. It also makes a good scrub that’s excellent for sensitive skin, as it gets all slippery like soap but is soap-free. Now you know what to do with leftover porridge – make it into a face mask or tie it into a flannel and use it in the bath. Damp oatmeal has a tendency to ferment if left, and it may need a bit of help getting down the plughole after the bath.

Olive oil: Very rich and with a distinctive scent. It can even be a bit too rich for use on the face (this writer has dry skin and tried making an olive-oil only moisturiser; galloping acne was the result) but can be blended with other oils. Great for the rest of the body and for the hair. If you want to use it in a face cream, blend it with other oils.

Papaya: Papaya contains an enzyme that eats protein, so it is a first-class chemical exfoliant. Don’t overdo it, though, or it will start on the good skin under the tired, old dead skin.  Pineapple and kiwifruit have similar properties.

Peaches (and apricots): A mildly acidic skin toner when used as a pulp in masks. Smells exquisite. Some natural cosmetic recipes recommend blending succulent summer fruits with cream and using this as a face mask, but this seems like a real waste of a good peach (or strawberry or apricot) – I’d rather put this mixture in my face rather than on my face.

Rosemary: A tea made from these leaves makes a great hair rinse, especially with a dash of vinegar in the mix. It’s supposed to darken hair slightly, making it best for brunettes and raven-tressed beauties, but blondes and redheads can use it, too.

Sea salt: A deep cleansing scrub that helps clear up scratches, grazes and acne. Add it to bathwater or use it directly as a scrub, but be careful if you have broken skin as it will sting.  But stinging is all it will do – it will also help heal and disinfect the wound.

Shea butter: Very thick and very rich. Might be a bit hard for DIY cosmetic people to source, but is widely used in commercial moisturisers and body lotions. You can substitute cocoa butter.

Sugar: Use as a skin scrub, as it sloughs off dead skin with the granules and with the natural acids in the sugars. An old acne treatment involves washing the face with a mixture of soap lather and sugar. If someone gives you white sugar, this may be the best use for it.

Vinegar: All vinegars can be used for face masks, in the bath or as a hair rinse. Neutralises the alkalinity of soap. Vinegar can be used as a deodorant.

Vodka: This alcohol acts as a disinfectant and can be used as a base for homemade perfumes and aftershave. It also can be used to spot-treat acne and as a deodorant.

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Constantly adding new things to Health & Safety but do they work?

See below:

The Christmas tree is a custom imported into England from Germany, reputedly thanks to Queen Victoria’s German husband, Prince Albert. According to the legend, the Christmas tree in Germany was the brainchild of Protestant reformer Martin Luther, who supposedly wanted to recreate the effect of a starry night in the woods (which made him think of the first Christmas night when Jesus was born) by attaching lighted candles to the branches of a pine tree. Others propose a pagan origin for the Christmas tree.

An evergreen tree is always used for a Christmas tree. In England and the rest of Europe, the preferred species for use as Christmas trees are Nordmann Fir, Norway Spruce, Scots Pine, Stone Pine, Swiss Pine and Silver Fir. Other countries use other trees: in the USA, Douglas Fir and Colorado Pine are used, while in New Zealand, the Monterrey Pine is traditional. The variety of Christmas tree that you will see set up in the middle of London is a Norway Spruce, which has been given by the Norwegian government as a token of gratitude for Britain’s assistance during World War II. But everyone has their favourite species with its distinctive smell, which becomes part of the general atmosphere of Christmas.

Most Christmas trees these days are grown on special Christmas tree farms. Some nurseries sell live Christmas trees in pots which can be planted and used year after year, but most sell cut trees (if you own a small lifestyle block or small farm near to a large urban centre, a Christmas tree block is fairly easy care and can provide a good “Christmas bonus” of income).

The traditional date for putting up a Christmas tree was Christmas Eve (the 24th), but most of us like to plan ahead and get our decorations, including the tree, up sooner. Properly kept, a Christmas tree should last from the first week of December until the 6th of January (twelfth night) when Christmas trees are traditionally taken down.

To make sure your Christmas tree goes the distance without wilting, start with choosing carefully. You wouldn’t buy wilted looking cut flowers, would you? So don’t buy a wilted looking Christmas tree. Treat your Christmas tree like a gigantic cut flower. When you get it home, instead of crushing the stem or snipping off a centimetre, like you would with a flower, cut off a centimetre from the bottom. Put this freshly cut end into a bucket of water, to which you should add a couple of aspirins as plant food to keep it fresh. Top up the water frequently and you will minimise the problems with dropped needles and twigs drooping so the ornaments fall off.

It’s best to stand the bucket containing the tree on a large sheet. As it is impossible to completely prevent needles from falling, a sheet will catch the needles and make the clean-up much easier. A dark green sheet complements the colour of the tree and won’t be ruined by any spills, sap or stains.

Alternatively, spread wrapping paper or crepe paper under the tree. In some places, you can buy specially designed “tree mats” with ornate seasonal designs and appliqués (or you can make your own). To balance the tree, put bricks in the bucket to give it a nice heavy base that is less likely to overbalance. A Christmas tree in the corner or against the wall can also have a few surreptitious strings holding it steady to picture hooks in the wall to stop it falling over.

As conifers of all species contain volatile oils, the traditional practice of decorating trees with lighted candles is not recommended – this is an accident waiting to happen. Electric fairy lights are much safer, although if you use crepe paper and fairy lights, try not to let the paper touch one of the bulbs. However, modern designs of lights are very safe and low-risk.

What do you do with your Christmas tree after January the 6th? Pine, fir and spruce burn quite nicely, so if you have an open fire or a log burner, saw up the tree, leave it to dry and burn it. However, to age and dry the wood properly will take some time, so you won’t be able to make use of the fuel until about next autumn. Other alternatives include chipping the wood to make compost or mulch (strawberries, apparently, like a mulch of pine needles). If you have the space and the equipment, maybe consider offering a “Christmas tree removal service” in your area.

People become vegetarians for a number of reasons: ethical ones, dietary ones or environmental ones. However, when you become a vegetarian, getting enough protein in your diet is important. Protein is necessary for growth, healing and tissue repair. Basic vegetarians (those who eat dairy and/or eggs) can get the protein they need from eggs and dairy products, but vegans will have to look elsewhere.

Beans are a good source of protein for many vegetarians. Even non-vegetarians enjoy eating them from time to time. They do make a good, cheap main meal, after all! Think beyond the tin of baked beans in tomato sauce or all the soya products such as tofu. Dried beans can be used in a range of tasty ways.

Several varieties of bean are grown and used as dried beans. Red kidney beans, black eyed beans, Lima beans, black beans, white beans and pinto beans. These can be bought separately or as a mixture – the mixed type makes an attractive-looking salad.

All dried beans should be cooked thoroughly before eating to remove toxins, especially red kidney beans. They will also need soaking. Soaking shortens the cooking time and also removes the sugars in beans that make them notorious (i.e. the sugars that cause flatulence). To soak beans, put more water in than you need to cover them and leave them overnight. Make sure that the beans have room to expand as they absorb water – picking up beans that have swollen and overflowed the container is a real chore that you don’t want when you’re cooking.

The basic way of cooking beans is to boil them. Boiling brings the beans to a temperature at which the toxins are destroyed. They are properly cooked when they are soft, with a similar consistency to mashed potato.

Boiled beans can be eaten “as is” with a light dressing of salt (beans without salt are rather tasteless) and oil plus whatever herbs and spices you fancy – cumin is thought to reduce flatulence. Eat these hot or as a salad. Beans don’t have all the amino acids you need to keep healthy, so don’t serve beans alone. Corn or wholemeal bread provide the missing amino acids, or lacto-ovo-vegetarians can serve beans with cheese and/or eggs. Cheese sauce with beans was a favourite when I was growing up.

The first way to dress up beans and turn them into “cuisine” is to take the boiled beans and add them to a mix of tomatoes, chilli, garlic and onion stewed together. Fry the onion and garlic in olive oil first before adding the tomatoes and chilli. Tinned tomatoes are good. Hey presto – chilli beans! Serve with tacos or tortilla chips, or just plain corn-on-the cob for a Mexican meal.

After draining the beans, you can add oil and salt and mash them to a paste/puree (or use the blender – much easier, but you will need plenty of oil). You can add herbs and spices (garlic is good) to this paste and use it as a dip like hummus, or else you can add flour (and egg white) to make them into patties, which you can fry. Fried bean patties, especially with added onion and oregano, make great vegetarian hamburgers and can be cooked on barbeques.

Beans can also be added into soups (cook them first).

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Home made Christmas cards are much more appreciated than the bought variety. Anyone receiving a home-made Christmas card knows without a doubt that you have put some effort and time into getting them a card rather than merely buying a large batch and putting the names in ballpoint pen. Home computers and cards designed on software packages are a shade better – if you do this, remember to customise each one and print the name of the recipient on the card rather than merely writing it in afterwards. But for a real personal touch, make actual cards out of craft paper.

Making your own Christmas cards is also a good way of recycling odds and ends. Old pieces of Christmas wrapping paper, last year’s Christmas cards, the endless catalogues that pour in through the mail box, old magazines – they’re all good for making Christmas cards. And that’s just the start.

Some ideas:

Black cardboard is quite cheap and looks very striking if you write on it in glitter pens. Metallic collage materials, glitter and even plainer cutouts in red and white look very striking against a black background.

Off-cuts of white wallpaper with an embossed pattern make great backgrounds with interesting textures. Test a small patch first to see if they’ll “take” glue – some don’t.

Professional card-making classes suggest that you can make a 3D design by gluing a small piece of special foam underneath whatever you want to make stand out (e.g. a present on a tree). You don’t have to use special foam, though. A little square of ordinary corrugated cardboard will work just as well.

Think outside the square when looking for items to cut out and use in a collage on the front of the cards. Even things that aren’t explicitly Christmas themed can become part of a Christmas card. For example, in a parenting magazine, you can find a picture of a baby lying asleep. Just add some dried grass glued around the cut-out baby and add a star overhead for an instant manger scene. Even a hunting magazine can be a good source of deer (often with impressive antlers) and pine trees.
Paper ribbons are very easy to make and can add an extra bit of pizzazz to a card. Simply cut a thinnish strip of paper (any paper thicker than tissue paper or airmail letter paper will work) and curl it across and around a closed pair of scissors or a ruler (or any other hard, blunt edge such as the back of a knife). You should hold the paper onto the edge with your thumb, and pull the paper through with your other hand, pulling the paper at right angles to how it goes under your thumb. You may take a few attempts to be able to get the enough pressure to make the paper curl but not enough to rip the paper. The more times you drag the paper across the edge, the curlier the paper will become. Always drag the paper in the same direction. You can also get a similar effect with some types of plastic wrapping (it will need to be fairly rigid – the sort used for coffee packets works) – metallic ones look good.

A hot glue gun or an epoxy resin allows you to use heavier or bulkier materials than just paper, cloth and card. With a more heavy-duty glue, you can add large sequins, buttons and beads, and natural materials such as shells or grass. Make sure that your finished result will fit in an envelope and not exceed any weight limits if you plan on posting it.

Dried pressed flowers make beautiful additions to Christmas cards, but you will have to collect and press your flowers earlier in the year… or else use ivy. Glue on dried flowers by painting them very carefully on the back with PVA glue. You will need to press them down hard after gluing them so they stick properly.

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“Peace on earth and goodwill towards men/humanity/people”. We hear this so often at Christmastime that it’s becoming something of a cliché (and, incidentally, it’s a mistranslation from the original Greek of the Bible story – it should be translated “On the earth, peace to those on whom God’s favour rests”).

Nevertheless, in spite of all the saccharine and cheesy Christmas carols, Christmas is still a good excuse to foster a little community spirit and to reach out and make the world a better place for someone.

What are some ideas for getting into the Christmas spirit along the lines of Good King Wenceslas or that former bishop of Smyrna now known as Saint Nicholas?

Don’t just send Christmas cards to your friends and relations. If there’s someone you’re holding a grudge against, send them an anonymous Christmas card. Grit your teeth and resist the temptation to put a nasty message on it and write something nice instead. This is quite a freeing exercise. Grudges have a way of hurting the holder, and this is a good way of getting rid of it.
When you’re doing your Christmas shopping or even buying your groceries for the other weeks in December, buy a few extra tins or packets of dry goods and donate it to the Salvation Army or some other charity of your choice. Some organisations make it easy for you do to this by having a basket or box in supermarkets that you can drop extra purchases into. You can do the same for homeless animals, too, and make donations of pet food (or cat litter) to the RSPCA.

Round up some neighbours, friends and/or workmates and sing carols around the neighbourhood. You can do this the traditional way on street corners, or make things easier (and warmer) on yourself by singing for a retirement home, a hospital… or even a prison (not for the faint-hearted).

Revive the custom of Boxing Day. Did you ever wonder how this day got its unusual name? It’s not because you’ve got such a bad hangover from drinking too much at Christmas time and you now feel like you’ve got a prize fighter using your head as a punching bag. Instead, this was the day that you boxed up all your leftovers and gave them away to the local poorhouse. You probably don’t want to box up and give away your leftovers, but how about doing a little decluttering of your old things and giving away good used things. You’re going to have to find a place to keep your new Christmas presents, so why not get rid of the old and make way for the new?

Many aid organisations have schemes by which you can “buy a gift” for their organisation in someone else’s name. You can do this on someone’s behalf, or you can just buy a gift for someone who’s worse off than you just because it’s a nice thing to do. Alternatively, buy your gifts at a Fair Trade store – you can often pick up great coffee and chocolate, too.

Some malls and churches have Christmas trees where you can wrap and leave gifts for disadvantaged children. If you do this, remember to add a label stating the age and (if applicable) the gender of the child the gift is intended for.

Have an open house party where you invite all your neighbours, friends and workmates into your home for mince pies and nibbles. The advantage of this for you is that you get all your “we must throw a party and invite X” obligations done at once. And you don’t have to provide a major spread for everyone. Play old-fashioned charades if you want to do more than just talk and mingle.

Leave a little something for the flesh and blood folk who deliver things, just as you leave a mince pie for that ultimate in delivery men – Father Christmas. Pop a bonus, a mince pie or a bar of chocolate (or a bottle of beer) out for the person who delivers your mail and your milk. Leaving something for the folk who collect your garbage may be a bit harder – maybe leave something carefully wrapped on top of the bin so it isn’t confused with the rubbish.

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You’re moving on up, moving on out… Sorry, just had to sing a bit there. But moving house isn’t all fun and games or even song and dance. And I’m not just talking about the hassles of packing, shifting and re-settling. I’m talking about the end of tenancy cleaning London. Because it’s not like your normal cleaning job.

You see, when you do your own home cleaning on an everyday basis, there’s a lot of things that you can get away with not doing. Even a professional cleaner is unlikely to do them unless specifically told to. This is simply because on a day-to-day basis, it’s too much hassle. The dirt is hidden somewhere it’s not worth the effort of getting into. But when you move house, it’s a different story. You have to do all those obscure little cleaning jobs. As my mother always said, always leave it better than you found it, and it’s important to clean the house properly for the next tenant – and so you don’t have to pay extra.

So what do you have to remember?

* Carpets. Yes, I know you vacuum the carpets regularly and they’re pretty clean. You’ve also been pretty sharp at cleaning up stains on the carpet. However, it pays to get the carpets professionally steam cleaned (you can hire a steam-cleaning machine to do this yourself) before you leave. In some cases, it can be a condition of your rent that you get the carpets properly cleaned before you move – that’s the case with this writer, anyway. It’s best to do this job last of all after all the furniture is out of the way so you can get into those obscure corners that have collected dust after being behind a bookshelf for the last three years.

* Tops of things. When was the last time that you dusted along that bit of woodwork at the top of the windowsill? Or the top of the door frame? Time to get out the warm soapy water and a duster and get busy. You may also need to dust around the top of lampshades and light fittings, but for goodness’ sake turn the power off first so you don’t electrocute yourself.

* Cupboards. It’s surprising how many people don’t check in high cupboards before they move house, and leave things for the next occupant. When this writer moved in, we ended up with an extra bonus of a couple of small children’s toys (meaning small toys intended for children) and some wrapping paper. All because someone didn’t clean out the top cupboard. Even if you don’t have things in your top cupboards, check and clean anyway. You never know what’s up there, and there will be dust, and possibly dead beetles.

* Walls. Clean off greasy fingerprints and odd scuff marks. Most modern wallpapers are washable, and most marks are easily treated with a bit of warm soapy water applied gently and sparingly with a sponge. If you have to remove children’s scribbles off the paper, then use a normal eraser for pencil (obviously), and a tiny dab of meths or vodka for permanent marker or ballpoint pen (only use as much as you need).
Cleaning crayon off walls is a bit harder. Some swear by car lubricant ( of the WD40 type )followed by dishwashing detergent (patch test first – it can leave a worse stain), but good old baking soda or even toothpaste can do the trick just as well without any messy, smelly chemicals.

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Food prices are soaring all over the world, so most of us need to look at our food budgets and find ways to make the pounds stretch further. Eating cheaply doesn’t mean eating frugally and/or living on thin gruel. If the idea of living and eating on a budget scares you, you’re in for a surprise at how well you can eat. And some of the penny-pinching techniques for cooking and eating are better for you health-wise.

First of all, if you’re having to tighten your food budget, look at how you shop. Be a hunter as you shop, not a splurger or a browser. A hunter has a shopping list and/or a calculator, and tries to find exactly what’s on their list at the lowest price. A splurger enjoys shopping a lot but easily succumbs to temptations and specials, while a browser wanders around scanning everything and tends to look for quality rather than good price.

Here are some other ways to make your grocery budget go further:

* Buy home-brand stuff. While some home brand goods are of lower quality (I find this is the case with baked beans, in particular), this doesn’t matter with other things, such as loo paper and basic staples such as pasta and rice.

* Use milk powder rather than fresh milk. It is cheaper and if you’re really pushed, you can water it down to make it go further.

* Scan price tags and dockets thoroughly. You may find mistakes on the docket which mean that you’re entitled to a refund. By rummaging through pre-packed meat and vegetables, you can come across some “reduced for quick sale” items at a discount or even (as happened to me once but only once) a price sticker where a decimal point was in the wrong place, so the corned beef cost a tenth of what it really should have.

* Find out when your supermarket clears out their old specials to make way for new ones. In the supermarket I used to work in, this was Mondays. Another good time is just before public holidays when the supermarket will be closed. Sometimes the fresh produce departments (e.g. the deli or the meat) will be anxious to get rid of produce that would otherwise go to waste over the public holiday and may discount it. The same applies to cafés – at the end of the day, they have to get rid of anything containing real cream, chicken, etc. and would rather sell it at a discount rather than throw it away. However, avoid dumpster diving – this is illegal.

* Make your own yoghurt. You can either use a machine or a thermos flask, and you can use live yoghurt as a starter, or use a packet mix. Guess which is cheaper.

* Eggs are often priced according to size. Buy the smaller ones, as big ones contain more egg white rather than more egg yolk, and egg white is what contains most of the nutrition in an egg.

* Get a bit cheeky. Does a neighbour have a fruit tree but leaves the fruit to go to waste? Ask if you can pick it. They will usually say yes, as they will otherwise have to deal with the rotten fruit on the lawn, wasps, etc. Also keep half an eye out on council plantings of crab apple trees, olive trees and rosemary!

* Get together with another family or household to purchase a cattlebeast or sheep on the hoof and share the costs of having a butcher “doing” it as well as the resulting meat. This will support your local community as well as ensuring you have good, fresh meat. Only try this one if you have a deep freeze.

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