Life hacks facts

Tips, tricks and remedies that will change how you go about everyday tasks, for the better.

Waste not, want not

If you buy a shampoo that doesn’t agree with your hair, there’s no need to waste it. Pour it into a pump action bottle and use it as a liquid soap for washing hands. Thrifty Household from The Country Women’s Association of Victoria Inc.

Just walk

Walking outside in good daylight boosts vitamin D, which has a natural anti-depressant effect. Walking lowers levels of the stress hormone cortisol, helps you feel grounded, provides a means of gaining inner stillness and its rhythmic movements have meditative benefits. Grounded by Ruth Allen

Buy only in season

Buying in season is less expensive and the plant is growing when it’s happiest. It just makes sense – financially and nutritionally. Low Tox Life by Alexx Stuart

Happy worm farm

Unbleached toilet rolls, egg cartons and eggshells are great for adding to your worm farm. They provide pockets of air for the worms to breathe, and the eggshells will later add calcium to the soil.

Karen Titulaer head of sustainability at Villa Maria

Covering beds

When a garden bed is not in use, or not going to be planted or sown in a couple of weeks, it is best to cover it with weedmat, tarps or heavy mulch. This helps to protect the soil biology, prevents soil erosion and compaction by rain, and stops the bed from growing a crop of weeds. The Abundant Garden by Niva and Yotam Kay

Homemade condensed milk

Whether you like to make things from scratch or want to use your own raw or organic milk, it’s simple to make your own. Ingredients are 2 cups of whole milk and ¼ cup sugar. Put the milk and sugar in a saucepan over a medium heat and bring to a gentle boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Reduce to a simmer. Continue to simmer, stirring every now and then until the liquid has reduced by half and turned a pale yellow. Remove from the heat. The resulting condensed milk won’t be quite as thick as the store-bought version at first, but it will thicken as it cools. The Forager’s Treasury by Johanna Knox g