9/30/09

With a chill in the air, take a look in your closet for unwanted coats to donate. One Warm Coat is a nonprofit organization that hosts collection drives all across the country. They collect gently used winter coats and give them to those in need. Find a collection point near you at www.onewarmcoat.org.

9/29/09

To balance out an uneven chair or table, turn to the junk drawer. Use a sharp knife to slice off a sliver from a wine cork. Glue to the shorter leg of the table or chair to balance it out. You can also make the bottoms of furniture scratch-proof with cork too: Just slice four identical slivers of cork and glue them to the bottom of the legs of a sofa, armoire or bed. The cork is soft and will buffer the furniture from scratching the floor when moved around.

9/28/09

Throw all your towels and bed sheets into the washing machine first thing in the morning. Shower. Brush your teeth. Now, instead of tossing your wash into the dryer, hang 'em outside in the bright sun. All day long they'll dry naturally, and you'll save money from not having to run the energy-hogging dryer. Bonus: Your towels and pillows will smell like the Great Outdoors.