Recycle holiday cookie and candy tins into neat and tidy storage bins. Simply paint the tins using dark enamel paint from the hardware store; a few coats will cover any traces of holiday decor on the tins. Once dry, fill them with office supplies, tea bags for the pantry, or make several emergency kits for the car and around the house.

Every little bit counts: When you're at your gym working up a sweat, take the extra time to turn off the small TV monitors at each individual machine. These little TVs are handy for catching up on news and your favorite shows, but when left on for hours, they can be small energy hogs. Just walk up and down the aisles pressing the power button on each one to save a little power juice. Or better yet: Quit the gym and use the great outdoors as your personal (and free) health club.

12/20/09

If you need filler for a present in a jiffy, think glossy magazine pages. Run colorful pages through a paper shredder (if you don't have one, this is an easy at-work project). If you want scented filler, add a perfume advertisement or two. Fill a gift box, add the gift and wrap up. Free, recycled and easy!

12/19/09