3/26/10

Visit your local landscaping store and stock up on all your spring shrubs, flowers and other ground-cover plantings. Look for native species -- these are plant varieties that are indigenous to your growing region and will thrive better. Also, ask the nursery if you can return the plastic pots after you've finished planting; many will take them back to use again.

Resell good-quality designer clothing that you no longer wear at a local consignment store. These stores will sell your clothes and usually split the proceeds 50/50 with you. Sometimes you can either take cash for your clothes or earn more money in the form of store credit to shop for new duds. It's up to you.

Tip: Bring your clean, laundered clothes on individual hangers. And bring your out-of-season clothes (e.g. fall clothes in summer), because consignment stores sell clothes just like regular retail shops.

Over time, dead skin, dust and dirt can collect in between the links, hinges and mechanical parts of your watch. If your office has an espresso maker with a steam nozzle, you can use it to clean your wristwatch. Just blast your timepiece with a few bursts of steam to shine and sanitize it sparkling clean.

3/25/10