02/01/12

Ever throw a party and taste the orange and grape soda or cola go from fizzy to flat? Don't just throw them away -- instead, make delicious frozen ice pops from them! Fill a reusable plastic mold with the flat soda, then insert the caps and wooden sticks. Chill according to the package instructions, and you've got delicious frozen treats everyone will love to eat. Yum!

01/31/12

While a fireplace is not the most efficient way to heat a home, it can be a nice way to keep Old Man Winter's chill at bay. One simple way to boost your fireplace efficiency is to add a fire grate inside the hearth, which holds logs and lifts them off the ground, forcing heat forward into your home. Another idea is to add a hearth reflector to wood-burning fireplaces; these are sheets of metal that are placed on the back wall to help radiate and reflect heat into the room. And finally, having your chimney cleaned regularly helps keep your fireplace in tiptop shape.

01/30/12

You can stop unwanted junk mail using a new app on your iPhone. Using Catalog Choice's MailStop Mobile app is as simple as taking a picture of your unwanted junk mail and uploading it. The company will do the rest to opt you out of mailing lists, so you don't have to send emails, fill out forms or call customer service lines. You can download the free app at catalogchoice.org, where the first five opt-outs are free.