02/21/12

Many beauty products and their containers are still usable well after the makeup expires or is all gone. A clean mascara brush, for example, can clean away dirt and debris from jewelry or watch links. Decorate the stems of wine glasses with unwanted nail polish -- perhaps a color not to your liking -- to give them personality and color. And broken lipstick can be melted in the microwave for 20 seconds and poured into a small mint tin, so you can apply it to your lips with a brush or your fingers.

02/20/12

Even in an age of digital reading, printed books are still in demand. If you're looking to make room on your bookshelf, donate your old books. The rule of thumb for donating books is this: If the book has been in print for only two or three years, donate it to your local library, which will resell the book at a fundraiser. If it's older than that, donate it to the Salvation Army or Goodwill, where the books will be sold in the store. No matter how you donate your books, be sure to get a receipt for tax deduction purposes.

02/19/2012

Curbside trash service makes it almost too easy to mindlessly fill up a garbage can and not wonder where it goes. The One Month Challenge is a new movement where homeowners cancel trash pickup for one month to consciously reduce their trash output. This forces the participants to evaluate how much waste they create, how much they consume and bring into a home and how they can cut back. Plus, you'll save a little money by not paying for trash pickup for a month.