9/5/12

Americans do an astounding 35 billion loads of laundry every year, which adds up to a lot of water, energy and money. One commonsense investment to reduce the amount of laundry you produce is to use inexpensive aprons in the kitchen, garage, potting shed -- wherever you might get your clothes messy. Let the aprons take the brunt of the paint splotches, spaghetti sauce stains and grease spots, and keep your clothes looking clean.

9/4/12

Sore back or achy joints? Upcycle a freezer bag into a DIY ice pack with some easy household ingredients. Grab a clean and dry used freezer bag, and fill it halfway with three parts water and one part rubbing alcohol. Seal the bag closed, and put it in the freezer. It will freeze into an ice pack, but it will still be malleable because of the rubbing alcohol.

9/3/12

Have you removed yourself from as many mailing lists as possible but still get junk mail? Your perfectionism may be to blame. When you file a permanent change-of-address form at the post office, your name gets put onto a new mailing list. That list identifies you as a new resident at your address, and the process of getting inundated with junk mail begins again. When you move, don't file a change of address; instead, notify individual companies about your move.