3/12/13

Parents who set up a sandbox in their backyard as a place for the kids to play may also be setting up the perfect environment for insects to nest and build colonies. Instead of reaching for chemical pesticides to keep your sandbox insect-free, search in your pantry instead. Generously sprinkle cinnamon all over the sandbox, and rake it through the sand. Cinnamon is a natural insect deterrent, and it smells great, too. If you need a lot of cinnamon for your extra-large sandbox, look for generic brands or inexpensive bulk containers at your local warehouse club store.

3/11/13

Who knew those little UPC stickers on produce actually do more than help speed up the checkout line at the grocery store? The numbers on the sticker -- called the PLU code -- also tell you how that apple, orange or cucumber was grown. Four numbers means the produce was grown conventionally using pesticides; five numbers starting with an eight tells you it was grown using genetically modified seeds; and five numbers starting with a nine means it's organic and grown without any genetically modified seeds.

3/10/13

Online auction sites like eBay are great places to sell unwanted items. But be considerate about what you're listing: Heavy items, like furniture, need to be packed, crated and shipped using large amounts of resources and fuel to get from point A to point B. Instead, stick to selling small items that can be shipped via the U.S. Postal Service, whose network of cars, trucks and planes makes it the most affordable and most fuel-efficient way to ship, and sell your large items locally the old-fashioned way.