If you're going to the mall this weekend, make the effort to park your car in a shaded spot under a tree or inside a parking garage. Shade helps keep your car cooler, which means you won't need as much air conditioning to cool down the car when you return. Keeping your car as cool as possible naturally also helps to reduce the evaporation of gasoline in your gas tank. Gasoline evaporates all year long, regardless of what season it is, but the hot summer months are the worst for gas loss. So even if there is a spot right at the entrance to the mall in the bright, hot sun, park further away in the shade -- and you'll save gas, money and get a little exercise, too.

The summer months are a good time to see if your attic has been home to squirrels over the cold winter months. As the attic gets hot in the summer, the rodents will leave and take up residence in holes in trees. To see if your attic is home to squirrels, enter the attic without any lights on during the day. If you see light shining through from the outside in small holes, this is likely the entrance they created to get inside. Plug these holes with wire mesh. Just be sure to take this preventative measure in mid or late summer when the squirrels' litters are old enough to vacate the nest to live on their own.

One of the easiest ways to prevent ants from coming into your home is to seal the cracks where they enter. But figuring out where that is can be tricky. Try this simple tip: Cut a piece of cardboard -- a few inches square -- and cover it with a sticky, dark syrup, like maple syrup. Leave it in the general vicinity where the ants have been found. The next day, you'll be able to follow a sticky trail to the entry point. Once you find it, use caulk to seal up the crack and add a few drops of peppermint oil (a natural deterrent) to keep them away for good.