We all know that eating fresh fruits and vegetables is one of the easiest ways to live healthier and feel better. But have you thought about using beets instead of refined sugar to sweeten your cookies or other sweet treats? Beets, which have high natural sugar content, have been proven to be good for us, with benefits like the ability to lower blood pressure, boost stamina and even detoxify our bodies. Organic beet crystals are hitting the marketplace and are made from pure beets, but they act like sugar. According to beet sugar crystal brand Salus, you can drink it straight up, too: Just put 1 tablespoon into a large glass of filtered water before a meal to reap all the benefits of beets.

Leftover latex paint is one of the hardest items to recycle; many paint-recycling programs have been suspended since water-based paints are not considered a household hazardous waste. But that doesn't make it safe to pour paint down the drain or put half-empty cans in the trash (which is still illegal in most communities). Instead, all you have to do is let it dry out. Mix in something called "paint hardener," which you can find at any hardware store. It will take a few hours to dry out and harden; toss the disc of paint into the trash and the empty paint cans can go right into the recycling bin.

One of the benefits of social media sites like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram is that time-sensitive information can be shared almost immediately with people who need it. Many local animal shelters around the country are starting social media accounts with the sole purpose of uploading pictures of found dogs and cats (and sometimes other animals) that come through their doors. If your companion animal goes missing, start following all the local shelters in a 15-mile radius around your home to see if pictures of your pet come up as you continue your search. Many shelters update their feeds every few minutes.