Dried spices have a very long shelf life, but they can go rancid or lose their flavor. Generally, whole spices can last around four years and ground ones about two or three years. But a simple taste test or smell can tell you if it’s worth adding to whatever you’re cooking. If you need to replace your spices, don’t toss them away. Instead, make a home diffuser by simmering boiling water with spices to help perfume and deodorize the air. And many old spices can be added to houseplants as a natural fungicide. Cinnamon and water mixed together in a spray bottle can help kill mold and mildew off leaves and around the soil surfaces of houseplants.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

Do you like to support local bookstores? If you’re a book lover and want to find independent booksellers wherever you are, there’s now an easy website to help you out. The website indiebound.org lets you search for independently owned stores by simply typing in your zip code and a distance within or outside that zip code (you can choose from a range of 10 to 400 miles). A list of local stores pops up with addresses and websites so you can choose which retailer to visit and support. A cooperation with the American Booksellers Association, IndieBound believes locally owned businesses are vital, since they “pump money back into their own communities by way of taxes, payrolls and purchases.”

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

When you look at empty packaging to recycle, you might think because you see the recycling symbol on it, it’s acceptable to toss into the recycling bin. But not so fast. There are no rules on what items can and can’t have the recycling symbol on them. Technically, anything is recyclable; the real question is, does your community accept this item to be recycled? So, if you see a plastic tube or an unusually colored glass bottle, don’t just throw it in the recycle bin because it has the symbol. Instead, check with your local waste hauler to see if the specific item is or isn’t recyclable.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION