Do you have an old pumpkin that’s decomposing and ready to be tossed away? Before you compost, consider giving backyard wildlife an autumnal feast! According to the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), you can scoop out seeds and just let them dry out naturally. Scatter them in the garden, and large birds and small animals will eat them right up. You can also dice chunks of pumpkin flesh as a nutritious and tasty treat for wild animals. The NWF does remind you to only use unpainted pumpkins, since most paints have toxins that are harmful to animals.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

If you think your water-damaged, completely broken, not-functioning smartphone isn’t worth anything, think again. There is a market for broken phones, for one simple reason: the precious metals inside. Everything from pure gold to copper, silver and platinum all are used in phones. And when you combine the volume of old phones, it becomes -- no pun intended -- a gold mine for resell. In fact, there’s more gold in a pound of electronics than a pound of gold ore. So don’t just recycle your old phone when you can probably make some serious cash by selling it online to a reseller or recycler.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

Have you heard about using a cup of water and a quarter to test if the food in your fridge is safe enough to eat? If you’re away from home for more than a day, it can be difficult to tell if the power went out and for how long. If your refrigerator turns back on and re-freezes and chills food again, your food may no longer be safe to eat. To test this, fill a cup with water and freeze it. Place a quarter on top, then place the cup in your freezer. If you come home and the quarter is on top, it’s totally safe. If it has submerged to the middle and re-frozen, in most cases the food is still safe to consume. If it’s on the bottom of the cup, it’s time to dispose of all the bad food.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION