You can feel like you’re waging a war with weeds when gardening at home. Instead of reaching for chemical sprays, many of us opt to pull them out by hand. But if you pull weeds and just toss them into a pile, you risk spreading seeds that can germinate in your yard. Instead, pull weeds and let the hot sun totally dry them out. Then create a “weed compost” where the weeds and other organic material will “cook”; once the compost reaches 200 degrees or higher, the seeds in the weeds are totally eradicated.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

Every little bit helps to reduce waste and conserve natural resources. If you’re a habitual list-maker and you write everything down on paper, consider downloading a “list app” for your smartphone. One app, Google Tasks, is exactly that: It helps you create a customized task list of everything you need to do. The design is minimal, like a blank sheet of paper, but each task can have a subtask, and there’s no limit to the number of lists you can create, from basic “to-do” to grocery lists and more. Search your phone’s app store to see the wide variety of list apps; almost all of them are free.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

Did you know Mondays and Tuesdays are statistically the best days of the week to fill up on gas? On average, gas prices rise by Wednesday around the country as demand is gauged and prices are changed to reflect it. And usually prices go up, not down. Also, don’t wait until you’re nearly out of gas to fill up. A gas tank that is half-full has less air inside the tank, which helps minimize evaporation as you’re filling up. Less evaporation means more fuel actually stays inside the tank, so you get the real value of gas that you’re paying for.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION