Adding mulch to your garden or landscaping is an easy way to help plants thrive, since it locks in moisture and blocks out weeds. But it can be expensive: about $11 for each eight-gallon bag. Instead, get mulch for free: Local parks and roads departments regularly haul away dead or fallen trees and grind them up into mulch. It’s free for the taking to use all over your home. If you’re worried the free mulch may also come with ground up weed seeds, simply seal the mulch in black garbage bags and let the sun’s rays exterminate the seeds. Spread the mulch and reuse the bags for garbage. Savings: Hundreds of dollars!

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

If you are switching cellphone carriers, you may not actually need to buy a whole new phone with your new carrier. Many cellphone companies that are competing for your business will activate a deactivated phone for you if you switch to their plans. The only way to know if your new carrier will do this is to bring in your working old phone and ask. This can obviously save you money over time, but it also cuts back on the electronic waste piling up in our homes.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

Take a look at your water heater’s temperature setting. It’s probably automatically set to 140 degrees. This is the temperature that water heaters are generally set at when installed in a home. You can save energy by lowering the water heater default temperature to as low as 120 degrees. It’s a small difference that’s virtually unnoticeable, but it’ll reduce water heating costs by up to 10 percent per year. That’s a big difference that’ll have you recouping dollars off your utility bills.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION