The next time you're baking, save the aluminum foil to give your dull scissors a makeover. Stack seven clean and dry used pieces of aluminum foil on top of each other and cut away with your dull scissors. The blades will be sharpened the more you cut the foil, and eventually you will be left with almost-as-good-as-new scissors. And remember, the aluminum foil is still recyclable, so crumple it up into a ball and toss it in your curbside bin.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

The Natural Resources Defense Council estimates a typical refrigerator accounts for around 10 to 15% of an entire household’s energy usage every single month. If you’re going away for an extended period of time, one of the best things you can do is power off your refrigerator. After it’s emptied out, simply flip the switch in the circuit breaker box to shut off the power. If this isn’t possible, the next-best thing is to increase the fridge temperature to 42 degrees. That’s cool enough to preserve food and get maximum energy efficiency.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

Are you thinking about starting a backyard vegetable garden this year? Not all crops have to start from seed. In fact, you can grow vegetables from old produce that’s already in your refrigerator. The base of lettuces, for example, can be placed in a shallow dish of water to re-generate roots. In a few days, that base can be transplanted right into the garden, and it’ll regrow into a whole head of lettuce. Celery, ginger root and fresh herbs can be regenerated this way, too.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION