Cardboard and paperboard boxes from items you purchase can be saved and reused for gift wrapping later in the year. They can be recycled, too. Just be sure to do one thing before dropping off the flattened boxes at your recycling center: Remove the plastic "windows" that they may contain. These can be easily peeled off from the inside of the box and tossed away in the trash. Leaving any plastic film on boxes can muck up the recycling process and render a whole load of recyclable cardboard useless.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

Bees are critical pollinators, so anything you can do at home to help our bee population is a good thing. One of the easiest things is to plant prolific plants that produce a nice amount of pollen and nectar. Flowers are obviously a good choice, since they produce pollen more frequently, but so are trees and shrubs, because they produce very high quantities of both pollen and nectar. And remember: Avoid using chemical insecticides outside, where they can harm bees.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

Did you know the average home wastes about 10,000 gallons of water a year due to running toilets and drippy faucets? One way to find out if you're wasting water is to turn off every faucet, shower, washing machine and anything else that uses water in your home. Note your water meter reading and come back a few hours later; if the meter reads the same, you're good to go. If it reads higher, somewhere in your home there's a leak that needs to be fixed.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION