An outdoor water leak can be very hard to detect, since drips will often simply go into the ground and not leave any trace that there's a problem. To see if your outdoor faucets are leaking, wrap a balloon around the opening of the faucet and hold it in place with a tight rubber band or zip tie. Then come back a few days later. If it contains any water, you have a leak and will need to call a local plumber to fix it, or learn how to do it yourself by visiting a home improvement site like Lowes.com.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

Reed diffusers are an easy way to add natural scent to a room without burning candles or spraying artificial fragrances. But buying new diffusers -- the vial of oil, the container and reeds, in addition to all the packaging -- can be wasteful and expensive. To save money and packaging, get a refill oil and reuse a glass jar or bottle as the base. Then fill it with bamboo chopsticks from Chinese takeout food to help diffuse the scent. Bamboo is porous, so it’s a great tool to help absorb and gently release fragrance into the air.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

When you’re filling your vehicle’s gas tank, don’t “top off” the car when the pump stops. When you do, you’re not only wasting gas, but you’re wasting money. Adding that little bit of extra gas actually increases the chances that excess fuel will simply evaporate in the atmosphere. And if your car is newer, it may have something called an “emissions canister” that is designed to prevent fuel vapors from leaking. Adding too much gas renders the safeguard of the canister useless and increases the likelihood of gas leaking or spilling out of the tank.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION