Pastry chefs say the best surface to roll dough, make chocolates and do other types of baking prep work on is a marble countertop, since it stays cool to the touch. If you don't have a marble countertop and don't want to make the investment in buying one, think scrap heap instead. Countertop fabricators often have square slabs of marble waste left over from the holes they cut to fit sinks when installing new countertops. Those slabs can be purchased for a few dollars or are free if you become friendly with your local fabricator.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

There are lots of compost bins you can buy at the store that feature tight-fitting lids, integrated carbon filters (to absorb odors) and pretty designs so they look good on your kitchen countertop. Instead of buying one, you can always repurpose an old stock pot into a compost bin. A stainless steel one works best, since it can be washed easily, but any pot with a tight lid will work and keep odors and insects away. If you don't have one, there are plenty of used pots at any thrift store that will work, too.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

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