You might think it's greener to overload your washing machine rather than running smaller loads, but the reality is it's worse for everything. Putting in too much clothing causes damage to other garments when zippers and buttons can catch on other clothes and cause tears. Plus, dirty clothes don't get clean when the sudsy water can't circulate enough to remove stains and grime. And the extra weight can overwork the washing machine to the point where the motor wears out. The solution? Run normal-sized loads for optimum performance.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

The next time you're shopping for new clothes, take a second to think: Do you really need it? The Pareto principle states that 80% of the effects come from about 20% of the causes. That means when it comes to clothing, we're only using about 20% of our wardrobe most of the time. A whole lot of our duds go unworn, which means wasted money and wasted resources. If you do need new clothes, consider secondhand stores and websites. They often sell barely worn clothing at a fraction of the price, including those made by high-end designers, as found on sites like TheRealReal.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

There are a lot of reasons to skip buying "pre-washed" lettuce in bags and boxes at the supermarket. Beyond the plastic waste, a tremendous amount of water is used to wash those leafy greens. Since there have been consumer concerns about the cleanliness of mixed greens, companies now "triple wash" greens using an extraordinary amount of water. The simplest thing is to skip bagged and boxed greens and go for whole heads instead. Simply soak in a bowl of water and use a salad spinner to remove the excess water.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION