While it may seem like an act of kindness, feeding deer during the cold winter months is not only unnecessary, but harmful. Supplemental feeding is unnecessary because a deer's natural metabolism slows in the winter to conserve fat and energy. Offering food creates several problems: It reduces the animal's natural fear of humans, it can sicken them if the food is unhealthy, and it actually can make them breed larger litters (especially bad, since their populations are generally out of control). If you want to help deer, it's better to do nothing at all.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

If you've ever done a crab boil, you might have wondered what you can do with the leftover shells of the tasty shellfish. Turns out you shouldn't toss them in the trash. The shells from crabs, lobsters and mussels/clams are composed of nutrient-rich materials like calcium carbonate, and they break down into calcium, magnesium and nitrogen, which means they are an excellent material to add to compost piles or right into the garden. The trick is to make sure they are clean and as small as possible, so hammer away before you add them to soil or compost.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

The Natural Resources Defense Council says a typical refrigerator uses around 10% to 15% of an entire household's energy bill each month. That's a lot. While unplugging a fridge when you go away is the most efficient action you can take, it really isn't realistic. So do the next best thing: Raise the temperature of your refrigerator to 38-42 degrees. That's cold enough to keep food preserved but helps make your appliance much more energy-efficient while you're away.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION