10/18/12

If you're putting together a fundraiser for your favorite charity, think outside the usual bake sale or car wash by recycling bottles of perfume. Since the user never touches perfume, a sale of lightly used bottles can be a fun and easy way to raise money. Ask volunteers, neighbors and others to donate their used collection of fragrances, then have a sale where the fragrances are steeply discounted. This gives people a chance to try pricey designer scents, and it recycles half-empty bottles for a good cause.

10/17/12

Cooler weather means many of us may take advantage of fireplaces to warm our homes. Take the time today to make sure the fireplace damper is properly working and that it can fully open and close with ease. A broken damper that leaves the flue open is like having a small window open in your home all day long. By having it properly closed when not in use, you can save around 8 percent of the heated air from escaping up the flue.

10/16/12

One of the new items clogging up junk drawers is the small, portable flash drive. These little drives shouldn't be tossed when you don't have a need for them. First, erase all the files and data that might be on the drive. Then find a local school where fast Internet access may not be prevalent. Many students who do not have lightning-speed Internet access have a hard time sending electronic files from home to school. By giving schools your old flash drives, you can help kids do homework.