2/26/14

When you buy secondhand clothing from a thrift store, consignment shop or online, you are doing more than just saving money; you're helping the environment. It's about 95 percent more energy efficient to buy used clothes than new clothes that have to be manufactured. One tip to find clothes that fit your body type is to make note of the online or in-store seller who has clothes that fit your body. If he or she is selling jackets, pants, dresses or shoes that fit you perfectly, there's a likely chance anything else they sell in the future will also fit you. Have the store or online seller hold things for you and offer them to you first so you have first pick of discount deals in the future.

2/25/14

The main ingredient in antifreeze -- ethylene glycol -- has a very sweet flavor and a strong candylike aroma. For wild animals and pets, it can be tempting to lick the highly poisonous antifreeze where there are spills on the ground, so clean up spills right away. Avoid temptation entirely by not walking pets near areas with lots of parked cars. Another thing you can do to help lessen the poison risk is to choose antifreeze that contains propylene glycol instead of ethylene glycol. It is far less toxic to animals and will also still have the high-performance benefits your car needs.

2/24/14

Single cup coffee brewing machines like Keurig have become common fixtures in homes, offices and hotels all over the world. The biggest environmental culprits of these machines are the disposable plastic cups -- otherwise known as K-Cups -- that you use once and throw away. To save money and cut back on the environmental waste, you can actually reuse them. Simply peel back the foil cover on the K-Cup and dump the coffee grounds inside into your compost bin. Rinse and dry it. Then scoop in ground coffee and secure a reusable cap -- search "Kaps for K-Cups" on Amazon.com -- that lets you reuse your plastic cups until it's time to throw them away.