This year alone, manufacturers of video games will sell about 174 million units. That's a lot of hard-to-recycle metal, plastic and mixed material pieces that will one day end up in a landfill. As gaming continues to grow, retailers are making it easier to give unwanted games a second life. The online site Cash for Gamers (cashforgamers.com) takes all sorts of games -- even broken ones -- and will often even pay you for them. It also provides a recycling service for all sorts of outdated and obsolete games. Retail stores like GameStop have in-store buying and selling services for old games and can be a place to recycle unwanted discs and cartridges, too.

After brewing your morning cup of coffee, don't toss the grinds into the trash. Grab some pots and pans that need a good cleaning -- cast iron pans are particularly good to try this idea on -- and scrub them with the used grinds. Their naturally abrasive texture will buff off debris, and they'll rinse clean without the use of any chemical cleaners.

Americans drive about 3 trillion miles every year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. More than 70 percent of United States oil use is for transportation, which means doing small things to help reduce your gas usage can help save precious natural resources and money in your wallet, too. Take a look at your car's owner manual: Are you using the grade of motor oil it recommends? Using the wrong kind -- or not knowing and trusting the auto shop to choose -- can lower your car's gas mileage up to 2 percent. Changing to the proper oil grade won't cost more, and it will save you money at the pump.