A small water leak may seem harmless, but these itty-bitty drops of water can lead to up to 3,000 gallons of wasted water per year. While the easiest way to fix these leaks is to hire a plumber, sometimes you can discover them during off-hours or during particularly busy times. Instead of turning off the main water valve for the entire house, do a temporary fix. At the home improvement store, look for silicone repair tape, which is designed to mold around the leak and create a temporary seal for small holes. It will stop the leak and give you a few days before you need a professional to come and fix it.

Did you or your family members participate in sports or showing animals? If you have participation ribbons collecting dust or stashed away in a box in the attic, you can recycle them. The nonprofit organization Ribbon Recycling wants your used show ribbons. It cleans them up and distributes them to organizations that use horse therapy (through riding) to help people with developmental disabilities. Since many of these groups are fully staffed by volunteers, they do not have the funds to award ribbons. This is a way to reuse your old ribbons for something good. Learn more at ribbonrecycling.com.

The average amount of time we spend in the shower is about 10 minutes, which is about five minutes too long. But it's understandable: It's hard to tell how long you've been in the shower ... unless you time it. Bring the kitchen timer into the bathroom and set it to five minutes. When your time is up, so is your shower. You can also sync your smartphone to a speaker and suds up to your favorite song. The average showerhead uses about 5 gallons of water per minute, so reducing your shower time saves 25 gallons per shower, per person.