With colder weather around the corner, one thing you can do to save energy at home is called "draftproofing." Take a lighted incense stick around your home to find hidden drafts. When you hold the stick near walls, attic doors, entry doors, fireplace dampers and windows, see if the smoke goes horizontally. If it does, there's a leak that needs to be sealed. Caulk, foam and weather stripping can help insulate and fix this problem quickly and easily.

Halloween usually means face painting, but since cosmetics sold at costume shops rarely list ingredients, that could mean things like lead, arsenic and even mercury in face paints. If spreading these chemicals on your kid's face makes you feel uneasy, try this DIY solution: Use cornstarch, water and food coloring. You can customize the exact shades you want and feel good that you're using food-grade ingredients to achieve a spooktacular look.

You may not be thinking "Christmas" in October, but for local charities like Goodwill and the Salvation Army, this is the time to clear out your attic or basement of holiday decor. Artificial Christmas trees, ornaments, working string lights and stockings are items the charities love to receive now. They stock their stores at the end of the month, just like national retailers do. And since they don't save holiday items season to season, they need the items now to raise money for their valuable charitable works.