Before you reach for the chemical flea repellent sprays if you suspect your dog’s bed might be infested, try trapping the pesky pests instead. When your dog isn’t on the bed, put it in a dark room and place a small lamp by the bed. Leave the light on, and put a bowl of very soapy water near the bed and light. The fleas are attracted to the warmth of the light and will fall into the trap. If you see fleas in the water, you can take steps to clean and disinfect the bed.

Does your local mall have a fountain or wishing well that collects spare change? Do you work with a local nonprofit organization? Many malls donate the change to support local groups, but it’s the organization’s responsibility to count and deposit the change with a local bank. If the mall manager is willing to give you the coins, you can avoid the hassle of cleaning, drying and counting every single coin: Your local bank can work with the United States Mint and its mutilated coin department to accept the buckets of wet and slimy coins. The Mint handles everything and will directly deposit the amount into the charity’s bank account. It’s worth connecting the dots and trying to raise coins for a good cause.

Goodwill is a great place to donate a whole variety of household items to be resold for charity. The list of accepted items is long and varied: everything from lightly used cookware to electronics to cars in any condition. When you donate, you can also write off your donation as a tax deduction. To make it easy, Goodwill offers a “donation value guide” that generalizes what most items in a certain category are worth. For example, winter coats have a tax-deductible value of $12.99, and children’s books are worth around 59 cents each. It all adds up!