Did you know leaving your TV, cable box and Wi-Fi router plugged in all day can burn through $150 in electricity costs every year? It's even worse if no one is home during the day to use any of these devices. Because these electronics use energy even when inactive, a simple solution is to plug them into a surge protector with an easy-to-access on/off switch. When you leave for the day, turn it off so it's not wasting power for eight to 10 hours, then turn it on when you get home. The inconvenience of waiting a few minutes for everything to reboot is worth it.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

It's no secret that a full freezer is the most efficient kind, since the majority of the energy used is to cool down warm air. A more packed freezer means less air, which means less energy used to cool things down. But what if your freezer isn't full? You can fill up large bags with Styrofoam packing peanuts to fill up spaces, or reuse freezer bags by filling them with water and freezing them flat to act as ice blocks (and they can be used to keep things cool in ice chests when you need them). Any reusable plastic containers (perhaps from takeout) can be cleaned, filled with water and frozen to help fill your freezer space, too.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

It seems like a sustainable idea: Place some bamboo plants in the yard to add some vegetation and create a fast-growing barrier to act as a natural fence between neighbors. But here's the reality: Bamboo is an incredibly invasive plant species that's best used as a small indoor plant in your home. The fast-growing plant knows no boundaries, so it can quickly spread onto your neighbor's property and also choke out native plant species. And if you ever want to remove the bamboo, it will take a lot of chemical herbicides to kill it for good. Leave bamboo plants to their native regions and go with other fast-growing bushes and trees instead.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION