While your donation of a lightly used (and loved) dining room table and chairs to charity may seem like a generous gift, there's a reason why many won't take it: They simply don't have the storage or floor space for it. Furniture is bulky and heavy, and it's one of the top items to fill landfills. While some charities will take furniture, it's best to try to use a furniture resale site near you to find a home for your old pieces. You can make money, and some even offer "white glove" pickup and delivery to make it as easy as possible.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

One of the best things you can do to extend the life of perishable produce is to keep ripening fruit away from other vegetables and fruit. Ripening fruits are those that get sweeter over time, like apples and pears. As they ripen, they emit an odorless gas called ethylene that can cause even hearty produce like squash and onions to yellow, wilt and even rot. Just keeping these items separated from each other can extend the life of your produce by weeks.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

Pastry chefs say the best surface to roll dough, make chocolates and do other types of baking prep work on is a marble countertop, since it stays cool to the touch. If you don't have a marble countertop and don't want to make the investment to buy one, think scrap heap instead. Countertop fabricators often have square slabs of marble waste leftover from the holes they cut to fit sinks when installing new countertops. Those slabs are inexpensive and can be cut into any shape of your choice with smooth edges.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION