Do Just One Thing

Among the prized items your local food bank loves to get during the holiday season: spices! Essential spices like salt, pepper, chili powder and cinnamon are critical, since they can go a long way to make unseasoned food like rice, beans and oatmeal taste a whole lot better. And while canned fruit is something you can also give, avoid pineapple. It's the most common donated fruit, so try to give berries, apples and pumpkin instead.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

Do you love avocados? Don't toss the pits in the trash! They can be upcycled into the most delightful foot and body scrub. The trick is to rinse the avocado pits and let them thoroughly dry for a week in a sunny spot in your home. When the pits are dried out, they'll split into quarter-pieces easily. Grind up those quarter-pieces in a food processor or coffee grinder until you get a coarse mixture, then add some lemon juice, a little mashed avocado, vinegar and coarse salt. Scrub away!

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

While many charity stores and thrift shops don't accept old underwear, you don't always have to toss used undergarments in the trash. Some old underwear and undergarments are compostable -- it just depends on what they're made from. If you have old underwear that's past its prime and made from 100% cotton or silk, you can tear it up and add it to you compost. Just remove any elastic, buttons or straps made of synthetic materials and rip what's left into small pieces so it breaks down more easily.

ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION