What to do with all those empty plastic produce bags

You can recycle them, of course, but why not put them to good use? Hang them in the car to collect trash. Secure them to your hands with a rubber band when you’re doing messy jobs around the house, like sealing the driveway, painting, and picking up dog dirt.
This allows you to cut down on the expense of vinyl gloves.

Canadians save money with the federal ecoENERGY program

Canadians who have an energy audit before they start renovating are eligible for federal government grants offered through Natural Resources Canada. For example, they could get up to $600 for installing an HRV (heat recovery ventilation) system, or up to $1000 for upgrading basement insulation. Complete details of the program and a downloadable brochure are available at this link: http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/residential/personal/retrofit-homes/retrofit-qualify-grant.cfm?attr=4

Contact local heating and cooling specialists or home renovation contractors to participate in the program. They will arrange for a Certified Energy Advisor to perform specialized tests and procedures on your home in order to assess your current energy loss factors. Based on this information, they will draw up a proposal for energy-efficient renovations or “retrofits” to improve your home’s energy profile and derive the highest benefit from the government grant program for your specific application.

Canadians could save money by importing cars from the U.S.

Now that the loonie is reaching parity with the U.S. dollar, a number of websites have sprung up claiming that Canadians can save thousands of dollars on the purchase of a car by importing it from the U.S. One of these websites offers a step-by-step guide to the importing process for $19.99: http://www.ucanimport.com/products.aspx .

Before you buy that guide, you might want to download the free brochure from the Registrar of Imported Vehicles: http://www.riv.ca/english/html/how_to_import.html .

It appears to be a complicated process, fraught with the possibility of making costly errors. Your local Canadian automobile dealer may not be enthusiastic about servicing your vehicle while it’s under warranty. Warranties may be invalid in Canada. But if you can save $5000-$15,000, it might be worth the trouble. I’ll settle for shopping trips for clothes, small electronic appliances, and tools, or just wait for prices to drop here to match the U.S. border city prices.