The East Coast may be in the middle of the floodpocalypse, but the South is still suffering through some of the worst drought conditions on record.Even when there’s no shortage, saving water is just good policy. As a child, I used to watch my dad shave. Rather than running the water over his razor to rinse it, he would fill the sink with water and swish the razor through at top speed. He said that serving in the Navy taught him how precious water is. “Why don’tcha save some for the fish,” he’d mutter, if I was letting the tap run too long. We could all stand to preserve a few drops this summer. Here are some tips for saving water at home. Some are strange, some are easy, and some will save you buckets of cash on your water bill, for reals.

Red, white, and blue flowerpot for your stoop.Where I used to live in Queens, there was a guy on the corner whose garage was packed to the rafters with neatly organized and labeled boxes containing house decorations for every conceivable holiday -- the guy even sidestepped irony by having big, plastic, unrecyclable Arbor Day decorations. Every few weeks, his beleaguered wife would trail after him to their backyard and he’d bark orders to her, moving the boxes with military precision to rotate out the next batch of abode-bunting.  I cannot be bothered. I prefer my holiday decorations to be subdued, natural, and storage-free. Which is why I created a cute little red, white, and blue flowerpot for the Fourth of July that’ll fly its colors all summer long! Do you like it? Here’s some advice if you want to do something similar.

I have this annoying box in my storage area, and it’s full of re-usable party supplies: gift bags, themed paper plates, leftover goody-bag crap/swag, slightly wrinkled wrapping paper, odd lengths of ribbon, and a few banners that, at this point, say something more like HAPY BITHDY. I am not giving up that box. But I think there’s a better way -- reusable party decorations and goody bags that don’t instantly add to landfills.

And I think that even if each item is more than I'd pay for the disposable kind, the reuse more than makes up for the initial expense.  Would these ideas work for you?

When Mother’s Day rolled around, I went to the plant nursery so I could finally get a few touches of green around this abode. Since giving life via my body, twice, I hadn’t given life to anything non-human. It was time to finally replace my long-lost, hummingbird-attracting fuchsia plant. But when I cast my eyes about, I no longer saw colorful living works of art and beautiful little oxygen factories. I saw a sea of worry and frettitude. Stuff my little crawler could pull over, stuff in her mouth, and otherwise devour, and that my slightly less-little toddler could run smack into. What plants, soils, fertilizers, and flowers would be least likely to maim my children? I didn’t know -- so I came home plantless. And called Melinda Myers. A radio and TV personality and author of more than 20 gardening books, including Can’t Miss Small Space Gardening, she knows all about blossoms, dearie. Here’s what she had to say.

If home is where the heart is, we all must have really dirty hearts! Every day we're exposed to tons of chemicals, toxins, and icky pesticides. Yikes!

They may be virtually impossible to avoid out in the great, big world, but we totally can make small changes in our homes that reap big benefits. 

Check out 50 (easy, I swear!) ways to detox your home. Happy cleaning!

By now, all of us are recycling our everyday household items on a regular basis (right? right?! don't make me come over there!). However, every so often, a light bulb -- a CFL, of course -- goes off in my head, and I realize there's something I could have been recycling that never occurred to me. What can I say? I'm slow to learn.

We've put together a list of surprising items you can recycle -- if you can't reuse, repair, or repurpose them first -- now that you know about them!

In case you didn't get enough Earth Day/Week news, the TODAY Show featured a California family that has gone extreme green. The Johnsons are an adorable family of four that don't create or throw away waste. I know what you're thinking: Twisty ties are taking over their home. As well as: Why do these people have to make me feel guilty about my carbon footprint that could be smaller, but dammit, I recycle!

Surprisingly, the steps Bea and Scott Johnson take are quite simple, yet create a dramatic result.

Everything costs more these days -- gas, airplane tickets, Royal Wedding souvenirs (I know you've been pricing Will and Kate throw pillows -- I think they'll go on mega-sale April 30). Add to that list your family's groceries. Milk, eggs, and even tartar sauce are all a few cents more ... which adds up big time. If only you could do something to shave off a few dollars of that food bill -- wait! You can! You can become a farmer!

Okay, not like a farmer with a barn and livestock and bales of hay (psst, overalls are way overrated), but you can grow your own veggies on that little patch of grass by the patio. Some vegetables may not be worth it to grow on your own, but those more expensive, good-for-you salad fixings are perfect to plant ... and save moolah!