MONEY
Free Santa Paws photos. Santa steps off his sleigh at the Hotel Monaco, 1717 Champa St., today to pose for pictures with four-legged friends. Pet parents can bring their cameras and snap shots of their beloved “fur babies” with Santa in the hotel’s elegant living room-style lobby. 2-4 p.m. Can’t make it today? “Santa Paws” returns to the hotel for more free pet photos on Dec. 12 and 19.
TIME & SPACE
“Life is in the details.” Christine Louise Hohlbaum is author of the new book “The Power of Slow: 101 Ways to Save Time in Our 2 4/7 World” (St. Martin’s Press). Her premise is that we should “establish a more positive relationship with time so we have more of it.” Read more at , or heed this advice:
Recycle junk mail by placing a bin just inside your front door (or stashed in a nearby closet or garage on the way from the mailbox). Drop the junk mail into the bin before it even fully enters the house.
Designate laundry day. Instead of running your washing machine 2 4/7, gather clothes into colored laundry baskets for cleaning and sorting on specific days.
Keep one set of cleaning supplies on each floor of your home.
ENERGY
No purchase necessary. Retailers are eager for homeowners to buy the latest energy-efficient products. But Tom Kraeutler, host of the nationally syndicated home-improvement radio show “The Money Pit,” compiled these commonsense ways to lower energy bills without buying anything new.
Lock your windows. Don’t just close them. Locking them creates an airtight seal that prevents air leaks and drafts.
Plug power-draining computers and electronics equipment into a power strip with a switch, so they can all be easily turned off when not in use.
Get free solar heat by opening your blinds and shades during the day.
Run only full dishwasher loads.
Do your laundry in cold water.
Run your dryer in the evening, when the extra heat helps warm your house.
Add a sweater, and lower the thermostat. For every degree you lower your thermostat, you may be able to save 5 percent on heating costs.
Snuggle up under more blankets at night, and turn your heat down.
