It’s the season to give gifts. It’s second-nature to head out and brave the crowds at the mall and big box stores and pay a good bit of money (or spend a lot of time waiting in line to pay less) for items that are overly packaged and shipped from all over the world.

Instead of braving the crowds and investing in things with tons of packaging that will end up in the garbage, why not consider making some gifts this year?

Homemade gifts are making a comeback (at least in my little world) and they can mean a lot to the recipient.

My father is a teacher and my husband is a teacher. I know about teacher presents. You feel obligated to get something, but the poor teacher’s cupboards really can’t hold that many more Christmas mugs or tins full of hard candy. And what about the neighbors or co-workers?

These smaller gifts can really add up, and for the most part, those gifts are throw-aways. They’re the gifts you buy in the “gift” section — golf tee holder, anyone? But they don’t have to be.

For the past couple of years, I’ve baked a few different types of cookies, packaged them up in the numerous Christmas tins and baskets that we’ve received from past students, and handed them out to neighbors and friends.

For my son’s teachers, I made pain pillows. They are little bags filled with lentils and mint leaves that you drizzle with water and pop in the microwave. I wrote on the card that they were just in case my little angel ever became a little pain. They were very easy (I sew and had plenty of scrap fabrics) and used natural products. They were useful and hopefully got used. You don’t have to sew to make these. Please respond or send me an email and I will gladly send you directions.

If baking and sewing aren’t your thing, you can always make dry mixes to hand out. You can put them in old salsa or pasta sauce jars (thoroughly cleaned out!) with directions on what to add and how to make the treat.

That not your thing? What about a fruit basket? With all of the cookies and baked goods people are receiving, getting something a little healthier would be welcome.

Our neighbors are big gardeners and would probably love a pretty plant. If you want to give a poinsettia to anyone, please make sure they don’t have an animal or kids that will chew on it. I’ve read that they aren’t poisonous, but it’s not a good idea to ingest them. In our house, the plant would definitely be touched by all our small ones (both the 2-legged and 4-legged ones) and tasted by most of them. It looks like you can become ill if you eat a lot of this plant and I know that our cats would have a field day noshing on it.

If service is more your thing, you could always rake leaves or shovel snow for someone. Maybe you could offer to babysit for an overworked co-worker.

Do you have any homemade gift ideas? I would love to read about some new ones!

Welcome to August – the month of more water usage than any other month of the year in the United States. It’s time we identify methods to keep ourplants happy and green and still reduce our appetites for the ubiquitous clearliquid.

On average, an American household uses about 260 gallons per day, but this amount climbs to around 1,000 gallons per day during peak water use season with some households using as much as 3,000 gallons a day, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

But we can all do more to reduce our water consumption. According to EPA’s WaterSense Program, homeowners can save as much as $110 a year just by following a few tips and making a few changes.

August tends to mean hot, dry weather leading to more yard watering just to keep our plants alive and our neighbors from wondering why we stopped caring for our yards. To save money on your water bills set sprinklers to water your plants only early in the morning or at dusk. Watering in the middle of the day when it is hottest means more of the water will evaporate before being absorbed by vegetation. Purchase a rain gauge and water only one inch of supplemental water in the absence of rain. Your rain gauge will tell you how much water will be needed if your area received rain. Also before watering plants, press your finger into the soil up to the first knuckle and see if it is moist. If the soil is dry and your finger comes out clean, the plant needs water.

If your grass needs water, set up sprinklers in the early morning hours or in the evening and attach timers to them. Nothing wastes more water than forgetting about your sprinkler for hours. Timers are available at most hardware stores and can be as simple as an egg timer mechanism or as technologically advanced as a digital interface. Prices vary so check out reviews online so you can make the most informed decision before purchasing.

Install rain barrels around your home at the ends of gutter downspouts. These barrels will hold rain water for you until your plats are ready to use it. I installed one this summer on our new home and we have barely used our hose at all for our vegetable garden and household plants. Purchase or make a rain barrel which has a spout as close to the bottom as possible. Make sure the barrel has a screen on the top to reduce the number of bugs which can enter the water. To keep any larvae from germinating, add mosquito dunks to the water – they are non-toxic and will not hurt your plants. If the water in the barrel begins to smell at all, do not worry. Add a capful or two of bleach to the water and let it sit for a day before you use it again. Rain barrels offer free water and help reduce runoff in your neighborhood. Some municipalities offer financial help with purchasing these inexpensive barrels and some have tax rebates. Make sure to check with your municipality to see what they offer.

Outdoors isn’t the only place you can save a little water, though. Keep a pitcher of water in your refrigerator so that you always have cold water on hand and you do not have to run the tap water until it is cold. Wash only full loads of laundry and dishes, and scrape dishes instead of rinsing when loading the dishwasher. Lastly, put your favorite handyperson to work fixing leaks around the home, which can waste about 200 gallons per week. Fixing leaks can add up to about $50 in utility bill savings annually.

Renovating or planning to upgrade your kitchen or bath? Look for EPA’s WaterSense label on toilets, faucets and faucet accessories which have helped Americans save more than 9.3 billion gallons of water and realize more than $55 million in savings on water and sewer bills in just 2008. That is enough water to supply 100,000 average households for a year.