Inside: We all know it costs a lot to run a household. Here are a few simple ideas to help the budget.

Two of the most basic household items we always have in good supply are white vinegar and baking soda. Not only do we use them for cooking and baking, but they are inexpensive and very effective household cleansers. A spritz of vinegar can easily make a toilet bowl shine (with a little elbow grease)! A grungy sink or tub? No problem: scrub them down with baking soda and a little water, rinse well and stand back and watch them glimmer. We also put a quarter cup of vinegar in our washing machine rinse cycle to help freshen and soften our clothes. Also, a combination of one quarter vinegar and three quarters olive oil (shaken well in a squeezy bottle) makes an excellent polish for wood furniture. Try a little on an inconspicuous spot before you lather it on! Of course, many of us know that a small bowl of soda in our fridge helps keeps odour down but try it in your cats’ litter (after you clean it daily). It helps to prolong the effectiveness of the litter. The smell of vinegar evaporates quickly as well. These products are inexpensive and earth friendly to boot. Try drying your clothes on indoor drying racks (in the winter). Not using your energy guzzling dryer will save you money, any time of year.

Idling is no less harmful for the people who breathe in the exhaust, especially children, who are more susceptible to the effects of engine emissions.

Out: I (Jen) interrupt my garden ponderings, as the garden sits idle, to discuss idling. We can save a lot of gas, money, and emissions, and at the same time protect our vehicles, by cutting back on idle time. Canadians have long idled their vehicles to warm them up, assuming that this is good for their engines. However, research has shown that with modern engines, idling, even when it’s freezing cold and even when it’s a diesel, fails to effectively warm engines and is not only unnecessary but harmful. Engines idle at a suboptimal operating temperature, causing oil contamination and corrosion from condensation in the exhaust system. Idling decreases the engine’s ability to operate efficiently.

Idling is no less harmful for the people who breathe in the exhaust, especially children, who are more susceptible to the effects of engine emissions. All vehicles, and especially diesel engines, produce very fine particles that deeply penetrate lungs and inflame the circulatory system. People with asthma and lung disease are particularly sensitive to these irritants, and can experience disease exacerbations with even short-term exposure.

And of course, carbon dioxide produces its own harm as a greenhouse gas. Natural Resources Canada has stated that if Canadian motorists decreased idling by just three minutes every day, it would keep 1.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere annually, equivalent to taking 320,000 cars off the road.

What to do instead? Wear a warm coat! In the coldest weather, using a block engine heater for a couple of hours before starting the engine is the most effective way to warm it up, then driving slowly for several blocks. It is generally recommended that a vehicle be run for at most three minutes (probably much less) prior to driving, even in the winter. Check your vehicle manufacturer’s recommendations on this. It’s worth looking into, for the health of your vehicle, the people who breathe the air inside and around your vehicle, and the planet.