Page 14 Fall Home Improvement 2025 Lincoln Daily News • Speaking of clothes, use a clothesline or a drying rack. Yes, you can dry your clothes outside year-round! The temperature is not the issue; it is the humidity. Higher humidity means they will not dry as fast, but with a wind, they could. So just watch the daily weather, hang out early in the morning to get optimal sun and plan on drying clothes outside. Bring them in before it gets to cool at night and throw them in the dryer for 5 minutes to soften them up before putting them away. • Use cold water to wash clothes, it protects the colors and washes just as well as using hot or warm water. • Consider carpooling or simply driving less and smarter. By combining errands with work driving, kids practices or grocery shopping, and using your cruise control on the highway, it will help make that gas tank last a little longer. • Plan to take your lunch to work and look forward to treating yourself out to lunch occasionally instead of the norm. • Make homemade gifts. This used to be the most fashionable way to share love between friends, family and loved ones. This has lost its ump since it’s so easy to go to a big box store and get a plate of cookies, toys from a shelf or a ball from a bin. They even have the tissue paper and bag, and it can all be assembled in the parking lot. But a homemade gift speaks of time, love, and thoughtful planning. Ideas such as an unused basket filled with brownies, coupons for babysitting, dog sitting, housesitting, creating a memory book, framing a family photo, or making a favorite meal, could mean much more. Even using your children’s colored artwork, newspapers, ribbon, or discounted material cut into strips can be used for wrapping the gift. • In addition to adjusting your thermostat (a programmable ‘smart’ thermostat can automate this process), dressing warmer, and turning the fan blades clockwise/ counterclockwise there are other things that can help that bottom line such as:
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