Do you find yourself getting less exercise during the cooler months? If so, you may also notice you gain a few extra pounds when it's cold outside. But there is something you can do, and it's something you don't even need to make any extra time for. Here's what you do...

Plastic is all around us. From our kids' toys to their sippy cups, from grocery bags to Tupperware bowls, from furniture to toothbrushes. That's not even including all of the plastic involved in packaging - from food to appliances to toys to clothing. Plastic is everywhere and while it's not good for our health, it may be even worse for our environment. So this holiday season I am challenging all of you to become more aware of your plastic consumption and make conscious choices to avoid plastic whenever possible.

Neo-haggling is being hailed as the latest trend in shopping.It is the art/passion of looking and asking for a discount on everything you buy. I didn't know it but I am a leaning-neo-haggler. While I don't haggle for everything I buy, I absolutely haggle on many items. The Sunday Chicago Tribune had a front page story about Neo-Hagglers. Their ranks are growing. Half of consumers surveyed in April by

As the cool October weather sets in, I rummage through the attic, tear out the bins of warm clothes and happily stash the tee shirts and linen pants for another year. I like all kinds of weather, but fall is my favorite time, and aside from tights, turtlenecks are my wardrobe staple. Easy to accessorize with a necklace, scarf or cardigan, I like turtlenecks in cotton and wool blends. Not itchy ones, though, so no cashmere or angora wool.

Is it possible to save money on the grocery bill, and still eat healthy?

Like many of you, I have one hell of a time finding jeans. It seems like it shouldn't be so difficult -- there are a million different styles, and all I need is ONE PAIR. But, I have a few, uh, let's say quirks that make shopping tough:

We have reached the last weekend of summer.  That can only mean one thing in this house.  We have reached the last minute panic as I inventory closets and drawers to see if I really do have to make that journey to the mall for the yearly Back-To-School shopping torture experience.  After two hours and 5 stores, I left the mall with a teenage son who bought a new pair of shoes, some socks and one shirt.  My tween?  He had one pair of jeans and one shirt.  That's all.So much for getting prepared ahead of time this year!

My kids have been back at school for a full week, now, but most of the country is still enjoying summer break. This is for those of you just starting to think about preparation for the back-to-school routine.

For years environmentalists have been promoting reusable shopping bags to cut down on the amount of plastic bag waste generated by grocery stores. Although I loved this idea in theory, I must confess I've been a slow adopter. I found it hard to remember to take bags to the store, and often the bags were too small. Now I've found a bag that works for me, and I'm finally developing the reusable shopping bag habit.

Last time I went shopping in San Francisco was with Elsa of The Greener Side -- and eco-fashions were pretty hard to find. That, however, was way back in February 2006 before "An Inconvenient Truth," you know, changed things.

Traditional financial lore is that teenagers remain largely impervious to changes in the economy; teens and shopping go together like, well, chocolate and peanut butter. The current economic environment (notice that I am not using the "R" word) really is dire, though, because the news is now reporting that even teenagers are spending less.

Save the world by -- shopping?