Fix It: Save money, reduce landfill, show-off

To put it simply, landfills suck. According to the New Mexico Museum of Natural History, each American contributes four pounds of trash to landfills each day. One might think that the waste decomposes, but it only does so at an extremely decelerated rated. A lack of oxygen allows decades old newspapers to be preserved in readable condition. Landfills are eye-sores and they stink.

So before you throw something away, consider fixing it. While many of today's electronics are too complicated for the average person to repair, there are plenty of things that can be fixed. Not only will you reduce landfill, you can save some loot and impress your friends with your mad skills. Here are a couple of things that I (and others) saved from the good ol' trash heap:

• An audio cable with a bent connector. $4 at Radio Shack and some basic soldering skills saved me $20 for a new cable.
• An Ikea bookshelf with stripped out holes. $1 at Home Depot gave those screw heads something to grab onto and saved a $100 Ikea masterpiece.
• A roof light in a car that wouldn't stay put. My friend tested duct tape, velcro and glue to repair the light in her car.

Not so good at fixing things? With the power of the Internet, you can be! Check sites like DIY Network or other DIY (do it yourself) sites. Just do the Google.

What have you fixed? Post your successes to inspire others in the comments section.

Image: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Landfill_compactor.jpg