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This is the second in a series of Articles that have become The Energy Saver Challenge.  The first article concentrated on helping people save energy and money on their lighting bill.  The focus for now is on how your appliances can cost you unnecessary money, be using energy for which no benefit is derived and how you can do better for the environment and your wallet no matter what your circumstances. 

If you are in the market for a new fridge or freezer, dishwasher or oven or any other appliance for your home, now is the time to make some quality decisions.  It's not all about looks you know, these days it is just as important to select a model that will perform not only in the cooling/washing/looks department but also in the energy use department. 

Look for a model that has the top energy rating.   A model with a high energy rating can save you a lot of money over the lifetime of the appliance.  Plus, you can know that you have made a choice that is a better deal for the environment too.  Now let's get into some useful detail.

Fridges and Freezers:

Did you know that your fridge and freezer account for a large proportion of the energy you use in your house?  The reason for this is they usually run all day and all night, every day of the year.  Learning how to use your fridge and freezer efficiently can make a big difference to how much energy you use.  This is all good news for the environment and for your electricity bill.  Most people are not in the market for a new fridge and there are some important things you can do to improve the performance of your current fridge and freezer.

The first is to give it a bit of a tune-up in terms of it's seals.

Are they airtight?

• You can check that by putting a piece of paper between the body of the fridge and the door. Shut the door and then tug gently on the paper.  If it comes out easily then your seal is not tight enough and that is costing you money 24/7!  It may be that the door hinges can be adjusted to improve the seal or perhaps it's time to get the seals replaced.
•  I read recently on an energy company website that an old inefficient refrigerator can use three times as much energy as a new one!  That means it costs you three times as much to run.  If you can check the seal and make that better or replace it, you will certainly benefit.

The party fridge, the beer fridge, the Christmas overflow fridge - whatever it's name at your place, it is costing you money.  Up to $200 a year!  So ask yourself a couple of questions:

• Is it necessary for this fridge to be turned on all the time or could you just turn it on when it is actually needed?  This will cut your energy consumption and save you a stack of money.
•  Do your really need the second fridge at all?  I mean, how bad is the refrigeration situation?  Was it a good idea once upon a time and now circumstances have changed? 
• Perhaps the solution is to sell it to someone who really needs it.

First there is size.

• Is your fridge the right size for your needs?  We usually have our fridges for a long time, and often we are using a fridge that is no longer optimum for our needs.  I used to own a really big fridge because there were five of us in the house and we needed the room.  Now there are only three of us and we have a medium size fridge however, most of the time we could probably get away with one that was even a little bit smaller. 

• That's the way they like it best.  So if you are looking in the door of your fridge and there isn't much in there and that is the way it usually looks - I can suggest that you are over capacity in the fridge department and it might be worth considering downsizing!

A couple of other tips to help your fridge keep more money in your wallet and create fewer greenhouse gases for the environment.

• It's best not to locate your fridge or freezer near your oven, or even if it gets sun on it.  Just makes it work harder and you know what that means! 

• Fridges need space - make sure there is a gap at the back near the ventilation coils so that it can work efficiently.  Around 80mm is recommended.
•  And last but not least, give the back of the fridge a bit of a dust now and then, this helps the ventilation system too - and you'll be amazed at what makes it way around the back of the fridge when you are not looking.

Mine is my husband and my son and I think they both have a 50 star energy rating!   Seriously though, washing dishes in the sink is a good thing and personally I think it's underrated as a family activity. 

Still if you must use a dishwasher think about it's energy rating when you buy it and see how many of these tips you can adopt in it's use.

• Only run the dishwasher with a full load - it uses the same amount of energy (and water!) whether it's full or half full so it just makes sense to wait until it's full right? 

• Then don't let the machine dry the dishes for you - program it to stop before the drying cycle and just open the door - the dishes will dry themselves without any extra energy needed at all.

Once again if you are buying new, go for the highest energy rated appliance you can afford - it will keep saving you money for the whole of its life.

One big tip is to only use your oven when you actually need to.

• Frying pans, pressure cookers and crock pots and even microwave ovens are more energy efficient if what you are cooking can be created in them. 
• If you are going to use your oven, check that the door closes fully and that there is a good seal when it is closed.  No point in paying for all that energy to warm it up if it is just going to escape out around the door. 
• This applies equally to electric or gas ovens. 

• Did you know that just putting the lid on the pot will substantially lessen the amount of energy required to cook what is in it? 
• Plus, if you ensure that the right pot goes on the right hotplate or burner (not too big, or small) then you will also save substantially in both energy and time.  Not to mention the money!

That washing machine now gets the energy efficiency treatment.  You know the deal by now with the energy rating if you are in the market for new appliances right?  I know you have a good idea of what to look for now. 

The first tip is to wash in cold water.

• I've not washed in hot or warm water for decades and I'd love to know how much energy and money that has saved me.  I also recently had to buy a new machine and went for one of those front loading varieties.  I have to say, I like it very much and it uses less water and less energy than an equivalent top loading machine so it appears I have made a good decision with that one. 
• As with the dishwasher, you will discover that your washing machine will use the same amount of energy whether or not there are a few items or a whole load so it makes sense really to wait until you have a full load of washing if you are trying to save energy and thus have more money in your pocket at the end of the month. 

I was given one as a wedding gift and I had it for about 15 years before it finally coughed it's last load of soft fluffy clothes at me.  However, I had used it less and less as I realised just how much money it cost me each time I used it.  Eventually for the last three or four years it only got used in emergencies of weather or bad management on my part.

• If it is a sunny day, hang your washing outside.  I have a clothes line but I know others who use clothes airers and they work well too.  The sun dries them perfectly, the breeze softens the fabrics and they smell fantastic when you bring them back inside. 

• If you do use your dryer, never put dripping clothes in, always spin them first and make sure the lint filter is cleaned really regularly so that the machine can weave its magic for you as efficiently as possible. 

• Maybe you could trial drying your clothes and just finishing them off in the dryer as an interim measure on a wonderfully sunny day.

Things like your iron, your microwave, your television, computer, dvd/video machine, stereo,gaming consoles.....  How on earth did we come to rely on energy so much for our daily lives. 

Most of these appliances now contain digital clocks and also standby lights.  Now this is all very well but how many clocks does one room need?  In my home, in the kitchen I have a clock on the wall, one on the stove and another on the microwave.  In the living room I think at last count there were four clocks in the TV cabinet!  What is this obsession with clocks on appliances? 

Now to get to the point.  I'll give you an everyday example as a means to make it - the microwave oven.  Most if not all homes now possess such an appliance.  They almost all come with a digital display that tells you all sorts of useful information like temperature and duration of cooking time while you are using them and that is great but once their job is done, they just sit there with their little display telling you the time. And using energy. 

• I use my microwave for less than 30 minutes a day and yet I allow it to use energy (and cost me money) for 24 hours per day.  That just does not make sense. 
• Turn it off at the switch when you are not using it. 
• It will not mind, it will not stop working. 
• Nothing terrible will happen.

The same goes for your stereo. 

• If you are not listening to it, turn it of. 
• Not just on the front, that will just let it sit there on standby mode, using power. 
• Turn it off at the switch.

And when you go to bed at night, all those things in the entertainment cabinet with their little red and green lights just begging you to turn them back on, are costing you money.  Don't listen, reach behind the cabinet and flick that switch!

Now here is the big sell for me about this one.

All those clocks, all those little red and green standby lights (including the ones on your computer!) add around 10% to your energy bill.  That means by creating the habit of turning them off when they are not being used, you could save up to 10% on each and every energy account you receive from this day forward.  Over your lifetime, that can add up to a lot of energy and a nice amount of money left in your bank account for something much more fun than paying the energy bill.

St. Nicholas Fayre is York's biggest and most popular Christmas market. This fayre hosts a myriad of traders from not only across the region, but the rest of Britain. These traders offer the freshest produce and most unique gifts. The open air markets stretch across the length of the city centre's main squares, in even spreads into the historic halls of the city. The 'Made in Yorkshire' craft market is held within the Guild Hall and another craft market is held within St William's College. There is even an unusual medieval market contained within the rooms of Barely Hall.

On Parliament Street, stalls offer hand made gifts and items by craftspeople and artists from throughout the UK. There are breaks in the stalls where you can sit and enjoy some warming punch or some hot chocolate there are even chestnut vendors.

Humber Bridge Victorian Christmas Fair is enjoying its second year as one of the largest fairs in the region. Share the romance and tradition of a Victorian Christmas with your loved ones. Nestled in the shadow of the Humber Bridge, beside beautiful Country Park Nature Reserve and Hessle Foreshore, the fair this year will include over 120 food and craft vendors along with specialty stalls. Santa's Grotto will be there with his reindeer. This is a traditional style fairground that houses a full scale ice rink, a hog roast and entertainment for the whole family, including all ages.

The annual Christkindelmarket German Christmas Market will bring a little piece of Germany to the heart of Leeds. Over 40 authentic German traders will be setting up their stalls in Millennium Square for this festive event. This is one of the largest and best established German style Christmas markets within the UK. At this market, you can relax with a nice warm mug of Glühwein or a traditional German Bratwurst whilst poking through all of the unique stalls of German based items and goods.

The small village of traditional snow capped wooden chalet stalls creates a magical city centre of festive wonderland. It features a large variety of handcrafted items, a multitude of toys and decorations of all kinds. You will be tempted by the wonderful smells of specialty foods and delicacies. The Frankfurter Scheune authentic Bierkeller will provide a buzzing centerpiece and there will be a Christmas funfair as well. The funfair will have a festively decorated carousel, dodgems and a host of small children's rides.

If you're looking for a Christmas venue to do your shopping or just get yourself into the Christmas spirit, you can't go wrong with the markets of Yorkshire. There are many and they all have something different to offer you. You may want to set enough time aside to visit them all during this Christmas season.

People today spend a lot of time at work, so it's no surprise the workplace is one of the top places to meet potential romantic partners. In fact, according to the most recent annual office romance survey from CareerBuilder, nearly 40 percent of workers say they have dated a coworker at least once in their career, and one in five say they've dated their boss.

With so many people dating coworkers and a surprisingly substantial number of them dating the boss, it's a wonder there isn't a shortage of employment law attorneys to handle all the repercussions.

Those repercussions come in many forms, from office gossip because one or both of the parties are married to the coworker who turns out to be a stalker and now has 40-hour-a-week access to his or her object of affection.

If you're attracted to someone in the office, it's not necessarily a bad thing. After all, President Barack Obama met First Lady Michelle in the workplace. You just want to be sure you exercise extra caution.

These tips can help:

Make sure you know that person really well before beginning a romantic relationship. You want to be sure that person is mature and emotionally healthy and that any potential breakup won't interfere with your work or how much you enjoy it.

Check company policies to make sure you aren't violating any rules. Some companies have non-fraternization policies. While they can be difficult to enforce, they can jeopardize your job. Plus, even companies who don't have a written policy to that effect may view no-dating rules as implicit.

Conduct your relationship on your own time. That means don't use company email to send notes to each other, even to confirm a date; don't text each other using company phones, unless, of course, it's work related; and do not hook up in the break room. Some employers have policies regarding personal use of company equipment. Even if they don't, if a harassment claim arises from the relationship, you will have left plenty of evidence.

Avoid romantic relationships with the boss. Romantic relationships between workers and their supervisors are the most risky of all. When they end - and even if they don't - the parties will be subjecting themselves to a variety of discrimination and harassment issues.

Even in consensual relationships (and breakups), how is the supervisor to handle raises or performance reviews objectively and without consideration for the romantic ramifications? Even if the boss is objective, there's ample room for the subordinate to claim the boss had some sort of prejudice. And if not the subordinate in the relationship, the claims certainly can come from office peers.

If you're attracted to the boss and the boss is attracted to you, or vice versa, and you're confident you want to explore the romantic relationship, take steps for one of the parties to get a new assignment. Getting involved with the boss is never a good idea.

If this article comes too late for you and you're already caught in a situation where you're being harassed, you do have options. If your ex-paramour is behaving offensively at the office - leaving obscene gifts or messages or otherwise disrupting your work - talk to someone in your human resources department. If you're afraid for your safety, seek a harassment injunction, which works like a restraining order. Just do it with the understanding that the rest of your coworkers then will know what happened.

Like so many other business decisions, you need to weigh whether an office romance is worth the risk. The heart wants what it wants, but that's no excuse for the brain to step aside.

Whether you are basketball fan or not, you know who the greatest basketball players are of all time are. Many of these greats include Magic Johnson, Dennis Rodman, Michael Jordan and even Vince Carter. It is not hard to know when you hear the news put the two synonymously. Yet, for those die hard fans worldwide, they know even more names that should be recognized immediately.

These are the type of fans that would love to sit in the bleachers, egging their team on, eating hot dogs with mustard. Yet, the costs to do such things could be more than some have the ability to pay. They, for this reason, will have to watch it by television. However, sometimes life gets in the way of watching your game on television. So what are you going to do?

If you are nearby your computer or laptop that has an Internet connection, you can actually see your games. The program is called Satellite TV for PC. The software has over 3,000 channels ranging from cartoons to sports to drama shows, music videos, movies and music channels to pick from. There is never a dull moment using this program.

All you need to do to get started is log onto the site, sign up, download and begin watching whatever entertainment you want. There is no need for those bulky satellite receivers or dishes that are installed whether on the ground or on your rooftop. You will not have to learn those codes to program your television set with and you won't have extra remotes cluttering up your space.

With Satellite TV for PC, there is no need to miss the game when you are nearby your computer. You can watch it when it is live. Why wouldn't you want to do that? Would you really want the alternative to watching it live?

What is the alternative? You could record it and watch it later on. Yet, there is a great risk doing this. How so? If you have friends who are watching the show as well, then you are likely to hear from them before you can watch the videotape (commercial free). If you have a friend who loves to talk about the games including giving you major highlights and even the score, you will want to use Satellite TV for PC so they do not ruin the game for you.

So would you rather wait and let your friends ruin it for you or are you going to step up and change the way you view all your basketball (and sports) needs?

A token of remembrance and gratitude were given to wedding guests of influential families as far back as the 16th century. These party favors have now been expanded and promoted to any celebration. You can now utilize them into your theme for your holiday party decorations, and your guests will leave with more than a memory of your event.

Party favors can be created or bought. They can be a novelty item, personalized, home made, or elaborate. Your gifts can be displayed, or wrapped in fun packaging as part or your decoration theme. Usually, these decorations are presented as part of your place setting at your table. However, you can choose to show them in other decorous means. Exhibit them on a Christmas tree at your Christmas holiday party, or placing your these mementos in a large basket at Easter are some other ways of having your party favors brought into your theme for holiday party decorations.

Your party favors can also be used as part of the entertainment. For instance, at a Christmas Party, use it as the gift exchange. Fill Christmas tins with a variety of baked goods, candy or other small tokens. Start the gift exchange with numbers written on a small piece of paper, and have your guests draw a number from a hat. The person who drew the #1 will start by selecting a Christmas tin as their gift. Next, the guest that drew the #2 has the choice of taking another Christmas tin, or taking the Christmas tin from the person who drew #1, and so on down the line until the last gift has been taken. This is a fun way to distribute your party favor, and your guests will have fond memories, and a Christmas tin as a token.

Gift giving, no matter how small the gift, is always rewarding, even with party favors. It thanks your guest for coming and celebrating the holiday with you, and your guest will be glad they did.

Vancouver is the third largest cities in Canada and a great tourist destination. The city and surrounding areas offers some great opportunities for fun and below are just some of the things you can get up to. This is in no way an extensive list and when you arrive you will find plenty more exciting things to do during your visit. This is just a few ideas to get you started.

Stanley Park is a downtown sanctuary that covers over 1,000 acres and offers a great way to relax in the city. There are always lots of activities going on in the park, and here you will get to see the locals unwinding during their time off. If you enjoy jogging then there are some great paths; the seawall is a great place to run or ride a bicycle. You will also find some nice restaurants a children's farmyard. There is even a golf course.

Granville Island is your getaway in the middle of Vancouver city. This is considered the city's town square and here you will find its artistic heart. The island has plenty of art galleries, theatres, cafes, and fine dining establishments. No visit to Vancouver will be complete without spending a bit of time here. If you want to be inspired or just entertained then this is the place you will want to be.

English Bay is where local people and visitors go for a swim. If you enjoy looking at life pass you by then this is the place to go; there are also plenty of boats to see out in the bay. This is also the place to go if you want to see a beautiful sunset. There are a few different beaches for you to explore.

Grouse Mountain is only a twenty minute drive away from the city and if you want to see a breathtaking view of Vancouver then pay a visit. It will also give you a chance for a bit of exercise and getting to the top will feel like a real achievement. During the winter you will be able to come here to ski. There is even a restaurant at the top of the mountain.

Robson Street is probably the most popular shopping area in the city. There is something to suit all tastes here and you will find trendy shops as well as high end shops. There are also plenty of eating establishments.

If you still haven't had enough shopping then head over to Yaletown with its wide range of retail establishments next to trendy bars and cafes.

If you want to see a bit of historical Vancouver then you will want to visit Gastown. This will bring you back to a simpler time, and it will also allow you to do a big more shopping as you wander the cobbled streets in this area.

As you can see there will be plenty to keep you busy during your visit to Vancouver. The problem will never be finding things to do, but with fitting it all in.

Wondering how you can get your girlfriend back? If you have just made your girlfriend 'walk the plank', you have come to the right place. Read on! First, letting go of your lady love was probably the biggest mistake you have made. This does not count cheating on college exam or lying to your parents. Definitely not! There is nothing worse than getting cursed by a girl after a break up. Three words - God save you!

But we have a solution! There is always a way to fix things or people, if you will. First things first - think over what you did wrong or what exactly went wrong and when it began getting complicated. Minor details are very important considering most girls read between the lines, almost all the time. It could have been something you said or did even if it was unintentional. It could also be something you may have said in your sleep! You never know!

Analyse your relationship keeping in mind the last two months that you spent together. Were you giving her enough space or too much space? Too much space is never good considering girls always need attention and pampering. Did you forget monthly or to be more specific weekly anniversary? Attention to detail is another important rule of a relationship. If you cannot remember what she was wearing for her mother's cousin's daughter's wedding, you are doomed. She mostly certainly thought that you do not care enough. Sounds silly? It is tried, tested and proved.

Once you have figured it out, straighten yourself out! Change always begins with self. If the break up has not changed anything in your approach or mannerisms, there is nothing that can help you. If you want to get your girlfriend back without changing anything about yourself, do you really think she will entertain you? Take a guess.

If she does not budge and is still mad at you for say two months. Let her know that you are on the market again. Remember not to make a fool of yourself when you do this. Don't gloat about it, just mention it in the passing either directly or through someone else. This will definitely catch her attention and make her think about you especially if you went after her soon after the breakup. In her heart of hearts, she will see that you really care but you have given up on her. When does a girl not like to be pursued? If it sounds like too much work, be prepared to take these measures if you want to get your girlfriend back!

When you are lucky enough to be able to touch base with her, apologise before you open your mouth to explain yourself. One honest apology is all it takes to win someone over. Let her talk first though and hear her out. Boy, will she complain but isn't she entitled to after what you did? Once she is done, you apologise and then explain your sorry self. Let her know that you are a new person and that you are willing to change. There is no reason she will not forgive you!