Being Married Is Being Green

Mother Nature is happier when you're married. A new study shows that when a couple divorces, the two resultant households use 53% more electricity and 42% more water than the pre-divorce household. In addition to the added usage of energy resources, it also requires more houses and apartments. The study goes on to say that per household, one-person occupancies, are the largest consumers of energy.

Not that you needed an excuse to reconsider divorce if your mind has drifted in that direction, but Mother Nature will thank you. To read the full article, click here.

Why Flu In the Winter?

It's a question that's plagued scientists forever. Well, according to this article in the New York Times, researchers in New York believe they've discovered the reason why. You wanna know? Okay, we'll tell you. They say it has to do with the virus itself, saying it's more stable and stays in the air longer when air is cold and dry, the exact conditions for much of the flu season. Yep, sounds like winter to us.

Flu viruses are more stable in cold air, and low humidity also helps the virus particles remain in the air. That is because the viruses float in the air in little respiratory droplets, says Dr. Peter Palese, a flu researcher who is professor and chairman of the microbiology department at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York and the lead author of the flu study. When the air is humid, those droplets pick up water, grow larger and fall to the ground.

To read the full NY Times article, click here.

Money, Sex and Love Survey

Elle and msnbc.com are asking people to participate in an anonymous survey. It's not a survey exclusively for married couples, but it does ask some interesting questions about satisfaction with your sex life and how money may be playing a role. It also asks a lot about the woman's role in money matters and how the man feels about it. The results don't come out until next March so we'll keep an eye on things and give you an update on the results when they're available. In the meantime, if you want your relationship and opinion to be represented in this survey, click here to take it yourself.

Holiday Tipping Tip Sheet

Kiplinger.com has put together a nice tip sheet on, well, tipping. We've broken out a couple of the tipping guidelines for you. If you want to read all of them, click here.

CLEANING PERSON
How much to tip: The cost of one visit if he or she visits weekly or bi-weekly, says protocol adviser Rosanne Thomas. Up the tip amount for a cleaning person who works more often.
Exceptions: If you use a cleaning service that works in a team, a box of chocolates for the team is customary.

HAIRSTYLIST
How much to tip: The normal cost of a visit for a stylist you've used all year.
Exceptions: If your stylist doubles as a confidante, include a small personal gift that speaks to his or her interests as well as a monetary gift. If you don't require as much attention from your stylist or barber, you may prefer to give only about $20 as a tip during your December visit.

PERSONAL TRAINER
How much to tip: $50.
Exceptions: The key question to ask yourself is whether you have an ongoing, above-average relationship with the professional, says etiquette expert Charlotte Ford. Tip at year end if you feel you've gotten above-average service year-round.

BABY SITTER
How much to tip: Nanny or au pair -- one week's pay and a small gift from the child; regular sitter -- one to two nights' pay; day-care provider -- $25 to $70.
Exceptions: Only give a holiday tip if you've frequently used the sitter during the year or you had to call on them in an 11th hour emergency, advises Thomas Blaikie, etiquette expert and author of "To the Manner Born."

Married Couples Greener Than Single Households

This one might be filed under the "no duh" category, but married households (I'd like to add that it would only make since that cohabitating couples would be included in this) use 53% less electricity and 42% less water than when the couple divorces and lives separately. This story (click here) says per capita, one-person households are the biggest consumers of energy, land and household goods, consuming 38% more products, 42% more packaging, and 61% more gas.

Just curious, do you do things around your house in an effort to be more green?

Santa Coming to Town--For Only Microseconds

Anders Larsson of the engineering consultancy Sweco told AFP that Santa Clause would have to travel 3,604 miles per second in order to jump from house to house to deliver one gift to every child on earth. He would have 48 hours to complete his journey touching on the estimated 2.5 billion homes. Did we mention this would include his cookie breaks too? To accomplish this feat, "he has 34 microseconds at each stop," says Larsson, to slide down the chimney, drop off the presents, nibble on his cookies and milk and hop back on his sleigh. Larsson also says Santa must live in Kyrgyzstan in order to accomplish this feat. You can ready the entire article here.