There’s almost nothing more frustrating than trying to cut with dull scissors—especially when you’re trying to cut through wrapping paper to wrap a pile of holiday presents! You can sharpen those blades in a hurry with this simple trick: Just fold a piece of aluminum foil into three or four layers, and cut it into strips with your dull scissors. Eight or ten slices should put those clippers back on the cutting edge again. But don’t throw the foil pieces away! Instead, use them to keep roving cats away from your bird feeder. Fill empty 2-liter bottles half-full of water, and add a few drops of bleach, just to keep smelly algae from growing. Then put two or three of the aluminum foil strips into each bottle, and set the containers around your feeder. The constantly changing reflections from the foil will make any cat think twice before he or she ventures closer. After a few forays onto your flashy turf, Fluffy will seek her fun elsewhere.