The last two months were really busy. Between preparing for the holidays, hosting get-togethers, and visiting friends and relatives, you probably didn't have a lot of time to think about home improvement projects.

Today's home appliances are great time-savers and include high-tech features that also can save you money. Did you know that using a dishwasher is more energy efficient that washing your dishes by hand? Using an Energy Star-certified machine can actually save you close to 5,000 gallons of water a year and reduce your annual electric bills by $40.