I get tons of junk mail at home and at the office — I’m sure you can relate. But a friend recently told me about a service called Catalog Choice that stops catalog spam. (The only downside to Catalog Choice is that you have to register your ID number — found on the catalog — which is hard to do when you’ve already recycled the garbage.) Check out today’s Ideal Bite tips, which lists helpful resources for ending the ubiquitous and WASTEFUL barage of catalogs, circulars, junk mail, etc. And if you have other suggestions, please post a comment — we’d love to hear how our readers stop the insanity.

As you probably know from my bio in our 2007 Gift Guide, I’m dying for someone — anyone — to buy me a hybrid car to replace the 1990 Cadillac Seville I inherited from my grandfather. (The Caddy is hardly a hybrid, which is why I’m a faithful public-transportation user.) Then I learn from CNN that there is a car that gets 150 miles to the gallon. (Most hybrids get around 40 mpg.) This hybrid SUV from AFS Trinity Power Group is called the XH150 and is built on a Saturn frame. But as with most alternative-energy options, don’t hold your breath for a quick fix: The XH150 won’t be out for another three years. Still, a girl can dream.