Here's a look at a few myths and misconceptions, courtesy of CNN Money:

• Changing your air filter.  While doing routine maintenance on your car is important, a clean air filter isn’t going to save you any gas. If your air filter’s clogged and chokes your engine’s air supply, your engine will automatically adjust the fuel-air mixture.  Most have computer sensors that do that now.  While your engine power will decrease slightly as the air filter clogs up, it’ll have an insignificant effect on your car’s performance and fuel consumption.
• Using premium fuel.  A lot of drivers think because their owners’ manual recommends premium, they'll get better fuel economy if they use it.  They're really paying more money for nothing. Modern engine technology comes to the rescue here.  When sensors detect regular instead of premium fuel, the system automatically adjusts spark plug timing.  The result is a tiny drop in horsepower, but not in fuel economy.              
• Pumping up your tires.  According to Consumer Reports, underinflated tires do reduce fuel economy, so proper inflation is important.  However, you should never over-inflate your tires. Yes, they'll get you slightly better gas mileage because there will be less tread touching the road, reducing friction.  That also means you’ll have less grip when braking and turning.  The added risk of a crash isn’t worth the extra mile per gallon you might gain.
• Not using your air-conditioning.  Air conditioners are much more efficient today than they used to be.  At most speeds and in most vehicles, air-conditioner use drains only slightly more fuel than driving with the windows down.  In the end, it’s what type of car you drive that can make the most difference in saving gas.

• Losing your hair.  When you embrace hair loss and ditch the comb over, you go from seeming self-conscious to self-confident.  Just think of how women view Bruce Willis versus someone like Donald Trump.
• Getting to work before everyone, just so you can win brownie points.  Get there on time, unless you have something really urgent to attend to.  In the words of author John D. MacDonald, “The early bird who catches the worm works for someone who comes in late and owns the worm farm.”
• Don’t worry about going to work when you’re sick.  People who use their personal and sick days are happier, more rested, more productive, and in better physical and mental health.
• What your in-laws think of you.  Your spouse either married you because you’re just like them, or because you’re their polar opposite. Either way, your wife/husband married you because she/he thinks highly of you. That’s what matters.
• Being famous.  Paris Hilton is famous. Lindsay Lohan is famous. Britney Spears is famous.  You don’t need to be famous.
• Being rich.  If you make too much money, you’ll only end up the target of thieves, it won't make you any happierm, and you'll have a whole host of new problems you probably never considered.
• Ruining your kids.  As long as you keep your them off the durgs and off the streets, and you care about their happiness, you’re ahead of the game.

There are certain vegetables that you may be avoiding. Here’s the truth about some veggie myths, courtesy of Prevention magazine:

• White potatoes make you fat.  The truth is:  one medium baked potato is only 161 calories, but has four grams of stomach-filling fiber.  Cooked, then chilled potatoes are packed with resistant starch, which can actually help you lose weight – because they pass through quickly.  Studies also show that the chemicals in potatoes improve heart health, boost immunity, lower blood pressure, and protect against cancer.  It’s the high-fat toppings, like butter, sour cream, and bacon bits – that’ll cause you to pack on the pounds.  So try eating your potato – skin and all - with salsa instead.
• Carrots are full of sugar.  Not exactly.  One cup of chopped raw carrots contains just 52 calories, and 12 grams of carbs - fewer than you’d get from a cup of milk, or a medium size piece of fruit.  Plus, half of the “carrot carbs” are complex carbohydrates, which help you feel full longer.  The other half come from natural sugar, which is better than the processed sugar in candy bars.  Carrots are also packed with fiber and vitamins, which help control blood sugar and colon health.
• Iceberg lettuce has zero nutrients.  Not true.  Iceberg has a lot of good-for-you chemicals, like vision-boosting vitamin A, and bone-healthy vitamin K. In fact, studies show that adults who eat one serving a day of any type of lettuce have the lowest rates of hip fractures.
• Corn is just carbs.  Corn has carbs, but they’re the best kind: high-quality complex carbohydrates.  The plant also has little in common with high fructose corn syrup, a sweetener made from corn that has all the nutrition and fiber processed out of it.  In fact, corn does double-duty as both a vegetable and a whole grain, so it’s also loaded with fiber.  Corn also helps your heart, and helps prevent age-related macular degeneration.

• "A ring around the moon or sun, and rain approaches on the run." A halo around the moon means light is reflecting through ice crystals in very high clouds. There's a 65% chance it'll rain within 24 hours.
• "Red sky at night, sailors delight; red sky at morning, sailors take warning." A red sunset means light is bouncing off dust particles in dry, stable air. Most weather moves from West to East, so it means good weather's coming. But red in the East at dawn could mean wet days ahead.
• "Tails to the west, the weather's the best; tails to the east, the weather's the least." Cows dislike facing a strong wind, and put their backside to it. If they've got their rear ends to a fair-weather wind from the West, all is clear. But if their backsides are facing East, it could mean rain.

It turns out that conserving your energy can help conserve the earth’s energy.  So here are a few slacker habits that’ll help save the planet, courtesy of Reader’s Digest:

• Don’t wash the dishes.  Who wants to scrub the pile of dishes in the sink after a hard day?  No one!  So shove everything in the dishwasher.  As long as you wait until it’s full to run it, the dishwasher uses less than a third of the water you’d use doing the job by hand.
• Use cruise control.  Letting your car’s computer control the speed is a win-win for laziness and the environment.  Tests by the auto information website edmunds.com found that, in most situations, using cruise control improved gas mileage by 7 percent.
• Drink tap water.  Why drag yourself to the store for bottled water when you’ve got a faucet 3 feet away?  Most tap water is safe to drink, and most bottled water starts with tap water anyway.  And, if you’re worried about pollutants, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standards for tap water are tougher than the Food and Drug Administration’s standards for bottled water.  Replacing just two store-bought bottles of water every week with water from the faucet can mean 500 fewer pounds of carbon dioxide emissions over a year.
• Get married.  Going from two households to one will mean smaller utility bills, and therefore fewer greenhouse gasses. You can’t be lazy when it comes to your marriage – it takes work to maintain a good relationship.

• Wear orange or red.  Carol Ritberger, author of What Color Is Your Personality?, says that “hot colors” like red and orange catch your attention, help you focus, and stimulate your brainwaves.  You end up with less fatigue, a brighter mood, and more energy, creativity, and confidence.   
• Doodle on paper.  Studies show that just sketching zigzags sends a message to your brain to wake up and think more clearly.  In fact, handwriting expert Nancy B. Irwin says that just looking at zigzag patterns can have a similar effect.  So, boost your brainpower by slapping a sticky-note of zigzags on your computer monitor.
• Hit the water cooler.  Dehydration causes your body to conserve energy by decreasing blood circulation, which slows you down and makes you tired.  So, experts recommend drinking small amounts of water every 30 minutes so you stay hydrated and energized.    
• Chew sugarless peppermint gum.  Chewing releases the hormone serotonin, which relieves tension and helps you feel more awake.  In one study, students who chewed peppermint gum while taking a test felt more alert and got higher scores than those who didn’t snap and crack gum!
• Have a chicken sandwich for lunch.  Chicken contains the chemical tyrosine.  It’s an essential amino acid that boosts energy, relieves anxiety, and reduces your risk of depression.  Other good sources of tyrosine include milk, cheese, yogurt, avocados, bananas, lima beans, and pumpkin seeds.