HELPFUL HINTS
DEAR HELOISE: You never know who has touched the TV remote in a motel room, so I take the sanitary wrap from the drinking glasses, turn it inside out and use it to cover the remote.
— Judy T., St. Paul, Minn.
DEAR HELOISE: At Christmastime, I bought a leather strip that had sleigh bells attached, and I’ve hung it on the inside of my front door. It’s an inexpensive alarm system to let me know when someone has walked into the house.
— Minnie J., Montana
DEAR HELOISE: With the coming warm weather, a lot of people will be setting out their hummingbird feeders in sunny spots. Please use a shady spot. The solution gets too hot for the birds to drink if it sits all day in the sun.
— Cliffton D., Tyler, Texas
DEAR HELOISE: I make sure that all my appliances have my initials on them to make certain I get them back and don’t get someone else’s appliance. I have a carpet steam cleaner that I took in for repairs, and they tried to give me the wrong cleaner when I went to pick it up. I use red nail polish, and put “N.H.” on my items.
— Nancy H., Florida
DEAR HELOISE: I would like to make a suggestion to the woman whose sister brought her kids over for a play date and expected to be taken out to lunch — plus the kids — and not pay a dime for anything: When Sis calls to set up a date, just say: “I thought it would be fun for all of us to eat here. I’ll make (xxx). Can you bring (xxx)?” Never take Sis out for lunch, and if she suggests it, tell her it’s her turn to pick up the tab.
— Jean in Spokane, Wash.
DEAR HELOISE: Please let your readers know that if they are on a road trip, they should check for the speed limit as soon as they cross a state line. Each state has its own laws, so it might be wise to slow down once you cross from one state to another until you see a sign. I found this out the hard way.
— Doug B., Derry, N.H.
DEAR HELOISE: I love to go camping, but after a week (or less), we all need a bath. I take a small, plastic, inflatable child’s swimming pool that I can blow up with a small hand pump, and fill it with a little water from a pump or stream. Then I bathe in my tent.
— Michael H., Utah
Send a money- or time-saving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000; fax to (210) 435-6473; or email