Hard-boiled egg hint works
Dear Heloise: Recently, you printed a hint from someone on how to take off the shell a hardboiled egg using a teaspoon. The instructions were to simply crack the egg, slide the spoon between the egg and shell, then lift off the shell. Hallelujah! I’ve tried every suggestion I’ve ever seen about how to shell a hard-boiled egg. None were ever satisfactory until the spoon trick. It works great, especially on eggs that have been chilled! — Joyce R., in New Hampshire
Corral sports equipment
Dear Readers: If your children are engaging in sports, they often come home exhausted and drop their dirty gear everywhere! Here’s how a hint on how to keep all their gear together:
Look for sales on large plastic trashcans or plastic bins at a container or big-box store. Several of these will help organize all the gear and keep it off the floor. Your children will know where to put it after a game and where to find it before a game! -Heloise
Reusing shelves
Dear Heloise: When I had to replace my old freezer, I saved the shelves from the door and the wire bins to use them as organizers throughout the house. — P.C., via email
VIN
Dear Readers: Ever wondered what the VIN for your car is? The VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) is a code of numbers that are specific to your vehicle. It reveals the make, model and year, along with other key data. This ID system was established by the Department of Transportation along with the International Organization of Standardization.
Write this number down with all of your other important numbers because it can help you track your vehicle! — Heloise
Keeping blueberries fresh
Dear Heloise: After many years of throwing away blueberries that got mushy on the bottom of the fresh blueberry container, I finally figured out how to keep them all fresh until I used them up.
Rinse them first and put them on a paper towel to dry. Then place a sparse layer of blueberries on a paper towel in a big, flat plastic container. Continue to layer them with paper towels in between, until all of the blueberries are used. You will be able to pick through them as you layer them and remove any you don’t want to save.
I haven’t lost a blueberry using this method.
— Sally, in California
Picture-perfect place cards
Dear Readers: When having friends over for dinner, you can use this place card hint: Have each person bring a baby picture and have your children put a photo at each plate. Everyone can look at the photos and try to match the guests with their baby pictures. They can then be seated with the matching photo! — Heloise
Listing contacts
Dear Heloise: I am in my late 70s, and my memory is not as sharp anymore. I easily forget doctor’s names, but will recognize the name when I see it. So, when I put my doctor’s names in my contacts, I precede the name with “Dr.” and add with the whole name (first and last) into the “first name” field -- for example, “Dr. Joe Smith.” So, now all my doctors are listed together under “Dr.,” and I can easily pick out the correct one to call.
I also do a similar technique with restaurants that I call to get takeout by preceding the restaurant name with “Cafe.”
It’s important in both cases to put it all in the “first name” field so that they display in alphabetical order, starting with “Dr.” or “Cafe.” —