Take care to keep credit cards safe, especially this time of year

Dear Readers: Here’s a reminder of how to keep your credit cards safe, particularly during this busy time of year. When you receive a new credit card, sign it in ink. Then record the card information and keep the info in a safe place.

Do not lend your credit cards to anyone. Never leave your receipts behind, because people could find them and misuse the data. Rip up unnecessary receipts, but save the important receipts for your tax files.

Never give out your credit-card number over the phone, unless you have initiated the call. Scammers will call you claiming they are reviewing your records and numbers. Legitimate companies don’t do that. When you get a billing statement, open it right away to examine the charges. If you see any errors, call the company right away. — Heloise

Bowls Stuck Together

Dear Readers: If bowls have been stacked on a shelf for a time and are stuck together, here’s how to unstick the bowls without damaging them. Take the stack and put it in the sink. Fill the top bowl with ice and tap water and let sit for a couple of minutes to cool and to contract the bowl. Put the lower bowl in warm to hot water. The heat will expand the bowl. Then gently try to pull them apart. If they still won’t separate, pour a bit of vegetable oil between and around the edges of the top and bottom bowls. It will seep down between them, and they should separate more easily. — Heloise

Jalapeno Crisis

Dear Heloise: As for advice on jalapenos, here’s a situation I’ll always chuckle about.

On lunch break one day I was eating with “Bob,” a co-worker. He ordered jalapeno with his food. Suddenly he ran out of the break room, and I assumed he got sick. What was I supposed to do? I called up to our bosses and said Bob might be late returning from break and here’s why. He came back before break time was over and said jalapeno juice got in his eye. He took care of it and declared he’d rather have gotten sick than feel that pain! — Mild food lover in Omaha, Nebraska

Mild food lover, if jalapeno pepper oil gets in your eyes, it is extremely painful. Here’s what you should do ASAP. First, wash your hands with dish soap to dissolve the pepper oil. Never rub your eyes! Flush out your eyes with milk, or soak a cotton ball in milk and hold it to your eyes.

You will never do that again. Painful lesson learned! — Heloise

Remove Jewlery When Cleaning

Dear Readers: Sometimes we are rushing around our homes and decide the house needs a bit of cleaning. But before you clean, take off your rings and other jewelry.

Here’s why: Cleaning products, such as bleach, can harm gold, diamonds and pearls. If you accidentally knock the ring against a hard surface, the stones could become loose. And some jewelry, especially diamonds, can scratch mirrors and glass. — Heloise

No Lumpy Gravy

Dear Readers: When you make gravy, those ugly lumps just seem to appear. Here’s how to make them disappear. Blend a bit of a thickening agent, like cornstarch or flour, with a tad of hot liquid, like milk, water or bouillon, to create a paste. Stir this into the rest of the hot liquid. — Heloise

Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001, or you can fax it to 1-210-HELOISE or email it to Heloise@Heloise.com. I can’t answer your letter personally but will use the best hints received in my column.