HELPFUL HINTS

DEAR READERS: Your credit score is important when you are building your financial future. Your credit score is a number (from 300 to 850) that considers many factors: if you pay your bills on time, how many credit accounts you have, how much you use that credit, how many new accounts you open, any delinquent accounts you may have, and other things.

Companies may look at your credit score when deciding whether to lend you money, sell you goods or services and then collect for them over time, or sell you a home.

Businesses know your past behavior is a good indication of what may happen in the future. Keep your bills up to date, and try not to overextend yourself.

DEAR HELOISE: Every time we dine out with the grandchildren, we get food from the children’s menu, but are given adult-sized utensils.

How is a 2-year-old expected to use the same-size fork and spoon as me? Restaurants, why not invest in child-size utensils?

We try to remember to bring our own, but sometimes we forget.

— Amy in New Jersey DEAR HELOISE: Online reviews can be helpful, but reviewers must be careful that they are reviewing the correct item. Often, I’ll read a review and the description given by the reviewer doesn’t match the item I’m looking at.

The reviewer should mention the item by the descriptive name or model number and color, if applicable.

If the person is giving a negative review, it needs to be given for the correct item.

— P.J., Ocala, Fla. DEAR READER: Give the company a chance to make it right before writing a negative review.

DEAR HELOISE: My husband died in February, and I have learned a lot of things the hard way since then. Here is a practical hint: Think twice about which companies you give authorization to bill your credit card directly for payment.

For groups like health clubs, as an example, know that you may have difficulty getting them to stop billing when you stop using their services.

It also is harder to dispute a charge with this arrangement. The provider may cooperate only when communicating directly with the cardholder.

— Carol G., via email

Send a money- or time-saving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000; fax to (210) 435-6473; or email Heloise@Heloise.com