HELPFUL HINTS
DEAR HELOISE: About 14 years ago I started my own business, and hard work, common sense and a little luck helped me grow and thrive. I’ve managed to diversify my investments and have a comfortable living.
For reasons I can’t explain, my family seems to think I’m wealthy (I’m not), that I should hire only relatives (which I won’t) and lend money to every one of my relatives who have some business in mind (which I won’t do). I don’t drive an expensive car, but I drive a nice car. I live within my means, but because I own a business the family thinks I must be rich.
I’ve got an older brother whose son wants me to pay his college tuition. I said, “No.” I worked my way through college, so can he. Now my younger brother wants me to give him $16,000 so he and his girlfriend can have a destination wedding. I said, “No.”
I regularly give to my favorite charities and to my church. One Sunday a month I work at a soup kitchen, and I give my mother extra money every month. The rest of my family looks at me as though I’m an ATM. When will people learn that having a business doesn’t necessarily mean you’re rich? It just means you work hard. You work even harder during lean times, and you might give up a vacation because you need to plow money back into your company. At the start you make do or do without, but any business owner will tell you that with a plan and a goal, you have a fair chance of making a decent living, but not necessarily an extravagant living.
— Reader in Upstate New York
DEAR READERS: Important places to use antibacterial wipes:
■ Any and all door handles.
■ Crib railings.
■ Banisters.
■ Car doors, car keys and steering wheel.
■ Refrigerator handles and kitchen drawer pulls.
DEAR HELOISE: I learned this trick from a makeup artist years ago. If you want a lovely complexion, especially for an evening out, mix half of an egg white with enough powdered milk to form a thick paste. Squeeze the juice of one lemon and add a tablespoon of whiskey (if you have it) and mix everything together. Using a wide artist’s brush, apply to your face and neck, then lie down and rest. After it dries, rinse it off with warm water. Your skin will look beautiful!
— Shelby B., Dickson, Tenn.
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