HELPFUL HINTS
DEAR HELOISE: I’ve had scammers calling me right and left lately: It’s usually the famous “CONGRATULATIONS! You’ve won a new boat, house or complete set of cookware, or a vacation with OPINION all expenses paid to Hawaii, Fiji, Bora Bora or anywhere you’d like. All you have to do is pay for the taxes. Or maybe HELOISE
you have to pay for shipping and handling.” It doesn’t matter what they tell you because it’s all a lie. If you’re snowed in or freezing in some snowy city, it might sound good to win a trip to the sunny island of Maui, but ask yourself, “Why me?” How did you get so lucky? They’ll try to be charming and win your trust, but they’re just a bunch of low-life scammers who’ll steal your life savings if you let them. Hang up on those calls and hang onto your money. — Frank and Carol H.,
Milford, Del. DEAR HELOISE: I had a cardboard box I wanted to reuse, but there was a label on the side with numbers and letters. I was afraid to use it with that sticker on there, so I turned my hair dryer on high and held it close to the sticker. After a bit, the sticker lifted on one end, and I used my fingernail to help lift it off the box without any trouble at all. — Marian T., Greenfield, Ill. DEAR READER: If you need to get a label off of a bottle, fill the bottle with hot water and just wait a while, as the heat from the water will help lift off the label.
DEAR HELOISE: I have several nice slacks with stretch waist bands, but whenever I tried to find them in my closet, they were mixed up with other slacks that had zippers as well as some capri pants. Then, I bought colored tape, which I wrapped around the handle of the hanger about three inches long. This way, I group the colors together and knew that red stood for the zippered slacks, green for the elastic waistband ones and yellow for the capri pants. Saves a lot of time and aggravation. — Amy R., Anaheim, Calif. DEAR HELOISE: Whenever you’re outdoors in nice weather, at a picnic or at the beach, you can use pickle juice or toothpaste on a bee sting or fire-ant bite to help alleviate the pain. And if you’re at the beach, you can use a small bag of cornstarch to help rub sand off of your feet. — Elaine H., Port Charlotte, Fla. DEAR READER: Good ideas. And if you’re stung by a jellyfish, try using meat tenderizer on the sting.