Folding paper towels helps save paper, money

Dear Heloise: I have found that I often don’t need a full sheet of paper towel. I fold a paper towel sheet in half and cut it with scissors and make a stack of half-sheets (about 5 inches square). I also fold some of these half-sheets and cut them further into squares of approximately 3 inches by 3 inches. Sometimes I need a full-size paper towel sheet, but quite often these smaller sheets are perfect for the job at hand, saving paper and therefore money. Waste not, want not! —

Cream saving

Dear Heloise: Here is a tip I learned from my father when he was well into his 90s. Dad had some skin issues, so he used lots of medicated creams that came in tubes. Dad was very thrifty, and he wanted to get every drop of cream out of every tube. So once he had squeezed all the cream he could get out of the tube, he cut the tube open so he could scoop out the last little bit. I think of Dad when I cut open tubes of creams, lotions or toothpaste. I guess I am thrifty too! — Jan Leighton, Winthrop, Maine

Box mailing

Dear Heloise: Yester- day, I had to mail an item in a medium-size box. I thought I had packaging material to pack in it, but couldn’t find any. I had a bag of empty water bottles that I was going to recycle, so I used those. I put several bottles, without the lids, on the bottom and used the same amount on the top. On the sides of the box, I smashed the bottles and put them in place. The bottles are lightweight and can still be recycled upon their arrival! — Viki, Los Alamitos, California