HELPFUL HINTS

DEAR HELOISE: My family just returned from a wonderful trip to Israel. As on previous trips, we got to the airport with a small amount of that country’s currency. We were too tired to search out shops that would take it. It was only a few shekels, not worth the exchange rate. My husband thought what a loss that there isn’t a box for charitable donations of this leftover currency. A few dollars or shekels or euros from millions of travelers would help many worthy causes in each country. — Joy and Todd H.,

via email DEAR READER: You are so right! Many international airports do have collection boxes or other receptacles for those last few coins or paper bills. Ask where they might be. Travelers on certain international flights can donate U.S. or foreign money to the Change for Good program, which is then donated to UNICEF. Or you can send your change to UNICEF directly. Send your gift to: U.S. Fund for UNICEF ATTN: Change for Good Program 125 Maiden Lane New York, NY 10038

DEAR HELOISE: Gift orchid houseplants I’d received always withered and died, despite regular watering. Then I discovered the secret: I place the plant in its plastic pot with the drain hole atop a thick layer of crushed rocks, inside a larger ceramic pot that has no drain hole.

Now, when the plant is watered (weekly), the excess drains through. This evaporating water helps keep the plant moist. The orchids love it. The oldest ones have bloomed annually indoors for several years.

— Linda M., via email DEAR READER: Orchids are so exotic and beautiful. I, too, had no luck, but then figured out what you did: Don’t overwater. Don’t let them sit in damp, damp soil or with water in the bottom of the container. The plant will end up dead. The roots rot, then it’s adios.

DEAR HELOISE: My husband uses the plastic bag that our morning newspaper comes in to discard coffee grounds. He puts one piece of the paper in the bag before adding the coffee grounds. The paper soaks up excess liquid, and we have a tidy way to discard them in our trash can.

— Brenda, via email