HINTS FROM HELOISE

DEAR

HELOISE: Expanding on the graduation gift ideas — I fill a plastic shoebox with: pens, colored pencils, paper clips, rubber bands, scissors, a hole puncher, a sewing kit, a nail file, a stapler, erasers, a pencil sharpener, tape, glue, a screwdriver, index cards, dental floss, tweezers, a magnifying glass, Q-tips, playing cards, a laundry bag, a ruler, envelopes and a road map of the city they’re going to. I also throw in a roll of quarters for laundry and candy machines.

— Marty K., Riverside, California

MARTY, THESE ARE excellent ideas and a great gift to give a student in high school or college. When you’re away from home and funds are limited, it’s nice to have so many of these items on hand.

— Heloise DEAR HELOISE: After I was released from the hospital, I kept getting bills with the amount of payment required, but no explanation. My son told me not to pay them without an explanation. I’ve also had a few other problems with my insurance provider. What should I do?

— Jean L., Royal Oak, Michigan JEAN, FIRST, do not pay for any bill without a detailed accounting of what that bill is for. Be sure to keep a record of all payments and billing in a file. Next, never pay a healthcare bill until all your insurers have paid their share. It doesn’t matter if it’s Medicare or a secondary insurer. Wait to pay after they have paid their share.

People make mistakes. Make sure the doctor or hospital has your correct address and phone number. There possibly are other people with the same name as you, and you could be sent someone else’s bill accidentally. If the amount you are billed seems out of the ordinary realm of pricing, check with your doctor’s staff and demand that your bill be reduced or, at the very least, reexamined.

— Heloise DEAR HELOISE: We nearly lost $2,500 in a timeshare scam, and apparently, these people are taking advantage of people like us who want to sell their timeshare.

We went to a meeting where they offered dinner and told everyone in the room how they have always gotten results from reselling timeshares that the owners no longer want to own. They charge an upfront fee of at least $2,500 and, in some cases, go as high as $25,000! They really apply the pressure, which made us very suspicious, so we just left. Instead, we called the resort management group and found out there was a deed-back program and a surrender program that we could use if we wanted. They also said they would try to help us out by looking for a buyer for our timeshare. This morning, they called us, and we had a buyer who wants to purchase our timeshare.

The lesson here is: Do not let anyone charge you an upfront fee to sell your timeshare. If they are wining and dining you to win you over, there is probably something wrong.

— Kathy and Mike W., Falmouth, Massachusetts DEAR READERS: With summer heating up and temperatures rising above normal, please take your pets inside until around 7 or 8 in the evening.

If, for some reason, you can’t take your pet inside make sure every day that your pet has a big bowl of clean, fresh water and food.

Make certain that there is enough shade. You can fill a kiddies’ swimming pool with clean water and leave it out in a shady area for them if they will use it.

Once in a while, you may want to board your pet at a pet daycare center if your area gets hot enough to be in the triple digits. Remember, a pet is part of the family. Treat them well, and they’ll love you until the day they die.

— Heloise