^HINTS FROM HELOISE]
Too many charities
Dear Heloise: I must be on someone’s list, because I get address labels, notepads and other things from various charities that I’ve never heard of before. I give to a few charities that have special meaning to me and ones that work to help both people and animals. How do I stop these people from bombarding me with all the junk they send me and have them stop asking for donations? -- Elizabeth F., St. Albans, Vermont
Elizabeth, you will need to contact the charity directly and ask them to remove you from their mailing list.
Another thing to try is to not give small amounts to many charities, but rather to give a larger gift to only a couple of charities. If you send $25 or less, the charity really doesn’t make much from that amount. This is especially true when you consider the cost of the mail-out. So to cover their costs, they sell their list of donors to other charities. However, charities tend to be a bit more protective of those who send larger amounts. Your best bet might be to only send money to two or three charities that you are really interested in and ignore the rest. -- Heloise SEND A GREAT HINT TO: Heloise P.O. Box 795001 San Antonio, TX 78279-5001 Fax: 1-210-HELOISE
Email: Heloise@heloise.com
SCAM ALERT
Dear Heloise: The holidays seems to bring out the best and the worst in people. I just got another call from someone on a recorded message line saying that I’d won $2.5 million and all I had to do was pay around $9,700 in taxes and the $2.5 million would be sent to me. Needless to say, this is a scam, and one which, sadly, has been too successful for the scammers.
First, ask yourself why someone would call you out of the blue and give you $2.5 million? Because you won it? How did you win it? Well, it’s a hoax and could cost people thousands of dollars. NEVER respond when they tell you to press 1 (or any other number). Just hang up. You’ll save over $9,700 by just hanging up the phone. -- Marla E., Amarillo, Texas
WILLS AND PETS
Dear Heloise: This is just a reminder that when you have pets, you need to include them in your will. I don’t necessarily mean to leave them your entire estate, but designate who will take care of them, after you have found someone who is willing to give them a good home and all medical care.
I recently made up my will, and after discussing it with my younger brother, it was agreed that he would take my two dogs, and my daughter would provide a home for my cat. At 88 years of age, I felt it was important to get this done. -- Corrine R., Meadowbrook, Indiana
HAPPY 2022
Dear Readers: From all of us here at Heloise Central, we’d like to wish you a healthy, happy New Year in 2022. This has been a year of many surprises, changes and turmoil, but let’s make this coming year a better place to be. Our best wishes go out to all of you! -- Heloise
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