Hints From Heloise

SAVING AND USING UP FOOD

Dear Heloise: I have a couple of ways to save: When bread is near the end date, make French toast or croutons. Use croutons as a snack or in soup or salad. You can make your own garlic bread and add it to a meal or two to stretch your money.

If you have leftover eggs from French toast, go ahead and scramble it. And it will taste sweet from the bread. Saute leftover onions and scramble an egg or two into the onions, and it will have an oniony taste. Add a piece of toast, and you have a nice breakfast or snack.

In a hurry, make a piece of toast, put a slice of cheese on top and place under your broiler to melt the cheese for an openfaced grilled cheese sandwich.

When you have leftover spaghetti, you can drizzle with olive oil, red pepper flakes and parsley. Need a kick? Squeeze a little lemon in it and mix. You also can add a little grated lemon rind. Leftover chicken is also a good addition. -- Jan Hepner, via email

Jan, these are tasty ideas, and it will help save on your food costs by not wasting leftovers. Repurposing them can make some delicious food creations. -- Heloise

WINDOW CLEANING Dear Readers: Windows in our homes do get dusty and dirty and need to be cleaned, a task we might dread doing. But here's a way to make them sparkle again. To clean, just mix 1/2 to 1 cup of white household vinegar with 1/2 gallon of water. Put the mixture in a spray bottle and spray the entire window surfaces with a liberal mount of the vinegar mix. Then dry well. The windows should be streak-free. You also can use this solution for the mirrors in your house. -- Heloise

PUTTING PILLOWCASES BACK ON

Dear Heloise: Struggling with clean pillowcases has always left me frustrated. Trying to get the corners exact is exhausting. Try this: When removing a used pillowcase, just unfold it, making it inside out. Leave it this way when you launder and dry it. When putting it back on the pillow, do the reverse. Take the short seam of the case and align it with short seam on the pillow. Then unfold or fold it over the pillow. Those far angles will be in place without a struggle. -Janet B. Wood, Rutland, Vermont

PARKING HINT

Dear Heloise: I saw a letter in your recent column where a lady had a problem finding her car in the parking lot. I've had that happen to me as well, but I have figured out a way around that!

When I park my car in an unfamiliar location, I try to remember to take a photo on my cellphone of something nearby, such as a street sign or parking lot indicator/location. It helps tremendously when trying to get back to my car. Maybe this could help someone else in the future. -- Patty, Waco, Texas

Patty, another good way to use your cellphone! -- Heloise