HELPFUL HINTS

By HELOISE

LITTLE ROCK — DEAR HELOISE: When a hint to Heloise about marking hard-cooked eggs appeared in our newspaper, a smile crept across my face as I recalled my experience.

Many years ago, when our children were in elementary school, I made hard-cooked eggs the night before for their lunchboxes. The next morning, I was cracking eggs for a scrambled-egg breakfast, and one of the eggs was hard-cooked! No one had complained or made mention of anything amiss.

When I questioned them over breakfast the next day, our oldest son admitted that yes, he had gotten a raw egg in his lunch. "Why didn't you say something when you got home?" I asked. He replied nonchalantly that yesterday was April Fools' Day, and he thought I had done it on purpose. It had smashed in the lunchbox all over everything. I was mortified! Now I draw a grumpy face on hard-cooked eggs left in the refrigerator.

- Joan D., Chesapeake City, Md.

DEAR HELOISE: Here's a hint for folks who go in for X-rays, CAT scans, MRIs and other tests. If they need to compare your new X-ray to a past X-ray, call the lab a day or two before to check that it has your previous tests.

Nothing is more frustrating than arriving on time for a lab appointment only to have the staff keep you waiting for ages so they can find your previous file. It's best to be prepared, rather than be delayed if the records are not on hand. This phone call also can serve as confirmation of your appointment.

- K.M., via e-mail

DEAR HELOISE: We use an empty tissue box as a trash can in our car. We've done this for quite a while - it doesn't make a mess in the car, and no one knows it's a trash can.

- Kathy, South Hutchinson, Kan. Send a money- or time-saving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000; fax to (210) 435-6473; or e-mail

HELOISE@CompuServe.com

Weekend, Pages 38 on 10/01/2009