Helpful Hints

DEAR READERS: A recent column about coupon hints brought in a bunch of comments and suggestions. Here are just a few, and they are about sending coupons to military families:

• "Some of the ways we use extra coupons are to send them to military bases for use by military families."

-- Cathy Sammons

in Hewitt, Texas.

• "I am a member of the American Legion. We clip coupons and deliver them to military spouses."

-- Sandi Werthe, via email.

There are many programs out there that accept coupons for military families to use on bases in the United States and overseas. Some commissaries overseas may accept coupons up to six months after the expiration date. So, if your coupons have expired, don't throw them away. Find a program and see if they still can be used.

P.S.: Our troops and their families need our help. Anything, small or large, that you can do is a heart hint that will last a lifetime.

DEAR HELOISE: Here is my travel hint: All cosmetics, bandages, mini nightlight, tiny alarm clock, mini flashlight, etc., go into an 8-by-8-inch plastic container that has a tight seal. I also put a large rubber band around it for safety. This way, I just put the plastic container on the bathroom counter, and everything is neat and ready to go.

-- Loretta W.,

Somerset, Pa.

DEAR HELOISE: My husband and I had our annual eye exams yesterday, and we were stunned to learn that we would now be charged $2 for the previously free small bottles of eyeglass cleaner. I told my husband that I bet you'd have a recipe to make your own. Do you?

-- Becky and Billy D.,

Sublimity, Ore.

DEAR READER: I do have a simple way to clean your eyeglasses. Rubbing alcohol is a good cleaner, but really all you need to do is use a clean microfiber cloth. You will be absolutely amazed at how it cleans off all of the gunk. You don't even need a cleaner or water.

DEAR HELOISE: I find it very frustrating to gather up all the socks, when they have dried after washing, to sort together in pairs. I solved that by putting a mesh laundry bag in the clothes hamper. All dirty socks go into the laundry bag and are simply dumped out after drying to sort in pairs. We usually have only dark colors, but you could have a bag for lights and darks.

-- Jane K., via email

DEAR HELOISE: When my son started potty training, he used a training potty. He often would miss the potty while he was learning. I placed a beach towel under the potty to catch any spills. It made cleaning up much easier, as the towels could just be thrown into the wash.

-- S.L. in Texas

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

Heloise@Heloise.com

MovieStyle on 07/11/2014

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