DEAR HELOISE: Please advise your readers of the proper way to handle mail that has been misdelivered. Return it to the post office (or box) for proper delivery. Under no circumstances is misdelivered mail to be opened. In the past, I have had financial statements opened, retaped and marked “opened by mistake.”
- A Reader, via email
DEAR READER: You are right that under no circumstances should mail be opened if it is not addressed to you. According to the U.S. Postal Service, there are two ways to handle misdelivered mail:
Delivered to wrong address: Simply place the item back in the mailbox for your mail carrier to pick up and deliver correctly. Do not mark on it.
Delivered to right address but wrong person (the person no longer lives there): Write “Not at this address” on the item and place in the mailbox, or take to a post office.
Never write or mark over the address or any information. Accidents do happen, and the postal service moves millions and millions of pieces of mail daily.
P.S. To help get your letter to the correct location, try to print the address if you have hard-to-read writing.
DEAR HELOISE: Here are some hints that might be of value while on road trips:
Keep change and single dollar bills handy to pay for toll roads. You get through faster with exact change.
Keep a pad and pen in the glove compartment so you can keep a record of gas expenses, mileage or overnight stays.
If you stay in a hotel/motel, be sure to check all sliding doors to make sure they are locked.
- O.W. in San Antonio
DEAR READER: Want a quick-and-easy homemade facial scrub? Mix 3 parts baking soda with 1 part water. Use your usual cleanser to clean your face, then apply the baking-soda mixture and gently scrub your face for a healthy glow. Rinse, pat dry and apply face cream.
To quickly clean your fingernails, sprinkle baking soda on a nailbrush and scrub away the dirt, then rub in some hand cream or olive oil.
DEAR HELOISE: I keep a slim cutting board in the car for doing crossword puzzles when I’m the passenger. It’s also handy for those drive through fast-food stops. The board fits between the passenger seat and the console.
- W.J., via email
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, Pages 36 on 03/07/2014