DEAR READERS: Here is this week's Sound Off, about people doing other things while on the phone:
"My Sound Off is people chewing and eating while on the phone. I work as a customer service/sales person, and it is very distracting, to say nothing of unappealing, to listen to people eat their lunch or snack while you are trying to help them with their problems or sale.
"Equally as annoying is talking to people while they are on speakerphone. It is always difficult to hear the customer, and he or she is frequently doing some other task (rustling papers, washing dishes, etc.) while talking to you. I am at your service, so please do me the courtesy of giving me your undivided attention for the few minutes it takes to accomplish our task."
-- A Reader, via email
It can be distracting and even detrimental, although many of us do tend to multitask. When I am on hold on the phone, I feel it's OK to quickly wipe the counter, put dishes in the dishwasher, etc. As far as eating, there are only a few people with whom I might do so while talking on the phone. I do explain that we all are working, and it's lunchtime.
DEAR READERS: Here are uses for leftover yarn:
• Make a "scrap" blanket.
• Use in place of ribbon around a gift.
• Wrap around hangers so clothes don't slip off.
• Give to kids to make bracelets with.
• Tie to zipper pulls or fan pulls to extend them.
DEAR HELOISE: I have been on a mission lately to declutter and organize my house. One spot that I found extremely hard to declutter was the pantry. We had so many boxes of snacks that were only half full -- boxes of granola bars, fruit snacks, individual packaged chips, etc. They took up so much space in my pantry. To save space and make it more organized, I bought a couple of inexpensive, small, plastic baskets to fit my shelves. Whenever I have a partially full box of snacks now, I take the rest from the box and place them in the basket.
-- T.G. in Texas
DEAR HELOISE: I wanted to respond to the woman who complained in a recent column about newer bath towels being too heavy to use as hair towels. I totally agree with what the reader said. I purchased a bath sheet (an oversize bath towel) that had "quick drying" on the label. I ran it through the washer and dryer. Then I laid it on a table, folded it in half lengthwise and cut it at the fold. Just a quick pass on a serger stitch of my sewing machine to clean up the edges, and I had two lightweight, perfect-size hair towels.
-- Traci G., Reading, Pa.
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
ActiveStyle on 09/01/2014