DEAR HELOISE: When I go to conventions or conferences, they give me name tags that either hang from the neck or clip on. I use the plastic holder to keep my hotel key and any business cards I get. I have easy access to my room key. When I get home, all the business cards of people I have met are in one place; I don't have to dig them out of my purse. It's also convenient if I have multiple conferences -- I don't have to sort out the cards.
I also bring back the bath gels from the hotel. I turn the little bottles upside down so the gel drains into a larger bottle to use later.
-- Barbara M., via email
DEAR READER: Conventions can be a lot of work, and keeping up with collected business cards is part of the job. I keep my cards in my right-hand pocket, and put newly received cards in the left. Back at the room, the new cards go into a marked envelope (convention name and date) for the trip home.
P.S.: The bath gels are super to hand-wash lingerie at the hotel.
DEAR HELOISE: Keep a small index card in your "special" bags or purses to record the name and date of the event it was used. These beautiful purses often get handed down for generations. If my granddaughter inherits one, she will have a little connection to the preceding generation's happy events.
-- Lauren Hehmeyer, Texarkana, Texas
DEAR READER: Oh, how right you are! I have several of my mother's, and I wish they could talk. Well, maybe not! Wink, wink.
DEAR HELOISE: My husband was told to drink more water. He calculated that he should drink four tumblers of water daily, and needed a way to track it at work. I gave him four rubber bands from asparagus. He puts all four on his glass at the beginning of his day and removes one when he refuels.
-- Lou Anne G., North Richland Hills, Texas
DEAR HELOISE: I use fabric tablecloths all the time, and have discovered a way to get them centered on the tabletop.
When they come out of the laundry, fold them inside out. Then lay a cloth on the table so the fold is in the center. Simply unfold the cloth. It will be right side up and right where it needs to be.
No-iron sheets make great tablecloths, large or small. They come in wonderful colors and patterns, wear for years and may be cut into any size or shape when simply hemmed.
-- Carol W., Seneca Falls, N.Y.
DEAR HELOISE: I have wire vinyl-covered racks in my closet. I took some inexpensive shower hooks (that close) and hung those on the rack at the back of the wall. I thread my scarves through and can see them clearly. They are not in the way, and the hooks slide forward for easy on and off.
-- Karen V., Galena, Ohio
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
Style on 07/07/2015