Helpful Hints

DEAR HELOISE: You never know who has touched the TV remote in a hotel/motel room, so I take the sanitary wrap from the drinking glasses, turn it inside out and use it to cover the remote for the TV when we travel.

-- Judy T., St. Paul, Minn.

DEAR HELOISE: At Christmastime, I bought a leather strip that had sleigh bells attached, and I've hung it on the inside of my front door all year long. It's an inexpensive alarm system during the day to let me know when someone has walked into the house.

-- Minnie J., Great Falls, Mont.

DEAR HELOISE: With the coming warm weather, a lot of people will be setting out their hummingbird feeders in sunny spots or on shepherd's crooks. Please use a shady spot instead. The hummingbird feeder gets too hot for the birds to drink the solution if it sits all day in the sun.

-- Cliffton D., Tyler, Texas

DEAR HELOISE: I make sure that all of my appliances have my initials on them somewhere to make certain I get them back and don't accidentally get someone else's appliance. I have a carpet steam cleaner that I took in for repairs, and they tried to give me the wrong steam cleaner when I went to pick it up. I use red nail polish, and with the applicator brush I put "N.H." on my items.

-- Nancy H., Callaway, Fla.

DEAR HELOISE: I would like to make a suggestion to the woman whose sister brought her kids over for a play date and expected to be taken out to lunch -- plus the kids -- and not pay a dime for anything: Eat at home! When Sis calls to set up a play date, just say: "I thought it would be fun for all of us to eat here. I'll make (xxx). Can you bring (xxx)?" You can have a healthy and thrifty meal. Never take Sis out for lunch, and if she suggests it, tell her it's her turn to pick up the tab.

-- Jean in Spokane, Wash.

DEAR HELOISE: Please let your readers know that if they are on a road trip, they should check for the speed limit as soon as they cross a state line. Each state has its own laws about speed limits, so it might be wise to slow down once you cross from one state to another until you see a speed limit sign. I found this out the hard way by getting a speeding ticket.

-- Doug B., Derry, N.H.

DEAR HELOISE: My neighbor wanted to make sure her children used good manners, so she told them to never address me as "Naomi," but rather as "Miss Naomi." However, she forgot to tell them how to address my husband, so from that day on, they always referred to him as "Miss Naomi's Man."

-- Naomi J., Olathe, 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 email

Heloise@Heloise.com

MovieStyle on 03/16/2018

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