FROM KING FEATURES SYNDICATE, 300 W. 57TH STREET, 41ST FLOOR, NEW YORK, NY 10019 CUSTOMER SERVICE: (800) 708-7311 EXT. 236 FOR RELEASE MONDAY, JULY 12, 2021 HINTS FROM HELOISE BY HELOISE
Tone it down! Today’s Sound Off: Background noise. Dear Heloise: Why must so many television programs and movies have loud background music? This makes it difficult and sometimes impossible to hear what is being said by the actors. I’ve turned off shows that are hard to hear and walked out of movie theaters where the words were being drowned out by the music or noise in the background. After talking to a number of women at various functions, I found out I’m not the only one who has done this. Whoever is responsible for the music in movies should really tone it down so we can hear the actors. — Patricia T., Topeka, Kansas SEND A GREAT HINT TO:
Heloise P.O. Box 795001 San Antonio, TX 78279-5001 Fax: 1-210-HELOISE Email: Heloise@Heloise.com FAST FACTS In an emergency, here are some ways to mend clothing: — A stapler can be used to quickly hem a skirt or mend a seam. — There’s always a safety pin to mend a hem or close a garment if a button is lost. — Tape can also mend hems. — Clear nail polish can stop a run in hose. PIZZA CUTTER Dear Heloise: My kids are grown and gone, and my husband and I will retire this year, so I’m busy downsizing all the duplicates and junk in our house. I bought a new pizza cutter but threw out a lot of old knives that were in terrible shape. Not only do we use the pizza cutter for pizza, we cut our toast, sandwiches, some veggies and fruit with it. This eliminates a bunch of extra tools in my kitchen drawers. — Dorothy W.,
North Platte, Nebraska PLASTIC GROCERY BAGS Dear Heloise: In an effort to keep my car clean, I take an empty plastic grocery bag and loop one of the handles over the stick shift in my car. This way I have a “trash bag” to collect all sorts of junk. My sister-in-law uses empty tissue boxes for the same purpose. — Georgia V., Englewood, Florida FADED JEANS Dear Heloise: How can I keep my new jeans from fading so fast? — Linnie M., Anchorage, Alaska Linnie, before you wash your jeans, turn them inside out and use cold water. You can air-dry them or use a dryer on low heat. Be sure to wash only dark colored clothing with your jeans when you wash them, and don’t use too much detergent. — Heloise NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH Dear Heloise: We’ve lived in this same house for two decades, and we know all of our neighbors. When we go out of town, I ask them to take turns parking their cars in our driveway, and I have timers on all of our lights. This way it looks as though someone is home all the time. The house directly across the street from me does nothing when they go out of town, and they’ve been robbed twice. — Karen G., McNair, Virginia TELL THE FAMILY Dear Heloise: I recently made out my will, and my lawyer made an excellent suggestion. First, tell family members/ friends how you want to have your funeral arranged, or make arrangements with a funeral home before it’s needed and let your relatives know which funeral home you’ve selected. Don’t leave all that information in your will, because a will is usually read after we are buried. — James F., Albany, Georgia
©2021 by King Features Syndicate Inc.
FROM KING FEATURES SYNDICATE, 300 W. 57TH STREET, 41ST FLOOR, NEW YORK, NY 10019 CUSTOMER SERVICE: (800) 708-7311 EXT. 236 FOR RELEASE SATURDAY, JULY 17, 2021 HINTS FROM HELOISE BY HELOISE
Closet clean-out Dear Readers: Midsummer closet clean-out on the weekend? Who’s ready? School and work will fire back up soon; getting a jump on organizing is not a bad thing at all. Let’s take the emotion out of this process. Impulse buying is perhaps what has caused a cramped closet. Here are some ways to thin it out: — First off, and this is difficult, forget about how much money you spent on each item. If you are not wearing the piece, it is not serving you. Time to get rid of it. — The good stuff: Arrange a swap meet with friends. Trade out your pieces for theirs. One person’s trash is another’s treasure. Also check out resale sellers to make some dough selling things on consignment. — Things under repair: If you’ll wear it once it’s altered, get it altered. Then wear it. — Middle-of-the-road business casual pieces that are in good condition but they need to go: Instead of a big drop-off at the huge charity resale locations, seek out specialty groups that serve women and men re-entering the workforce. — Tattered and damaged items: Take them to a fabric recycling bin. The Environmental Protection Agency (www.EPA.gov) estimates Americans throw away around 17 million tons of fabrics and textile waste every year. These elements can be repurposed and reused and saved from the dump. — Heloise PET PAL Hi, Heloise! Here is our kitty, Willoughby. We found him five years ago in an RV park. He had been left behind by a family on vacation. He’s the sweetest boy who is so endearing; in fact, his nickname is “Mr. Love”! — Lon and Debra D., via email
Readers, would you like to see Willoughby and our other Pet Pals? Visit www.Heloise.com and click on “Pet of the Week.” Do you have a funny and furry friend to share? Email a picture and description to Heloise@Heloise. com. — Heloise SEA SAFETY Dear Heloise: My family and I are venturing out for a couple days at the beach. Do you have any safety hints for us? — Mike S., San Antonio, Texas Mike, it will be nice to get away for a few days. Here are some hints for you. Pack sunscreen and water shoes for the family for protection from the sun and to keep feet safe too. Make sure everyone is versed on swimming protocol. Trained lifeguards should be on duty. Learn about riptides. Hurricane season? We’re right in the middle of it. Be aware. Tune in to local news, watch for alerts on your phone and watch the sky above you. With all of this, enjoy your time with your family. Relax and reconnect. — Heloise P.S. Jellyfish encounters? Painful. LEFTOVERS LOGIC Dear Readers: Here’s how long to keep leftovers in the fridge: Pizza: Three days Chicken: Four days Pasta: Four days Sushi: One day Beef dishes: Four days Lettuce salads: Five days These are maximums. Funky smells or appearance? Toss it out. — Heloise Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001, or you can fax it to 1-210-HELOISE or email it to Heloise@Heloise.com. I can’t answer your letter personally but will use the best hints received in my column.
©2021 by King Features Syndicate Inc.
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