COLUMBIANA Heartland Christian School plans fund-raisers for trip

Dear Heloise: I just wanted to pass on a safety tip that I learned the hard way. My 2-year-old was standing on my laundry-soap bucket, which I had left in front of the washer, and she opened the washing machine and was bending over to get a better look! She could have fallen in headfirst and drowned. I moved the bucket to a safer place.
Please do not leave those kinds of buckets anywhere a child can climb on top of them and reach things they are not supposed to reach. Jennifer Biagioni, Bakersfield, Calif.
Buckets can pose a serious danger to small children in a number of ways. A small child who falls headfirst into a large bucket is usually not able to get out and might drown in as little as 2 inches of water! Keep in mind that bathtubs, sink basins, showers, toilet bowls, diaper pails and buckets all pose a risk to young children. Heloise
Dear Heloise: When you take a pair of shoes in to be repaired, stick a mailing label on the sole of each one -- in case you forget to pick them up, the shoe shop can contact you. There are many "used" shoes for sale in shoe shops for just that reason. Corrinne Berkland, Universal City, Texas
Good hint! Many times, those used shoes and boots are for sale because the customers (unintentionally or not) did not come back to pick them up! Heloise
Dear Heloise: When grocery shopping became more of a chore than usual, I decided to cut the decision-making time down to a minimum. I took our family's 50 most favorite dishes and placed each one on an index card. Then on the back I listed everything I needed for that meal, right down to the side dishes.
Each week, the family draws cards, and I make my list accordingly. When dinnertime comes around, I don't hear any more complaints that dinner isn't what they wanted, because they picked it. I pull out the cards from three previous weeks so we don't duplicate dinners too often. Kristin Patterson, Garden Grove, Calif.
Dear Heloise: My family loves boxed rice mixes and rice-and-vermicelli mixes as side dishes with dinner. The mixes are expensive, and one box is not enough for a family of five. I stretch the mix by adding 1/4, 1/3 or 1/2 cup of rice (any type except instant or brown). Then I add 2 parts of water for every 1 part of added rice. I follow all the other package instructions as usual. This makes enough for my family, and the taste is the same. It also cuts down on the salt and fat in each serving. Kathleen Mancuso, Schenectady, N.Y.
XSend a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000, or you can fax it to (210) HELOISE or e-mail it to Heloise@Heloise.com. I can't answer your letter personally but will use the best hints received in my column.
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