HELOISE Suggestions will help you get what you want

Dear Heloise: I work as a data-entry operator and have a few hints for people so that they can get the information or rebate they are requesting:
UWrite legibly. Take the time to print the information so that I can read it. Please be especially careful to write legibly if your name is foreign-language-based in case I am not familiar with the conventions of your native language. Also, be sure to check "male" or "female" if it is asked.
UWhen providing an e-mail address, please differentiate between a zero and the letter "o." Also, be sure to complete the address. Not everyone knows that Heloise is .com, and without those four little digits, you will never get an e-mail.
UDo not assume that information is being entered locally, so write out your city name in full.
UTry to use a blue or black pen. Hot-pink or turquoise metallic pens are very difficult to read.
UDo not write in extra information not asked for on the form. In most programs, there is nowhere to enter anything other than what is actually asked for. For example, writing "please don't share my information" does no good because there is no place for me to enter that information.
ULastly, if you are providing your telephone number, be sure to provide the complete number, with the area code first in parentheses. Susan, via e-mail
Dear Heloise: Now that I'm a senior and wear glasses, taking money from my billfold without my glasses on can be difficult. So, I arrange each bill with the president's face toward the back of my billfold and the large denomination number showing when I open it. Makes it easy to see what bills I'm taking out. A reader, via e-mail
Dear Heloise: Once a week, I wash the bedsheets. To freshen the pillows, I toss one or two at a time in the dryer with a fabric-softener sheet using the fluff-only cycle. They come out fresh-smelling and ready for the clean bed. If I find that I don't have time to fluff these, then I give them a good spray of fabric-freshener spray, and that works well, too. Carla S. in New York
Dear Heloise: My daughter said I should send you this use for old envelopes: If the mail I receive has a backside without pictures or writing, I keep it for making shopping lists. I put the coupons inside for the items on the list, and they are handy when it is time to check out at the store. Karen, via e-mail
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.
King Features Syndicate