HELOISE Security is a snap with digital camera

Dear Heloise: Since my kind brother gave me a digital camera, I've discovered some great security uses for it.
I photographed valuables and equipment throughout the house. I was even able to add voice commentary! After copying the information onto a CD, I left it at a relative's house in case it's needed after a fire, theft or flood.
Before taking a trip, I photographed the clothes, shoes, etc., that I was packing and downloaded these to my computer. When I returned with everything intact, I simply deleted the photos -- no expense at all.
Be sure to use an adapter whenever possible to save on batteries, and try rechargeable batteries at other times. Digital cameras take lots of power! J.D. Hyman, Brea, Calif.
Also, keep a CD copy in a safety-deposit box or fireproof safe! Heloise
Fast facts: We buy mints that come in tins, then save the tins for the many uses we have found for them. Here are a few: Use to store paper clips, rubber bands, safety pins, thumbtacks, an eyeglass-repair kit, different-colored buttons, small amounts of confetti, pushpins, etc.
We use a permanent marker to label one end with what's in them, and then stack them in a handy place. C. Chapman, Queensbury, N.Y.
Dear Heloise: I am an avid reader of paperback books. There is a very good secondhand bookstore I visit often, and to keep from buying something I've already read, here's what I do: I take a loose-leaf notebook and list all the books I have already read by alphabetizing the authors' names. This notebook goes with me when I go to the bookstore.
Also, I have found that a rubber band put around the already-read pages makes a good bookmark -- as do small, adhesive note squares.
Upon finishing books, I trade them with family and friends, take them to a used-book store or donate them to a senior center that has a library. Gloria Dickinson, Anchorage, Alaska
Dear Heloise: I'd like to share this with your readers: Our family purchased a Web site domain and now use this site to post vacation pictures, pets, the latest news, etc. Our family and friends across the nation can e-mail us and also post their photos to the Web site. It's really turned into an online family scrapbook. It's very affordable and rewarding. Mark Dodson, Dallas
Readers, you might want to check with some Internet providers and others that also have Web sites available (some free of charge) where you can start sharing your own family photos. Heloise
Sound off: I recently moved to a new state, and it was more than a month before the phone company provided a phone book. Chain stores don't include their addresses in their ads, so I had no way to look up where they are. A newcomer has a hard time finding where to shop, even when you know what store you'd like to find. Marian Price, 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