HELOISE No mailing labels? Try using adhesive paper instead

Dear Heloise: From time to time, I order things from catalogs. When something doesn't fit, it must be returned, preferably in its original packaging. The original mailing label on the package is usually large and impossible to remove.
Using a roll of white self-adhesive paper, I cut out a square that covers up the old label perfectly and gives me a nice, clean space in which to write the return address or to attach the pre-addressed label that is often provided. Julia Percey, Smyrna, Tenn.
Julia, your hint makes it easy to send a package back. Many companies include a return mailing label, and they get a Heloise thumbs-up! Heloise
Here are some refrigerator hints from the "magpies" here at Heloise Central:
UKeep leftovers on one shelf so they will be easy to find and use.
UCheck the temperature occasionally. Sometimes when items are placed near the temperature knob, it can be nudged up or down a little, which can really make a difference!
UStore leftovers in clear-plastic or glass containers so you can see at a glance what is inside.
URemember the old saying: If in doubt, throw it out. If leftovers are left over too long, toss them.
Dear Heloise: I have a money-saving hint about knitting and crocheting, which I have been doing for 30 years. Start keeping a small notebook (in your purse) of the various sizes and styles of needles you already have. When you purchase a new set of needles, write the sizes, needle lengths and styles (bamboo, plastic or metal) in your notebook. This way, when you go to yarn shops, you can pull out the notebook and know what size you don't need to purchase. Margaret A. White, Warrenton, Va.
Dear Heloise: This is a comment about a reader whose friends laughed at her notes to her doctor recording her health. In my world, there are a lot more of us -- patients -- than there are of them -- doctors to care for us.
Besides, no matter how good the doctor might be, I've lived in this body a long time and know how it feels and how it reacts to care and medicines.
Like that reader, I consider us partners. The better I do my job of reporting to the doctor about this body, the better he can do his job of keeping me well and healthy. R. Evangeline Deville, West Monroe, La.
Sound off
Dear Heloise: My Sound Off is about cars that drive with their turn signal on and then don't turn. I have learned the hard way to wait for the car to make sure it is going to turn before proceeding into its path. G.B., Minneapolis
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.
King Features Syndicate