Reader finds 'lost' insurance check stuck in a magazine

Dear Heloise: I just went through a very bad couple of weeks looking for a check that was "in the mail." Every day I would look for it, to no avail, and every time I would call the insurance company, a representative would assure me that the check was sent. Plus, the company wanted me to wait 60 days before it would declare the check lost and reissue it.
After about two weeks of agony, I was looking through a magazine that I had gotten a couple of weeks earlier. There, in the pages, very securely, was the "lost" check. I realized what had happened. As the mail carrier was sorting my mail or placing it in the box, the check found its way into the middle of the magazine. Then it struck me: I receive "junk" catalogs and magazines. And often, I throw them away without ever looking inside. What if the check had been in one of those? And what if I had decided to donate the magazine, like I sometimes do?
Be sure that you always check all your mail before you discard it! I nearly threw away a very large check and spent two needless weeks in worry! Rhonda B., via e-mail
Yikes! Glad there was a happy ending. Folks, take Rhonda's hint and thumb through those magazines before setting them aside. Heloise
Fast facts
Dear Readers: I'm a big fan of hot tea, and I have learned that those little tea bags have all sorts of wonderful uses:
As an odor preventer: Put your used tea bags in a small bowl in your refrigerator. They will absorb strong smells such as garlic and onions, much like baking soda does.
As a puffy-eye helper: Put used tea bags in the freezer until they are almost solid. Then place them on your eyes. The coolness and the soothing properties of the tea make your eyes look and feel a lot better.
There are many fragrant kinds of tea available now that work wonderfully as sachets. You can tuck unused tea bags in the corners of your dresser drawer, under the car seat or in a decorative bowl on the kitchen counter. Loose tea works well, too, poured into a small muslin bag. Just remember, tea does stain, so don't let your sachets get wet. Heloise
Dear Heloise: Each time I bake a cake, I remove enough batter to bake one cupcake. I put the unfrosted cupcake in the freezer, and before long I have an extra batch of cupcakes. I frost them all at the same time, but I have a variety of cake flavors. Dee Jacobs, Anaheim, Calif.
Sound off
Dear Heloise: As a frequent flier, it's irritating when the passenger behind me slams up the tray table or grabs the back of my seat when being seated or getting up. The passenger doesn't seem to realize that my back is just 2 inches away.
Also irritating are the folks wearing backpacks who turn suddenly, hitting anyone to the sides of them. Jean B., San Angelo, Texas
Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000, or you can fax it to (210) HELOISE or e-mail it to Heloise@Heloise.com.
King Features Syndicate