Ideas for welcoming guests and new home buyers

Dear Heloise: The hint about having a stocked medicine cabinet for guests is a good one. Let me add to that, as my mother's cousin gave me this hint:
Have a special bowl on the bathroom counter filled with those hotel toiletries: shampoo, conditioner, shower cap, mouthwash, lotion, etc. I go to the stores that sell stuff for a dollar and get toothbrushes for the medicine cabinet.
Another hint: When you sell your home, leave toilet paper, a roll of paper towels, a small container of detergent and maybe snacks on the counter for the buyer. This was done for us once, and what a wonderful thought it was! Of course, it helps if the sale was a pleasant one! Rebecca, via e-mail
Fast facts
Dear Heloise: Here are a few more uses for leftover bread crusts, bread ends or stale hamburger or hot-dog buns that are stored in the freezer. There's no reason to throw away perfectly good bread:
To make breadsticks, cut bread into strips, brush with melted butter or olive oil, sprinkle on spices and bake until crispy.
To create inexpensive croutons, cut into cubes and add seasonings.
To enhance brunch casseroles, layer bread with beaten eggs and browned sausage.
To spice up meatloaf, cut into cubes and combine with prepackaged stuffing (you might need extra seasonings). Add chicken broth, browned sausage and sauteed mushrooms, onions and celery. Tina Watts, Coon Rapids, Minn.
Dear Heloise: I don't know anyone who couldn't use a little more closet space. Well, this suggestion is really a no-brainer. Go to your closet and take out every hanger that doesn't have a garment on it. Keep all those empty hangers in a laundry basket near your washer and dryer, so they will be available when you remove your garments from the dryer.
Since even empty hangers take up space, you can gain as much as a foot or more of usable closet space by removing them. Louise Gilhome, Neptune, N.J.
Dear Heloise: I must use eyedrops twice a day for glaucoma control, and in order to be sure I have done my drops in the a.m. and p.m., I made up an index card listing the days of the week with a.m. and p.m. beside them and keep the card with the drops. When I use my drops, I cross out the appropriate a.m. or p.m. I often was wondering, Did I do my drops yet, or was that yesterday I did them? I can fit eight weeks on one side of an index card and then turn it over and use the other side. It is very important not to miss drops, and this solves the problem. Bart, via e-mail
Sound off
Dear Heloise: My gripe is fog lamps on vehicles. I don't think cars, trucks and SUVs should have fog lamps turned on except when they're genuinely necessary! They are really bright and make seeing difficult for other drivers! Marshall, via e-mail
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