Here are some helpful facts about sending a fax

Dear Heloise: My phone number must be close to one or more fax numbers. If a person attempting to send a fax is unsuccessful for three attempts, he or she should redial the number. Several times a month, my phone rings and I hear a fax transmission. Then, no matter what I do, every six to eight minutes the auto-dial attempts to resend the fax to my phone. Often this continues for close to an hour. If I let the answering machine pick up, the messages fill with whirrs and beeps.

Also, if you reach a wrong number, please be courteous enough to say, “Sorry, wrong number.” My phone number is one digit away from a preschool/summer camp and the municipal building, which results in numerous hang-ups. In most cases when people ask for a party, I give them the correct number. Rich in New Jersey

Rich, this happens a lot, and you’re right — it’s really a bother! Heloise

Dear Heloise: A recent article reminded me of how important it is to have your home address on or near the telephone. In an emergency, someone who does not live at the home might need to know the address.

Also, businesses should post the business address as well. Not long ago, a business that is a branch of a large group had an emergency. Because the phone was routed through a central phone bank, the 911 operator was not able to trace the call to the proper location.

When seconds count, you will be so glad you took a few minutes now. Donna Andrade, Brush Prairie, Wash.

Dear Heloise: I do my part for recycling by taking cloth bags to the grocery store so that I don’t have tons of plastic bags to deal with.

If I have left the empty bags in my car, I just wheel the loose groceries in the cart out to my car and pack the bags at my car, then return the cart. No extra work, just a different bagging location. Carol Robinson, Washington, D.C.

Dear Heloise: If you take “dead” batteries from your flashlights and scratch both ends with a fingernail file as well as the connections inside the flashlight, they will oftentimes be good as new. Elizabeth, via e-mail

Dear Heloise: Don’t lose your favorite dish. Remember to affix an address sticker to the bottom of the dish to make sure your dish returns home. Also, a nice touch is to copy the recipe ingredients on a 3-by-5-inch card and put it in front of the dish in the buffet line. Anyone with special dietary needs or food allergies will appreciate the info. Cassandra Kontogeorgis, San Antonio

Dear Heloise: Some clothing comes with extra buttons enclosed in a small envelope. To prevent losing these buttons, I immediately sew them on some inconspicuous place on the garment. Rita from Minnesota

SBlt 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