Grieving families will appreciate this etiquette from others

Dear Heloise: Please advise your readers to be considerate and discreet in regard to a grieving/hurting family. I have once again been in a situation and was appalled by the inconsideration of many people. They perhaps meant well.

A family may receive many phone calls, and it can be very tiring. Please don’t make late-night or early-morning calls, and limit the length, since the family is receiving and sending many calls.

If each caller wants to talk 30-60 minutes, it disrupts a day very much. Please ask at the beginning of the call if the person is in the middle of something important, and call back at another time, if needed.

Please refrain from giving advice. If people would give consideration to the above, it would make such situations much easier. From one who knows. M., via e-mail

Dear M., you are so right! People mean well and think they are helping. A hint I’ve used is to establish a “phone tree” where you inform one or two people about the situation or update, and they in turn let others know. Folks, take note that for many people, a phone call after 10 p.m. or 11 p.m. can mean bad news. Heloise

P.S.: Also, if leaving a voice message, try to be succinct rather than leaving a long, rambling message.

Dear Readers: Don’t toss an old, deflated foil balloon. Instead, try one of the following:

• Use as a fun gift wrap.

• Use as the background of a scrapbook page.

• Use under a potted plant to protect the surface.

• Use as a small bag for little items.

• Use as gift-bag stuffing when shredded.

• Use to line a basket.

Heloise

Dear Heloise: I enter the product codes from my soft drinks on the company’s Web site to get points toward freebies. However, the codes are printed inside the top, beneath the plastic cover, and are hard to read.

I was having a hard time getting the codes in correctly until I remembered my parents and grandparents long ago candling eggs to check for bad ones. I took a small flashlight and flashed it underneath the cap, with the code facing toward me. I was able to read it right away with no problems. Shirley R., San Angelo, Texas

Sound off

Dear Heloise: I ordered a pedicure product from one of those fancy TV commercials, using an automated phone system where I never spoke with a real person. The price was $10 for two of the items.

I was amazed that the charge to my credit card was more than $23! I was charged more than $13 for shipping and handling. When I placed the order with the automated system, there was no way to find out about the other charges. And, of course, when I tried to contact the company on its toll-free number, I could never reach a live person. Lesson learned. Karen K., Hot Springs, Ark.

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