Don’t toss those old photos — donate them

Dear Heloise: Here’s a hint for people who find themselves in the possession of boxes of old photos with no identification. My sister and I had that problem, and I was ready to see if either of the local theaters wanted them for their sets or if antique dealers could sell them. But then I discovered the photo archivist library at the Institute of Texan Cultures here in San Antonio and people who were happy to have antique photos for their displays.

If you want the photos back, they can arrange to copy them and return them. Be sure to check for places that display antique photos before you give up. I’m sure glad I did.

I was able to donate some antique documents that no one in the family wanted to a college’s library archives and special-collections department. It was a win-win situation all the way around. Patricia A. Ireland, San Antonio

Patricia, this is a wonderful hint! So many people are finding treasures of old photos, letters, documents and more. Hopefully this will give my readers a place to donate, so these one-of-a-kind and maybe even historical items can be preserved. Heloise

Dear Heloise: Our city provides pickup of recyclable items placed in a bin. Of course, the bin is not suitable inside the house, so we keep it in the garage. To help reduce the number of times we have to walk to the garage to put items in the bin, I bought a decorative basket with handles and placed it on the kitchen counter to hold recyclable containers. Now we go only when the basket becomes full. Cheryl, Fayetteville, Ark.

Dear Heloise: When using more than one recipe book for preparing a meal, I found it to be a time saver to copy the recipes on a sheet of paper, placing as many as I can on both back and front. All recipes are at my fingertips. Barbara Arnett, via e-mail

Dear Readers: When traveling, I use the smaller travel-size toiletries. Most of these can be refilled, including the small tubes of toothpaste. Just align the opening of a full larger tube with that of the empty smaller tube, since the openings are the same size. Gently squeeze the larger tube as the paste transfers. When the paste starts to come out of the sides, separate the two tubes and gently tap to help release air bubbles, making room for more toothpaste. You can buy the larger economical-size toiletries to refill the smaller travel size when needed. Heloise

Dear Heloise: I put a little lemon extract in the liquid-hand-soap bottle for a refreshing smell. Joyce L. Hauk, Kingsport, Tenn.

Dear Heloise: I really enjoy your column. My hint: Use address labels to mark your golf clubs in case you lose one on the course. Marsha Brady, Wabash, Ind.

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