Liberty Bell stamps really are forever

Dear Readers: Today, a reader’s letter came with a forever stamp. “Hmm,” Heloise Central asked, “how and when can the Liberty Bell Forever Stamp be used, and is it really forever?” Yes, it is forever, with some conditions.

According to the U.S. Postal Service Web site, correct usage of the Forever Stamp is as follows:

UFor use with any First Class (regular) Mail going ground.

UFor use with envelopes weighing 1 ounce or less.

No matter what price you paid for the Forever Stamp (and no matter how postal prices change), you may use it at any time in the future.

Just a bit of trivia for you: The Forever Stamps were first offered to customers in April 2007, and since then more than 6 billion have been sold! They are a great money-saver, especially when you consider how postal prices have increased through the years. You can order booklets of 20 or sheets of 18 by calling the USPS’s automated phone line at (800) STAMP-24. You also can order online or buy them at your post office. Isn’t it nice to know you can still send a letter to a friend or relative without breaking the bank? Heloise

Dear Heloise: Cell phones generally put contacts in alphabetical order. If you put “ICE” (in case of emergency) before a name, put a space in front of the “I,” which brings this contact to the top of the list and makes it easier to locate. Katri, via e-mail

We tested this hint at Heloise Central, and three of the four phones we used with a space before “ICE” brought the contact to the top of the list. The other cell phone required an “@” symbol to make the contact be No. 1 in the list. Since there are so many different phones on the market, you need to test this on your phone, just like we did in the office. Heloise

P.S.: Do this right now!

Dear Heloise: I chuckled at the hint from the reader who made the “gizmo” to tell if his mail had arrived. I used to run into the same people every day at a mailbox kiosk complaining that the mail wasn’t here yet!

I have mail every day! I pick it up one day late — I get Monday’s mail on Tuesday, etc. I pick up Saturday’s on Sunday and never bother on Monday. You always have mail, and it doesn’t matter what time the mailman comes! Pat Bulseco, San Juan Capistrano, Calif.

Dear Heloise: I take two medications that are the same color and similar in shape. To keep from confusing them, I’ve marked the top of each prescription bottle using a permanent marker and the first letter of the medication. When I receive a new refill, I transfer the old top to the new bottle.

I read your column daily in The Huntsville (Ala.) Times. Deb Leonard, via e-mail

King Features Syndicate