Mark tax-deductible check entries in red

Dear Heloise: I look forward to your column every day and wanted to share what I do in my checkbook registry. When I make an entry that is an income-tax deductible item like prescriptions or donations, etc., I use a fine-point red pen to make the entry so that at the end of the year it is easy to find all the check items that I need for income-tax time. I used a marker in the past but found that this is easier for me.

I also have a comment about concentrated laundry soap. I always seem to use too much, and I think it is because they make the caps too hard to see into to correctly measure. So I found a soap that had a see-through cap and use it on all measurements for my laundry. Dorie, Ohio

Dear Heloise: Don’t write down logon names and passwords in an address book! The first dishonest person who finds it will have a wealth of information! In no time, you could be dealing with identity theft.

Code them — don’t list by name — and don’t keep the book near the computer. It’s hard to get your money, credit rating and good name back. Bob W., San Diego

Dear Heloise: When did our country become obsessed with fragrance? I have extremely sensitive skin and was thrilled when I finally found a laundry detergent that was fragrance-free. That was temporary, however. That company has now added a fragrance to virtually all its products. I found a different brand without fragrance, but it doesn’t do a very good job. Why does everything we buy have to have an added fragrance? Do we all really smell that bad? Margaret, via e-mail

There are fragrance-free products, but you might have to search for them, and many times they may be a little more costly. Heloise

Dear Heloise: When I visit my daughter who lives in a high-rise apartment that has a large, multilevel parking garage, I use my cell phone to take a photo of where I park and the floor number. Anne N., San Antonio

Dear Heloise: I have a couple of things I find extremely helpful for cleaning. One is an unused paintbrush to dust the nooks and crannies of hard-to-reach places in frames or furniture that is ornate.

I also use old, plastic hotel keys that are like credit cards. I use these to get at the gunk around taps and hard-to-get-at places or on surfaces that I need to scrape but may easily scratch. Jessi, Kingston, Ontario, Canada

Dear Heloise: Since I only take care of my granddaughter once a week, I don’t have a place to put dirty diapers. I have found that newspaper bags hold in the odors with a quick, tight knot tied close to the diaper. Barbara M., Great Falls, Va.

• 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