HELOISE: Thrifty student proud of old duds

Dear Heloise: I read with some interest your money-saving suggestions for college students, since I have a grandson who is attending college.

A few years ago, when my grandchildren were still young, they insisted on using a huge beach towel to dry their tiny bodies. I came up with the idea of cutting those towels in half and hemming the raw edges so that they didn’t ravel. This cut the amount of laundry in half, and they still got to use their beach towels.

This same grandson seems to have inherited his grandmother’s frugality, and recently told me he had found a place to buy great clothes at a fabulous price. Turns out that it’s a store that sells gently used clothes at a fraction of the price of new. He thinks it’s a hoot and delights in his finds. He always manages to look well-groomed in his new/old duds.

Dot Lott, via e-mail

Dot, good habits do seem to pass down to younger generations. How smart of your grandson to shop resale stores for clothing, especially in college, where most students are on a tight budget! And if they need clothes for a job interview, this is a perfect way to get seldom-worn clothes for very little cost.

Heloise

Dear Heloise: I love binder clips. They come in all different sizes, and I have found them to be useful in many instances around the home:

I use two of them, one on each side of a wastebasket, to keep trash bags from slipping down.

I use them to hold pants in place when making alterations.

The smaller ones make great bookmarks.

They keep gloves and mittens together.

Use them as clamps when gluing.

Philip, via e-mail

Great uses! Here is one more from Anna in New Jersey: “I use two of the binder clips to fasten the sides or the top of a beach towel to a slatted lounge chair. The towel won’t slip, and you will not have to constantly adjust it.”

Heloise

Dear Heloise: If you use the weekly pill holders, you might not realize that they do get dirty with residue from all of the pills. Just open all the lids and put the holders in the top rack of the dishwasher. You will be surprised at how clean and new they look. (Be sure they are secured. Heloise)

Also, here’s a helpful cruise hint: I take a mesh bag and hang it in the bathroom or closet for laundry. This will allow it to air out and dry. I hang larger pieces back in the closet in a separate location (so I remember that I have worn them) and put them in a plastic laundry bag when I pack to go home.

Joan in Iowa

Dear Heloise: My Sound Off is about labels that manufacturers sew into seams of scarves, towels, place mats, napkins, decorative pillows, cushions, etc. These are impossible to cut out without cutting the fabric.

Dorene in Louisiana

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