HELOISE: Using up last bits on gift cards

Dear Heloise: You printed comments concerning gift cards, and one person said that the money goes to waste because he uses $23 of a $25 gift card and doesn’t go back. The solution to this is if you have “too little” left on a card as you leave the store or restaurant, give that card to someone else in the store or restaurant for that person to use. What a treat to the person you give it to, and no money wasted!

Jennifer, Fort Wayne, Ind.

How nice — the money is not “lost,” and someone else gets a little treat. Or, give it to the cashier to use for the person standing behind you in line.

Heloise

Dear Heloise: Please advise your readers to carry hand-sanitation wipes to use after handling the menus at restaurants. Hundreds of dirty hands have handled them, and they may never be cleaned.

I grab the menu before the hostess places it on my silverware to prevent contamination as well.

Anna from Arkansas

Good point! A small bottle of the sanitizer in my purse year-round is my best friend, especially when traveling for speeches and personal appearances, but it also comes in handy when eating out in my hometown of San Antonio.

Heloise

Dear Heloise: Finding the owners manual when you need it is frustrating. Add the fact that many manufacturers now use the smallest print possible.

Here’s a solution that makes it easier to find and cuts down on the clutter: Make a folder on your computer for the manuals. When you buy a new appliance, go to the manufacturer’s website and download the owners manual. Save a copy of the PDF file using a name you can identify.

Another big advantage is that your viewer can be set to 200 percent (or whatever you want) so you can read the print and see the location of buttons, etc. And you can print out only the pages you need.

A Reader, via e-mail

Hi, Heloise: When you are trying to find a shirt, for example, that color-coordinates with a pair of pants you own, wear the pants to a store that has paint color samples. Find one or two samples that are good matches, and carry them with you while looking for a new shirt. This has worked beautifully for me several times lately.

Rose W. Ross, Jupiter, Fla.

Dear Readers: The skin on your lips is very delicate, so help keep it moisturized by applying a little olive oil or lip balm to condition the lips overnight. When washing your face, gently buff your lips with a washcloth or paper towel to help exfoliate them.

My trick for long-lasting lip color? I use lip pencil as lipstick. I trace a line just outside the lip line, then fill in, blot with tissue, and I’m done.

Heloise

Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000, fax it to 210-HELOISE or e-mail it to Heloise@Heloise.com.

King Features Syndicate