HELOISE: Storing owners manuals with items

Dear Heloise: Being a (now retired) military family, we always have kept a computer inventory and backup file, by room, with digital photos and a scanned copy of the purchase price and date of all of our belongings in case of loss in a move, a house fire or robbery. Owners manuals and receipts were stored in a file cabinet.

Sounds pretty organized, doesn’t it? Well, our water heater died, and we had a heck of a time finding the owners manual (too many “filing systems”) with the actual receipt and warranty information.

As a result, I pulled all the file folders that could possibly contain this information, put the owners manuals, warranty information and receipts for each item in separate self-sealing plastic bags and taped them to the appropriate appliance in an inconspicuous but accessible location. I did the same for the lawn and garden equipment.

I always kept the boxes for my small appliances for storage and shipping, and the appropriate information is now safely bagged and stored with each small appliance.

L.W., Colorado Springs, Colo.

Keeping up with manuals and warranties can be a chore, but it’s important so appliances will have a long life! Keeping them with the item, if possible, is a simple yet effective way. I learned from my parents that if you can write the info on it (without it showing) or tape the info to it, do so!

Heloise

Dear Heloise: I have found that the screen light on my cell phone is sufficient to read my watch in the dark or find a keyhole in a car or door. I enjoy your feature in our local paper.

A Reader, via e-mail

Good hint! Speaking of cell phones, here is a cell-phone catastrophe from Steve Cuzner, via e-mail. He says: “While talking on my cell phone, I walked into the kitchen, where my wife had a large pot simmering on the stove. I lifted the lid to take a peek at what she was cooking. My phone slipped out of my hand and into the pot of simmering homemade vegetable soup!”

P.S.: I’ll bet this was one added ingredient your wife didn’t count on!

Heloise

Dear Heloise: My husband and I take several driving trips a year and have found the following hints very helpful:

Keep a list on your computer of everything you want to take with you and print it out when packing. Then check things off as you pack, and you won’t forget anything.

Take books that are on tapes or CDs to listen to. It’s amazing how much shorter the drive seems when listening to a good book.

My husband and I each take a different major credit card so that if I were to lose my purse or he should lose his wallet, we still would have a credit card.

P.W. of Ohio

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