HELOISE: Tips for military care packages

Dear Readers: A reader’s recent letter about sending care packages to military serving away from home brought in wonderful responses. Here are just a few:

Suzy from Colorado Springs, Colo., says: “When my husband was deployed, his unit had a self-made canteen. The airmen and -women would put all their individually wrapped bags of candy from their care packages in one place, and everyone would share. Along with homemade goodies, I always sent a bag or two of individually wrapped candies so he could add to the supply. When sending a care package, add a bag of snack-size candy along with homemade treats for sharing.”

Beverley in The Villages, Fla., says: “I have a grandson in the Marines who has served three tours overseas. I send cookies to him once a month, and he loves the way I package them. After baking, I freeze them. Then I stack them [two cookies back to back], four to eight to a package. I vacuum-seal them, making certain they don’t cram together while being sealed. They stay fresh, insect- and dirt-free, don’t crumble, and he can take a couple of packs with him on maneuvers or share them with his buddies.”

A Marine dad, via e-mail, says: “Whenever we sent packages to our son or other family members serving in the military in war zones, we used salted peanuts, in the shell, for ‘packing peanuts.’ No wasted space.”

Peg, via e-mail, says: “My son has been stationed in Iraq for 11 months, and I’ve sent about that many boxes of homemade treats. After once mailing an uncut loaf of banana bread, he suggested that I slice the bread first, place each slice in a plastic sandwich bag and arrange or stack the slices around other things in the box. He reports that the slices arrive in good condition, and he can easily share with other members of his unit with no fuss!”

Heloise

Dear Readers: The large plastic containers that once held coffee creamer are great for many organizational uses around the house or in the car. Here are some reuses from our 9-year-old part-time Heloise office helper, Bailey Golden of Salida, Colo.:

cotton balls or swabs

small bottles of nail polish

coins or tokens

pencils

snacks for a field trip.

Heloise

Dear Heloise: I have two hints about barbecue sauce that are great when grilling during football season. A turkey baster allows for a precise application of the sauce, so less drips down and is wasted or burned on. Also, my kids like tangy barbecue sauce instead of ketchup, so we put some barbecue sauce in a squeeze bottle that the kids can use.

A Reader, via e-mail

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