HELOISE: More hints on renting a car

Dear Readers: We have gotten a lot of e-mails and letters in response to the recent rental-car hints. Here are a few additional hints that you may find useful when renting your next car:

Check with your insurance company (and credit-card provider, too) to see if it covers rental cars. If it does, there is no need for insurance with rental-car companies. If not, it may be a good idea to buy insurance when you rent the car. (Be sure what the insurance/credit-card company may and may not cover.)

You may find a rental car cheaper away from the airport. Sometimes they have airport tax on car rentals at the airport. If renting away from the airport, some companies will arrange for transportation (known as a shuttle), and with others you will have to take a taxi. Make sure to factor in the cost.

Have someone over 25 rent and drive the car. You can rent a car at 21, but most likely you will be charged more than if a 25-year-old or older is driving the car.

Deals for weekly rentals may be more cost-effective. Look into all your options before selecting a car rental.

Heloise

Dear Heloise: I had a small, hardcover address book I wasn’t using. I am now using it for all my online accounts because of the alphabetized pages. You can add the online name, your user name and password in the space allowed. I keep it right near the computer.

Mary G., via e-mail

This is a good suggestion; however, you want to be careful to keep something like this at home or at the office in a locked desk drawer or other place that is not easily accessible to snooping eyes.

Heloise

Dear Heloise: I must take a powdered prescription mixed with juice before every meal. The instructions suggest using a blender because the powder is very difficult to mix, but who wants to wash a blender three times a day? (Beside the fact I don’t even own one!) I happened to be visiting my boyfriend when he decided to make scrambled eggs. He put the eggs in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shook it vigorously. There was the answer to my dilemma!

Karolyn in Harrisburg, Pa.

Dear Heloise: When I’m outside in the garden or doing yardwork and have to go in the house, instead of taking my shoes off (to not track in mud or grass clippings), I bought a couple of cheap, plastic shower caps.

I just slip them on the bottom of my shoes and walk through the house without a worry. Plastic food-storage covers also work just as well.

Cass, Racine, Wis.

This hint comes in handy in the winter as well, to keep all the snow and wet weather off flooring!

Heloise

Send a 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