HELOISE: Keep list of library books to avoid fees

Dear Heloise: My husband and I are both avid readers and get a lot of books from the library. I keep a list of these books on the computer, as it is hard to remember all the titles of the books we have read. Since it’s also hard to remember the due dates when we have several to read, I take a small piece of paper, put the due date on it and tape it to the front of the book. Then we will know at a glance which book to read first to avoid a late fee at the library.

Doris Shepard, North Fort Myers, Fla.

Doris, a wonderful hint and a good reminder to my readers that your public library is a fantastic source for all sorts of free entertainment – books, movies, etc.

Heloise

Dear Readers: Here are some uses for old spice bottles:

Fill with salt and pepper for picnics/camping.

Use to hold salad dressing when taking a lunch.

Keep toothpicks in larger ones.

Mix sugar and cinnamon in one for easy sprinkling on toast or muffins.

Heloise

Dear Heloise: Here are a couple of handy uses I have found for 81/2-by-11-inch sheet protectors:

Store recipes in them rather than stuffing them in a recipe book (ones cut out of magazines, etc., or handwritten and given by friends). I put the pages in a three-ring binder and include a picture of the dish. You also can remove the page, and the recipe won’t get dirty in the protector.

Put pamphlets in protectors for reference, like the ones from fairs, etc., that tell about the vendors, what they offer, how to get there, etc. They’re all in one place and not scattered here and there.

Patty, Waterbury, Conn.

Dear Heloise: I use the blank back sheets from junk mail to print out selections from email and websites. Sometimes I think I get unwanted mail specifically to supply such paper!

Marcia Lynn Neil, Bradford, Pa.

Dear Heloise: Don’t forget to put lots of hot pads and trivets on your table when you are serving a family dinner. This way, all the hot dishes have a place to sit on the table, and your table isn’t hurt.

Tanya O., via email

Dear Heloise: You did the same thing that many others do – told someone asking why stores do not have a tall section to go to catalogs. Yeah, we tall women can go and pay inflated prices for 36-inch-length pants that we don’t know what they look like or how they fit, then return them, at our cost, if they are horrible. You have the voice to get it out to the public that these lines need to be carried in department stores and not just in catalogs.

Sandi R. in Holland, Texas

Note taken, Sandi! Manufacturers and stores? I’ll print as many responses as possible.

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