HELOISE: Samples add nice scent to old books

Dear Heloise: I use the perfume samples in magazines for bookmarks. I cut down the length of the page about 1/2 inch from the edge of the flap for the scent. Then I cut them in half across the middle. They are about the size of a bookmark. You have a nice scent while reading, and if the book has a musty odor, you can open the sample a little bit at a time to release more scent.

Marilyn from Wisconsin

This is a lovely idea, but please note: Don’t use in valuable, antique or collectible books, and don’t put them in library books. Others checking out the book after you may have allergies.

Heloise

Dear Heloise: My high-school best friend and I live 300 miles apart. For birthdays, we got tired of sending the same gift certificates back and forth, so now we give each other something else — “permission.” For her birthday, she got to take a female friend to lunch, and for mine, I got to hang out in a giant bookstore for at least three hours. The keys are: Choose something your friend enjoys but never takes time for and that costs about as much as you’d spend on each other. Think of something different each year. This idea turns guilty pleasures into happy obligations.

Lynn F. Addison, Pa.

Love this hint!

Heloise

Dear Heloise: In addition to the college kits suggested by a reader (first-aid kit, sewing kit, address book), we also sent each of our daughters to college with a small tool kit, including such basics as a small hammer, pliers, screwdrivers, nails, glue, small level, etc. They probably were the only ones on their dorm floors with such kits, and they met many other students (including boys!) because of it. They are both on their own now, and we’ve since enlarged their boxes and supplies through the years.

Kristine Prescott, Ariz.

Kristine, thanks for the reminder that a tool kit is a valuable item for all college students.

Heloise

Dear Heloise: We buy bottled water in the 24-count carton/package. When storing them in the refrigerator, they tend to fall over if sitting upright. We have devised a way to store eight bottles at a time, and they do not fall over. We use a 12-count empty beverage soda carton. The bottles are placed in the carton lying on their sides, end to end, and are placed on the shelf in the refrigerator toward the side wall.

Jimmy and Sandy McDonie via email

Dear Heloise: Regarding the hint in the Houston Chronicle about scraping fingernails over a bar of soap before gardening: May I just add that one should always wear gloves when gardening? There are many harmful bacteria in any soil. Thanks.

Joy Jenkins Kenney, Texas

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