Dear Heloise: We just had a funeral in my family. I can't tell you how many hours I spent trying to find addresses for flowers we received. The funeral home very carefully described the arrangements on the back of each flower card, which was a big help. But the return address was nowhere to be found! It was a wake-up call for me, because I, too, have ordered flowers on the Internet. I just assumed that my address would be on the card — wrong!
We had one instance where the name was so misrepresented that we couldn't figure out who had sent them. Fortunately, the people followed up with a sympathy card that mentioned they had sent this particular plant because the deceased cared for it so.
Not because I planned it, but to remind myself, I left a three-ring notebook in the kitchen where I had noted, regarding food: Brenda — chocolate poundcake; office — ham, potato salad; etc.
While we were out and others dropped off food, they continued to list what was dropped off and noted if the dish needed to be returned. What a big help that was! — Sharon, via e-mail
Sharon, anytime there is a death in a family, it does seem like the house gets filled with food, flowers and people. So it's easy for something to get lost in the shuffle. Your hint will help keep things in order. And here's a hint for people sending cards, etc.: Please sign both first and last names — there are a lot of "Sue and Bills," etc. — Heloise
Dear Heloise:This hint is for senior citizens. The print on prescription bottles is small, and the pills or capsules are sometimes similar. To avoid grabbing the wrong bottle, place a large first initial of the medicine on the label. — Georgia Deneen, Niles, Ohio
I use a red marker or nail polish to make it easily visible. — Heloise
Dear Heloise: I subscribe to and buy many magazines. Therefore, magazines accumulate quickly. I see a recipe or a hint and I end up with many scattered around my house. I used to cut out recipes and glue them to a 3-by-5 card.
Recently, I began tearing out the entire page, punching holes in the side and placing in the appropriate three-ring binder. I have one not only for recipes, but one that is only holiday hints, and one for decorating hints. It's surprising what a difference this makes. — Vickie Tatsch, Desdemona, Texas
Dear Heloise: I just read the article about the woman who had a number of old books and mentioned about loaning things out and never getting them back. In high school, when music cassettes were the thing, if I was going to loan out a tape, I would get one of theirs as a deposit to ensure that I would get my tape back. It worked very well. I either got my tape back or I got some new music. — Judi Sharp, Los Osos, Calif.
Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000, or you can fax it to 1-210-435-6473 or e-mail it to Heloise@Heloise.com. I can't answer your letter personally but will use the best hints received in my column. © King Features Syndicate Inc.