LITTLE ROCK — DEAR HELOISE: You printed comments concerning gift cards, and one person said that the money goes to waste because he uses $23 of a $25 gift card and doesn’t go back. The solution to this is if you have “too little” left on a card as you leave the store or restaurant, give that card to someone else in the store or restaurant for that person to use. What a treat to the person you give it to, and no money wasted!
- Jennifer, Fort Wayne, Ind.
DEAR READER: How nice- the money is not “lost,” and someone else gets a little treat. Or, give it to the cashier to use for the person standing behind you in line.
DEAR HELOISE: Finding the owner’s manual when you need it is frustrating. Add the fact that many manufacturers now use the smallest print possible.
Here’s a solution that makes it easier to find and cuts down on the clutter: Make a folder on your computer for the manuals. When you buy a new appliance, go to the manufacturer’s website and download the owner’s manual. Save a copy of the PDF file using a name you can identify.
Another big advantage is that your viewer can be set to 200 percent (or whatever you want) so you can read the print and see the location of buttons, etc. And you can print out only the pages you need.
- A Reader, via e-mail
DEAR HELOISE: When you are trying to find a shirt, for example, that color-coordinates with a pair of pants you own, wear the pants to a store that has paint color samples. Find one or two samples that are good matches, and carry them with you while looking for a new shirt. This has worked beautifully for me several times lately.
- Rose W. Ross, Jupiter, Fla. Send a money- or time-saving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000; fax to (210) 435-6473; or e-mail
Style, Pages 28 on 07/27/2010