HELPFUL HINTS

DEAR HELOISE: We are moving out of state this summer and wonder if you have some hints to help make the moving experience as positive as possible.

  • Christine P. in Indiana

DEAR READER: Start by stocking up on supplies and boxes for all the items you wish to pack yourself. The supplies may include newspapers, packing tape, boxes, etc.Start as soon as possible. Go through everything, discarding or donating the things you no longer need or want.

Label packed boxes clearly with the items that are inside and the room the items belong in. This way, at the other end, the boxes can be placed in the correct room before unpacking.

Make lists of all the utilities you need to cancel and start up in the new place.

DEAR HELOISE: My new flannel sheets got a lot of stains from being washed with other items. The sheets are large and cumbersome, making pretreatment difficult. I placed rubber bands around the areas that needed pretreatment, identifying all the areas to be treated.

  • K.H., via email

DEAR HELOISE: This hint is a way of storing your canning-jar rings. Untwist the top part of a wire coat hanger, then slide the canning-jar rings onto the wire hanger. Next, twist the top part of the hanger just one time. This will hold the wire hanger together. It can then be hung for storage.

  • Nancy S., Columbia City, Ind.

DEAR HELOISE: I’m always ready to go because I keep all my cosmetic items in a zippered bag that is tall enough for the items to stand upright. A round plastic container (like a cake-icing tub) in the middle of the bag holds all the loose items, such as eyeliners, mascara, lipstick, etc.

  • Pat C., Middletown, Va.

DEAR READERS: Cake boxes are made to be opened from the top, and they look like they will be convenient to open, but they aren’t as easy as you think. I wasted a bit of time trying to open the box from the “suggested” opening. Don’t waste your time and energy, just get a knife. Women, especially, will try to pry open the stubborn boxes with their fingernails. Your nails are not tools, and a broken one is a pain.

Send a money- or time-saving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000; fax to (210) 435-6473; or email [email protected]

Weekend, Pages 38 on 04/10/2014

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