DEAR HELOISE: My school printer can accommodate a large amount of paper, which I'm not used to. I was constantly checking the tray to see if I needed to add more. So to limit the number of times I checked for paper, I came up with this hint.
After each ream of paper I put in the printer, I place a colored sheet on top. I try not to put more than two reams at a time so that I can keep track of how many are in there. I will then place about 10 sheets behind the second colored paper as my final warning.
This helps me plan my printing jobs better, especially if I have class-size materials that I'm making.
-- P.W. in Montana
DEAR HELOISE: Here's a travel hint for anyone new to it. I know because my son learned this the hard way. When planning a traveling excursion, check the weather status during your stay so that you can pack appropriately. My son took a trip recently and packed like a true Texan.
When he got to his destination, it was chillier, and he came home with an extra coat, shoes and socks.
-- Kimberly Y.
in San Antonio
DEAR READERS: Do you have pens that write nice and dark but when placed in a holder, cap down, the ink leaks out?
Here are two hints: You can lay them in a drawer to prevent them from dropping globs of ink. Mine sit in a glass holder. In the holder, I simply placed a sheet of tissue inside before placing my pens on top, without the caps.
Now when they leak, it's on the tissue, and when I do use them, the first mark isn't a blob of ink either.
DEAR READERS: Don't throw away a baseball cap just because the plastic snap in the back is broken. Go buy 3/4-inch elastic and then find a crafty person who also happens to have a sewing machine.
Ask that person to measure, fit and sew the elastic to the cap, and that will fix the problem.
DEAR HELOISE: I save foam trays and store them after thoroughly cleaning and drying. I use them when I mail photos or documents I don't want bent or ruined.
I take two trays and cut them slightly smaller than the envelope. I place the pictures between the trays and slide into the envelope.
-- Erin B. in Ohio
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
MovieStyle on 01/06/2017