DEAR HELOISE: If one of our family members calls and asks to come over and bring the kids, we usually say "yes," because we're not busy. Then after a while they'll say, "Where are we going for lunch?" We're always put off, because "lunch" wasn't part of the plan, but we graciously go to a restaurant and eat with them. When the bill arrives, they always hesitate and never offer to pay, so my husband pays the bill. How do we stop this selfish behavior from moochers?
-- A Reader in Ohio
DEAR READER: Here are some suggestions from my staff:
• Schedule all arrivals after 2 p.m. If they ask where you're going for lunch or dinner, tell them, "Anyplace you can afford to take us." (Say it while smiling.)
• When they ask where you're going for lunch, say you're not hungry, but you don't want to stop them from going out to lunch.
• When they ask if they can come over, say: "Not today. We're busy (or just about to walk out the door.)"
• Go out to lunch and request separate bills. Pay only for your lunch. Or, when the bill arrives, just say, "Your half is (whatever the amount happens to be)."
DEAR HELOISE: Here's my method for cleaning my garbage disposal:
• Rinse with cold water.
• Sprinkle a generous amount of powdered cleanser in the disposal.
• Pack the disposal with ice cubes, and run the water.
• Turn on the garbage disposal.
Voila -- clean, fresh disposal!
-- Buck J., Kernville, Calif.
DEAR READER: Cover your eyes, nose and mouth to ensure you don't ingest any powdered cleanser, or better yet, use my tried-and-true household helper, baking soda! It's cheap, nontoxic and available everywhere.
DEAR HELOISE: How much nutritional value is there in iceberg lettuce?
-- Merriann S., Kansas
DEAR READER: According to the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences, iceberg lettuce has very little nutritional value. One and a half cups of iceberg lettuce has 10 calories, 0 grams of total fat, 2 grams of carbs and 0 grams of protein. It has about 6 percent of the daily value of vitamin A, 2 percent of vitamin C, 2 percent of iron, 0 percent of vitamin D and 0 percent of calcium.
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
Food on 11/22/2017