Her idea — colored stickers! When we walked into her house, nearly every item had a sticker. She placed a color key by the door: red — move; green — sell; orange — gift; and yellow — think about it.

As we began helping, it saved a lot of questions. Mother still had to go through everything personally, but then any of us was able to pack items for their proper destination. —Ann Higgins, Florence, Ala.

Give your mother a Heloise Hug for being so organized. —Heloise

Send a great hint to:

Heloise

P.O. Box 795000

San Antonio, TX 78279-5000

Fax: 210-HELOISE

E-mail: Heloise@Heloise.com

Dear Heloise: When traveling recently, we stayed on the second floor of a hotel with a great view that we hated to block by closing the drapes.

In order to keep the view and assure ourselves some privacy, we needed to block the lower portion of the window. Voila! A trip to the car to bring back the (cardboard) windshield sunshade, which we stretched across the width of the windowsill, and our problem was solved. —Hope van den Heuvel, Newton, N.J.

Dear Heloise: I was reading your column about joggers carrying identification and thought I would share my solution.

I went to a store that has a machine for making dog tags and made a tag with my name, address and phone number. I then used a chain to hang it around my neck. Identification without having to have a pocket.

—Doris Riecke, Norman, Okla.

Doris, our military members call them "dog tags" for a reason. Woof! Woof! — Heloise

Dear Heloise: When I purchase cosmetics, many times I receive a gift that includes a cosmetic bag. I fill these bags with things young women would like — lipstick, nail polish, hair accessories, perfume samples, etc.

I donate these bags to a local charity for distribution to young women during the holiday season. You could also make up grooming kits for young men. —D.L., via e-mail

Dear Heloise: My method of conserving water is to place a thoroughly rinsed large plastic jug (liquid laundry detergent, etc.) on the end of the bathtub. I fill this jug with cold water before it gets warm enough to shower with.