Keep printout of guest list to record party gifts

Dear Heloise: Through the years, my friends and I have given many showers and graduation parties for each other's children. Sending out the invitations is usually my job. I have started providing the honoree with a printout listing each person who was invited, with a space for recording that person's gift. It is particularly helpful for the bridesmaid or whoever is writing down the gifts, who might not be familiar with the names of all the guests. —Barbara Tripp, via e-mail

Barbara, how clever! This list would also be good for keeping track of RSVPs and thank-you notes. A quick check mark next to the name is all it takes! —Heloise

Here are a few gift ideas for the hard-to-buy-for person:

• A roll or book of stamps — everyone can use them.

• A gift certificate to a favorite restaurant.

• A prepaid phone card (if the person makes a lot of long-distance calls).

• Certificates for help, like housework, errands, etc.

• Take the person shopping, and when something he or she likes is found, buy it.

Dear Heloise: I don't know if other people are as frustrated as we are about the new telephone books being split alphabetically, with white and yellow pages in each book. My husband finally solved the problem by cutting each book in half with a utility knife and duct-taping the white pages together in one book and the yellow in another, as they should have been in the first place. —Mary Swanson, via e-mail

Dear Heloise: I've recently started using hearing aids and have found that a film canister makes a great container for the tiny batteries. A canister in my purse collects the ones that die when I'm away from home. A plus is that I'm not leaving them out in places where a pet or grandchild could ingest them. —Jean Leiran, St. Cloud, Minn.

Dear Heloise: Just a quick tip that I thought was great! A salesman at a store where I was buying a new garbage disposal offered a great tip. We were discussing the warranty, and he suggested taking all the important information, placing it in a zipper plastic bag and taping it to the side of the unit.

You will always be able to locate it. This tip can work with so many items — televisions, computers, microwaves, etc. —Terri, via e-mail

Dear Heloise:What really annoys me is the flashing ads on Web pages that I visit — newspaper Web sites are the worst. Do the people who design those ads think that by annoying and blinding a person, they will get more sales? The first thing I do is scroll the page so the ads are out of sight. Also, spam is annoying. I never read any of the unsolicited junk e-mail I get—it is immediately deleted. — L. Cameron, Tri-Cities, Wash.

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