If the comfy shoe fits — buy it

Dear Readers: Contrary to popular belief, your feet don't have to be slaves to fashion. If your feet look good yet feel bad ... what's the point? You can avoid many of the foot problems that plague people by buying shoes that fit. Here are a few rules to make sure you buy shoes that both look and feel good, and keep your tootsies footloose and pain-free.

1. Measure your feet — they can change size and shape as you get older, gain or lose weight, have a baby, etc.

2. Always try on shoes before you buy them. There's no exact sizing to shoes — you might wear different sizes depending on the designer.

3. Give your toes some wiggle room. A half-inch between your longest toe and the end of the shoes is a good rule of thumb. Make sure all your toes can wiggle comfortably. Shoes that slip and slide are almost guaranteed to give you blisters — or worse, a turned ankle.

4. Walk around the store to test the shoes. If they're not comfortable, don't assume they can be broken in!

5. If shoes will be worn with a particular sock or stocking, wear those when trying shoes on.

6. Try to shop for shoes at the end of the day. Your feet can "expand" up to a half size during the course of a day. Shoes you buy in the morning might not fit in the evening. — Heloise

Dear Heloise: I wear a medication patch that I change weekly. I would often forget when the current patch was applied. Now, I write the date on the patch so I know when a new one needs to be applied.

I don't have trouble writing on my particular patch, but if you do, write the date on a piece of medical tape or a bandage and put that on the patch. — A.R., New Orleans

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Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000, or you can fax it to 1-210-HELOISE or e-mail it to Heloise@Heloise.com. © King Features Syndicate Inc.