Store vacation numbers in phone

Dear Heloise: I thought of a good thing to do before my vacation that really helped me and might help others. I programmed all the hotel telephone numbers and the confirmation numbers that I always needed into my cell phone. I had the information I needed at my fingertips in an instant. Thanks for all the hints that I have used from you in the past. —A Reader, via e-mail

Good advice for anyone traveling on business or vacation. Thank you for sharing your hint. —Heloise

Dear Readers: Don't toss those clothespins. Here are a few handy uses:

• Use to close cereal and cracker packages.

• Clip a stain on clothing to remind you to attend to it.

• Use to fasten a trash bag to a lawn chair when cleaning up the yard.

• They are handy to hold or separate papers.

—Heloise

Dear Heloise: I love reading your daily column in the newspaper, and I am always in awe when I read such wonderful hints that other readers sent to you.

I keep a pair of the skin/body gloves that you find in the beauty section of drugstores in my kitchen. I use them instead of a veggie brush when I am cleaning the dirt off potatoes and mushrooms. I just put both gloves on and gently roll the veggies in my hands, loosening the dirt, rough "eyes" and skin.

I also use them to rub down carrots to get off any lingering root threads. They get tossed right into the washing machine with my kitchen towels. —Marianne Cunningham, Mission Viejo, Calif.

Dear Heloise: I collect panda items and fell in love with a panda shower curtain — even though we have no shower/tub that uses a curtain. I hung white sheers on the window in my "panda room" and then hung the shower curtain to make it show up better. —Viv Holmes, Texarkana, Texas

Dear Heloise: To keep track of boxes and their contents when moving or putting in storage, number the boxes and list the contents of each numbered box in a notebook. It only takes an extra minute, but it saves time if you need something. —Sid from Utah

Dear Heloise: Thanks for letting me "sound off" about my pet peeve. It's those aspirin and vitamin bottles with the little piece of cotton inside.The only thing that works is tweezers. —Louise Gilhome, Neptune, N.J.

---

Send a great hint to: Heloise, P.O. Box 79500, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000; fax: 1-210-435-6473; e-mail: Heloise@Heloise.com.

---

© King Features Syndicate Inc.