A Hint He Can't Refuse

I keep a dead fish in my post office box. That way, if I forget the box number, I can easily locate the P.O. box by the smell.

Steve Wiley , Germantown

Whenever my car breaks down I walk to the nearest pizza place and have them deliver a pizza to where I'm going. Then I ask if I can ride along with them.

Kevin Mullaney , Rockville

In these days of identity theft, you can never be too careful. I shred everything that has my name and address on it. So now, when I am in a public establishment, I ask to see the phone book. I have learned that my entry is on page 346. I just rip it out and feel so much safer.

Clayton Richardson , Germantown

Sometimes when I am in a hurry and don't have time to leave my friends a long voicemail, I leave them a short one asking them to call me back. Saves us both time!

Rob Phillips , Reston

Instead of taking a chance of damaging my eyeglasses by rolling over on them in bed during the night, I remove them before going to bed.

Jim Blue , Darnestown

I've found that the easiest way to clean the house is to pay someone to come and do it!

Peter D. Marshall , Martinsville, Va.

Hey kids, always keep a fat black magic marker with your crayons. That way if you accidentally color outside the lines you can thicken up the lines and no one will know that you made a mistake.

Lynn Bechthold , Washington

I always sign all of my new checks when they come in the mail. That way I save a few seconds when I'm paying a bill!

Hayden Hurst , Springfield

When my family travels to a foreign country, we sew large American flags to our children's shirts. That way, if we get separated, the locals know to speak English to them. Works like a charm!

The Stams , Montgomery Village

And the grand-prize winner is Vienna's Bethany Milton . We'll be lunching soon at a restaurant of her choice. Her hint:

If you're at a party and accidentally spill your glass of red wine on the host's rug, it's best to run and grab a bottle of white, down that, throw up on the coat pile, and pass out next to the bed. The effort of cleaning up a wine stain will certainly pale in comparison to cleaning vomit off 20 coats.

Take a hint: Participate in my online chat, today at 1 p.m. Simply go tohttp://www.washingtonpost.com/liveonline.