Hints From Heloise

BRIEFCASE NOTES

Dear Heloise: I carry a briefcase to and from work every day. In it is usually just my lunch, an umbrella and two folders. One folder is marked "home," and the other is marked "work." I write myself reminders and drop them into the appropriate folder, then pull them back out when I reach the corresponding location. Now I don't have to keep calling myself at work or home to leave messages. -- Annette, via e-mail

TISSUE DISPOSAL

Dear Heloise: A recent vacation included traveling by bus for a week. I had a very bad cold that required constant nose-blowing. What could I do with those used tissues? I accumulated them in a plastic, zipper-top bag to control contamination and make for easy disposal. -- Jim B., San Marcos, Calif.

COUPON DATES

Dear Heloise: The small print on most coupons makes reading their expiration dates very difficult for my old eyes. Now I write the expiration date in bold ink on the front of every coupon I clip. No more problems! And it makes it easy for me to use them before they expire. -- Peggy McCall, Raritan, N.J.

SOUND OFF

Dear Heloise: I have a Sound Off: magazine subscription renewal notices that are sent months (or in some cases years) before they expire. I purchased a three-year subscription in February of '06 (expires February '09) and started getting notices to renew my subscription in July '07! The magazine renewal notices don't have the subscription expiration date on them.

I write down the date I ordered a subscription and the price in a log in my address book to try to keep a handle on these subscriptions so I don't double-pay or overpay. -- Leslie, via e-mail

(c)2008 by King Features Syndicate Inc.