Hints from Heloise: A fitted sheet hack, a parking tip and more

Dear Heloise: I have been following all the different kinds of peanut butter sandwiches, and I noticed that no one has mentioned the type of pickle they use with their peanut butter and mayo sandwiches. So, I wanted to add in that as kids (and now as adults), we made ours with "sweet" pickle chips, mayo and peanut butter. Yum! - Dawn White, Garden Grove, California

FITTED SHEET HACK

Dear Heloise: Wrestling with fitted sheets is a fact of life, especially if you have a king-sized bed! I found a set of sheets with elastic straps across the corners (not unlike the straps you can buy for the same purpose). I pulled out my sheets that don't have the straps and sewed on my own, with two corners in black and two in white. Now my only thought is whether my sheet is inside out. If the elastic loses its pull, I just stitch on a new one! - Marla Deere, Marana, Arizona

Dear Heloise: I am also a senior citizen and liked the letter from Sarah Thomas regarding speaking into a microphone. I have been on several tours. The tour guides without microphones seem to turn their backs to their audiences and speak to the church, building, or some other important place instead.

Please inform any potential tour guides who read your column to speak directly to their audience. The inanimate objects can't hear them, and neither can we. Thank you. - Cheryl Walsh, The Villages, Florida

PARKING HINT

Dear Heloise: Thank you for all of your helpful hints; I have used many of them. This is something I have never seen in your column. I have a largish car and find that it can sometimes be challenging to locate my car in a parking lot.

Solution: I put decals on both sides of the upper rear back windows. At first, I used decals that I obtained when traveling. Now I use bright sunflowers so they're visible from a distance. It saves a lot of needless wandering around parking lots.

Please continue the good hints. I hope you can use this one! - Barbara Fogarty, Seymour, Connecticut

Dear Heloise: Does someone in your home need to make contact with others for help with their personal needs? There is a very simple method to establish the equivalent of a nurse-call system.

Go to your local hardware store. Purchase a cheap wireless doorbell unit. (Mine cost about $20. The bell unit is about 1-by-1-by-3 inches.) Activate it, then place the doorbell and call button in individual zip-close bags. Tie them shut with a length of heavy cord. They can be worn around the neck or hung up anywhere, including in the shower. - G.W., via email

Dear Readers: As the cold weather arrives, we often turn up the heat to warm our houses, but the cost of electricity always seems to be increasing. So, take these two steps to help lower your bills:

Install a programmable thermostat that you can set so the heat goes on and off when you want it to.

Make the change from incandescent lightbulbs to LEDs. While they might cost more initially, they last for years and use up less electricity. - Heloise

(c) 2024 by King Features Syndicate Inc.