DEAR HELOISE: We save plastic grocery store and newspaper bags for many uses.

• Fold the bags smoothly. This will remove most of the wrinkles and the bags will look nicer when carrying a gift or treat to a friend. Store them in a container so you can get one at a time.

• Pull the bag over your hand and up the arm to pull up poison ivy. Then pull down over the plant and trash it without getting the oil on your skin. A newspaper bag works best for handling poison ivy.

• Line small trash cans throughout the home. It saves on buying liners and keeps trash cans clean.

• Collect coffee grounds for composting. There will be liquid, so double-bag the trash can, remove the paper filters and dump into the compost container or on your acid-loving plants once a week.

• Keep one in your car to collect trash.

• Put one in your handbag. You never know when you might need it.

-- B.B. in Va.

DEAR HELOISE: This is a problem that every woman who wears makeup deals with at some point. So often, mascara begins to clump long before its usefulness has ended. Or eyelashes get stuck together and need to be separated so you don't get the tarantula look. It is entirely too expensive to toss sooner than necessary. Using the mascara brush over and over only makes the problem worse.

One day while cleaning my teeth I noticed the interdental brushes used to clean between teeth were simply a miniature of the mascara brush. So after applying my mascara I used the tiny brush just like I would the mascara brush to remove the tiny clumps and separate the mascara-fused eyelashes. It worked perfectly. I clean the tiny brush with a tissue, which allows me to use it several times before pulling out a new interdental brush. They come 20 to a package. It's an inexpensive solution to tossing mascara too soon.

DEAR READERS: After you cook hamburgers, you can remove the splattered grease easily. Just spray the stovetop with vinegar and then wipe it down for a shiny, clean result.

DEAR HELOISE: Instead of throwing out flower vases after the flowers have dried, please drop them off at your local flower shop. It saves the landfill and reduces cost for the flower shop. Thank you.

-- Janet Lee, in N.D.

DEAR HELOISE: If Leo T. doesn't want to be awakened by a phone call in the morning, all he has to do is turn the ringer off at night when he goes to bed. I've been doing this for years.

Send a money- or time-saving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000; fax to (210) 435-6473; or email

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