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Set up a free email account to avoid junk

Dear Readers: Today’s sound off is about internet sites wanting your email address.  Rene wrote: “The internet is my ‘go-to’ source for information. Many sites want me to enter my email before continuing when I’m only looking for some quick information. I did it once, and was I sorry! The number of emails I received in a day was huge. I started receiving bimonthly brochures, too.” — Rene J., via email

Rene, I hear you, I hear you, I hear you, and the majority of my readers do, too! Here’s a hint from Heloise: Get a free email account, and DON’T use your full real name. Use first name and last initial, all initials or a John/Jane Doe. Use THIS address for those websites you DON’T want to get junk email from. I’ve done it for over a decade or so, and no one knows it’s me. — J.Doe(at)XYZ.com, aka Heloise(at)Heloise.com

P.S. It’s OK to do this, and you are protecting your personal email address.

FAST FACTS

Dear Readers: Other uses for mailing labels from charities wanting a contribution:

* As tape when wrapping gifts for friends or family.

* Inside books as an ID.

* To hold chip bags closed.

* As a marker for starting and stopping points on projects.

— Heloise

EASY PIZZA

Dear Heloise: Here’s my hint for making the best pizza for my family. I know what they like, so I make a list of the ingredients.

The grocery store near me has a salad bar. I can pick up just the right amount of ingredients for our pizza. A bonus is that the ingredients are in small pieces, so I can skip the cutting and preparing part. For my family, it’s the perfect solution for our homemade pizza. — Bridget, via email

Bridget, love it! Plus, you aren’t wasting half a red pepper or an open can of black olives, or time cutting everything up. — Heloise

REPURPOSE

Dear Heloise: When my children were younger, we acquired a red wagon from my parents, who had used it to haul us around when we were young. As parents, we did the same thing with our children.

Now I’ve found other uses for it. I cleaned it up, gave it a fresh coat of paint and brought it into the house. It has been used as a plant holder, extra coffee table, books and magazines holder, and my favorite, to haul laundry from one place to another. It’s so versatile, I may not be apt to pass it on to my children. — Daria T., Fort Wayne, Ind.

WADING POOL FOR

WINTER FUN

Dear Heloise: Our children’s plastic wading pool has many other uses, even in winter. During outdoor parties, I fill it with bottled drinks and ice. My kids and I place it in the middle of the backyard and try to pitch a large sponge ball into it. When it snows, we put it in the garage and have “sandbox” time. — Rick B. in Dallas

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Hints from Heloise run occasionally in Lifestyles. Readers may send a hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000, fax it to 210-HELOISE, or email: Heloise@Heloise.com. Letters won’t be answered personally.

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