Dear Heloise: My part-time job at a retailer offers direct deposit into my checking account. The retailer also can deposit my pay onto a prepaid card. It’s like a credit card, but if I need cash, I use an ATM, which charges me a fee. Please tell your readers to read the fine print! — A Worker Bee in Dallas

Dear Worker Bee: Thanks for the good information that I’m more than happy to pass along!

Readers, a prepaid (payroll) card is like a debit or gift card. There is no bank account to withdraw from or even check your balance. An employer “deposits” or “loads” your wages onto the card. You can shop, pay bills, etc., like it’s a regular credit card.

However, when getting money from an ATM, YOU have to pay the ATM fee to get your money! So, if you need cash, take out more than you think you will use, so there is only a one-time fee. — Heloise

TRASH CONTAINMENT

Dear Heloise: My complaint is people who throw their garbage in the trash can unwrapped. It stinks! As soon as the lid is lifted, the wind blows papers out, and as the men lift to dump the trash, corncobs, watermelon rinds and apple peels fall out — ugh! The smell from the trash cans is awful.

I wrap my garbage in RECYCLED bags. I feel for the trash pickup men who have to smell all that trash. — A Reader in Boardman, Ohio

Thank you, reader. You are right: The trash should be contained so it doesn’t fly about, and corncobs, apple peels, etc., should go in the compost pile, if possible. Wet garbage can be put in a store plastic bag, tied and then put into the garbage can.

Here’s how I clean the big outdoor trash can: vinegar and dish soap! Put several cups of vinegar and a big squirt of dishwashing soap in the trash can, fill with water about 1/3 way and scrub with a broom. Dump out, rinse and let the can dry in the sun. Vinegar is handy for so many uses around the house, and it is cheap, readily available and safe to use. Would you like to receive a collection of my favorite vinegar helpers and how-tos? Visit www.Heloise.com to order a pamphlet, or send $5, along with a long, stamped (70 cents), self-addressed envelope, to: Heloise/Vinegar, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001. You can hang a car deodorizer on the inside of the trash can to help keep it fresh. — Heloise

NO MAILING LIST

Dear Readers: If you enter drawings or sweepstakes, or when signing on for a subscription, your name can end up on a mailing list! My HELOISE HINT: Use variations and initials of your name. — H.H. Heloise

FRESHEN UP

Dear Heloise: When I want to freshen up my throws and bedspreads, I take them outside and give them a good shake-out. The fresh air helps, too. — M.B., Fayetteville, Ark.

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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.