Today’s Sound Off is about family expectations.

Dear Heloise: About 14 years ago I started my own business, and hard work, common sense and a little luck helped me grow and thrive. I’ve managed to diversify my investments and have a comfortable living.

For reasons I can’t explain, my family seems to think I’m wealthy (I’m not), that I should hire only relatives (which I won’t) and lend money to every one of my relatives who have some business in mind (which I won’t do). I don’t drive an expensive car, but I drive a nice car. I live within my means, but because I own a business the family thinks I MUST be rich.

I’ve got an older brother whose son wants me to pay his college tuition. I said, “no.” I worked my way through college, so can he. Now my younger brother wants me to give him $16,000 so he and his girlfriend can have a destination wedding. I said, “no.”

I regularly give to my favorite charities and to my church. One Sunday a month I work at a soup kitchen, and I give my mother extra money every month. The rest of my family looks at me as though I’m an ATM. When will people learn that having a business doesn’t necessarily mean you’re rich? It just means you work hard. You work even harder during lean times, and you might give up a vacation because you need to plow money back into your company. At the start you make do or do without, but any business owner will tell you that with a plan and a goal, you have a fair chance of making a decent living, but not necessarily an extravagant living. — Reader in Upstate New York

FAST FACTS

Important places to use antibacterial wipes:

— Any and all door handles.

— Crib railings.

— Banisters.

— Car doors, car keys and steering wheel.

— Refrigerator handles and kitchen drawer pulls.

FACE MASK

Dear Heloise: I learned this trick from a makeup artist years ago. If you want a lovely complexion, especially for an evening out, mix half of an egg white with enough powdered milk to form a thick paste. Squeeze the juice of one lemon and add a tablespoon of whiskey (if you have it) and mix everything together. Using a wide artist’s brush, apply to your face and neck, then lay down and rest. After it dries, rise off with warm water. Your skin will look beautiful! — Shelby B., Dickson, Tennessee

NEEDLES AND PINS

Dear Heloise: I kept dropping pins when I was sewing and then had to get down on my hands and knees to find the lost pins. Finally, while I was in an antiques store, I found a pretty little dish. I took it home and glued a magnet underneath the dish. Now it holds my pins and needles. It not only looks attractive, but it’s handier than a pincushion. — Lois H., Akron, Ohio

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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.