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Dear Heloise: My husband and I have lived in our house for over 37 years. In that time, we raised three children, ran a small business out of our family room and had a number of pets in the house. Needless to say, we accumulated a lot of junk and items that we no longer have a use for anymore. I made up my mind that this would be the year I went through each room and started to downsize, clean out everything we didn't need and either toss it out or give it away. Believe me when I say it's been a real chore getting rid of over 60 books, baby furniture, old toys and bikes, just to name a few things.
As I looked around, I began to realize that my house looks cleaner, smells fresher, and it will be so much easier when we start painting the walls and trim in the spring. Getting rid of excess furniture and other items we hung onto seemed to free us up and helped us finally decide to sell our home and buy a condo, with less work and upkeep. Try it. It's really liberating. -- Brenda K., New Rochelle, N.Y.
SEND A GREAT HINT TO:
Heloise
P.O. Box 795001
San Antonio, TX 78279-5001
Fax: 1-210-HELOISE
Email: Heloise@Heloise.com
GREETING CARDS
Dear Heloise: I had nearly 100 greeting cards that I had saved over the years. Some were very pretty, and I wanted to keep them, but it was just getting to be too much to store them. So I singled out the ones that looked sort of old-fashioned and used them to line the inside of an antique trunk that I have. It turned out so nice that I took many of the rest and pasted them on the outside of a record cabinet I have had for years. They're set in different angles, and I can still remember the people who gave them to me. A friend of mine, who also collected greeting cards, liked my idea and lined the inside of her utility closet door. -- Doris C., Vista, California
SCAM ALERT
Dear Heloise: Recently, there has been a rash of fraud emails around the country from scammers who are trying to get people to click on a dangerous website or send money to bail someone out. While these are run by scammers looking to take advantage of people, one of the most dangerous are people who come to your door (uninvited) to sell you something, perform a service such as painting your house or fence, or do repair work. Don't, under any circumstances, let them in your home. Don't let them use your telephone or bathroom or get a drink of water for them. Don't pay them in advance for services they promise to perform. This is especially true if they come after dark.
If you get such a person on your doorstep, shut the door immediately and lock it. Better yet, unless you're expecting someone, don't open your door to strangers. -- Roger H., Detroit