Dear Heloise: I just returned from my grandson’s lovely wedding. His clever bride arranged a unique “Bachelorette’s Event.” She had arranged, with her florist, to gather the bridesmaids together two days before the wedding to arrange all the wedding flowers. They did the table arrangements, corsages, boutonnieres and cones of flower petals for the send-off. The florist kept the arrangements in a cooler and delivered them to the venue the morning of the wedding. Needless to say, this saved the couple a significant amount of money and provided a unique activity for the bridesmaids. — Lynn F., Rutland, Vermont

SAVING T-SHIRTS

Dear Heloise: To keep T-shirt decals from peeling, never put them in a dryer. After washing them, hang them on plastic hangers to dry in the garage or laundry room — never on a clothesline, where the sun’s rays would fade their colors. I have some favorites that I have worn for over 10 years, and they have not faded at all. I do the same for blue jeans so they don’t shrink or get holes. — Wayne Evans, Carenco, Louisiana

TRAVEL TIP

Dear Heloise: When a big trip is coming up, I research which gas stations and food establishments are on the way and in the areas of where we are visiting. I then start visiting my local wholesale club and buy a few of those gift cards every time I go. When we are on the trip, we mainly use the gift cards. When we return, we do not have a huge credit card bill awaiting us. — Kathy Robarge, The Villages, Florida

HANDWASHING HINT

Dear Heloise: I do a lot of handwashing nowadays because of COVID, and my hands were getting quite dry. So, I would just apply hand lotion.

Now, after washing, I take a small dab of lotion and a small dab of hand sanitizer, then mix them together as I rub them into my hands. The sanitizer causes the lotion to spread quickly and evenly, so I accomplish two things at once. — David, in Montana

SOUND OFF

Dear Heloise: In a recent letter, a woman shared a story of releasing balloons in celebration of someone who had died. I imagine it was very pretty and spectacular. But, those balloons do not go to heaven. They come back to Earth. They land in streams, rivers and oceans to be eaten by aquatic life and kill them. Balloons can also land in pastures, where horses and cows consume them and die.

Please, please, please find some other way to honor a person’s memory! Perhaps you can buy boxes of cereal for a homeless shelter or pantry? Write your loved one’s name on the box and words of inspiration for the people who receive it. — Hags with Nags, Sharon and Friends

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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.