Dear Heloise: I have been reading your column for a very long time and have gleaned many useful, handy hints. In recent years, so many hints involve the use of items that only get used once and are thrown away (e.g., using foil to line a pan so that it’s easier to wash or buying disposable pans). These shortcuts may be convenient, but not good for Mother Earth.

All of us should take a little more time (soaking a pan works very well) and make a little more effort to do things the “old fashioned” way. Wash stuff and reuse it like our mothers and grandmothers did, or reconsider if you even need to use it at all.

Our country is being buried in stuff that is only used once and gets thrown away. It would be great if folks were more proactive in the crusade to reduce the amount of stuff unnecessarily going into our landfills.

I shall continue to read your column and hope for more Mother-Earth-friendly hints. — Heddy Niemeyer, Long Beach, California

CLEARING OUT THE ATTIC

Dear Readers: If your attic is holding lots of stuff or items that you are not using, clean it out. If you have boxes filled with books or magazines, don’t throw them out. Instead, you can contact nursing homes, hospitals or schools to see if you can donate them. Also do this for other items that you have and aren’t using often. They could be helpful for other people in need. — Heloise

HARD-BOILED EGGS

Dear Heloise: Count me as one of the many readers who gets frustrated when peeling hard-boiled eggs.

My solution is to eliminate the shells before cooking. I use an egg-poaching pan with cups. Just cook them until they’re hard and slide them out of the cup. Done! No fuss, no muss. — Dave L., Salem, New Hampshire

HAVING PETS AT A RETIREMENT CENTER

Dear Heloise: This is for the woman wanting to move to a retirement center, but can’t because she has four pets. We had the same issue with our four cats. We found a place willing to accept our four fur babies if we agreed to pay a nonrefundable deposit and pay $25 a month in rent for each pet.

Don’t give up hope, but ask nicely whether they will allow it, if you are willing to pay for the privilege. We found that they were willing to help us when we told them we couldn’t move without our babies. — Alice, Pensacola, Florida

BIKER SHORTS SAVE THE DAY

Dear Heloise: Since no one wears slips anymore, when I wear skirts or dresses, I always wear spandex biker shorts underneath. Wardrobe crisis averted. — Jean Milici, Torrington, Connecticut

ADDRESS LABELS

Dear Heloise: My husband and I are going to Europe this winter, and of course, we’ll be sending postcards back to our family and friends. I’ve asked each person to send me a few address labels that I can just stick onto the postcards. This way, no one has to struggle to read the address, and some of my friends can get rid of the mountain of address labels they’ve collected from various organizations. — R.D., Lynchburg, Tennessee

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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.