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Declutter before downsizing

Dear Heloise: My husband and I have plans to move to our vacation home after we retire. We’re going through this large house of ours and sorting through all of our belongings one room at a time. Our three daughters are helping because it’ll offer them a chance to take many things that ...

Missing the magic of family Christmases

Dear Annie: My husband and I are in our 70s, and although our adult children live nearby, they rarely visit us. It is always considered "more convenient" for us to go to them. For years, I decorated our home from top to bottom for Christmas. I loved the tree, the lights and the feeling that ...

Prying open nail polish bottles

Dear Heloise: To open a bottle of nail polish that’s stuck, place a cup of water in the microwave for 1 minute. Then remove the cup from the microwave and place the bottle inside of the cup. Wait about a minute and remove. Presto! — Marty R., via email TINY HOLES IN T-SHIRTS Dear ...

Promotion creates distance between best friends at work

Dear Annie: My best friend, "Ashley," and I have worked at the same marketing agency for three years. We started on the same day, bonded over bad coffee, and we have been inseparable ever since. We have lunch together almost every day and text constantly. We have even taken a few vacations ...

Keeping kitchens pest-free

Dear Heloise: I keep a clean house, but I still have an ant and roach problem. What will help me stop attracting these filthy pests? I've used commercial companies that come in and sort of bomb the house with a mist of chemicals. I hated the smell that lingered for weeks, and the expense was ...

Schools fail to teach necessary skill

Dear Heloise: I read the letter about counting change and thought I’d give you my experience. For many years, I requested that teachers in our district teach students two things: how to count change back and how to measure items with a tape measure. In 40 years, I’ve had to teach every ...