Dear Heloise: Your column several weeks ago made some suggestions about gift ideas for older family members. In the 1960s, my parents made up a medium-sized box full of grocery items for my great-grandmother. They included single-serving canned vegetables, canned ham, tuna fish and spam. Since she was on a fixed income, this was sincerely appreciated. In the 1990s, my husband and I did the same thing for his mother. Today, there are so many more choices for products to go into a "care" box like this for an elderly adult family member to enjoy. There are just too many to name. Oh, we also topped off each box with a box of chocolates. They both loved the boxes and looked forward to receiving each year until they passed. We enjoyed seeing their eyes light up when they opened the boxes. -- Linda Varner, Houston
WHITE PLATES
Dear Heloise: Here's an idea that I thought you would love. We bought 30 white plates for a dollar a piece 30 years ago, and it saved us so much money over the years when entertaining. And we received so many compliments for not using plastic or paper. Thanks! -- Jesse Walters, West Palm Beach, Florida
TOILET LID UP OR DOWN?
Dear Heloise: This is in response to a reader's comment: "Should toilet lids go up or down?" Toilets have water traps (S or U) to block sewer gases, which have anaerobic bacteria. Hence, it makes sense to keep the lid up, except when flushing after a bowel movement, since feces have far worse bacteria. Fresh urine is sterile; hence, no need to close the lid. -- Vittal P. Pyati, Beavercreek, Ohio
CROCK POT TIP
Dear Heloise: Now that the weather is cooler, we enjoy crockpot dinners often. I bought those wonderful crockpot liner bags. Just throw the bag in the trash when the meal is over. Minimal cleanup! The only problem was that we sometimes forgot to use the liners. But I now keep the package of unused liners in the crockpot when stored. Problem solved! This was my husband's idea. I enjoy your column in the Orange County Register. -- Gloria, Mission Viejo, California
MICROWAVE CLEANING WITH VINEGAR
Dear Heloise: I have been putting off cleaning my dirty microwave. I place a bowl of vinegar in and set the time for three minutes. I also brought a long-handle brush with a built-in scraper so I could reach the back. Then, I wrapped a dish cloth around the brush's end and started to scrub -- amazing! The food bits easily started to come off. I am one happy housewife. I read your articles in the Patriot-News. -- Shirley Dearing, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
PET PAL
Dear Heloise: This is eight-year-old Ziva, a Sheltie/mini Aussie. We adopted her last month. -- Nancy Melone, via email
Readers, to see Ziva and our other Pet Pals, go to Heloise.com and click on "Pet of the Week."
Do you have a furry friend to share with our readers? Send a photo and a brief description to HeloiseHeloise.com. -- Heloise
Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001, or you can fax it to 1-210-HELOISE or email it to HeloiseHeloise.com. I can't answer your letter personally but will use the best hints received in my column.
King Features Syndicate