Heloise

Dear Heloise: First, let me thank you for all the scam alerts you have posted. You’ve saved me and who knows how many others from making some mistakes that could have cost us our life savings, and much more.

Two weeks ago I received an email alert from one of the largest online merchandisers in this country. It started out, “Someone has used your password to access your account.” (How would they know that “someone” wasn’t me.) Well, no one tried to access my account. Further down the email, it had a yellow bar that said, “Go to Resolution Center,” and they tried to encourage me to click on that bar. Needless to say, I didn’t. I looked at the address of the email, and it was something like Timothyasaij—-@rdjpi.com, which is not a retail address. I learned to look at the sender’s email address from your column in the San Antonio Express-News.

I’ve also had someone call and say they were from the IRS and threaten to charge my credit card with over $700. All of it was a scam. So once again, thanks for looking out for us. — R.J., Boerne, Texas

ORGANIZE

Dear Heloise: I have five boys, and they’re messy. They used to leave things all over the house, until I got fed up with trying to hunt down a pair of skates, a favorite jacket and bikes laying all over the front lawn. So I made a list of items, including where they belonged and who was responsible for them. If there is a bike laying on the front lawn instead of placed in the garage, they have to pay a fine. I always ask them, “Was dropping your socks (bike, clothes, school books, etc.) on the floor worth the 25 cents fine?” And that is only for the first offense. It goes up by a quarter every time they repeat the same action. When we get to one dollar, and that’s not very often, it costs them other things, such as handing over their cellphone for 24 hours. Or it might be no television for two nights. Thankfully, my husband backs me up.

One day I imagine they’ll get married, and I don’t want them to look upon their wives as servants who go behind them cleaning up their messes. — Victoria H., Lake Oswego, Oregon

REMEMBERING IMPORTANT DATES

Dear Heloise: I write all birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, etc, in my annual date book, usually by Jan. 2. My problem is that with my hectic schedule, I often remember to send a card late or a day or two before the occasion.

To solve that problem, I buy several greeting cards every year (including the happy belated birthday cards) and send them out when needed. The envelopes are stamped ahead of time so that all I have to do is write a couple of sentences, sign the card and address the envelope. — Kathleen D., Norman, Oklahoma

Kathleen, this has always been one of my favorite hints, because it tells people that you care enough about them and their life to connect with them. — 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 Heloise@Heloise.com. I can’t answer your letter personally but will use the best hints received in my column.