Keypads a solution to spare-key issues

Dear Heloise: I just read another suggestion about where to hide the spare keys to your house. I think all are such bad ideas to hide a key that anyone might find!

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Dear Heloise: I just read another suggestion about where to hide the spare keys to your house. I think all are such bad ideas to hide a key that anyone might find! Years ago, we upgraded our front and back door locks to programmable locks with a keypad. We can still use our key, but we are also able to use our phone to program many lock combinations.

We have the option to make some numbers temporary; those we usually give to the cleaning company. The number expires at any time we set it to. Now we don't have any more keys to hand out or have to worry about a hidden one being found.



— David Maurice, Schertz, Texas Donating business attire Dear Heloise: I read the letter from the reader who had trouble finding a charity to accept her business attire upon her retirement. I taught at a local community college for years. There was a program on campus that accepted business attire for men and women, and they created it to help students who could otherwise not afford such clothing.

These students used this clothing to prepare for interviews during and after their college education. People are also reading..

. Perhaps this could be an avenue for other readers to pursue rather than donating the clothing to a different national charity. — Susan, in California Peeling hard-boiled eggs Dear Heloise: I see several hints about cooking and peeling hard-boiled eggs but never this one.

I have found that after I cool and crack an egg, a teaspoon is excellent to use, as it will slip between the egg and the thin membrane under the shell. As you rotate the egg, crack the shell and remove it, leaving a nice clean egg that you can devil or eat. Be sure that you get the spoon between the egg and the membrane under the shell.

When raising my family, and later my grandkids, we had many get-togethers throughout the years with sweets galore. I felt that if the kids ate at least one or two "deviled" eggs, they were getting something nutritious in their bodies before devouring all the treats. — Kathy, Trumbull County, Ohio Hospital essentials Dear Heloise: When some one goes to the hospital, you usually need to pack and leave on short notice.

Here are some things that might help, in addition to medications: „ ■ Over-the-counter medications, warm clothes (rooms and hallways are very cold) and toiletries. ■„ A notepad and pen for writing things to remember. „ ■ A phone charger, head phones, lip balm, an emery board, air freshener, breath mints, hand tissues (not always given unless requested) and hand sanitizer.

Every day, more things would get requested by my spouse. Hope this helps! — Emily, San Antonio Securing calendars Dear Heloise: I add paper reinforcements around the holes on a paper calendar before I hang it up in January of each year. There is never a concern about the holes tearing.

Make it a great day! I've been a reader for 40 years! — Cindy Kroening, via email Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to [email protected] . Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox!.