Reader Letter #1
Keeping a Chest Freezer Organized
Any loose items that I put in my chest freezer are put into reusable cloth bags; vegetables in one bag, seafood in another, etc. This makes it easier to pull out the entire
bag and pick and choose. Of course,
everything is labelled and dated. Love your articles.
-- Dianne Evans
Reader Letter #2
Besides Cleaning Supplies on Every Floor, I Stock These Too...
Maria,
In reference to your January 17 issue, besides cleaning supplies on every floor, I have
a small tool kit next to most sets of cleaning supplies.
My mini tool kit includes: a hammer, medium size regular screwdriver, medium size Phillips (named after Henry Frank Phillips) screwdriver aka crosshead screw design (original designer-John P.
Thompson), tape measure, set of Allen (named after William G. Allen) wrenches (aka hex keys), a small level, and note paper and pencil. Most of my other tools are stored in the garage.
I do learn something new everyday! I looked up to see if Allen and Phillips should be capitalized and found out some cool
stuff!
Thank you SO much for all your wonderful tips and ways to save me time!
Blessings to you!
-- Nancy J
Reader Letter #3
A Good Way to Keep a Finger on Your Car's Pulse
My father-in-law taught his sons (and by extension, his daughters-in-law) to keep a “gas book”. It was a small dedicated notebook kept in the glovebox of
the car in question.
Every time gas was put in the car, an entry was made of the date, odometer reading, number of gallons, fuel gauge reading (if not full, then $10 or whatever measure had been used), and mpg.
As we pulled out of the gas station, if someone was riding shotgun, that person was responsible for doing and recording a quick estimate of the miles per gallon on the last tank.
All the right-hand pages contained this information.
On the left-hand page, entries were made as to any repairs done, unusual trips taken, oil
added, etc. Those left-hand page entries were made opposite the most recent fill-up information.
The first page of the book had the car’s make, model, VIN, and tank capacity (very useful if one was driving a vehicle that wasn’t their usual
one).
So reading across, you might see something like:
LEFT SIDE: 12/15/15,
tires rotated, 1 qt 5W30 oil added
RIGHT SIDE: 12/13/15, 65,788,10.5 gal, Full 28 mpg
A bit on the obsessive/compulsive side, but it was a good way to keep a finger on the car’s pulse. Fifty years later I still do it!
I don’t have innate “car sense” so it keeps me aware of when the wiper blades were last changed, how much
oil is used, whether the mpg has dropped and service is needed, etc.
When the car insurance agent sends paperwork that needs a figure for miles driven in a year, it's easy to find in the book.
I always enjoy your newsletter — thank you!
-- Gail Miller
