Dear Heloise: For years, I’ve been using various kitchen tools to help me in the kitchen and do jobs that they weren’t originally designed for. I thought I’d share some of these with you and your readers: -- I use a tea strainer filled with herbs and spices to flavor soups and stews. ...

Dear Readers: To remove road tar from your vehicles, purchase an oil-based, prewash spray made specifically for the surfaces of automobiles. Spritz this onto the tar spots and let it work for several minutes. Then scrub with a plastic scrubber. Rinse completely and buff the areas with a ...

Dear Annie: I read a letter in your column about inheritance issues, and I wanted to share my own story. My mother transferred a $930,000 house near the ocean to my single brother a few years ago in secret. We found out when trying to look at money for a care home for my father. Her ...

Dear Heloise: It’s the time of year when people start spring-cleaning and adding fresh touches to their homes. One of the best things that you can do to improve your home is to declutter. When I say “declutter,” I don’t mean throwing things out and replacing them with new clutter. I ...

Dear Annie: I’m writing in response to the letter from “Brokenhearted Grandma,” whose husband grew angry and controlling over time. Reading about what has happened in her family brought back memories of what happened in my own family. After 20 years of marriage, my husband also became ...

Dear Annie: I’m 74 years of age, and I rent a room from a lady who has a 15-year-old son. I pay $600 a month for rent. I pay her $350 in cash, and I work off the other $250 by cleaning and cooking. I vacuum and make her bed and clean the restrooms. I wash dishes and clean the kitchen. When I ...