Heloise, syndicated columnist

Dear Heloise: I, too, have an issue reading the small copy on containers at the grocery store, so I use my cellphone to enlarge the copy. At 5 feet, 1 inch tall, I also have a hard time seeing the price labels on the top shelves. Over time, these labels tend to curl upward, so I take a quick photo and just delete it when I’m finished. — Lucia, via email

MOBILE GARDENING

Dear Heloise: I read the letter about gardening from Lester, where he talked about digging holes. I also had my knee replaced, so now I use one of those big exercise balls while gardening. Not only can you move around easier, you can get up easier than you can from a stool, which was what I used before.

I also use it when I need to get into cabinets that are low to the ground. You get the added benefit of strengthening your core as well. — Janet J., via email

DEPOSIT BOX WARNING

Dear Heloise: Safety deposit boxes may be difficult to access in the event of someone’s death. It may take several months or more for access to be granted to the estate administrator. You may not want to include it in the instructions for actions that should be done quickly after a death.

I was an executor in one case where the relatives also had access to the box but lived in a foreign country. Due to COVID, they could not have the United States Embassy notarize a document that could grant me access. — Rolf Tandberg, via email

A MENTAL EXERCISE

Dear Heloise: We have a magnetic dry-erase board on our refrigerator door, so we write our grocery needs on there. When I am going to the store, I snap a photo of the board with my smartphone. As a memory exercise, I shop for the groceries using my mental list; then, as I head to check out, I pull out my phone and see how I scored! — Paul V., in Ohio

LEARNING HOW TO SWIM

Dear Heloise: My parents also taught me how to swim at a young age. As I got better, I swam competitively. After I mastered swimming, I started playing water polo in high school and junior college, and I had safe fun in the ocean. Then I had a summer job as a lifeguard, and water-skiing and surfing became hobbies.

As I got older, sailing was next — all because my parents taught be to swim. The unintended consequences of teaching kids how to swim can be wonderful. — Brad M., in Riverside, California

THE HALLWAY OF FORGETFULLNESS

Dear Heloise: Roma from New York’s hint about repeating the name of something that you went from room to room for is one I will use a lot! My condo has a long hallway from the living room, dining room and kitchen to the bedrooms and bathrooms, and I call it the “hallway of forgetfulness.” I need Roma’s hint while traversing through there all the time, so thank you, Roma! — Phyllis S., via email

MEAT PATTY SEPARATOR

Dear Heloise: As I was about to throw away the waxed paper liner that comes inside a box of breakfast cereal, I realized I was about to throw away something perfectly usable. When making hamburger patties, I always placed a square of waxed paper between the patties to separate them. Now I just cut the liner from a cereal box into 5-inch squares and use these instead. — Dawn W., in Brush Prairie, Washington

Send a money-saving or time-saving hint to Heloise@Heloise.com. I can’t answer your letter personally but will use the best hints received in my column.