Tax Day looms
Dear Readers: Tax Day is looming, and the deadline to file your individual income-tax returns — unless you are extending — is less than a week off. If you are one who puts it off until the bitter end — and there are a lot of folks who do — you have an extra 72 hours to file. Yes, Monday, is Tax Day for most. Emancipation Day, which is Saturday, is a holiday that will be observed in Washington, D.C., on Friday. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) office in D.C. will be closed that day.
Of course, there is always a caveat, or some say a loophole. Even more interesting, if you live and/or file in Maine or Massachusetts, due to Patriots’ Day, taxes are due April 19. — Heloise
Clean toys
Dear Heloise: I cleaned out my children’s toys from their playroom so I could donate them. I noticed that quite a few had crayon marks or scuffs on the plastic. Is there a way to clean these toys before giving them away? — Sandy W. in Indiana
There is a simple, cheap way to get those toys clean, and I’m pretty sure you have the product somewhere in your house right now — it’s baking soda. Mix 4 tablespoons of baking soda into a quart of water. Wipe the toys with a sponge dampened in the solution to make them clean and looking good. And for many more hints, order my Heloise’s Baking Soda Hints and Recipe pamphlet. Visit www.Heloise.com, or send $5 and a long, self-addressed, stamped envelope to: Heloise/Baking Soda, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001. Baking soda is your go-to multipurpose product to clean, deodorize and scrub sinks or other surfaces (with a little water) without scratching. — Heloise
Throat spray
Dear Heloise: You know the wonderful spray that deadens your throat pain but tastes like the bottom of an icky old bucket? I’ve discovered that if I put the biggest spoon I can get into my mouth, bowl side up, over my tongue before I spray, it shelters many taste buds and minimizes that icky aftertaste. — B.W.M. in Texas
The spray you are referring to does tend to taste like an icky old bucket. — Heloise
Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000.