Hints from heloise

Don’t throw away all those baby-food jars. They can be used for:

• storing leftover paint for touch-ups.

• storing small nails, etc. Attach a lid to the underside of a garage shelf and screw the jar onto the lid.

• storing matches or a lighter for camping trips.

• holding buttons in a sewing room.

• carrying small treats for pets when traveling.

Dear Heloise: I have two 3-by-5 recipe boxes of tried-and-true recipes — one for entrees and one for all else. Both are color-coded (for example: pink-beef, yellow-chicken, blue-fish and shellfish, white-pork, etc.).

I also have two photo albums with peel-back plastic that I use for new, untried recipes. Again, one for entrees, one for all else. (Once the recipes are tried, I either transfer or toss them.) Both are alphabetized. I find this arrangement great for easy reference. – J. Sander, La Mesa, Calif.