DEAR HELOISE: Please encourage your readers to ...

... remember the three R's: reduce, reuse, recycle. In other words, first ask yourself if you really need to use a new item, especially for a single use. If you really do need that item, can you find a way to reuse it a second third or fourth time, instead of pulling out a new one each time? Finally, when you have reduced items and reused them all you can, then recycle or trash, depending on the item. When you recycle something, it's not "gone." It goes through a complicated (and expensive!) series of collections, sorting and repurposing. It really is astonishing how much you can reduce your waste by simply reducing and reusing, then recycling what has been thoroughly used and is truly recyclable. - An Earth-Lover From Maryland Dear Heloise: I use the month of my birthday to have all yearly medical tests performed. As a result, I can quickly answer any questions from medical teams about "when was your last (eye, dental, mammogram, etc.)?" It doesn't matter what your age is; this works for everyone! And people are surprised that you are informed about your health. - Debbie G., via email Dear Heloise: In our paper, The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California, I read an article Diana C. wrote about a scarlet tanager bird smashing into her window. We had the same problem, as a special quail broke its neck when hitting our window. About a year ago, our daughter bought us an acrylic bird feeder with suction cups, which we attached to the center of the window. Since then, the birds see the food and fly to it. No birds have hit the window since we put the feeder up. - Sharon R., Beaumont, California Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001, or you can fax it to 1-210-HELOISE or email it to Heloise@Heloise.com