Dear Heloise: You never know when an emergency will occur, which is why you should always have enough cash on hand. It should be stashed away in a place that is easily accessible. If you have a hidden safe, such as a floor safe somewhere in your home, this is great, but if you don’t, here are some things to think about:

You should have one or two months worth of living expenses set aside. However, never tell anyone, except your spouse, about how much you’ve tucked away or where it’s hidden. Just make certain you remember where it is and the amount. This is just for emergencies, not to serve as a replacement for a savings account at a local bank or investments with a broker or financial planner.

Break up the denominations instead of keeping it in a roll of $100 bills. It’s often tempting to keep it all in one place, but don’t. There are places that sell various common items designed to hide cash inside; they can usually be found online at home safety sites or places that sell spyware. Sometimes hardware stores have lockboxes that you can hide in your attic or basement. Get creative! — J.A., in Washington

KEEPING AWAY BUGS

Dear Heloise: Every year, I’ve had to clean out my rather large pantry at least four or five times. We live out in the country, so we always buy groceries in bulk. As clean as I tried to keep my pantry, weevils and other creepy-crawlies got into packages of food. In the end, I’d have to toss out all my flour, sugar, coffee and more. How they got in was a mystery, but no matter what I did to try and stop them, bugs still managed to invade our food.

Finally, I realized that there was nothing else I could do except invest in plastic and glass containers. Boxes of muffin mixes, cake mixes, and other foods in boxes were stored in large bins. I bought large plastic containers online and kept all cereals, sugar, oatmeal, flour, and similar things in containers that make it impossible for bugs to get inside.

I wish I’d done this years ago! Now I’m saving a bundle by not replacing the foods that we eat because insects are no longer ruining our food. New containers may be a little expensive upfront, but in the long run, they’re a wise investment for food safety. — N.S., in Texas

CLEANING OFF CHEESE

Dear Heloise: To clean gooey, messy cheese from dishes, utensils, kettles and brushes, just put it in cold water to firm up the mess. Then it scrapes right off! I’ve been doing dishes for 79 years and just discovered this. — B.L., via email

HOLIDAY ENVELOPES

Dear Heloise: When I received cards during the past holiday season, I would display them and keep the envelopes instead of trashing them. This season, I decided to just alphabetize the envelopes according to the return address labels. Because of this, I was able to prepare my cards quickly and get them distributed earlier! — C., in California

NO GERMS

Dear Readers: Ask your doctor whether they recommend a flu shot, a COVID booster, or the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine shot for you. Stay safe and germ-free this winter! — Heloise

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Hints from Heloise run occasionally in Lifestyles. Readers may send a hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000, fax it to 210-HELOISE, or email: Heloise@Heloise.com. Letters won’t be answered personally.