DEAR HELOISE: I've been manicuring fingernails for nearly 20 years, and I have probably seen everything imaginable that you can do to your fingernails. So many women bite their nails or cuticles, and they need to stop. As we age, many women have brittle nails that peel or break, so here are some hints to help keep your nails healthy:

• First, keep your fingers out of your mouth. Don't bite your nails. You're spreading bacteria all over your fingers and transferring all kinds of dirt and germs to your body.

• Moisturize your nails and cuticle area. Petroleum jelly at night with cotton gloves helps keep your nails healthy.

• Don't pick or peel your nail polish off. Use a nail polish remover that also moisturizes your nails.

• Massage your nails, especially around the cuticle areas. When you wash your hands, apply a moisturizer after you've dried them.

• If your nails are discolored, try soaking them in a small bowl of water with fresh lemon juice mixed in.

DEAR HELOISE: I had an old, ratty-looking pizza pan that I was planning to throw out when an idea came to me. I took some leftover white paint and painted it with two coats of paint.

After that had dried, I bought some stickers of flowers and arranged them in clusters around the surface of the painted pan. Then I used two coats of a clear, non-yellowing varnish. When we had a party, I placed a fruit pie, a plate of cupcakes and a cake stand with a chocolate cake on the old painted pizza pan. It's a great way to show off dessert and a good way to repurpose something I might have tossed out.

DEAR HELOISE: Whenever I give someone a gift that requires batteries, I buy the batteries to go with the gift or put batteries inside the item. This way, people don't have to wait to use the gift.

If the gift is a battery-powered toy, I can assure you the child will be eager to play with it ASAP.

DEAR READER: Just like you, I always include batteries with gifts that require them. I've found that people are always happy to have the batteries right there on hand rather than waiting until the next time they go shopping.

DEAR HELOISE: I have a wine rack that my son made for me nearly 25 years ago. I liked it because it was made so simply.

Over time, it got rather banged up, and my husband wanted to throw it out, but I'm too frugal and too sentimental to let that happen. Instead, I painted it the same shade of blue as our bathroom wall. Then I hung it on the wall, above the toilet, and use it to store magazines and hand towels. I just roll them up and place them in the bottle slots.

Send a money- or time-saving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000; fax to (210) 435-6473; or email

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