Dear Heloise: Now that my children are out of the nest, and we are in a stage of our lives where we want to begin paring down our material possessions, I’ve suggested taking the money my children would have spent on a gift for us and making an extra credit card payment with it. This includes flower bouquets for birthdays and other occasions.

Yes, giving money to a charity in our name is a beautiful thing, but it is my hope that these small efficiencies might spark a trend for improving economic situations. This may even put them in a better situation down the line to make charitable contributions in their own name.

— Judy J., via email

Judy, one of the very best things you can do for your children is to teach them how to manage and be responsible with money. It’s easy for some, but for many others, it’s a little more challenging. I liked your hint and hope that many parents take the same approach you and your husband have taken.

— Heloise

REMOVING GREASE FROM SOUPS

Dear Heloise: This hint to remove grease from soups involves putting ice cubes in a metal ladle and sitting the bottom of the ladle on the surface of a soup. The cold ladle causes the grease to congeal on the outside of the ladle, and you can just keep wiping it off with paper towels until all the surface grease has been removed.

— Mel, in Arkansas

RUBBER BAND HINT

Dear Heloise: Another use for those sturdy 1/4-inch rubber bands that keep bundles of produce together is to use them as a bag fastener. Products sold in a plastic bag, such as pancake mix, can be rolled up from the bottom and secured with a rubber band. It squeezes the air out of the package to aid with freshness, and it removes the need for bag clips or tape.

— Nancy T., in Colorado Springs, Colorado

CAT URINE ODOR

Dear Heloise: I always have a bottle of skunk spray around the house because my dog just won’t learn to leave the skunks alone.

One day, my elderly tomcat started to urinate on a couple of throw rugs, and it’s an odor that can linger longer than you might imagine. I tried everything to get the smell out, until one day, I wondered if maybe the skunk spray might have some effect on the cat urine odor.

It took about three separate sprayings, but the cat urine odor was gone. I hope this helps someone else who has a much loved pet they refuse to get rid of.

— Selma H., Fayetteville, Tennessee

DECLUTTERING CLOSETS

Dear Heloise: I hated the very idea of going through every closet in the house and getting rid of the junk my family and I had accumulated over the past eight years. Finally, I just decided to do one closet a month, and I started with the hall closet. There, all odd items went to die. Old tennis racquets, a large coffeepot, hockey sticks, and more emerged from the dark. I am going from closet to closet and cleaning the way you would eat an elephant — one bite at a time.

— Nora, in Michigan

Send a great hint to Heloise@Heloise.com.