Dear Heloise: Two weekends ago, I went to a garage sale, and the lady who had items for sale didn’t have a price on anything. When I asked her how much she was asking for a couple of nightstands, she said, “Make me an offer.” I did, and she flew into a rage because she felt that the offer was insultingly low.

I have a few hints on the do’s and don’ts of garage sales that might avoid anger and confusion for both the seller and the customer:

— Have a price sticker on everything you’re selling. The “make me an offer” approach usually makes people decide to walk away.

— Be willing to negotiate on some things. After all, if it was an item that you really loved, you probably wouldn’t have put it in a garage sale.

— Make sure that everything is clean and well-displayed. You can make a table out of a long, flat board that rests on empty boxes. Just place a sheet or tablecloth over the board. The nicer it looks, the faster it sells.

— Organize things such as kitchen items in one area, clothing in another, furniture in another, and so on. Make it easy for customers to navigate your sale.

— Have one person who takes in the cash. They should never leave the cashbox unattended. Start with about 20 $1 bills and some change. Have a sign up that says, “We won’t take bills larger than $20.”

— Don’t let people inside your home to use the restroom or try on clothing.

— Have a sign that says, “All sales are final. No refunds, exchanges or returns.”

— If your city requires a permit to have a garage sale, make sure you get one. The price for a permit is usually cheaper than getting fined. — Gloria F., Deltona, Florida

liquor substitutes

Dear Readers: You might occasionally come across a recipe that calls for liquor. If you do not have any on hand, here are a few things you can substitute it for instead:

— Nonalcoholic beer or wine may be used in its place.

— For fruity dessert recipes, you can often substitute liquor with the juice of apples, oranges, pineapple and possibly lemon.

— You can also try adding a few drops of rum or brandy extract to water, to equal the amount needed in your recipe. — Heloise

REUSING CONTAINERS

Dear Heloise: Since I live alone and don’t have to cook much, I eat a lot of frozen (healthy) meals. I save the plastic containers after I clean them and use them as various storage containers in my bathroom and home office.

They are great for lipstick and makeup brushes, and they can be stored in drawers or cupboards and easily keep the counters and desktops clear. — Caroline Reid, Bakersfield, California

NO MICE

Dear Heloise: In your column, I have read several “cures” for mice in the home. When we were building our home, my brother-in-law told me to get steel wool and, while using a screwdriver, to push it around all the pipes or any other kind of hole. We built our home in 1977 and have never seen a mouse. — Pattie Shinn, Huntsville, Arkansas

CONDIMENT SQUEEZE BOTTLES

Dear Heloise: I’m 67 and have read you and your mom’s column everyday since I was a little girl. My husband loves it, too.

We often buy the super large bottles of detergent and fabric softener at our local big-box store, but they’re hard for me to manage when doing laundry. So, I purchased condiment squeeze bottles for each product.

Now they’re so much easier to use. They weigh much less, and I can control the amount of liquid I need. Plus, the bottles don’t need a refill very often. — F., in Colorado