Dear Heloise: Here’s a hint that’s helpful to remember over the holidays: Thoroughly clean out your fridge and freezer before you start to cook holiday meals. Save plastic containers that are still durable and in good condition, and recycle those that aren’t. By cleaning out both your fridge and freezer, you will make room for those delicious leftovers that you can use later, like chopped turkey, ham bones and veggies.

Also, by setting aside clean plastic containers, you will have something readily available to put the leftovers in, whether you are sending them home with guests or just keeping them for your own family.

Here’s to wishing everyone a joyous holiday. Remember, it’s not about everything being perfect! It’s about being thankful for whatever we have, especially those non-tangible gifts like faith, family, friends, and the special feeling that comes from celebrating a meal and gathering together. — C.H., in Ohio

POUND CAKE

Dear Heloise: I love to make pound cake, and my family really enjoys it, too. Lately, my kids asked if I could come up with some kind of topping to add a bit of new flavor to it. I tried several, but none were a big hit. Got any hints that I can use? — C.W., in Georgia

C.W., this is one of my favorite toppings for pound cake, angel food cake, and bundt cake: Heat about 1/4 cup of preserves and 1 tablespoon of flavored liqueur in a small saucepan. Dribble it over a slice of pound cake for a yummy dessert topping. — Heloise

POTATO TOPPING

Dear Heloise: Thank you for all of your handy hints. A different addition to baked potatoes and potato skins is topping them with French onion dip instead of sour cream. Yummy. — K.P., in Arkansas

REUSING OUTDATED SPICES

Dear Readers: Do you have expired spices in your spice rack? Here are some uses for them:

— Make some potpourri. Boil water on your stove, then add cinnamon sticks, ginger and citrus peels to freshen your home for the holidays.

— Make spice sachets. In a square piece of cheese cloth, add bay leaves, thyme, ginger and oregano. Tie up the sachet and keep it handy in places such as a basement, attic or garage. Let it soak up any musty smells.

— Make candles. Just melt some soy wax and add things such as coconut oil, cinnamon, cloves and vanilla beans all ground up. This creates a wonderful scent when the candle is lit.

— Keep insects away by making a sachet out of scents that they hate, such as bay leaves, basil, rosemary and garlic. Place in areas where insects seem to gather or enter your home. — Heloise

CONVERTING A DOOR TO A DESK

Dear Heloise: When we were doing some remodeling in the house we just bought, my husband replaced the hollow door on our closet to a solid one. But as he was about to haul the old door to the city dump, I got an idea. I wanted a home office, so I decided to make a desk out of the old door.

It was flat, and the hold where the doorknob used to be was perfect for running cords through. My husband painted two sawhorses red, and we refinished the door in a natural stain. It is a perfect desk, cost us almost nothing, and looks great in my new home office. — Tammy C., in Ohio

YOUTUBE SAVES THE DAY

Dear Heloise: I was having problems with my toilet and had a representative from a company come out, but they couldn’t fix the problem. They said I would have to get a new toilet, which I could not afford at the time. So, I went to YouTube and searched the problem, which was that the toilet would not flush. It showed me a video with complete instructions.

I did exactly as the instructions said, and I am still using the same toilet and haven’t had any problems since. It’s been about five years.

Thanks for all of the hints that you have provided all these years. — R.B., in Alabama

PROTECTING A CAST-IRON SINK DIVIDER

Dear Heloise: A good way to protect the cast-iron sink divider is to cut to size a piece of meshed shelf paper and drape it over the divider. This doesn’t cause mildew like the rubber mat ones do, and they stick. This can be changed as often as needed, and each piece lasts a long time. Now I don’t have to scrub these new ones, and they are reasonably priced at the dollar store. — T., via email