DEAR HELOISE: I know you warn people never to give out their personal information, but since this past Christmas, I have been blasted with phone calls from callers who claim to be from some fake government agency and are checking to see if I’m gullible enough to give out information about my Medicare card. I usually hang up on them, but not everyone knows that they are scammers. Who should I report these callers to in order to stop them?

— Naomi L., in Oklahoma

Naomi, try the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.FTC.gov. You’re correct — we should never hand out personal information to anyone, but most especially to strangers over the phone.

— Heloise

DEAR HELOISE: I agree with Sandy from Tucson, Arizona, about acknowledging the receipt of a gift. It would be nice to receive a thank-you note for a gift. But alas, today, this is not the usual response.

After having had several cards and letters lost in the mail, I now appreciate a note/email/text/phone call stating that the gift was received. Of course, if this is sent, then a quick “thank you” could be added. (Just a hint!)

Lately, I’ve stopped sending gifts, and sure as heck, I’ve received messages asking, “Did you forget my anniversary/birthday/graduation/wedding, etc.?” Omissions get noticed very quickly.

–Valerie G.,

in Tucson, Arizona

DEAR HELOISE: Tubes of various over-the-counter or prescription salves have expiration dates that are, many times, hard to read without a magnifying glass. So, I started using a black fine-point permanent marker to write the month/year on the outside of the tube in an easy-to-read location. Problem solved!

— LEO G., via email

DEAR HELOISE: It seemed as though I could never find the manual that came with the appliances we bought. When I needed to know how to fix something or how to properly use an item, the manual was always lost or probably tossed out. Finally, I bought a two-drawer filing cabinet, and now I keep the manuals there until we replace the items that we buy.

This has saved us a small fortune because we’ve managed to fix things ourselves rather than call for a repairman.

— Jill and Simon D.,

in Detroit