DEAR HELOISE: I’ve enjoyed and learned from your column for years. If you’re like me, tying a neck tie can be frustrating. When I get a tie with a knot that has the style and length I like, I’ll take it off by loosening it just enough to get it off my neck and over my head. Then I hang it up intact on a tie rack that I have on the wall. So, the next time I want to use it, it’s already tied and ready for me to put on.

— Mike D., in Indiana

DEAR HELOISE: Most cars come with two key fobs, and the key fobs have a button to set off an alarm on your car. As single woman living by myself, I keep the extra key fob on my nightstand. If someone broke into my home, or I had a medical emergency and couldn’t get to the phone quick enough for help, all I need to do is press the alarm button on the key fob. All of my neighbors would immediately hear the noise.

I let my neighbors know about this plan, and if they hear the alarm sounding, they would call me to find out if I needed help. Most of my neighbors thought that this was a great idea and are doing the same thing with their extra key fob.

— Cheryl M., in Omaha, Nebraska

DEAR HELOISE: Regarding the question that a reader had about thicker mattresses and challenges with getting in and out of bed, I had the exact same issue when I recently bought a new mattress. Even better than using a stool is replacing the standard bed frame and box spring with a platform base. A platform base eliminates the need for a box spring, reducing the overall height of the bed.

The platform base I purchased had legs that could be adjusted to a couple different heights. It worked perfectly to keep my thick new mattress at a height where I don’t need to use a stool or feel like a mountain goat just to get in and out of bed.

— Jeanne, in Minnesota

DEAR HELOISE:Shampoo and conditioner are available in a bar form. Obviously, so is soap. (Look on the internet.) Additionally, you can buy dishwasher tabs in a paper bag, toilet tabs, and all purpose cleaner in sheets that you can mix with water. Even laundry detergent can be purchased in sheets in a cardboard container.

All these products are very cost-effective and may even be less expensive than plastic-wrapped products. Plus they take up less space than big plastic containers (for example, of laundry detergent). And I shouldn’t have to tell anybody to use reusable bags when they go shopping because there’s no excuse anymore for plastic.

— Mary D., via email