July 1978

GOOD NEWS

Flushing a toilet bowl need not require the full tank of water. If you install this simple device in the toilet tank, you can choose each time between a half-tank and a full-tank flush to save water that would otherwise be wasted.

HOW TO COPE WITH INSECT STINGS

Nobody likes to meet up with the wrong end of a yellow jacket, wasp, hornet, bee, or any other stinging or biting insect. But insect stings are more than just a temporary annoyance. One out of every 250 persons --nearly one million Americans-- are highly allergic to insect stings.

Saving energy at home while you're away

Whether you're planning a long trip or just leaving home for the weekend, you naturally want to avoid buying energy unnecessarily for a vacant house. Here are a few suggestions that will help you cut your energy expenditures to a minimum.

How to order material from the magazine

CRAYON TOYS Four brightly colored stuffed toys your children will love! Kit has printed fabric for body, contrasting fabric for tip and end, and directions. (Stuffing available separately.) Each toy is 30 inches long, 18 inches around. One kit makes all four toys.

MAKE ROOM FOR RELAXING

Family Photo Montage

Family Illustrations often end up tucked away in albums or stashed in a drawer. If you have photos you particularly enjoy-- and would like to share-- consider making a framed montage like the one pictured here. Your wall-hung "album" will be a decorative reminder of what the Smithsonian Institute calls your family's "visual folklore."

How to safeguard your HOUSE this summer

If you'll be leaving your home vacant for a few days or weeks, make sure you don't invite burglars to move in. A little extra planning will help keep your belongings intact while you're away.

TIPS TOOLS & TECHNIQUES

This feature is written by you. It's a wide-ranging collection of shop hints, installation tips, and repair shortcuts that you-- along with millions like you-- have picked up from your experience as a do-it-yourselfer. We pay $25 for each problem solver we publish.

Caring For outdoor Furniture

Just because outdoor furniture is designed to withstand the elements doesn't necessarily mean it requires no upkeep at all. Now is a good time to give your lawn furniture some mid-season attention, so it will continue to look its best for patio-sitting in the late summer and early fall.

GARDENING IN JULY

When hot midsummer weather strikes your vegetable garden, burning out the peas, wilting the lettuce, and yellowing the potatoes, you probably assume that the bulk of your harvest is over for another season. That isn't necessarily so.

CHOOSING AND USING CREDIT CARDS

There's no question that credit cards play a key role in many people's lives these days. Even if you're a cash-only customer, you may be required to show a credit card for identification on various occasions.

How to wash & wax your car

Regular visits to the coin-op or commercial car wash help keep your car's finish shining. But to protect the finish, you must wax your car several times a year, and the commercial car wash doesn't get your car clean enough to prepare the finish for an effective waxing.

100 IDEAS UNDER $100

GOOD NEWS! Money Isn't everything. Elbow grease and imagination count, too. And to prove it, here are 100 useful-- and delightful-- do-it-yourself projects.

INDIAN COUNTRY VACATIONS

What's new about vacationing in Indian country? You might say everything. Lately, the original Americans (Indians and Eskimos alike) have begun to capitalize on their natural assets-- from timbered territories in the East to sunstruck stretches of the Southwest up into Alaska's chillier climes-- by offering a variety of unique vacation adventures.

Better Homes Shopping editor's choice

Discover the ease and pleasure of shopping by mail. Order from the convenience of your own home with complete confidence. If not delighted, each company will happily refund your money.

The Man Next Door

Jane Cobbs claims that having lots of relatives sure makes it easy to get rid of all those wallet-size school photos of her kids that she buys annually.