DEAR ABBY: I am a mother of five who has been married for 18 years. The letters in your column from brides-to-be and graduates asking the best way to keep track of gifts prompts me to write.
When I was 20 and planning my wedding, my mother-in-law-to-be gave me a terrific tip: The name, address and phone number of each guest attending the wedding was written on a 3-by-5-inch index card and stored alphabetically in a recipe box.
After the wedding, as my husband and I opened each gift, we wrote what the gift was on that person's index card and returned it to the box.
When it was time to write thank-you notes, I needed only to refer to the box to know who gave what and never had to worry about a "lost" address or gift card. All the necessary info was right there on the cards -- and in alphabetical order. -- JUDY IN OHIO
DEAR JUDY: That's a wonderful idea, one that's easy to implement and can alleviate a lot of headaches. In this day and age, when the thank-you note responsibilities are shared by both brides and grooms, I'm sure your suggestion will be appreciated.