I suppose it's a rare household that never has had some kind of fishbowl or aquarium. If that household is at all like mine, it's good old mom who gets the job of deep cleaning the filter, the tank and all the rocks on the bottom. I learned in my years as fish keeper that overfeeding made my job a lot more difficult. If only I had come up with this clever way to keep my two little boys from dumping in way too much food. Read on. ...

FISH-FEEDING FRENZY. My young boys wanted to take an active role in feeding our family fish, but they never got the concept of "just a pinch." In order to regulate the amount of the daily feedings, I purchased a weekly vitamin/medication container that has one small compartment for each day of the week. At the beginning of each week, I fill each compartment with the proper amount of food, and the boys take turns feeding. They love the independence of taking care of the fish, and I know the fish are being fed the right amount. With a quick look at the container, I also can see whether they have been fed for the day. This concept probably could be applied to any small pet that is kept in an aquarium or cage. -- Michelle H., e-mail

PASSWORD KEEPER. Identification theft experts advise using different passwords for different accounts, but how do you keep track of them all? I bought a cheap 2-by-3-inch address book with 13 alphabetical tabs, and I keep it by my computer. I use whichever easy name I call the account and write it down under the corresponding alphabetical page. I write the password and the Web site, too. -- Naomi L., e-mail

CLASSROOM GIFT. Don't throw away those crayons from children's meals that you get when you go out to eat. Put them in an ice-cream bucket, and save them until it is full. Then decorate the pail, and send it full of crayons to your child's teacher as a gift. Teachers are always grateful because money in schools is tight and kids go through a lot of crayons. -- Stacy M., e-mail

DOUBLE DUTY. As soon as I bring home a box of dryer sheets from the store, I take them out, cut them in half and put them back in the box. Half a sheet works just as well as a whole one, and I get twice as many for my money. -- Judi M., Kansas

COOKIE-DOUGH CUPS. Put a tablespoon of cookie dough in a large muffin tin. Bake at 350 F for about 15 minutes. Once cooked, the center will drop, creating a "cup" for fruit or ice cream. Run a knife around the sides of the tin, and the "cookie cup" will pop out easily. -- Tom K., e-mail

Would you like to send a tip to Mary? You can e-mail her at mary@everydaycheapskate.com, or write to Everyday Cheapskate, P.O. Box 2135, Paramount, CA 90723. Mary Hunt is the founder of DebtProofLiving.com and author of 17 books, including "Debt-Proof Living" and "Tiptionary 2." To find out more about Mary and read her past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.
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