Rice is a favorite side dish in my house. And for some reason, I rarely hit the mark by making just the amount we will eat in one meal. So what to do with the leftover amount, even if it's not enough for another month? Today's first tipster has the answer. Once again, I can only say, "What a great idea," followed by a parenthetical, "I wonder why I didn't think of that!"

FREEZE RICE. My Japanese mother taught me to cook rice three raw cups at a time to yield six cups cooked, freezing what I don't eat. I freeze the rice in margarine tubs, which are perfect for one serving. When I want to defrost it, I heat the rice in the microwave for three minutes. The rice tastes like I just made it that day, and it saves me time on busy nights. -- Jeannie, e-mail

SAVE WATER. Every day when I change the animals' water bowls to give them fresh water, I never just dump it down the drain. I use it to water my houseplants. -- Name withheld, e-mail

SOFT SUGAR. A slice of bread in a bag or box of brown sugar that has become very hard will soften it quickly, and it will stay soft for some time. -- Yvonne S., Pennsylvania

WARRANTY HELP. When you purchase anything with a warranty, before you plug it in, write the serial number on the warranty booklet that comes with it. If you ever have to call the company about the warranty, you won't have to search the appliance to find the serial number when they ask for it. -- Faith, California

CHEAP INK. Replacement ink cartridges for my inkjet printer cost $30 at any number of office supply stores. Imagine how pleased I was to find a place online called www.Clickinks.com, where they have compatible ink cartridges for my printer for just $6.95. They have all kinds of specials, and sometimes I qualify for free shipping. I was leery because I have tried compatible ones before and they didn't work, but these work perfectly for me. -- Name withheld, e-mail

BLOODSTAIN REMOVER. Hydrogen peroxide will take bloodstains out of everything! Once my daughter suddenly had a bloody nose, and the drops of blood fell on several areas of her pink shirt before we could grab a tissue. I used hydrogen peroxide on the spots, and they came out within seconds. -- Dana S., Kansas

Do you have a great tip to share with the "Everyday Cheapskate" family? Send it to mary@everydaycheapskate.com, or write to Everyday Cheapskate, P.O. Box 2135, Paramount, CA 90723. It will be entered into our new Tip of the Month contest. Should you win, you will enjoy a one-year online subscription to Mary Hunt's Debt-Proof Living (www.DebtProofLiving.com).

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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