I am an environmental investigator, and environmental studies was one of my majors in college. Needless to say, environmental issues and living a more sustainable life are important to me. Regardless of whether or not you feel the same, there are many manufacturer and retail environmental programs out there that will save you money—something I’m […]
Articles by Amanda
My husband and I enjoy the occasional spoiling of our niece and nephew, especially since we do not yet have kids of our own. We give them Christmas and Birthday presents, take them out on little adventures when we visit my family each year, and always allow them to pick out a new book at […]
Have you watched TLC’s new Extreme Couponing show? It’s quite the circus ride through coupons, sales ads, excel sheets, grocery shopping, and the cash register. Even more so than that, there are allegations of coupon fraud by show participants. That’s right—people have been taped committing coupon fraud and this has been aired on television. At […]
5 Scary Foreclosure Fiascos
Posted byAccording to RealtyTrac, the average foreclosure is being sold for $166,830, and there are currently 1,757,899 foreclosed homes around the US flooding the market. Facing so many foreclosures, major lenders such as JPMorgan Chase, Ally Financial’s GMAC Mortgage unit and Bank of America turned to sub-par practices in order to process the sheer volume of […]
How to Barter for What You Need
Posted byDuring the recession an ancient form of economy made a comeback: bartering. Bartering occurs at the household, business, and country level. According to the International Reciprocal Trade Association, based in Portsmouth, Va., more than $16 billion of goods from US companies alone were bartered in 2008. Worldwide, the figure is much higher. The motivation behind […]
We became first-time homebuyers in September 2009. What an exciting time it was for us! We had just gotten engaged several months earlier, decided to pay cash for our wedding and honeymoon, and decided in the meantime to place a decent down payment on a home. We were also able to take advantage of the […]
Filling My Mailbox with Rebate Checks
Posted byMy husband believes that mail is dead and should be discontinued. We have this argument every so often—I’m sure you know which side of the fence I’m on! Sure junk mail can be a drag (though sometimes junk mail is quite lucrative), and perhaps the US Post Office is not always reliable, but why get […]
Do you ever wonder if there is an innate balance to the universe? Something where if the scales are tipped too far in favor of one extreme, they somehow are tipped back over to a new norm of moderation? We know that if a population exceeds the resources of the land, then that population will […]
The English language is constantly changing. New products are invented, new situations arise, and new ways come about that people interact with their world. The English language morphs to accommodate these new situations. However, not every new word is included into the Merriam-Webster or Oxford English Dictionary. In fact, very few words are actually added […]
I am sure you have been to the grocery store lately (unless you shop for groceries online). We shop for groceries every other week, and my husband was the last person to go so I hadn’t been to a store for a month until last weekend; boy was I surprised! Our grocery bill has increased […]