Articles by Amanda


How to Save on Health Care Without Skimping on Quality

Posted by Amanda on November 3, 2009

Being frugal and saving money on everything run through my blood. I have patience, sometimes waiting years in order to score a great deal on an item I want, and I am willing to compromise on quality in some cases. However, like many of you, health care is not an area I am willing to […]

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Earning Interest and Dividends on Someone Else’s Dime

Posted by Amanda on October 28, 2009

Interest is, well, quite interesting. Instead of your money accumulating in your mattress or shoe box, it can now accumulate plus earn its own money. Money earning money—what a concept. And there are multiple ways to achieve this: you can open a savings account or purchase certificates of deposits in order to earn interest, or […]

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Finding the Value in Money

Posted by Amanda on October 27, 2009

Let’s be honest—money has no real value. When you strip away the power, the glamour and glitz, and the intrigue that is associated with owning some, it becomes nothing more than exactly what it is: a piece of green and white cotton paper with some jargon about trust, a photo of a dead president, and […]

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Balancing Life’s Little Moments with Your Budget

Posted by Amanda on September 30, 2009

Life is full of moments that leave a bad taste in our mouths; just turn on the news and you are met with daily tales of cruelty and weird happenings. But life is also about wonderful, precious moments and when these beautiful moments come around, we want to celebrate them. The union of two people […]

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6 Ways to Save Money on Appliances

Posted by Amanda on September 21, 2009

Are you moving and need new appliances, or have you had one break recently and need to replace it? Appliances can make or break your budget in two ways. First of all, they can use up so much energy that they become a drain on your month-to-month electricity charges. Secondly, they can cost a small […]

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How to Make Your Home More Energy Efficient

Posted by Amanda on September 9, 2009

Do you own a home? If so, you can do more infrastructural changes to make your home more energy efficient. These energy savings tips are in addition to the behavioral changes I outlined yesterday in How to Make Your Apartment More Energy Efficient. These types of changes are more permanent, and may also increase the […]

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How to Make Your Apartment More Energy Efficient

Posted by Amanda on September 8, 2009

When I was a child, I remember my mother armed with a hairdryer in my bedroom. She covered first my one window, and then the other one with plastic sheets, and then sealed them into place with hot air. I remember crying for hours that night and pleading with her to take it down because […]

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When Saying Goodbye to $1030 is a Good Idea

Posted by Amanda on September 2, 2009

There is a saying that people throw around with an air of wisdom without truly knowing the financial consequences of following: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. It is easy to say this to the young intern that needs a new brake system to prevent a future accident, or to the […]

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The Automatic Poorhouse

Posted by Amanda on July 13, 2009

Living Paycheck to Paycheck I live paycheck to paycheck. Throughout the month I negotiate with myself over needs versus wants, pushing certain purchases into the next month’s budget, neglecting car maintenance for the umpteenth month in a row, foregoing that new pair of sneakers I’ve been trying to squeeze into my budget since December. By […]

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