Articles by Madison


3rd quarter cash back is here! It’s time to reevaluate the cards you are carrying to take advantage of 3rd quarter 2013 cash rewards credit cards bonuses. Every quarter we reevaluate the cash back cards to make sure we get the highest cash back on each purchase including the credit cards that offer cash back […]

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Reader Shares His $12,000 Amazon Success Story

Posted by Madison on June 26, 2013

After I shared How I Made $10,000 Selling on Amazon, a reader Shaun, wrote to share his success story selling on Amazon. I was so excited when he shared his numbers, because I know there are lots of other readers who like being able to see the numbers too. Background Shaun got started 8.5 months […]

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Grocery Budget Challenge Results

Posted by Madison on June 18, 2013

Did you take the Grocery Budget Challenge to Trim Your Grocery Budget By 15% last month? How did you do? If you remember, some of my friends felt like their grocery budgets were out of control. Both families of 5, they shared that their grocery budgets were $800 and well over $1,200 each month. I […]

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Credit Card Bonus Strategies Q & A

Posted by Madison on June 11, 2013

Finding credit card strategies that generate free money and cash back is probably my favorite hobby. Probably? Ok, it is. Let’s tackle the growing list of questions readers have about some of the credit card strategies we’ve talked about recently. Bluebird Strategy We recently discussed how to Use Bluebird to Pay Bills with a Credit […]

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What is the New Health Insurance Premium Tax Credit?

Posted by Madison on June 6, 2013

While tax season may have wrapped up for this year, there’s already some buzz about a new tax topic for next year, the Health Insurance Premium Tax Credit and health insurance subsidies which will begin on January 1, 2014. What is the Health Insurance Tax Credit? The new health care premium tax credits are part […]

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Use Bluebird to Pay Bills with a Credit Card

Posted by Madison on May 29, 2013

At any given time, I have stacks of gift cards purchased on my Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express to earn the 6% cash back. I experimented with Serve to Cash Out Gift Cards via ATM and consolidate cards to minimize fees while Paying Taxes with Credit Cards. However, I needed something a little […]

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Happy May Day! As springtime rolls in, it’s time for my semi-annual credit card application spree. We finished up the spending requirements for my husband’s holiday credit card application spree, so it’s back to my turn. If you are following along, here are the details from our other application sprees over the past year. You’ll […]

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How to Get Started Selling on Amazon

Posted by Madison on April 30, 2013

When I shared How I Made $10,000 Selling on Amazon, I received lots of emails from readers who wanted to explore it some more, but didn’t know quite how or where to get started. When a friend of mine started selling on Amazon recently, I emailed her instructions on how to get started. Sharing those […]

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Challenge: Can You Trim Your Grocery Budget By 15%?

Posted by Madison on April 24, 2013

I recently discovered that some of my friends feel like their grocery budget is out of control. We went around the room and shared our monthly grocery budget. We are all families of 5. Their monthly grocery budgets are $800, and well over $1,200. I shared that ours on average is $585 a month, but […]

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Does the Nest Learning Thermostat Really Save Money?

Posted by Madison on April 22, 2013

There are a few products in my life that I think are incredible money savers. We all know the Ooma phone is my personal favorite. Last Christmas, I gave my husband a Nest Learning Thermostat which I am hoping will make my short list of products that save us money. To celebrate Earth Day, I […]

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