How Amanda Kintz Survived a Tight 16K Combined-Income Year and What It Taught Her

amanda kintz author budgeting crunchy hippie life happiness interview money wealth May 21, 2019

Today I've had the pleasure of interviewing author Amanda Kintz about her experience surviving on a tight budget, what it taught her, and how it inspired her to write her book Dirt Cheap Adult!

Welcome, Amanda Kintz! Please, introduce yourself.

Hello! My name is Amanda Kintz. I'm a Registered Nurse, wife, mom of 2 boys, and I moonlight as a blogger at CrunchyHippieLife.com. My blog originally started out as a health blog for the super-healthy, all-organic/paleo and DIY lifestyle, before life changed and my budget took a massive cut. Through my life experiences, I have discovered that my ultimate passion is to inspire, educate, and empower millennials to live a healthy lifestyle while adhering to a budget that actually works for them. It saddens me to hear when people think you cannot afford to be healthy, so it is my delight to show them areas where a few changes make a world of difference, both in their health and financial situations.

Also, I love mismatched socks, looking at tiny homes on Pinterest, and I collect gnomes.

What inspired your book?

In 2014, my husband and I made $16,000 - and that's including cashing out my 401(k) I started when I was 18. While that year was insanely trying, I learned incredible lessons about discipline, creativity, and determination (mostly from watching how focused my husband was on our goals), which allowed us to live a simple but beautiful life.

Because I lived it, I know that a budget-friendly and healthy lifestyle is within anyone's grasp. I wrote my book because I couldn't find a manual for how to be a successful, healthy and financially responsible adult - I could only find individual manuals on any one of those topics, but none that melded the three. I wanted to create a reference manual that anyone could pick up off the stands, read, and implement right away.

Tell us about your writing process, what did you love, what was a struggle?

I love writing, I find it extremely cathartic. The writing process for my book was so special for me. Especially being a reference manual of sorts, I wanted it to be as informative as possible, while also not reading as a boring reference manual. I created an avatar by thinking back to the 2014 version of myself. What would I have wanted to know about this subject back when I didn't know anything about it? I then imagined that my avatar was my best friend, and we were out for coffee and she asked me a question. This kept my writing very conversational, and I hope readers get the feeling that they are having a conversation with a friend when they read it.

The other struggle I had was finding the time to write around my full-time job and not neglecting time with my family. I can't say I was perfect at balancing this 100% of the time, and there were many late nights and early mornings as I attempted to create space for bringing this book to life. I kept reminding myself that anything worth doing was worth creating time to create, so I found a way and kept going.

What will your readers take-away from reading your book?

My readers will be empowered to make simple changes in both their health and financial success, because they see the results of well-placed dedication and discipline. It is my mission to help everyone harness the power of their own wealth of creativity to better their lives.

How did it feel to hold the first copy of your book in your hands?

It felt surreal. The box was delivered as I was walking out the door to my nephew's first birthday party, and I couldn't wait to open them to see for myself. I'm pretty sure I squealed "that's my face on a book!" when I saw the back cover. It was one of the best feelings I've ever experienced.

Tell us a few unique things about you:

I became interested in preventative and restorative health and wellness after developing eczema after graduating from college. It was just after this that I founded CrunchyHippieLife.

I wanted to be a nurse ever since I was 3, so that's all I ever focused on. Beginning the blog and studying to scale the blog and book to an actual income stream has allowed me the space to study writing, graphic design, marketing, law, branding, and so much more. It has been such a fun challenge!

Gardening is my favorite way to relax. I currently have a small vegetable garden, and plan to spend the next few spring times adding butterfly and bee gardens and a dwarf fruit tree orchard in the backyard.

You Can Learn more About Amanda Kintz's Book Here

Where can we find you?

https://www.crunchyhippielife.com

https://www.facebook.com/crunchyhippielifeblog

https://www.instagram.com/crunchyhippielife

*Some clickable media, usually the book recommendations, are affiliate links, and should you choose to buy through using those links then The Infinite Power of You Inc. may earn an affiliate payout commission. This is at no additional expense to you, and helps keep this blog going.

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How Amanda Kintz Survived a Tight 16K Combined-Income Year and What It Taught Her

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