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"Now that I&amp;#039;m getting used to the idea of paring down my expenses, not spending frivolously and living on a budget, there doesn&amp;#039;t seem to be many new and exciting ways to save money. While I&amp;#039;m both blessed and grateful to have a great career in a wonderful company and am able to make ends meet, I&amp;#039;m now keeping my eyes peeled for opportunities to make even more money and actually get ahead. Last week, a friend approached me with an idea. She has been hit hard by the economy and although she is working, she is doing so at a much lower rate of pay than she was years ago. What&amp;#039;s worse, she is trying to support not only herself, but her five year-old daughter making just $13.50 per hour. She currently pays $750 in rent and has a car paid off in full. She of course still has other expenses like food, heat, cable, electricity, gasoline, insurance and clothing for her child. She is struggling like crazy and could really use a break. I have a very cute finished basement that just happens to have a bedroom, living room and a bathroom. It also has cable, heat, telephone and a little refrigerator. It is a perfect little place for a wonderful family room, but I haven&amp;#039;t had the money to furnish it or to make it a place where my children would love to hang out. What if she lived there for a year until she could get on her feet? She would pay $400 per month rent, which would include heat, cable, electricity and telephone. This would save her about $550 per month and allow her to maybe get ahead. At the same time, this would provide me with $400 in extra income per month and a direct route to saving and investing. I&amp;#039;ve been playing with this scenario in my head over and over again and I have some really good ideas on how to use that money. If I decide to do this, I will share them with you and ask your opinion. Heck, I may even take a vote. So what would you do? Would you give up a small shred of your privacy and space to help a friend and make some money? Or is it dangerous to mix finance and friends? Tell me what you think. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.womansday.com/life/a42698/to-rent-or-not-to-rent-that-is-the-question-10747/>