Don’t be sloppy with your money: make sure to get what is due to you

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sloppy with money

One thing I know well is debt. Small wonder this is: I lived with debt for quite a few years before we reached a crisis point and dealt with it once and for all. Debt, however, is just a symptom while the illness is in a number of behaviour patterns we acquire on the way. My illness was in: Refusing to talk about money; Refusing to check on my money; Convincing myself that I need stuff (I didn’t really); Not having a big, fat dream for my life; and Being sloppy about money. How can one be sloppy about money, […] Read more »

Starting Over Requires a New Starting Point

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In her book “#GirlBoss,” Sophia Amoruso talks about how she gets a lot of praise for creating a multi-million dollar business (NastyGal) without going into debt to do it. The problem, she writes, is that she’s getting praised for something that she did not because she wanted to, but because she had to. “When people write about Nasty Gal, the articles almost always note how I built the company with no debt, because that’s a pretty unusual feat in the business world… But what these stories usually leave out is that it wasn’t by choice that I built the company […] Read more »

We’re Getting a Debt Consolidation Loan, and I’m OK With That

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Hot off the presses, EOD Nation, despite all you may have read, debt consolidation loans are not evil. Even after completing a debt management plan in which we paid off $109,000 of credit card debt, my wife and I knew we still had actions we had to take to really get our finances completely on the right path. One of those actions is paying off two additional lines of credit that could not be included in our debt management plan. Our goal was to consolidate these two lines of credit with a single consolidation loan. We applied for such a […] Read more »

I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 07/18

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We’re headed to a wedding this weekend, something we haven’t done in quite a long time.  It should be a good time, as it’s for a daughter of a coworker and friend of mine.  Party with the work crew!  I’m guessing that all the usual wedding songs will be played at the dance, and there may be some fist pumping action going on.  But it won’t compare to the reaction to this week’s list of favorite posts, there were some great ones this week. Get ’em up! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump Is It Possible To Live Without Credit? […] Read more »

The Lemonade Stand Review, and IPad Mini Giveaway!

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Whenever I pass a lemonade stand on the side of the street, I pull over. Regardless of where I’m going, how busy I am, or whether I’m thirsty or not I pull over and buy a couple of glasses. It’s a personal policy. I did the lemonade stand thing many times when I was a kid, and I know how discouraging it is to not have any customers. I also know how awesome it feels to have someone take the time to stop and help you reap the rewards of your hard work. I absolutely LOVE seeing a kid’s eyes […] Read more »

I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 7/11

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It’s a very tired fist pump from me this morning, my friends.  The ringing of our home phone woke me up at 1:00am.  Being a software engineer part of a team that writes firmware for very large business class servers, I’m essentially always on call. I was called to look at a critical customer problem and worked most of the night.  Hopefully you guys can all back me up this week – so get ’em up. Have a great weekend! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump 5 Causes of the Money Blues and How to Eliminate Them from The Heavy […] Read more »

5 More Killer Ways to Make Money Even in This Economy

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In my first “5 Killer Ways to Make Money” article a while back, I showed you 5 things you could do to earn extra money to pay off debt, invest, catch up on bills, etc. I truly believe that no matter how good or bad the economy is, there are plenty of great ways to make extra money if you need it.  You don’t have to be a rocket scientist or a serial entrepreneur to find a way to earn extra money, you just have to be willing to break out of the 9-5 way of thinking and be a […] Read more »

Pay the mortgage or credit cards first? Which do you let be late?

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Let me start off by saying: I hope you never find yourself in this difficult situation! Life gets really stressful when money is tight. People get sick, layoffs happen, and the household income drops due to unforeseen circumstances. When you find yourself short on cash, which do you let be late: The mortgage or credit cards? According to TransUnion, one of the major credit reporting agencies, more Americans choose to pay their credit card bills to keep from being late than keep a mortgage current. Is this wise? Let’s walk through a few scenarios to expose the pros and cons […] Read more »

Seven Boosters to Help Grow Your Income

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grow your income

When was the last time you saw an upsurge in your income? I’m asking because I didn’t see any increase for years. I believed I’ve reached my earning peak and that was that. Until, we found ourselves in financial trouble. Then I realised three things: You can get far by making your money go further; You can get far by making more money; and You can get so much further by making more money and making your money go further. In fact, doing this you can go all the way to building serious wealth, and fast; be it by paying […] Read more »

Are Luxury Hotels Worth the Price?

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A car pulls up to a hotel, the owner gets out as a doorman removes the bags and a valet takes the keys and drives away.  Inside the lobby a well dressed person at the reception desk goes through the check in process while describing all the amenities the hotel has to offer.  Being able to stay at a luxury hotel where employees bend over backwards to do everything for you is portrayed as a symbol of pampering and wealth. But is it really all it’s cracked up to be? My wife and I spent the 4th of July weekend […] Read more »

I Love You Like a Blogger Roundup – 7/4

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I’m away for the weekend celebrating the 4th of July in the great city of Chicago with some friends and family.  We had a great night last night at a dueling piano bar and having Chicago style pizza, and today it’s off to Navy Pier and the Dave Mathews Band concert.  We’ll wrap things up with going to Ribfest on Sunday….YUM!  How are you spending your 4th of July Weekend? Before we get into our usual fist pump routine, I wanted to mention that I had the honor of having a guest post published at mint.com this week.  I Don’t […] Read more »

Have We Learned To Use Credit Responsibly?

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The thunder and lightning carrying on outside represented my struggle well. Two evenly matched forces were doing battle inside my head. The need to save money whenever possible, and my solid stance that using a credit card to pay for something should be avoided at all costs. Let me be clear, I do not think that credit cards themselves are evil. When used correctly, they can be a valuable tool in a person’s financial tool belt that can actually save money.   However, I have a huge problem with some of the business practices and policies of credit card companies. My […] Read more »

I Love You Like a Blogger Roundup – 06/27

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There are two events that have had me looking forward to this weekend: 1.) The new Transformer’s move comes out today.  Yes, I’m a big geek.  I loved them as a kid, and while some of the moves in the series haven’t been all that great, this one looks like it may finally live up to  the hype.  My son and I are going to go see it this afternoon. 2.) Sunday is my wedding anniversary.  18 years of wedded bliss with Mrs. Vonnie Pizel.  I’m looking forward to celebrating our lives together.  We’re just getting started! Can I get […] Read more »

Why you should make your retirement a priority

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pension

The other day I was walking our lovely puppy in the nearby park. Dog owners stick together and talk to each other. You’d be surprised what you can learn in the park while throwing a slimy tennis ball around. You don’t believe me? Well, I used to talk to a woman who told me that she’s had lovers all through her marriage. Thing is, I knew her husband as well and liked him a lot. Eventually she caught her and the whole thing ended up in custody battle for the dog. Anyhow, this time there was nothing as dramatic as […] Read more »