Combining Money Saving Techniques In A Single Night Out

We share a lot of great money saving tips here on Enemy Of Debt. The goal is to enable readers to save money in their day to day life. Other personal finance blogs aim to do the same. Individually these tips will save money, but imagine if several could be combined into one frugal event. That’s exactly what my wife did with some friends over the weekend. Restaurant Gift Cards from Costco My wife and I planned to go out to dinner with two other couples. The agreed upon restaurant sold $100 gift cards at Costco for a price of […] Read more »

Jackbox Party Packs: Hours of Inexpensive Entertainment For Your Next Party

Author’s Note: It’s worth it to me to make sure readers understand this is not a sponsored post. This is my own true experience, and I’m sharing this product purely because the games are truly a ton of fun and provide hours of quality, inexpensive party entertainment. “Do you really want to play this game?” I asked my wife, knowing that I was about to give her one of her Christmas gifts a full month early. We had a house full of guests for Thanksgiving, and my wife wanted to play a game called Fibbage which is included in a […] Read more »

How to Achieve Debt Freedom Without Sacrificing the Fun Stuff

In most cases, it’s not super easy to achieve debt freedom.  But that doesn’t mean your life has to be miserable while you’re getting out of debt.  In fact, you don’t have to sacrifice all the fun in your life just because you’re paying down debt. You can still have fun! In this post I’ll show you how to make a solid plan to achieve debt freedom without being miserable in the process.   You Can Still Have Fun Getting out of debt isn’t completely about deprivation and self-sacrifice, although they do play a role. Some people would rather put […] Read more »

Sometimes it is better to be sorry!

Do you dream about the day when all your debt will be paid off and you’ll feel safe again? I did that! Four years ago, faced with a consumer debt of $160,000 I mourned my safety and feared the risks to my family this meant. Then I forgot to be safe and started living an exciting life. I changed the way we spend. I changed the way we manage our finances. I learned about money, finance and business. I stood at the bottom of a snowy hill asking to buy ski-passes (now, this is so outside my comfort zone). I […] Read more »

The Return Of The 100 Foot Water Slide

It’s been over twenty five years, but I remember it like it was yesterday. Standing barefoot in the damp grass with the sun beating down on my back, I waited patiently. When it was finally my turn, I sprinted and dove onto the wet plastic. Refreshingly cool water sprayed on me seemingly from every direction for the few seconds it took me to travel the short distance to the pool of water at the end of the slip n slide. On Saturday I closed my eyes and remembered those days from my childhood and smiled. When I opened my eyes […] Read more »

Dirty Dice: A Fun and Frugal Way To Exchange Gifts

Over the weekend Vonnie and I hosted a family Christmas gathering for her side of the family. We sent the invite out via Facebook several weeks ago, and it didn’t take long for the RSVPs to start rolling in. We also started getting questions regarding whether we were going to have a gift exchange, but with over 30 people expected to show up, we weren’t sure how to do it and keep it economical. Talking about it for awhile we remembered a game that we’ve played at Christmas gatherings before, and decided it would be perfect for this one as […] Read more »

I’m In Debt, But I Party Like a Rock Star

It all started in 1997 as a housewarming party at Vonnie and I’s first home. We hosted both our parents, and a few select close relatives. We decided to make it a tradition, and this year we hosted our 16th annual Memorial Weekend Party. It’s grown over the years, and quite frankly, it’s achieved almost legendary status. Friends and family come from out of town and stay not only at our home, but also the homes of our neighbors. A great time is certainly had by all that attend, however with all it’s fanfare comes a lot of work, and […] Read more »

Inexpensive or Free Outdoor Family Fun

summer fun for free

Last week Team EOD member, Jana gave you some great ideas for free or inexpensive indoor activities that you can do this summer. Today I want to give you some activities to do outdoors that are budget friendly and super fun! Keep with What Works The traditional outdoor activities should definitely not be over looked. A trip to the park for a picnic and romp on the playground will never get old. You can take the fun up a notch but being a kid yourself. Nothing gets those kids laughing more than watching their grown-ups acting silly and having a […] Read more »

Free or Inexpensive Indoor Summer Activities

This is the first in a 2 part series on how to keep kids entertained for minimal or no cost during the summer months. The second part, written by fellow EOD member Jessica Streit, will appear next week. This summer is going to be a different experience for me. It’s the first summer I’ll be home full-time with my daughter (who is 5) and quite frankly, I’m already panicking. Not so much because of all the time with her (which is awesome) but because, honestly, I don’t know what I’m going to do with her.  On normal days, I have […] Read more »

I’m Hot Because I’m Bald

What comes to mind when you think of the stereotypical, sexy, attractive male? If the covers of magazines and romance novels are any indication, it’s a tall, tan guy with washboard abs, and of course a head of thick, long flowing hair. However, there are signs that this viewpoint is changing. Earlier this week, my friend and fellow blogger Suzanne Cramer wrote a post asserting that financially responsible men are attractive. Well, I’ve got some news, and it’ll knock the socks off of Suzanne and other women who share her viewpoint. Bald men are more attractive because they’re financially responsible. […] Read more »

Do You Have the Mentality to be Wealthy?

Winning the lottery

You may have heard that the Mega Millions Lottery has a HUGE Jackpot tonight! You did hear that right? It’s not really talked about all that much. If you are anywhere near the television, internet, radio, a store or people in general then you’ve heard. The internet is full of blog posts where people talk about all the things they would buy if they won. I wrote a post today too. I didn’t focus on what I would buy because I found out something about myself. I’m not mentally ready to be wealthy! I know it sounds weird to say […] Read more »

Expensive Hobbies and Habits and Their Cost-Saving Alternatives

cost saving alternatives to expensive coffee

Scrapbooking. Spa Days. Golf. Sewing. Travel. Gourmet Coffee. Smoking. Clothing. Dining Out. Hobbies are meant to be a time to relax, release some stress and have fun. Hobbies are enjoyable because they are always something you enjoy. Habits are formed for similar reasons. They can help you relax, help you release stress and occasionally bring fun to your life as well. All of the activities mentioned above are either habits or hobbies. And all can be budget busters when allowed to be. Some people may feel that they have to give up the things they love in order to save […] Read more »

12 Months of Christmas Debt (The Song)

On the first day of Christmas my habits gave to me: One Empty Wallet On the second day of Christmas my habits gave to me: Two-hundred Sales And one empty wallet. On the third day of Christmas my habits gave to me: Three Reasons to Shop Two-hundred Sales And One Empty Wallet. On the fourth day of Christmas my habits gave to me: Four Credit Offers Three Reasons to Shop Two-hundred Sales and One Empty Wallet. On the fifth day of Christmas my habits gave to me: Five New Credit Cards Four Credit Offers Three Reasons to Shop Two-hundred Sales […] Read more »

The $500 Winner in the Kill Your Debt Giveaway is…

3 loooooooong weeks ago I posted the Kill Off Your Debt $500 giveaway. Hopefully you entered to win! If not, keep your eyes peeled open for my next giveaway in December. Then I will be co-hosting the 3rd annual Brad & J’s Christmas Stimulus 2011, where we show our appreciation for all of you. The giveaway went great and it was really fun to read all of the great things you would do once you’re debt free. Thank you all for participating!! After 533 entries — including 19 blog post entries and approximately 144 tweets — a winner has been […] Read more »