Is This The Year I Pay Someone To Do My Taxes?

Written by on · 38 Comments

I’ve paid a tax professional to do my taxes only once.  It was the first tax season after getting married, and I wanted to make sure they were done correctly.  I remember sitting across the desk from a woman at a branch of a big name tax preparation company answering questions.  After a better part of an hour, I noticed that she wasn’t just entering the information into a form on the computer, but the software was actually prompting her which questions to ask.  I shared my observation with Vonnie on our way home, stating that I could have done […] Read more »

I Love You Like a Blogger Roundup – 2/21

Written by on · 20 Comments

We had a major snow storm hit Minnesota (and surrounding states) yesterday, with a blizzard warning still in effect as I write this.  Ten inches of wet, heavy snow was dumped on us over the last twenty four hours.  It’s not  record breaking, but it is a major storm.  Some surrounding neighborhoods lost power, but thankfully we did not.  It’s times like this that I’m extremely thankful for a home to keep me warm and safe.   As an added positive, being stuck at home gives me time to catch up on my blog post reading, such as my favorite posts […] Read more »

A Very Special Valentine’s Day Lesson Taught By My Daughter

Written by on · 28 Comments

Introduction:  A few days before Valentine’s Day my daughter, Tori, came to me with an idea she had for a gift for Vonnie and me for Valentine’s Day.  I could tell that this meant a lot to her, and her sincerity and creativity impressed me so much that I knew I had to help her make it happen.   Tori has written for Enemy of Debt once before, and did a wonderful job, so I asked her if she would write about the experience to share here.   Please welcome back my daughter for a very special guest post: It was only […] Read more »

I Love You Like a Blogger Roundup – 2/14

Written by on · 12 Comments

Happy Valentine’s Day, EOD Nation!  I had plans in place for Valentine’s day, but yesterday Vonnie initiated a conversation saying that she didn’t want us to make a big deal out of it.  We agreed that after she got off work at 12:30 (she doesn’t work at her afternoon job on Fridays) we would simply go out to lunch at her favorite restaurant.  We haven’t been there for awhile, as it’s a little pricey, and thought it would be a nice change of pace.  Plus, since it’s lunch it likely won’t be very busy.    No complaints from me, I hope […] Read more »

Teaching Your Kids About Money? 5 Concepts They Need to Know

Written by on · 9 Comments
teaching your kids about money

Are you regularly teaching your kids about money and how to handle it?  I don’t mean just talking about very simple concepts such as “save money” or “don’t spend it all”.  I mean are you really teaching them what money is all about? When they get older are they going to have a clear picture of how to manage their money well so they don’t end up in financial trouble like so many people who never learn these principles?    The Basics Still Apply Managing money is much more difficult than it was 40-50 years ago because most of us […] Read more »

What Options Do You Have When You’re Buried In Debt?

Written by on · 6 Comments

Editors Note:  Today’s post is a guest post from Bob Miller, one of my friends over at CareOne Services, Inc.  Hope you enjoy his expert advice and perspective on debt! Do you find yourself buried in debt? Does it feel like all of your income is going toward paying off credit cards? Does it seem like there’s no way you can dig yourself out of this financial pit of despair? Are you tired of the constant collection calls? Do you just want it all to STOP? You’re not alone. Millions of people struggle to manage their debt. In fact, a […] Read more »

Want To Achieve Your Goals? Improve a Little Each Day

Written by on · 16 Comments

I turned the corner, and the numbers came into focus on the clock counting the finishing times of the 5K I was running on Sunday morning. The clock said 25:55 as I crossed through the inflatable finish line. My first thought was that of satisfaction in finishing under my goal of 27 minutes. The next thought was that I knew I could do better. It’s been a few years since I’ve done a race of this specific distance, so I wasn’t sure of what pace to start at. I started too slow, and then slowly increased my speed. My failure […] Read more »

I Love You Like a Blogger Roundup – 2/7

Written by on · 10 Comments

I didn’t love anyone like a blogger last week.  Instead I announced that Vonnie and I had made our final payment to our debt management program, which is GREAT news, but it has me itching for some fist pumping action. In other news, you’ll notice my emergency fund section has disappeared.  The reason is we utilized all the resources we had to knock off that credit card debt early.  But not to worry, in one week our emergency fund will be at the desired $1000.  Our first payment on our newly refinanced mortgage isn’t due until March 1st, but our […] Read more »

Lies We Tell Ourselves So We Can Keep Our Credit Cards

Written by on · 25 Comments

People love their credit cards. Why? They aren’t valuable, can’t be traded or sold, and cost people money and often their freedom. I’ve been separated from my credit cards for over seven years and can tell you that I don’t miss them a bit. Now that I’m coaching people through their debt problems I get to hear all the same lies I used to say that justified my reason for keeping the plastic crutches. Do you feel a shiver in your spine when you hear these lies people say so they can keep their credit cards? “I only use my […] Read more »

Complete Transformation: My Next Big Goal

Written by on · 18 Comments

Registration for the Twin Cities Marathon opened at 9:00am on Saturday, February 1st. I was sitting at my computer waiting for the link to go live, and I hit the final “submit” button at 9:09am. This will be my fourth marathon, but it will be unique. 2014 is going to be a year of transformation for myself. As of last Friday, we have completed our debt management program and $109,000 of credit card debt is gone. But that’s only the beginning, as we have other financial goals that we will accomplish this year. I want to extend that transformation to […] Read more »

It’s Over. We’re Free!

Written by on · 88 Comments

This morning I made a quick phone call, and just like that it was over. With our 55th payment, plus a partial payment scheduled to be automatically withdrawn on Tuesday, the last of the $109,000 of credit card debt that we had enrolled in our debt management plan is gone. We’re free!!! Free from the shackles of debt that have have held us down for our entire seventeen year marriage. Free to finally have the decision of what to do with our money fully within our own control instead of having to hand it over to credit card companies.  No […] Read more »

Paying Off Debt Will ROCK My Marriage

Written by on · 46 Comments

“Should we stop and get the ladies flowers?” suggested the friend I was car pooling with as we pulled into town. The beaming smile on her face told me that Vonnie was very appreciative of the bouquet of flowers I brought her after being out of town for a few days. Relationships are hard work. You need to show your love and appreciation on a daily basis, as well as put their needs before your own. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining. These are things I do willingly and joyfully without even thinking about them. When you love someone, […] Read more »

I Love You Like a Blogger Roundup – 1/24

Written by on · 10 Comments

I’m out of town this weekend on our 3rd annual mid-winter vacation to the Wisconsin Dells.  We’re having a ton of fun at the indoor water parks during the day, and playing games at night.  It’s our way of presenting the middle finger to this whole Polar Vortex thing.   The AWESOME thing is, we saved up enough cash to have a healthy spending budget while we’re away.  We’re still evaluating each purchase to make sure it brings value to our vacation, but we have a little more liberty this vacation than we have in years past.  It took a little […] Read more »

When Frugal Travel Hacks backfire

Written by on · 8 Comments

Today’s post is a guest post by NZ Muse, a writer from Auckland who’s just completed a six-month trip around the world. She blogs about money, travel, food, and generally bumbling through Gen Y adulthood. Think you can’t afford to travel? Saving dosh while traveling isn’t much different than saving dosh in your day-to-day life. It’s all about weighing your priorities and cutting back in some areas so you can spend more freely on what matters to you. You can fly from point A to B – or you could catch a bus, or even hitchhike. You can eat in […] Read more »