Today is the last day of my work furlough, which means tomorrow I can officially sign into my email for work and begin the process of wading through an entire week’s email. I’m looking forward to jumping back into the software development game – I’ve missed my bits and bytes. 🙂 Vonnie and I have been watching our spending closely to make sure our finances are ready when that reduced paycheck arrives a week from today. You can read about how we’ve planned to make it through this rough spot in my post this week in the CareOne Community. Have […] Read more »
Cut A Brisket, Cut Your Costs
It’s Labor Day weekend and grills across the country are firing up for end of the summer cookouts. We hosted one yesterday, and I was up before the sun (5AM to be precise) to start smoking a brisket for a gathering we were hosting that evening. I removed the fourteen pound mass of meat I had purchased and seasoned the night before from the refrigerator. I snapped on some rubber gloves and began rubbing a little extra seasoning on the brisket ensuring it was fully covered. I ran my fingers across the layer of fat that separates the two major […] Read more »
Three Myths About Mortgages That Are Usually Believed
(This is a guest post) There are many myths about mortgages that are so widespread that large numbers of people believe them wholeheartedly. Many of these myths are passed on as well-known advice from person to person in attempts to assist friends or family members in making the right mortgage decisions. While some myths have little effect on the person’s finances, believing in others could cost the homebuyer thousands of dollars in additional costs over the life of the loan. Here is some of the most common mortgage myths that people tend to believe. Myth 1– A 20% Down Payment […] Read more »
I Love You Like a Blogger Roundup – 8/30
Fridays are normally awesome, but this one is a little different. When I leave work for the day I’m officially on a one week furlough from my job as a software engineer. For the week I’m off, I will only be paid 1/3rd my normal salary. This obviously poses quite a challenge to our household budget. We’ve known this was coming for about a month, so luckily we’ve had some time to prepare for it. We have a plan, and believe we have it contained, but it will required us to stick EXACTLY to our budget for the next month. […] Read more »
Tips to Opening a Savings Account
(By Guest Author, Lana Stevens) Saving money is a very important part of life. Times may be hard, but it is more important to save money now than ever before. Despite excessive qualitative easing put forth by the Federal Reserve, and an inflationary United States’ government monetary policy that encourages consumers to spend and not save, saving money and lowering overall debt is essential to a person’s financial future and overall well-being. Here are just a few reasons why you need to save your money: Financial Emergencies Vacation House/Car down payment Education Retirement Some of these things may seem a […] Read more »
Surprise, High School Freshman – Real Life Starts NOW!
Last week we took my son to his incoming freshman high school schedule pickup and orientation. I repeated something that I said to him last spring when we were having some difficulties making him put forth the required effort on his school work. “This year you start high school. This shit’s for real. It counts forever.” I then went on to try to explain the chain of events that starts with day one of his freshman year. Hard work, good grades, and school involvement will dictate what college opportunities will eventually open up in front of him in a few […] Read more »
I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 08/23
Happy Friday, EOD Nation! The last few weeks of Summer are proving to be rather busy for my family and me. Both kids had their schedule pick up days for the upcoming school year and walked their initial class schedules. With Tori entering middle school, and Tristan a freshman in High School they are both headed to new schools this year which brings both apprehension and excitement. This weekend we have a family reunion to attend and then looking forward to a HOT Sunday afternoon lounging by the pool at our already paid for gym membership to let our checkbook […] Read more »
Make Car Shopping Easier And Faster With These Tips
(Guest post) Car shopping is not a task that many of us undertake often. When we do decide to shop for a new car, it is often out of necessity to replace an older car that has been damaged or broken down. Because we do not have a lot of practice with buying cars, it can seem complicated and difficult while taking up a large amount of time. Fortunately, there are several methods that can be used to make car shopping easier and faster for you. Look Online First A large amount of the time spent on car shopping are […] Read more »
4 Tips to Sweet Talk Your Partner About Money
I love my husband. That is a fact, but it is also a mantra that I repeat to myself before we sit down to discuss anything about household finances. No matter how innocuous the discussion may be, it typically causes one or both of us a bit of tension. It should come as no surprise that the number one reason for divorce reported last year was money problems. In our first five years of marriage financial discussions were a battle ground. Nobody escaped unharmed and we discovered that we had VERY different perspectives about managing money. We also happened to […] Read more »
Your Perspective On Money Changes….When You’re Paying the Bills
My son looked at me like he didn’t believe what he was hearing. He believed that his parents have an unlimited source of money. My son has been saving his allowance as well as the money he’s earned mowing lawn this summer to get his own computer, and has amassed a pretty good chunk of coin. We had planned on a building a computer together as I thought it would be a cool father and son activity plus save us some money by assembling the computer ourselves. However, recently he found a pre-built computer online that had the required specs, […] Read more »
I Love You Like a Blogger Roundup – 8/16
Happy Friday EOD Nation, I’ve got a favor to ask of you! I’m attending the Financial Blogger’s Conference in St. Louis in October, and part of the conference is something called the Plutus Awards. These awards are given to blogs that are the best of their type. Last year Enemy of Debt won Best Debt Blog, and I’d LOVE to throw EOD into the mix again. How can you help? You can click on the link below and throw a vote for EOD! By clicking on the link, it will fill in the appropriate field to vote for EOD, all […] Read more »
Inexpensive but Awesome Dessert Using Philadephia Cream Cheese!
Summer potluck cookouts are a favorite activity in our neighborhood. There are two people that are legendary for bringing mouth-watering desserts that everyone looks forward to being the last taste to linger in their mouths as they walk home. But I’ve got a recipe that could change all that and make me the undisputed king of desserts. I’m about to unleash the scrumptiousness of my strawberry cheese pie made with Philadelphia Cream Cheese. It’s a simple recipe that only requires a few ingredients: 9 inch Graham Cracker Crust 8oz package of Philadelphia Cream Cheese 1 Cup Powdered Sugar 1 Cup […] Read more »
Hotel Room Fees Exposed!
I opened the hotel room door to find a flyer labeled “Express Check Out” laying on the floor. Our vacation was over, and it was time to settle up with the hotel for our accommodations. I opened it up and sat down on the bed to examine it for accuracy. The daily room rates were as expected, but there were so many different taxes listed that I began to wonder exactly what those amounts were for. Normally I just assume the hotel is charging the government required taxes, but I was feeling especially frisky that morning and decided to verify […] Read more »
Building Wealth – Money or Stuff? Go For Money
money in the hatAfter we pull ourselves out of debt, we'll probably want to start building wealth. It's one of the rewards that we can offer ourselves for having overcome the debt demon. And, there's nothing like the accumulation of wealth to put some meaningful (and visible) distance between you and your former indebtedness. If we're going to create wealth for ourselves instead of others, I think it's best to have our eye on that target as we start to bring ourselves out of debt. So, let's look at what form our wealth might take. When it comes to building wealth, there are various approaches and any number of focal points. Here's the first of a brief three-part series about which focal point is better, money or other more tangible items like a house, land, vehicles, or tools in the workshop. I think the answer lies somewhere in between the two, but for today, I'm going to argue the money side of the discussion. Later, I'll discuss why having "stuff" instead of money is good, and then I'll present arguments to show why a balanced approach is worthwhile considering. For today, let's focus on money. Why might we try to accumulate money as a way of building wealth? Several reasons come to mind quite easily. Consider the following: Read more »