Avoiding Debt by Minimizing Large and Recurring Expenses – Rethinking Personal Vehicles

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One of the keys to avoiding debt is to know how it overtakes us. Without a doubt, debt has many helpers in the form of large and recurring expenses. I'd like to share with you a few pages from my own playbook when it comes to handling large and recurring expenses. Specifically, I'm interested in speaking to the issue of motor vehicles. It's a good topic to address because transportation is typically 15% of the household budget of Americans...often more than what we spend on food. Cars tend to be a large expense, and even without a monthly payment, they're a recurring expense. And, as we're all aware, the price of insurance, fuel, tires and maintenance continues to climb. Read more »

I Love You Like a Blogger Roundup – 6/07

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Yesterday was the last day of school for the kids, so summer vacation is officially underway.    I think I’m just as excited as they are as I get three months of not having to go through the morning routine of pulling kids out of bed, making sack lunches, and making sure they get to the bus stop on time.  We all get to sleep in a little longer, and our daily pace can slow down just a little bit.  I’m looking forward to some lazy afternoons by the pool at our health club, and evenings sitting on the deck with […] Read more »

Worrying Doesn’t Accomplish Anything. Take Action. Now.

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“Are you making yourself old again?” I heard Tori’s friend say to her from behind me as we headed off to dance class. I had never heard the phrase before, but I immediately understood what she meant. She was referring to the scrunched look on Tori’s face which was a result of the unusually rough time that just occurred at home as I had to continuously poke and prod her to get dinner eaten, dressed, and out the door on time for class. The wrinkles on her face made her look old. But even more than just making her look […] Read more »

I Love You Like a Blogger Roundup – 05/31

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Our spending the last two weekends have been all about celebrations.  Two weekends ago our son got confirmed, so we hosted a celebration with family and friends at our home.  Last weekend we hosted our 17th annual Memorial Weekend party.   In June the focus will shift towards purchasing some things for the family.  Vonnie and I made a list of things that we need and/or want. First up, this weekend both Vonnie and Tristan will be getting some much needed new tennis shoes. The entire family is due for eye exams.  Vonnie will get new glasses and Tristan a fresh […] Read more »

After 10 Years of Marriage, I Still Have a lot to Learn.

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My Husband and I will be celebrating our 10 year anniversary this Friday.   To celebrate we went away this past weekend and stayed in downtown Baltimore. Clearly we had two goals with going away 1. Go far, far away from our darling children 2. Spend quality uninterrupted time together Originally we had big plans lined up to celebrate this particular anniversary; we had a trip to South Carolina or NYC planned and budgeted accordingly.   After several discussions my husband and I agreed to not spend too much money and play it closer to home. We settled on our […] Read more »

The Biggest Ripoff EVER

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Every Memorial Day weekend Vonnie and I host a little get together for family and friends. While shopping for the needed supplies last week I purchased a product that could very well be the biggest ripoff on planet Earth. Can you guess what it is? If you guessed bottled water, you were close. At least with bottled water you could make the argument that your preferred brand tastes better than tap water or other brands. But this product, for what I needed it for, was a complete wallet gouger. Ice We purchased a keg of beer for our adult guests, […] Read more »

I Love You Like a Blogger Roundup – 05/24

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Vonnie and I are in full party planning mode for the 17th Annual Pizel Memorial Weekend Party.  I’m off of work today to fire up my smoker and BBQ my way to some pulled pork and brisket.  So if you’re anywhere near South Eastern Minnesota this weekend, stop on by we’d love to have you.  🙂 Posts That Make Me Fist Pump Carrots for CareOne from A Straight Talk On Debt in the CareOne user community The Blog Post I’ve Been Waiting to Write from Blonde On a Budget MagicJack Reviews: 30 Day Free Trial of MagicJack Plus from Three […] Read more »

I Know a Secret About Kohls….

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Our son needed new dress clothes for his confirmation last weekend, so it was timely that we received a 30% off coupon in the mail from Kohls.  I usually don’t get excited about their coupons because they show up in my mailbox fairly often.  So frequently, in fact,  that I would never buy anything at Kohls unless I had a 30% off coupon in my hand. It should be fairly obvious that the regular price of their merchandise is simply over priced. With mailing in hand, we headed to Kohls to see what they had. On the shopping list for […] Read more »

I Love You Like a Blogger Roundup – 05/17

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On May 2nd, we had 15 inches of snow dumped on us.  On May 14th temperatures soared into the middle 90s.  My son, who inexplicably is somehow 14 years old already and will be entering high school next year, is being confirmed this weekend. Life is crazy. Even more crazy, we received a flyer in the mail for that 14 year old son to signup for driver’s training.  $350.  Really?  My public school supplied that class for free for everyone when I was his age.  I could just say it’s too expensive and not have him do it, but in […] Read more »

Who Says You Can’t Rock a Tool Belt with Heels?

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Tool belt and heels

When it comes to home repairs or pulling off DIY projects, it’s the ladies in my family rocking the tool belt.  Despite being a card carrying Daddy’s girl, I did not grow up with the kind of father who owned lots of power tools or worked around the house fixing things each weekend.  However, I do have a mother who currently owns a band saw and thinks instructions manuals are for babies. I am a hardcore DIY’er.  I have a list longer than the square footage of my house full of home improvement projects. My loving and supportive (and manly, […] Read more »

The Winds Of Debt Only Blow In One Direction

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A windy day was in the forecast with gusts up to 40mph. I didn’t care, I was going for my run. The wind smacked me in the face almost immediately as I started off down the street. I tucked my head down, turned the volume up on my iPod, and cut through the wind for the first half of my run. Every step was a struggle, the end of each block a victory. I was grateful when I reached that familiar street corner that represented the half way point of my run. I smiled as I turned the corner, knowing […] Read more »

Encouragement is a Key to Personal Financial Success

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Where do our lessons in personal finance come from, I mean, besides the school of hard knocks? Did someone show us how to balance a checkbook or properly use a credit card? Did we have a teacher or mentor, or did we learn mostly by example? However we learned about handling money in a responsible manner, I'd be willing to bet that encouragement played an important role. Encouragement is important in just about everything we do. Without it, we're less likely to maintain interest and be successful. So, encouragement in the personal finance arena is especially important. Read more »

I Love You Like a Blogger Roundup – 05/10

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My son Tristan is getting confirmed in two weeks, so Vonnie and I are dedicating this weekend to a full out cleaning blitz.  I’m actually excited about it because our home could use a good top to bottom cleaning.    It may sound strange for me to be excited about cleaning, but you have to remember I’m a guy that obsessively straightens the shoes by the front door when we have guests over.  Having a picked up, neat and tidy, clean home just puts my state of being into a peaceful place. With all that cleaning going on, we won’t be […] Read more »

Buying a Home- Is it a Good Investment?

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Buying a Home Is it a Good Investment

Most people have been told at some point that buying a home is a good investment.  We’ve heard from our parents, the media, relatives, and real estate pros that buying a house is a good investment that will help you to secure your financial future. We’re told that investing in a home that appreciates over time will help you secure your golden years by paying it off in your younger years and leaving you without a house payment when your older.  It also provides you with a large chunk of money once you sell it and downsize to a smaller […] Read more »