Budget Reset: Falling Off The Financial Wagon, and Climbing Back On

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My wife reminded me that we needed to sit down and talk finances. She was right, as she always is. I knew it was going to be a long conversation, as it was the first one that we’d had since our annual Memorial Weekend party. We both knew this was going to be an in depth, serious conversation. We both knew that as we prepared for the party we essentially ceased to execute every single technique that had resulted in us successfully handling our finances over the last few years. It turned into a full fledged, throw the budget to […] Read more »

Financial Discipline: You Play How You Practice

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“Well, hello stranger!” said a loud voice from somewhere behind the Subway counter.   I quickly found the familiar face smiling back at me. It’s the same young lady that is working at the nearby Subway most Saturdays when I stop in to get lunch for my family. Saturday Subway is a tradition of sorts at the Pizel household. As the cashier rang up my sandwiches, she asked me if I wanted to get one of my sandwiches for free by purchasing a $20 gift card. I politely declined. Buying the gift card would violate three of my foundational spending guidelines: […] Read more »

No Thanks, DirectTV, You Know Where You Can Stick Your High Pressure Sales Act

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I thanked the employee that had asked if I needed any help, guided me to what I was looking for within Best Buy,  and answered my questions. As I began to turn away, he said, “Oh, just one more thing. Who is your cable provider?” It was at that moment I noticed for the first time he was wearing a shirt with the DIRECTV logo embroidered into it. I knew exactly what was coming next as he led me to a table where he pulled out a notebook and started asking me more questions. He wrote information I was providing […] Read more »

What the Check Engine Light Taught Me about Myself, My Finances, and My Relationship With My Wife

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“I’m not happy with you, by the way,” Vonnie stated in a matter of fact tone. “You can’t keep things from me like that. You know that.” Driving north through Iowa on our way home from St. Louis, the check engine light remained illuminated on the dashboard of our rental car, reminding me of my mistake. It started a few days earlier during our 4 day trip to St. Louis when we had asked the valet at our hotel to retrieve our rental car so we could get some paperwork out of the car. I sat down in the drivers […] Read more »

Waiting For An Emergency Will Cost You Money

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I looked down at the dashboard and noticed all the lights on the dash were flickering. Suddenly the radio cut out, and turned back on. I could feel my heart thumping in my chest when it happened a second time. When the radio came back on again, it was accompanied by a “ding” and several warning lights on the dash board which remained illuminated. Not exactly something you want to happen while driving in rush hour traffic. We carefully drove to my brother-in-law’s house, as we discussed our course of action. We knew the battery was due to be replaced, […] Read more »

Financial Peace Will Save My Marriage

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Peace. It’s a word that’s been stuck my head. It all started with a post I read last week in which the author described how budgeting brought peace to her marriage. The title stirred something inside me.  A simple, but powerful word, that for some reason seemed to continuously pop into my mind over the weekend. Friday evening we were trying to decide what to do for dinner. None of the options left on our meal planning list sounded very good to the family. In a moment of frustration as my stomach growled, I suggested we go out to eat. […] Read more »

My First Trip to Costco: Why I Hate Club Stores

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I’m not a fan of “club” stores. Vonnie and I have a membership at Sam’s Club, but to me it’s useful only for the selection and price of certain cuts of meat worthy to be put on my smoker. Other than that, I could dump the membership and not miss a beat. My problem with club stores is the magical trance that comes over people (including myself) once the store is entered.  It’s the perspective  that if you find a product that you use (no matter how rarely), it should be snatched up immediately because every product is the sale […] Read more »

Pay Day Loans are for Lazy People…Do This Instead!

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Recently, I had a conversation at the Financial Blogger Conference and Pay Day Loans came up. First off, I was kind of surprised to hear a financial blogger say that these loans had their place because most bloggers agree that these types of loans are dangerous and avoidable. At the time my mind was spinning a hundred miles a minute but I said nothing because not only had I just arrived at the conference, but I know that debates like this are rarely productive (especially with a financial blogger). So I bit my tongue but I do have an opinion […] Read more »

If You Want to Fix Your Money, Fix Your Marriage

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Are you constantly trying to figure out why you suck with money? For those that are single, part of the problem is accountability, but for those that aren't, the problem(s) can go much deeper than that. Sometimes the solution is right in front of you, or in this case, in your marriage. Money and Marriage are two words that sometimes seem like distant relatives, but the fact is, the connection between the two are actually hand in hand. If you look at some of the number one reasons people give for getting a divorce, money is usually at the top. I say, if you want to fix your money, fix your marriage...and vice-versa! If you fix your money, your marriage will get better, and if you fix your marriage, how you handle money (as a couple) will follow. It's a positive cycle that involves super communication and a lifetime of commitment! That's right, that commitment doesn't stop at the alter. Read more »