Imagination is Free

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Close your eyes and remember...

I’m going to ask you to do something you may not have ever been asked to do before. Close your eyes, and think of a recent experience in your life that was extremely stressful. Go to your “nervous, anxious, so angry I want to punch a wall” place. What do you feel like doing?  What would deflate the negative energy you’re feeling? Going out to eat so you don’t have to add the stress of cooking to the pile? Going shopping and buying anything you darn well please so you regain the feeling of control? Having your significant other notice [...] Read more »

Sorry, School Fundraiser – You’re Not In My Budget!

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The inevitable packet came home from school with my daughter last week.  That same night, the doorbell started ringing signalling the beginning of the school fundraising season. Whether you have school aged children, or you’ve experienced that knock at the door, you know what I mean. Kids trying to sell you products that you cannot possibly live without at an inflated price all in the name of helping their school. The motivation given to the students is a ladder of prizes – the more you sell, the better the prize. Of course every student begins the fundraiser with hopes of [...] Read more »

Take a Step Back…Put your Financial Behavior in Check

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Debt is sometimes inevitable, unavoidable, and well a fact of life for many. No matter what your stage of life you may be faced with financial issues. Life can take its toll on your finances; unemployment, an unexpected illness, divorce or a death in the family can send you into a financial tailspin. But sometimes financial issues stem from a cause deeper than the unexpected; the way you think about money. To snap out of bad financial habits it may require some lifestyle and behavioral changes. 10 Financial Principles Dr. Bernard Poduska, author of For Love or Money writes about [...] Read more »

Don’t Stink. Budget!

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If you’re a regular reader of Our Journey to Zero, you know I’ve been on a serious fitness kick now for over 8 months. Getting in shape is all about getting in the habit of exercising. Now that I’m in the habit of exercising, it feels wrong to not work out every day. It just feels like something is missing. Recently I skipped two days in a row for probably the first time this year. I was downright cranky. There are a lot of people who want to get in shape and lose weight. So why don’t they? They say [...] Read more »

Life is so Beautiful, Why Waste it Shackled with Debt?

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Sweet Dreams

As I stared into the beautiful face of our newborn, Hannah Rose, at 7:29 a.m. on Tuesday morning, tears of joy streaked down my face. All I could think about — besides how lucky I am to be blessed with such a wonderful family — was just how beautiful life really is. Those who know me know my children are EVERYTHING to me, and I wouldn’t want to waste a single moment of it unable to take advantage of the complete happiness that being a dad brings. Just like with anything else that travels through the depths of my mind, [...] Read more »

Book Excerpt – Investiphobia: Overcome Your Deepest Investment Fears

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Investiphobia Front Cover

The Fear of Thinking Long-Term “When you obsess over how your investment is doing from day-to-day or week-to-week, you could be more tempted to tinker with it instead of sticking to your long-term diversified plan. Not to mention, you’ll probably lose sleep.” Erin Burt, Kiplinger.com, March 13, 2008  “Asset allocation, not stock-picking, not sector funds, not guessing the direction of the Dow Jones averages, is the key to financial success.”   Jim Cramer, Intro to The Little Book that Saves Your Assets, by David Darst One of the most popular investment shows on TV is the Jim Cramer show, Mad [...] Read more »

Welcoming a New Baby into Our Family

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Father and Sons

Hello everyone! I hope you’re having a great week so far! I just wanted to announce something I am very excited about. In fact, it has been hard not to spill the beans before now, although a few of my closest family and friends know. It’s TOUGH keeping a secret like this one! We’re having a baby, due on October 3rd!! We haven’t yet found out the sex of the baby but like any other time, we’ll be happy with whatever we have — boy or girl. My daughter Caitlin is 15, Isaac is almost 5, and Noah is 17 [...] Read more »

O Emergency Fund, Emergency Fund! Where For Art Thou Emergency Fund?

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Letting go

Have you ever had a true emergency fund before? They say, once you go emergency fund you never go back. Having my beloved emergency fund in my life has been amazing, and I became a better person for meeting her. Ever since the first day I laid eyes on my one true emergency fund, I new I was a changed man. The way she comforted me and made me feel all safe and fuzzy inside. I got butterflies whenever I would think of her. I just knew she was the one! Can you tell I’m struggling? My emergency fund was [...] Read more »