Spend Money On Things That Give You Goosebumps

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Personal finance blogs talk a lot about how NOT to spend your money. I’m trying to give spending a positive twist, and help you decide how you SHOULD spend your money. Last week I gave a list of things I don’t mind pulling my wallet out for. This week I’m going to take take it in a little different direction and help you determine what things belong on your list. Another way to look at useful spending is to think about things that really enhance your life. In many cases, these may be experiences or hobbies. A clip of a […] Read more »

5 Things I Don’t Mind Spending Money On

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Achieving your ultimate financial goals requires you to be selective in how you spend your hard earned money. Being a wasteful or frivolous spender leaves less money in your pocket to put towards eventual financial freedom. But being wise with your money doesn’t mean living in a cardboard box and subsisting on bread and water – it simply means executing selective spending. Spend your hard earned cash on things that matter to you. Here’s a list of 5 things I don’t mind pulling my wallet out for: Expensive Groceries USDA Prime rated steak, lobster tail, crab legs and beef tenderloin […] Read more »

I’m Forcing My Daughter To Go Shopping

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I told my daughter to plan to go shopping at the mall this Saturday. I encouraged her to engage in a full on shopping spree and spend a significant amount of money on herself. Yes, you read correct. It may not seem like very financially responsible advice, but I sincerely believe it’s exactly the right thing to do. My daughter got her first part-time job over the summer, working one night a week. She did such a good job, they wanted to expand her hours when school started.  Balancing schoolwork, being on the cheer team, and the job has been […] Read more »

I Got Promoted! Now, What Should We Do With My Salary Increase?

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I’ve been very purposeful with my efforts over the last few years in my primary career as a software engineer. I’ve volunteered for roles, and taken advantage of opportunities that I felt would help further my career. Specifically, I’ve been aiming to be promoted to the next level. My efforts have finally come to fruition, as last Wednesday my manager informed me that I have been promoted. As you can imagine, I was extremely excited to hear the news that I have been promoted to Senior Software Engineer. My title promotion comes with a significant salary increase. Whenever our family’s […] Read more »

Sex Sells, But I’m Not Buying

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I had a couple of hours to kill after dropping my son and his friends off at a concert venue, so I headed to a nearby mall to complete a few errands, and then find a place to sit with my laptop. As I explored the mall, I walked by a kiosk a number of times, where several people were engaging passers-by to sample whatever they were selling. The first time I walked by, a man asked if I wanted a free sample. I just shook my head and kept walking. The second time a woman stretched her arm out […] Read more »

Are You Conscientious or a Slacker?

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Extremely frustrated, I waited in a parking lot for one last person that was running late. They were supposed to arrive at 7:30am and the instructions clearly stated the youth group would leave the church at 8:00am sharp. It was this person’s tardiness that broke my wife’s perfect parent streak. You know what I mean; the mom who waves to her child as they drive away in excitement to a five-day excursion of hiking, singing songs by the bonfire, and getting yelled at by counselors because you’re making everyone in the cabin giggle when you should be sleeping. Here it […] Read more »

Don’t Spend Money On Things You Didn’t Know You Needed

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Every Marathon I’ve run has had a fitness expo which accompanies race packet pickup. It’s an opportunity for runners to find some last minute necessities for their run, as well as browse the latest and greatest in running and fitness gear. I was in Duluth, Minnesota over the weekend to run Grandma’s Marathon, and walked through one of these fitness expos. As I walked past one of the booths, a man stepped in front of me telling me he had a special treat for my feet. Intrigued, I allowed him to guide me to sit down in a chair and […] Read more »

What Charcoal and Beer Teaches Us About Making Choices

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The end of May is in sight, the temps are getting warmer, and Summer is on everyone’s mind. There are great sales popping up everywhere for outdoor home improvement projects, and garden centers are opening up with huge selection of plants, yard care products and grills. Speaking of grills, this time of year I keep my eyes for sales on charcoal. Between my smoker and my grill, I use a lot of charcoal. If I see a great sale, I load up the van and pile it up in a corner of my garage to be used throughout the summer. […] Read more »

Using Intermittent Spending To Stay On Budget

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A body builder friend of mine recently posted a link to an article that caught my eye. The article described a diet methodology called Intermittent Fasting in which a person would consume all their food for the day in an 8 hour window followed by 16 hours of fasting. This wasn’t just some person’s half cocked idea about how people should eat, there was actually some science behind it. The thought is that eating all the food for a given day in a short period of time more closely resembled how our ancestors lived. Prehistoric man would spend the day […] Read more »

How To Get The Most Out of A Hotel Stay

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Saving money on a hotel room is sometimes a question away. Just asking if  a better rate is available can in some cases save a significant amount of money. My brother in law wins the prize for the biggest discount, however, because with one question he saved over $200. We had been planning a New Year’s Eve stay at a hotel with some family near the Mall Of America in the Minneapolis / St. Paul metropolitan area. The location would put us in walking distance of several restaurant options for dinner, along with the potential to go to a movie and a […] Read more »

Warning: Shopping Without A List Is Hazardous To Your Budget

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My love of lists is almost legendary, my daily activities driven from them. I have different lists for different parts of my day: Things needing to be done at work, written on my office white board Personal life todo list written in a notebook on the kitchen counter Blogging todo list written in a notebook on my computer desk My lists help me not only remember things that need to be done, but also to prioritize them. My wife sometimes makes fun of me because of my lists, but she understands the importance I place on them. I commonly find […] Read more »

How Does the Target RedCard Work?

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I was hurriedly going through the checkout lane at Target picking up some items on my way home from work when the cashier sprung a question I’ve heard a zillion times: “Are you going to be saving 5% with your REDcard today?” I shook my head, “No,” after which she asked me if I knew about the REDcard. I quipped at her my understanding of it being a Target Visa card that saves me 5% on my purchases. I told her that I didn’t like to use credit cards, but thanked her for the offer. I was surprised when she […] Read more »

Credit Cards Are Officially NOT For Me

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Some use credit cards for as many of their day to day expenses as possible in order to rack up reward program points. Some even go through a process called credit card churning to earn points for signing up for a new accounts in exchange for cash, airline miles, or travel accommodations.  I know people that have taken their entire family on a free, or nearly free, trip by using such methods. Good for them, as long as they’re using their cards responsibly. But this kind of “beat the system” mentality is not for everyone. Not everyone has the internal […] Read more »

How Much Does It Cost Businesses To Allow Credit and Debit Card Payments?

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Imagine going through a fast food drive through, and seeing a sign stating that you will be charged a service fee for each order. If that wasn’t odd enough, the sign goes on to say that your $0.39 will be refunded if you pay with credit card, cash, or gift card. That’s exactly what a long time EOD reader reported to me via email recently, and after some internet searching I found that a company that owns 20 Taco Bell and KFC restaurants across the Midwest has indeed implemented this policy. If you were reading carefully, you should have come […] Read more »