As it stands now this is not a political blog, and I want to keep it that way. However, with the upcoming election, coupled with recent events (bailout, mortgage crisis) and the state of our economy, I feel it is important to address this issue. It seems that so many people are putting all of their faith into electing a President that they feel will fly down from the sky with his Presidential cape and leotards to save the day. Why is that? Do people really believe that Washington is going to come to the rescue? Do you really […] Read more »
Experiencing Technical Problems
I am having some problems with my theme again. Instead of leave the site down, I wanted everyone to still have access to EOD content. I apologize for the ‘ugliness’! I will try and get things back to normal as soon as I can. Please enjoy my archives. UPDATE: EOD is fixed, all except for the nav bar. I am working on it. Brad Chaffee Person Brad Chaffee Right click for SmartMenu shortcuts Read more »
Murphy’s Fall
Murphy’s Fall? I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce you to something that you have or will possibly go through. I have coined the term “Murphy’s Fall”. Murphy’s Fall isn’t the fall of Murphy. Instead it is something you yourself go through because of Murphy. That’s right. It’s what can happen when Murphy has moved in and just doesn’t want to leave. It could be equivalent to what marathoners call “The Wall”, which is when a marathoner reaches the 20 mile mark and starts to rationalize giving up. It’s when you start to tell yourself that you have […] Read more »
How Can We Love Our Children More?
That’s How! Our Children Really Are The Future If you have children I can not think of anything as important as teaching them how to manage money at a very early age. Think about it for a second. If you would have learned about money at a young age you could have avoided so many of the financial pitfalls that most of us deal with. I know I would have loved to learn this stuff early on. It would have kept me from paying extensive amounts of “Stupid Tax”, as Dave Ramsey calls it. Stupid Tax is money that we […] Read more »
When Are You Going To Have A Yard Sale?
Today was the big day! We had a huge yard sale today, and we made an extra $220. This was with NO big dollar items. We had tons of stuff to get rid of and I am not even convinced that we got rid of everything possible. I am pretty excited about our extra earnings from stuff that has been just hanging around our house. Could you benefit from an extra few hundred dollars? I am sure you could, so start looking around and plan that yard sale. Fund that Emergency Fund or earn extra money to throw at your […] Read more »
Vote For Your TOP 5 Articles
Hi! Are you new to Enemy of Debt? Even if you aren’t, I want to know what your TOP 5 favorite articles are. Below is a list of my 10 favorite posts. Read ONE post a day and then vote for your TOP 5 picks. Leave your comments below! What did you like? What did you not like? What post was a runner up? Let me know! What If You Were Recession Proof? Poverty To Prosperity In F.I.C.O. We Trust Buying vs. Renting – What Should You Do? Ideas On How To Give Yourself A Raise Are Your Priorities Backwards? […] Read more »
To Be Bullied Or Not Be Bullied, That Is The Question
I think that dealing with creditors is probably one of the most emotional experiences one can have at a time when they are likely the most vulnerable. Think about it. When you owe someone money and they are constantly hounding you to pay what you already know you owe, it can break anyone down who does not know how to handle them. Usually what happens is they use tactics to bully you into using your grocery money to pay them NOW! Credit Sharks In Suits (FPU Lesson) is great for helping you learn how to deal with these sharks, as […] Read more »
Video Of The Week- Mad TV Credit Card Song
Budget Fix
Hi everyone! This is just an update to let you know that if you downloaded my budget before today, but after the launch, you need to download it again OR make 2 changes yourself. (Recommended) I was trying to make it account for spending more than you budgeted by making the remaining to budget, cell i37, change to let you know you needed to adjust the budget. The fact is that when you see a red number in the “D” Column you should know that you need to make an adjustment somewhere to compensate for overspending. The point is to […] Read more »
Here Is Your Financial Blueprint
Here Is Your Financial Blueprint courtesy of Enemy of Debt created by Brad Chaffee Well the time has finally come! You no longer have any excuse at all as to not having a budget. I have created a worksheet for you to use to make budgeting fast and easy. It is up to you to take advantage of it. I have included a savings worksheet for you as well. Remember a budget isn’t a device to control you, it is a device used to control your money. Whether you use it to spend irrationally or to manage responsibly, the point […] Read more »
If My Words Were A Hand, They’d Be Slapping Some Sense Into You!
STOP BORROWING MONEY!!! Just to clear things up, the title isn’t to be taken literally. It’s just my way of grabbing your attention and telling you that if you are in debt, you need to hear this!! So LISTEN UP! This is perhaps the most important thing to learn after getting yourself on a budget. Dumping your debt will help you gain traction and in return offer you a hope you have never imagined. The reason is because all of the things most people have their money spent on before they ever get paid, steals their hope. When you accept […] Read more »
The “B” Word!
Yeah I said it, the “B” word….Budget. My FPU class just finished Lesson Three called Cash Flow Planning, and when most of us think about a budget, all kinds of negative thoughts surface. First we think it will keep us from having fun. If you are like me then you may have thought it was more trouble than it was worth. Seriously, why should we do a budget when it always seems to collapse midway through the month? Most of us have avoided doing a budget our entire life all because of these misconceptions. The truth is that the budget […] Read more »
Buying vs. Renting – What Should You Do?
I think a majority of people would say it is better to buy simply because of the “I own it”, way of thinking. I used to believe the same thing. I think people do not take into consideration all of the things that should change that “normal” way of thinking. Dave Ramsey believes that if you are in debt, have no savings and no plan you SHOULD NOT buy, and I am right there beside him in agreement. You need to consider insurance costs, property taxes, as well as being responsible for ALL repairs. All of which does not enter […] Read more »
Relationships That Count
You Do It! If there is one thing that comes through clearly in the “Relating With Money” lesson it is that we all need support and encouragement. We need each other. If you are married, you need your spouse in order for this money thing to work. If you are single you need someone to hold you accountable. So many people that I know use the “you do it” philosophy when it comes to money. I have too. When Alana and I first got married, she was the one who controlled the finances. That was until we had a few […] Read more »