Stick To Your Holiday Spending Budget By Using A Prepaid Credit Card

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Halloween is over, and we’ve entered the month of November which means the holiday shopping season has officially started. We’ll see countless reminders to avoid overspending and/or going into debt buying gifts. This is great advice, but easier said than done. Prepaid Credit Card Advantages A prepaid credit card loaded with the amount of your holiday budget can help you follow this advice. Here is a list of some of the ways using a prepaid credit card can help keep your holiday spending in check as well as a few advantages it has over other payment methods: No Forgotten Purchases: […] Read more »

Fist Pump Friday: I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 11/1/19

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I just got an email saying my employer’s vitality incentive program is being discontinued at the end of the year.  I exercise a lot, which earns me points in the program, which then can be traded for merchandise.  Something new will take its place, but I need to make sure I cash in all my points for prizes before I lose them. I traded what I had for Amazon gift cards, and used that to buy a book about bourbon – something I’ve taken an interest in over the last year or so. I know what I’m doing this weekend! […] Read more »

Saving Money On A Friday Night As A DIY Plumber

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Coming out of the bathroom after her morning shower, my daughter told me the bathtub was draining extremely slowly and asked if I could take a look at it. I was certain a monstrous glob of her very long hair was causing the stoppage. I could either pay a plumber to unclog the drain, or I could put on my DIY hat later that evening and save some money.  Little did I know I was in for an adventurous Friday night. YouTube To The Rescue My wife suggested I pour a bottle of Liquid Plumber or Draino down the drain. […] Read more »

Fist Pump Friday: I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 10/25

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Last night my wife and I went out with some friends to watch the Minnesota Vikings play on Thursday Night Football.  The four of us went to a local micro-brewery, ate from a food truck that was there, had a few adult beverages, and played football bingo.  Each of us got a bingo card on which the squares contained a football event description (TD, Fumble, Field Goal, etc). If that event occurred, you could mark the spot.  If you got a bingo, you won a free beer.  My wife and I each purchased one beer, and bought food from the […] Read more »

Update: Amazon’s Return Process Used To Be Easy, Now It’s Almost Effortless

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    Returning items ordered online can be an intimidating process, and somewhat worrisome until you see the refund posted to your account. Close to two years ago I wrote an article outlining how easy it was to return things to Amazon, however I just had an experience that had me shaking my head. It’s actually gotten EASIER to return things to Amazon and you can have your refund almost immediately. I had ordered some costume items for my daughter for her use in her cheer team’s themed homecoming float. Some of the items did not arrive in time for […] Read more »

Fist Pump Friday: I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 10/18/19

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Happy Friday, and happy weekend EOD Nation!  My wife and I are having a date night tonight, as our favorite acoustic guitar performers is playing at our favorite restaurant.  Of course we’ll be stopping at Costco first to pickup a discounted gift card to save money on our meal. Fist pump for date nights, saving money, and my favorite posts of the week! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump 103 ALDI Special Buys You Need Now from Four Hats And Frugal Save on Groceries by Limiting Junk Food from Beating Broke There Are Two Parts To Your Budget Equation from […] Read more »

Pizza Delivery Showdown: Pizza Hut, Domino’s, And Godfather’s

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While hanging out with some family in town for a visit, we decided to order pizza. The outcome of the, “Where should we order it from,” discussion was, “whatever is least expensive.” I threw my predispositions aside and compared three major pizza delivery chains using three simple ordering scenarios. The Rules Countless combinations of pizza options exist, and pizza delivery chains are almost continuously running specials. This makes a complete analysis impossible. For the purpose of this exercise, I’ll keep the scenarios very simple. First, here are the base parameters of my comparison: Ignore any specials or promotions Compare three […] Read more »

Fist Pump Friday: I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 10/11/2019

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We’re getting to the tail end of the high school football season.  What that means in Minnesota is, if your daughter is on the cheer team and you go to watch her cheer at the football game it’s gonna be cold. Air temp was hovering around freezing and snow flurries were being whipped around by a biting wind. On our way to the game, my wife and I stopped at a convenience store and purchased hand warmer pads – the kind that get hot when you shake them, and then are placed inside your gloves to keep your hands warm.  […] Read more »

What’s The Difference? Checking vs. Savings Account

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My daughter sat on the couch beside me, crossed her legs and said, “Father, explain the difference between a checking account and a savings account.” It was a fantastic question, and I was thrilled to answer it. She currently only had a checking account, and I was hoping she was asking as a precursor to wanting to open a savings account to save up for something in the future I have her a basic definition of the two types of accounts, and how they differed: General Description Checking accounts are for daily use for the transactions of every day life, […] Read more »

Fist Pump Friday: I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 10/4/2019

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We’re proving the power of the potluck tonight. My wife and I are having a group of friends over for a fish fry and to watch the Minnesota Twins start the post season.  We know some people that have fish from a deep sea fishing trip they want to get rid of, so we started a text thread and rounded up a group of 18 people to bring their favorite side dish or dessert and hang out for a night of food, fun, and baseball. How about you, EOD Nation, how do you have fun without spending a lot of […] Read more »

Medical Insurance 101: Explanation of Benefits, Negotiated Rates, Deductible and Out Of Pocket Maximum

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A few weeks ago I tore the Achilles tendon in my right foot. I was seen at a walk in clinic, had an MRI, had surgery a few days later and have had 2 followup visits since. As you might imagine the medical bills are starting to roll in, and I’ve had a crash review course in how medical insurance works. Here are some of the concepts and terms you’ll hear when dealing with medical insurance. Explanation of Benefits (EOB) You healthcare provider sends information about your visit to your insurance provider. The procedure(s) done are given a code as […] Read more »

Fist Pump Friday: I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 9/27/19

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My son is in his third year in college, and in the last 9 months he’s really shown signs of maturing. First, there was the time he declined to come play softball with me at a 9:15 Monday night game because he was trying to get in the groove of going to bed early so he could get to work early. Then just recently he told me of his new plan to track and limit his weekly spending so he could grow his savings account balance! Fist pump for financially responsible kids, and my favorite posts of the week! Posts […] Read more »

The Grocery List Draft: Resolving Grocery List Differences With Your Significant Other

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Imagine a couple sitting at the kitchen table meal planning for the week and making a grocery list. For the most part they agree. However each has things they’d like to put on the list, but buying everything would bust the grocery budget for the week. Instead of having the discussion turn into an argument, the two turn their grocery shopping list exercise into a sports-style draft. How It Works In a sports draft, each team takes turns picking players to be on their team. With some modifications, this methodology can be used by couples making a grocery list. Make […] Read more »

Fist Pump Friday: I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 9/20/19

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It’s homecoming weekend at my daughter’s high school.  Her cheer team is doing a routine at the pep fest and at the football game, and also has a float in the parade.  Tomorrow she has the homecoming dance. Since she’s a senior, this is her last one and I’ll be soaking it all in. One kid in college, one finishing up her time in high school.  The kids are growing up, which brings on lots of new challenges. I’m sad to see them leave their childhood behind, but excited to see what’s next for them! Fist pump for bright futures, […] Read more »