What is Gap Insurance and Do I Need It?

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The insurance adjuster on the phone told me the car was a total loss. My daughter had been in a car accident a few days earlier, struck on the driver’s side of the vehicle after which all the airbags deployed. She was physically OK, however her car was not. I had expected the adjuster to tell me an estimate to repair the car, and a time frame in which the body shop could complete the work. Instead, he was rattling off numbers that represented the market value of the car and how much they would be paying out to bank […] Read more »

Fist Pump Friday: I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 2/14/2020

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Happy Valentine’s Day EOD Nation!  My wife told me a few days ago to not buy her flowers.  They look nice, but then she just puts them on a shelf and a week later I throw them away. Instead we’re braving the crowds and going out to eat.  The good news is we’re using a gift card we purchased from Costco a few weeks ago.  We’ll save $20 on our dinner AND we won’t have to pay anything out of pocket today.  As far as this weekend’s spending plan goes, Valentine’s day cost me the $4 for the card and […] Read more »

My Son Did His Own Taxes For The First Time!

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My son was home from college for the weekend and expressed interest in getting his tax return done. He’s received a significant refund in the past, and wanted to get this year’s version into his bank account. I involved him in the process before, but this year he was going to be all in. First, I instructed him to gather information he would need throughout the process: Collect Needed Documents For my son, this only meant his W-2 forms. Since he switched jobs in May, he had two of them. Both were sent to our home address so I had […] Read more »

Fist Pump Friday: I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 2/7/2020

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Happy Friday, EOD Nation! I’ve got some fun stuff planned for this weekend.  Dinner with friends on Friday night at a restaurant and on Saturday night another friend is smoking a brisket and asking people to bring sides for a night of food and fun. Sunday I plan to be snowed in my house watching the opening weekend of XFL football.  Sounds like a lot of fun AND easy on the wallet.  What do you have rolling this weekend? Fist pump for a busy and fun weekend, AND my favorite posts of the week! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump […] Read more »

Your Credit Score Might be About to Change

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Your credit score can have a dramatic impact on your life. It determines your ability to secure financing for things like automobiles and homes, as well whether you qualify for credit cards and other lines of credit. If you monitor your credit score, you may want to pay extra attention in the next few months as Fair Isaac Corporation rolls out some tweaks to the FICO score calculation with FICO 10. What’s Changing? The new model will look at consumers’ account history over the previous 24 months which is longer than had been done previously. Who’s Affected? Those with high […] Read more »

Fist Pump Friday: I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 1/31/2020

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Happy Super Bowl weekend, EOD Nation! I’m excited for the game, I think it’s going to be a good one.  The last few years, in my opinion, the commercials haven’t been very good. But, I’ve seen some sneak previews and I’m hopeful there will be some good ones this year.  I’m not much of a go to a bar and watch the game sort of person, so we’re hoping to get together with friends to enjoy the event. Fist pump for Super Bowl weekend, AND my favorite posts of the week! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump More Reasons to […] Read more »

How Do Interest Free Promotional Offers Really Work?

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Our washing machine’s drum bearing was going out, and our appliance repairman notified us they were authorizing replacement through our appliance protection plan. The new washer my wife and I picked out was completely covered by the plan, but we were also contemplating buying the matching dryer. As we talked about it, the sales person described a 6 month no interest finance option. Many retailers offer similar offers, and it’s important to keep in mind exactly how they work. Line of Credit They may not say it, but you have to qualify for the offer. You’re actually applying for a […] Read more »

Fist Pump Friday: I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 1/14/2020

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Fate hit me hard this week.  I knew it was coming, and I even wrote about it in my post earlier this week.  We had someone come and look at our extremely loud washing machine and my fears proved correct.  The drum bearing was going bad, and the service person deemed it was not worth the cost of parts and labor to fix on our 15 year old washing machine.  We were instructed to go to a local appliance store where we were given a dollar amount towards a new washer. We picked one out, and as I had predicted […] Read more »

4 Reasons I’ll Need An Emergency Fund This Year

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I vowed to beef up my emergency fund this year. This isn’t just a blind goal, there’s a reason behind this goal. There are actually several reasons it’s imperative I achieve this goal. Without a pumped up emergency fund, I may be facing a very difficult financial situation. Here are 4 reasons I absolutely must have a fat emergency fund in 2020: Water Softener Every now and then the salt tank fills too far and water drains out the overflow valve. That’s not supposed to happen. While it hasn’t happened in awhile, I’m just waiting for it to break down. […] Read more »

Fist Pump Friday: I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 1/17/2020

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We’re bracing for a winter storm to hit Minnesota today.  School was cancelled last night, and everyone (including myself) went to the grocery store to stock up on supplies. Which is kind of silly because the storm will last a grand total of 24-36 hours.  I’m pretty sure we had enough food to survive one day without leaving the house.  But, NFL playoffs are on tomorrow, and then Sunday it may still be windy and raw.  So, I don’t have to go outside at all this weekend if I don’t want to. Fist pump for being snowed in, and my […] Read more »

5 Reasons I’ll Never Use Grocery Pickup Services

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People are loving grocery pickup services. Many major grocery retailers offer it, each giving it their own name, but the concept is the same. Customers pick the grocery products they want online and with a click of a button someone at the store rolls out a cart and collects the items for you. You can pick it up usually for free, or for a small price have it delivered to your house. People adore it. I have friends that say they will never go back to doing the grocery shopping themselves. I just shake my head. I’ll never, ever have […] Read more »

Fist Pump Friday: I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 1/10/2020

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Happy Friday, EOD Nation! We’ve concluded all our holiday gatherings and have abolutely nowhere we need to go. Which is good, because it’s a wintery weekend in the Midwest, with the potential of some icy, snowy weather.  Feels like a great weekend to stay indoors, make some chili and watch the Minnesota Vikings in the NFL playoffs.  Relaxing, low key and inexpensive.  Sounds great to me! Fist pump for doing nothing, relaxing and my favorite posts of the week! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump 4 Ways to Find Extra Money to Put on Debt from Beating Broke 12 Ideas […] Read more »

The Holidays Are Finally Over

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I’m happy, ecstatic, over the moon excited the holidays are finally over.  I’m also exhausted. The time between Christmas and the second week in January is traditionally a financial challenge. My wife works for the school district, so she’s off of work. I typically have vacation I have to use so I’m also off work. We’re both on vacation for about two weeks, which creates an environment ripe for overspending. Reasons For Holiday Season Overspending Some of the things that make this time of year a financial challenge are: Holiday Gifts: The whole holiday season is a series of family […] Read more »

Fist Pump Friday: I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 1/3/2020

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Happy New Year, EOD Nation! I’ve been on vacation for two weeks now, and while it’s been nice, I’m looking forward to getting back to a normal day to day routine next week.  It will help my mindset, my productivity, and my finances. It’s easy to spend more money when on vacation and thus harder to stick to your usual budget. Get your fists up for getting back to normal routines, and my favorite posts of the week! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump 52 Week Savings Challenge List – The Best Ideas from Four Hats And Frugal How To […] Read more »