I Love Change, You Should Too

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I noticed the “need a penny take a penny, have a penny leave a penny” dish next to the cash register at the convenience store while paying for gas. My bill was $43.01, so I was tempted to take a penny so I wouldn’t be given back 99 cents in change. But at the last second, I handed the cashier two twenties and a five, getting back a one dollar bill and enough change to weigh down my pocket for the next several hours. Why would I do that? Why Everyone Should Save Change Having a pocket of change at […] Read more »

Fist Pump Friday: I Love You Like a Blogger Roundup – 6/28

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After a relatively cool start to the summer, this weekend looks to be a scorcher here in Minnesota. My wife and I will be celebrating our 23rd wedding anniversary, and we’ll be hanging out with friends on a boat doing some tubing and waterskiing.  I love summer! Fist pump for summer, anniversaries and my favorite posts of the week! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump 4 Ways to Make Sure Your Bills Get Paid On Time from Beating Broke Step Up Your Grilling Game With These BBQ Blogs from Clever Dude Your Emergency Fund: Why You Need One And How […] Read more »

5 Ways To Save When You’re Forced To Dine Out

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My wife and I were out of town for the weekend as I was running a half-marathon in northern Minnesota. The focus of the weekend was the race and the activities surrounding it. We obviously had to eat, but didn’t want to spend a lot on food. Before leaving town we came up with the following plan to keep our food cost down, but still have meals we both would enjoy and enhance the experience of the weekend. Breakfast At Hotel Our hotel offered a free breakfast buffet each morning including eggs, sausage, toast, waffles, fruit and a variety of […] Read more »

Fist Pump Friday: I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 6/21

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I’m excited to run a half marathon this weekend. As race day approaches, I’ve been peppered with the customary questions  from people wondering why I put myself through such an ordeal. My answer is really two parts.  First, I like running.  I like the feeling of accomplishment, the fact that it takes both physical and mental strength to finish. Second, as one of my favorite motivational speakers like to say, we should all do difficult things. Doing difficult things gives you the mental perspective that you can do anything you put your mind to.  Running a long race once or […] Read more »

Hardware Store Help Saved Me Cash On DIY Home Repairs

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Walking to an afternoon meeting, I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket from a text message notification. My wife sent me a picture of a wet laundry room ceiling with a caption that read “We have a leak, should I call a plumber?” By the time I got home 90 minutes later, my wife was on the phone getting estimates. I told her to hold off having anyone come until I investigated. She bit her lip, her face displaying obvious doubt in my plumbing abilities. My daughter was taking a bath in the whirlpool tub in our master bath […] Read more »

Fist Pump Friday: I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 6/14/19

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I was reminded this week how valuable good insurance is.  My daughter had her wisdom teeth taken out, total bill coming to about $2500.  After my insurance was applied, my bill was $513, which I paid for with pre-tax funds from my HSA.  Since the HSA funds were deducted from my paychecks, I can’t say the procedure required zero out of pocket funds.  But I can say not one penny was taken out of checking or savings, and there was zero impact to my monthly budget. Fist pump for good insurance, HSA funds, and my favorite posts of the week! […] Read more »

Saving Money With DIY Deck Repair

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My wife informed me she asked a professional to examine our deck and provide an estimate to replace a rotten board. I’m re-staining it this summer, and wanted to have the board replaced beforehand. Taking a mental inventory of my tools, I confidentially stated I could replace it myself. Even though my wife’s facial expression expressed doubt, I laid out my plans to replace the board instead of paying someone to do it for me. Tools Needed First, I took inventory of the needed tools: Drill: I have an electric drill powerful enough to remove and insert decking screws (many […] Read more »

Fist Pump Friday: I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 6/7

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We’re rolling up on another weekend, EOD Nation!  My neighbors have twin girls graduating from high school this year, and their graduation party is tomorrow.  They’re doing brunch for food, and asked if I would make omelets for their guests using a propane fueled flattop in their garage.  Cooking omelets on a flattop outside?  That’s an emphatic “YES” for me.  Can’t wait! Fist pump for omelets and my favorite posts of the week! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump Tipping On Carryout Orders – Yay Or Nay? from Money Beagle How to Sell Your Old Mobile Devices for Cash from […] Read more »

Save On Medical Bills With This Simple Trick

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The person on the other end of the phone was a representative from my medical care provider asking about my outstanding balance. She stated they were willing to reduce my bill by 20% if I could pay in full over the phone. My outstanding bill was leftover from an ER visit last year, and we were on a 10 month payment plan so that I could use my monthly pre-tax HSA contributions instead of using after-tax out of pocket funds. Given we were half way though our payment plan, and had made our payments on time each month, I was […] Read more »

Fist Pump Friday: I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 5/31

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Today, another school year comes to a close, and with it several pieces of exciting news. First, since my wife works for the school district, she doesn’t have to go to work for three months, but she still gets paid. The school district prorates her pay for 9 months of work across all 12 months.  The fact that she doesn’t have to get up and go to work doesn’t change our budget one bit. Second, my son started a new job this week!  He got a job doing IT work for a partnership between his university and a local technology […] Read more »

How To Use Every Penny On A Prepaid Credit Card

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I bought new tires during a Black Friday sale. I got a great price on the tires, plus a rebate in the form of two $61 prepaid visa credit cards. They’ve been sitting on my desk for months unused, waiting for just the right opportunity. It’s hard to spend an exact amount. I’ve had prepaid credit cards before, and typically I get it down to a few dollars, buy some gum I really don’t need and then throw it away when I get the balance as close to zero and then throw it away. Three Ways To Use All Of […] Read more »

Fist Pump Friday: I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup- 5/24/19

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Party weekend is here! It’s our 23rd annual Memorial Weekend party. We’ve stayed mostly on budget, with one unplanned expenditure – we bought a 10×20 tent for some extra shade. The good thing is it’s an item we can use over and over. Party prep is kicking into high gear, and the weather looks fantastic this weekend! Fist pump for staying on budget (mostly), good food, friends and family…..oh and my favorite posts of the week! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump Common Misconceptions about Student Loans from Young Adult Money Fixed-Rate Versus Variable-Rate Loans from Well Kept Wallet Consider […] Read more »

Four Reasons Brick And Mortar Stores Are Killing Themselves

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“You’re probably one of those people that complain about stores going out of business,” a friend said to me during a discussion about something I had ordered online. I do enjoy shopping online but I’m certainly not opposed to shopping at a brick and mortar store. In fact, many times I prefer it. Unfortunately, the fact is brick and mortar stores are killing themselves. I ran into four different scenarios just over the weekend that prove it. Item Online Only I need something to hold down the tents I’m using for an outdoor party. A well known big box home […] Read more »

Fist Pump Friday: I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 5/17/19

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My wife and I are again throwing our annual Memorial Weekend Summer Kick Off Party next weekend.  Therefore, this weekend is cleaning weekend, including some carpet cleaning and window washing. I’ll busting out a bucket of water and my carpet cleaner.  I could hire someone to do these tasks, but why would I do that when I can do them myself? Fist pump for DIY cleaning, AND my favorite posts of the week!   Post That Make Me Fist Pump Prevent Costs By Replacing Items Before They Fail from Money Beagle Things that make your life better for under $50 […] Read more »