Teens And Money: Developing Good Financial Decision Making Skills

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Sometimes we don’t realize just how much of adult interaction kids soak in. I’ve written in the past how sometimes teens can surprise us with great financial decisions, and I had another such situation occur over the weekend I just had to share with you. My daughter and some friends planned to travel an hour and a half to an amusement park to celebrate a birthday. They were first meeting at the mall to have lunch and then hitting the road from there. Just as I got to the gym for a workout, I received a text from my daughter. […] Read more »

Fist Pump Friday: I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 10/13

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Happy Friday, EOD Nation!  I received some unexpected news this week….I got a raise!  Whoohoo!  It’s not a life-changing, huge raise, but anything greater than zero helps, right? On a separate, but equally as exciting note, you’ll see that this week’s motivational links features a double shot from my friend John over at Frugal Rules.  Good stuff going on over there, be sure to check it out! Fist pump for raises, AND a double shot of money motivation! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump Should You Buy Using 0% Financing? from Eyes on The Dollar 13 Motivational Money Quotes to […] Read more »

Traditional Second Mortgage vs Home Equity Line Of Credit

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As a homeowner, you have the ability to use the equity in your home as a financial tool. Whether it be starting a business, home improvements, or debt consolidation, home equity can be used to help achieve life goals. Two ways to use that equity are a traditional second mortgage and a home equity line of credit. If you’re new to these terms, you are likely wondering what is the difference between a traditional second mortgage and a home equity line of credit? Commonalities Between a Second Mortgage and Home Equity Line of Credit Applying for a second mortgage and […] Read more »

Fist Pump Friday: I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 10/6

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Happy Friday, EOD Nation!  Yesterday I did my peak run for the marathon I’m training for – 18 miles!  In a few weeks we’ll be traveling to the city hosting the marathon.  A hotel room, dining out, and some fun activities will require some funds, but it’s all accounted for in the budget.  It’s the kind of weekend full of experiences and memory making potential that makes me not mind spending the cash – it’s why I got to work each day.  What fun experiences do you not mind spending your hard earned cash for? Fist pump for marathon weekend, […] Read more »

Teaching Your Teen How To Eat At A Restaurant

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My daughter’s high school recently held their annual homecoming celebration. All the usual activities were included such as the football game followed by fireworks, and the homecoming dance the following evening. One activity not on the official list, but I added to my daughter’s agenda was a life lesson in finances. \My daughter and her friends spent the afternoon putting on makeup and doing their hair, and planned to go out to eat before going to the dance. She and her friends sat in a corner booth, while my wife and I took a table across the restaurant. We were […] Read more »

Fist Pump Friday: I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 9/29

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As mentioned in last week’s fist pump, we worked on decorating a float for my daughter’s cheer team for their homecoming parade.  It turned out to be a significant expense and effort, but it was worth it to support her.  The float includes a 7 food 3D megaphone built out of cardboard, foam, and poster paper painted glittery silver.  It’s pretty cool. Speaking of cool, let’s pump those fists for this week’s weekend motivation! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump Why Writing Checks Is Inevitable by Money Beagle Why You Should Spend Like You’re Broke from Young Adult Money 8 […] Read more »

Dollar Store Shopping: Save Money On Decorating Supplies

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Shopping at a dollar store is very controversial. Laugh all you want, but bring it up the next time you’re having a conversation with a group of friends. Some think dollar stores are the best thing since sliced bread, others think they’re full of generic, expired, low quality junk. While looking for supplies to build a homecoming float for my daughter’s cheer team, I stopped in a dollar store and found a couple of items that were well worth walking in the front door. Poster board At the dollar store I visited, I got a large sheet of poster board […] Read more »

Fist Pump Friday: I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 9/22

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Next week is homecoming at my daughter’s high school, and her cheer team is involved in decorating a float for the homecoming parade.  The team needs some parent donations for the decorations, and my wife and I are all in supporting the team.  Since I’ve never decorated a homecoming float before, I have no idea what we’re getting ourselves into……I guess we’re going to find out! Now, time for your Friday money motivation! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump Do You Believe These Money Myths? from Money Beagle How to Tell When a Side Hustle Isn’t Worth It from Thousandaire […] Read more »

3 Things You Can Do With $1000 Instead of Buying a new iPhone

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Apple announced the newest generation of their iPhone last week. The iPhone 8, 8 Plus and X (named for the 10th anniversary of the launch of the original iPhone) come with varying price tags, some reaching the $1000 mark. Working in the technology industry, I know that there are times when businesses are eagerly waiting for a new generation of system to hit the market because they are performance starved or need a specific new capability. I’ve never, ever heard of someone whose iPhone is critical for their daily life, and they are barely making it because they desperately need […] Read more »

Fist Pump Friday: I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 9/15

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Today’s more than just Friday, it’s also payday – whoop whoop!  The best part is the plans for the weekend don’t require much funding.  We have a birthday party for a friend this evening, and football watching with some other friends on Sunday.  I plan to bank the vast majority of this week’s discretionary funds for a weekend in October where we’ll be traveling for a marathon I’m running.  I want to ensure we have plenty of funds to make it a special weekend.  Oh, and I might need a massage afterwards. Now raise those fists for my favorite posts […] Read more »

Save Money Socializing With A Fire

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The common anti-debt stance on spending money is if you’re in debt, you shouldn’t be spending money on frivolous things. How dare you have cable if you still owe on your car? It’s a fairly hard stance many personal finance gurus take, that’s not necessarily all that realistic. For example, cutting out all socializing and discretionary fun when you’re in debt may help you pay down the debt faster, but may not exactly lead to a high quality existence. I like to take a more middle ground approach. Make consistent and steady progress towards your financial goals, and have a […] Read more »

Fist Pump Friday: I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 9/8

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The fact that the first regular season NFL game occurred last night was a blunt reminder that fall is on our doorstep.  Financially, one of the things I need to budget for is the shutting down of my lawn sprinkler system.  For over 10 years I did it myself, borrowing a large air compressor from a friend and spending most of the day letting the compressor build up pressure followed by a few minutes of blowing out a sprinkler zone.  A few years ago I decided that 8-10 hours of my time was worth spending the $90 to have someone […] Read more »

5 Things You Need To Know About Private Student Loans

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One of the largest tasks to tackle when sending a child to college is figuring out how you’re going to pay for it. First, you fill out your FAFSA to determine potential financial aid from the government, then you fill out grant and scholarship applications until your fingers are sore, while at the same time going over and over your budget figuring out how much you can contribute out of pocket. When the dust settles, you may end up having to apply for private student loans. This is unfamiliar territory for many people who might wonder how private student loans […] Read more »

Fist Pump Friday: I Love You Like A Blogger – 9/1

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At the end of last school year, my daughter tried out for  and made the cheerleading team.  The team has been practicing all summer, and tonight is the first football game and thus the first time we’ll get to see the fruits of her hard work.  My wife and I are really looking forward to it. Fist pump for cheerleading, and my favorite posts of the week! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump College Transition: Saving Money from Debt Discipline 5 Reasons Budgeting is Hard for Millennials from Eyes On The Dollar 7 Things I Did to Stop Stressing About […] Read more »