What Is The Most Inexpensive Way To Break Into Your House?

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We came home from an afternoon out with friends to realize we were locked out of our home. I hadn’t taken my keys with me since our neighbors were driving, and our daughter locked the door on her way out. Normally none of this would be a problem as we’d just open the garage door with the keyless entry pad, but we had unplugged the opener for a party in the garage the night before. We stared at the door for a few moments and wondered, “What is the most inexpensive way to break into your house?” Call A Locksmith […] Read more »

Fist Pump Friday: I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 8/25

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I’ve written about the magical awesomeness of Amazon Prime and the free two day shipping that is a part of the membership.  I found yet another great use for it this week.  A few days after moving into the dorms, my son called and asked what he could boil water in to make some Ramen Noodles.  We had neglected to leave him with any dishes with which to make food.  I instantly hopped onto Amazon and had some microwave safe dishes shipped to him as a surprise.  Less than 48 hours later, he had them in his hands, ready to […] Read more »

Teens Are More Financially Savvy Than We Give Them Credit For

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It is the responsibility of parents to teach financial concepts and responsibility to their children. Sometimes one wonders if lessons are being absorbed and understood. But every now and then, they say or do something that lets you know they are smarter and pay attention more than they are sometimes given credit for. My daughter gave me one such moment over the weekend. We’ve been remodeling my daughter’s room with fresh paint, new furniture and a new closet organizer. The closet organizer has a center piece that is drawers and shelves, and then 4 rods (2 on the top, and […] Read more »

Fist Pump Friday: I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 8/18

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Yesterday my wife and I moved our son into his college dorm room.  Having one less person at home is going to require some adjusting to the budget, as there won’t be as much food being eaten or clothes being washed.  It’s not an adjustment I’m happy about making.  Today is day 1 without having my son around, and I’m already missing him. But we can at least put our fists in the air for my favorite posts of the week. Posts That Make Me Fist Pump 4 Easy Steps to Start A Budget in College from Frugal Rules Do […] Read more »

What Is A Budget Retrospective And 3 Reasons You NEED It

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    Budgeting is essential to successful money  management. You have to know how much money you have coming in, and what you’re going to do with it. Without doing that, you may forget about expenses, overspend, and accumulate debt. The tracking of income, expenses and spending is what most people think of when they hear the word budget. However, there’s another aspect of budgeting that many people don’t do. It can be called many things, but I like to call it a budget retrospective. A budget has a duration, although the length of a budget cycle may vary by […] Read more »

Fist Pump Friday: I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 8/11

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I’m in the middle of redoing my daughter’s room, as nothing has been done to it since she was in elementary school (she’s now 15).    She wanted her room to be more in line with her age, so it’s getting a fresh coat of paint, a new closet organizer and a new desk.  To be honest, I it completely underestimated how much it was going to cost.  It’s taken several months to save up some extra cash and get everything picked out, but we’re finally full steam ahead.  The closet organizer is in, and the paint goes up this weekend. […] Read more »

3 Email Scams To Be Aware Of

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If you have an email account, you’ve received spam. We’ve grown accustomed to hearing from our good friend the Nigerian Prince that wants to give us millions of dollars if we’d just give them some personal information, or wire a few hundred dollars to get the process started. We know it’s a scam, and we know to just hit the delete button. Unfortunately, scammers are getting more sophisticated in their attempts to separate us from our hard earned cash, or to siphon personal information from us in order to steal our identity. Here are a couple of scam emails I’ve […] Read more »

Fist Pump Friday: I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 8/4

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The calendar says August, but with temperatures in the 50’s in the great state of Minnesota this morning, the weather vehemently disagrees.  When I was a kid, I frequently had the common argument many have with their parents.  The house is too cold in winter, and too hot in summer.  “When you pay the bills, you’ll understand,” I was told.  I always said when I had my own home, I would be comfortable whatever the cost.  I’ve lived up to my promise.  My AC hardly ever is turned off in the summer.  However with the cool temperatures this weekend I’m […] Read more »

I Lost $500 for 3 Months OR 3 Reasons To Reconcile Your Checking Account Often

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One thing that a person absolutely has to do to successfully manage their finances is to simply pay attention. It’s common sense, but it’s surprising how many people just don’t. I know people that never reconcile their checking account, occasionally checking their balance claiming they know approximately how much should be in there. I like to reconcile my checking account almost on a daily basis, but every now and then life gets away from me. I got a very hard reminder of the consequences which could result from not keeping an eye on your finances. A few years ago I […] Read more »

Fist Pump Friday: I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 7/28

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My wife and I are reliving our teenage years today by going to see the hard-rock group Tesla in concert.   I thought they were just OK, but they’re one of my wife’s favorite bands of all time.  So, when we heard they were going to be playing in a nearby city we bought tickets and made plans to go.  Time to get out the leather pants and snakeskin boots! Fist pump for loud hard rock, AND my favorite posts of the week! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump How to Create an Automated Budget Using Tiller from Young Adult Money […] Read more »

The Ship To Store Loophole: Save Money AND Get Your Purchase Immediately!

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The rise of online shopping has introduced consumers to a level of convenience never seen before. A person can sit in front of their computer and comparison shop, order the product of their desire at the best possible price, and simply wait for it to show up on their doorstep. But sometimes waiting for the product to arrive, even if it’s only a day, isn’t possible. Sometimes it’s needed immediately. There’s a simple online loophole you can take advantage of that allows consumers to get the best possible price and still get the object the same day. I call it […] Read more »

Fist Pump Friday: I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 7/21

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A BBQ contest was held at my place of employment earlier this week.  Twelve chefs made pulled pork (as per the rules) and 175 people sampled the food and voted for their favorites.  Everyone was given 3 tickets, voters could distribute the tickets however they wished.  The chef with the most votes was…..wait for it….ME!  I won the competition by 1 vote! Fist pump for Award Winning BBQ, AND my favorite posts of the week! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump 4 Favorite Ways People Overspend from MoneyNing Hate Budgeting? Why You Should Do it Anyway from Everything Finance The […] Read more »

What Types Of Student Loans Are Available?

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There’s much to do to get my son ready for college, including the all important question of how to pay for his education. We will be paying for as much as we can out of our pocket while attends college, but there will be some amount of student loans that will need to be taken out. As we’ve navigated the financial aid process, we’ve learned quite a bit about what kind of student loans are available. Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) The first step in the college financial aid process is to fill out the Free Application for […] Read more »

Fist Pump Friday: I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 7/14

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One way you can tell your kids are growing up is when their spending outpaces their allowance.  My 15 year old daughter goes to the occasional movie or visits a convenience store with her friends to buy snacks, but her passion is shopping for new clothes.  No allowance within the realm of reason can fund a teenage girl’s desire for new clothes.  I was pleasantly surprised when my daughter stated she needed a job.  This shows that she understands the concept of having to work to earn the cash needed to buy the things she wants in life.  The problem […] Read more »