Fist Pump Friday: I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 9/25

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Last weekend I ran a half marathon in my hometown of Rochester, MN, finishing in a personal best 1:51:07 – 23 seconds faster than my goal time!  Next weekend I head up to the Twin Cities area (about an hour north) to run three races (5K, 10K, and a half marathon) during Twin Cities Marathon weekend.  Sandwiched in the middle is this weekend…..which I plan on using to sand my deck and spend as little as possible to save up for next weekend.   I’m hoping to again avoid the temptation of buying some not-needed shoe insoles.  LOL. Fist pump […] Read more »

The Grocery Shopping Trick Guaranteed To Stop You From Eating Out

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I like to reserve dining out for special occasions, or for those instances where we absolutely cannot eat at home. Sometimes, holding myself to this standard is difficult. The thought of convenience is powerful. The best weapon against spending unnecessarily by eating out is having great food in stock at home. But having great food at home can cost money in it’s own right, which is why I’m always on the lookout for great sales at the grocery store. I’ve found a great trick that helps me get great food on sale and keep us from going out to eat […] Read more »

Fist Pump Friday: I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 9/18

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Happy Friday, EOD Nation! I’ve been looking forward to this weekend for quite awhile as I am running a half-marathon on Sunday.  I’ve never raced this distance before, so it should be fun.  Then, two weeks from now I run several races in an event called “The Looney Challenge” during Twin Cities Marathon Weekend.  I run a 10K on Saturday (October 3rd) at 7:30, then run a 5K right away again at 9:00am.  After that, I run a 10 mile on Sunday, October 4th. The good news is that the race entry fees are already paid for, and this weekend’s […] Read more »

The Inner Workings of Married People Dates: Coupons, Frugality, and Stealing My Wife’s Roast Beef

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It’s been a busy couple of weeks, and my wife and I haven’t had a lot of time to spend with just each other. We were able to have our first Friday lunch date of the school year last week, but we decided to take advantage of the fact that we had nothing going on this past weekend and have a date night on Friday as well. Our destination was a recently remodeled bowling alley nearby that advertised having bowling lanes, a game room, and laser tag. As I slid into my mini-van seat, I realized I had forgotten something. […] Read more »

I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 9/11

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First Friday of the school year!  Vonnie works mornings as a paraprofessional at an elementary school, and afternoons at the local public defender’s office.  But, she doesn’t work the afternoon job on Fridays, so we have a standing lunch date.  That means today is lunch with my wife day! YEAH! But before I head out to pick up my lunch date, I’ll be stopping by the ATM and withdrawing our weekend entertainment funds.  All Cash, All Weekend! Fist pump for cash, and for my favorite posts of the week! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump How to Choose Your Splurges […] Read more »

4 Lines Of Defense Against Impulsively Buying Neon Green Compression Tights

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I was at Target picking up some last minute school supplies when I shockingly found myself walking through the men’s athletic wear section. Some black and neon green running compression tights caught my eye. I have a blue pair of the same kind and like how they look and fit. My mind envisioned how they would look together with a shirt I already owned of a very similar color. I had talked myself into buying them. Into the cart they went. I’m a conservative dresser, going with mainly darker colors and things that don’t attract a lot of attention. But […] Read more »

Fist Pump Friday: I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 9/4

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One more week, and the next school season will be underway.  While that means that my mornings become very busy with making breakfast and getting kids off to school, I can’t wait for the checkbook bleeding to stop.   Pictures, yearbooks, school supplies, clothes, you name it,  I’ve paid for it.   I can’t wait to get back on a firm schedule, both in day to day living and with our spending. Fist pump for schedules, and my favorite posts of the week! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump Are Your Finances Out of Control? from Club Thrifty Why Failure Totally Rocks! […] Read more »

We’re NOT Going Out For Breakfast……Because I Can Cook!

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“What would you like for breakfast?” I asked my wife. Weekdays are full of the hustle and bustle of getting ready for work and/or getting kids off to school, so on weekends I like to put my cooking skills to use and make my family a big breakfast. “Can we go out for breakfast?” was her reply. We were out of hash browns, plus she couldn’t decide exactly what she was in the mood for. She was thinking that if we went somewhere with a breakfast buffet she could have a little of everything. Eating out is something I would […] Read more »

Fist Pump Friday: I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 8/28

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  A few weeks ago I posted a review of the Kaiku prepaid debit card.  Yesterday I read an article from my friend Crystal over at Budgeting in the Fun Stuff (who has also reviewed Kaiku) about a situation in which a reader had an issue with their Kaiku and reached out to Crystal for assistance.  Customer service is a big deal to Kaiku, and the issue was quickly resolved.  Two things to make note of here: Kaiku customer service ROCKS.  As with any company, sometimes issues arise.  The key is how these issues are dealt with, and Kaiku gets […] Read more »

School Time Is Here – Time To Redo Your Budget!

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According to the dry erase calendar on my refrigerator both my son and daughter have school schedule pickup this week. A new school year is about to start, which means homework in the evenings, earlier bedtimes, bus stop pickups and time for a budget rework. Switching over to the school year schedule also requires a shift to a different budget because there expenses that only occur during the school year. There are also some changes in our purchasing habits that need to change with the shifting schedule, as well as some one time expenses that we need to plan for. […] Read more »

Fist Pump Friday – I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 8/21

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Yesterday the Pizel family headed to Valleyfair, an amusement park about 90 minutes away in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area.  It was our last summertime “hurrah” for family activities.   We arrived 30 minutes after the park opened, and stayed almost until it closed.  I haven’t gone on that many rides in one day in, well….ever.   So. Much. Fun.  How did you say goodbye to summer?   Fist pump for amusement parks, and keep ’em going for my favorite posts of the week! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump Debt Payoff Isn’t Just About Discipline from Fruclassity 3 Tactics to Speed […] Read more »

Say NO To Your Fears

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A friend mentioned over the weekend that she wanted to do more adventurous things with her husband. She didn’t want to wake up 20 years from now, and look back at all the things they talked about doing but never did. Our conversation made me think of a recent experience of my own. I crossed the finish line of Grandma’s Marathon in just over 4 hours and 23 minutes. After a volunteer put my finisher’s metal around my neck I took a few more steps, and my lower body completely cramped up. I could barely move my legs, any step […] Read more »

Fist Pump Friday – I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 8/14

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My wife and I had a great time at a concert last night.  There’s a club in our mid-sized city that works really hard at bringing nationally known hard rock acts to town.  Nothing gets my heart pumping like some great hard rock in a club setting.  So. Much. Fun. The only downside is that it wiped most of our entertainment spending for the weekend.  But have no fear, it’s all been planned for and budgeted!  We have enough left for me to fire up the smoker to make some ribs on Saturday to have some friends over for Minnesota […] Read more »

What Does Your Refrigerator Tell You About Your Finances?

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I view life as being made up of many strands, all interconnected and affecting each other. Each strand represent some aspect of a person’s personality or a stream of experiences. They are separate, but intertwined, each affecting the other. I looked in my fridge over the weekend, and noticed how cluttered it was. I was reminded of how I had been feeling about our finances lately. Let me show you what I mean: Pizza : I found a container of leftovers from our favorite local pizza place. We got back to town late Saturday evening after being at a lake […] Read more »