Are Your Childhood Possessions Hidden Treasures?

Written by on · 8 Comments

My parents were in town for a visit recently and stayed overnight at my home. My dad and I watched a television show in which people brought objects they found at home, at a second hand store, or at a garage sale to find out if they were valuable or not. Experts would inspect the objects and estimate their value. Sometimes the objects were common and not worth much, but others were hidden gems worth a tidy sum of money. The show brought back a flood of childhood memories of various things that either I collected, or owned. My parents […] Read more »

Pack A Satisfying Protein Punch With Affordable STOUFFER’S® Fit Kitchen Meals

Written by on · 2 Comments

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #PowerfulProtein #CollectiveBias As a 5 time marathon runner, getting a great workout in is a necessity each day. I’m also a busy dad and husband that plays the roles of taxi driver, homework helper, chef, laundry doer and groundskeeper.  I pay close attention to the fuel I put into my body which takes time and effort.  But sometimes a guy as busy as I needs a “go to” meal that is fast, affordable and packs the protein I need to keep me fueled […] Read more »

Don’t Spend Money On Things You Didn’t Know You Needed

Written by on · 26 Comments

Every Marathon I’ve run has had a fitness expo which accompanies race packet pickup. It’s an opportunity for runners to find some last minute necessities for their run, as well as browse the latest and greatest in running and fitness gear. I was in Duluth, Minnesota over the weekend to run Grandma’s Marathon, and walked through one of these fitness expos. As I walked past one of the booths, a man stepped in front of me telling me he had a special treat for my feet. Intrigued, I allowed him to guide me to sit down in a chair and […] Read more »

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

Written by on · 8 Comments

Greetings from Duluth, Minnesota!  I’m here doing some site seeing with my wife, and to run Grandma’s Marathon on Saturday.  I was a bit concerned about the weather, as for most of the week the forecast was calling for a 90% chance of rain.  However, as the day gets closer, it sounds like it may rain overnight, but as the race start time approachesthe chance for rain decreases.  Send dry thoughts my way on Saturday – I can’t wait to recap how this marathon (my 5th!) goes! Fist pump for marathon running……and for these awesome posts! Posts That Make Me […] Read more »

Want To Achieve A Big Goal? Better Know Your “Why!”

Written by on · 22 Comments

The street corner marked the end of my eight mile run, and upon reaching it I peeled off my tank top. It was soaking wet from being in the rain for just over an hour, and I rang it out as I walked the final block to my drive way. I opened my front door to see my wife looking at me with eyes wide open and a smile on her face. “I look out the window and see this beast walking up the driveway without a shirt on!” She went on to explain that it wasn’t just the fact […] Read more »

Fist Pump Friday: I Love You Like a Blogger Roundup – 6/12

Written by on · 4 Comments

Ladies and gentlemen, citizens of the EOD nation, we have arrived at another weekend.  This weekend will be one of rest and relaxation for me.  Next weekend I run my 5th marathon, so  I’ll need all the rest I can get.  Vonnie and I will be spending three days in Duluth, MN so we need to give our bank account some rest and relaxation this weekend as well.   That’s the advantage to thinking ahead and planning your spending weeks in advance:  You have the time to cut back on spending so you have enough funds to have a kick ass […] Read more »

Review: Saving Money Is a Cinch With Cinch

Written by on · 2 Comments

There are infinite techniques people use to save money. Similarly, there seem to be countless online tools to help people make it happen. Developers of such tools need to come up with a way to differentiate themselves from the rest, and a new service called Cinch may have come up with just the way to do that. Cinch’s goal is to help users save money on common household expenses such as your home insurance, car insurance and mortgage payment by making sure you have exactly the coverage or product you need. But beyond that they also want to help you […] Read more »

A Lawn Mower is NOT A Status Symbol

Written by on · 32 Comments

I was almost done mowing my lawn when I felt something pop loose, after which the handle of the mower was no longer attached to the frame on the left side. I shut off the mower and looked around on the ground, finding the metal peg that held the two pieces together. The peg on the opposite side was immovable, but the one that fell out had worn down enough such that it no longer fit snugly in the hole. Using a screw driver with a very long shaft, I hobbled along well enough to finish the lawn. I knew […] Read more »

Fist Pump Friday – I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 6/05

Written by on · 6 Comments

After spending three full days in front of my smoker a few weeks ago making pulled pork and brisket for our annual Memorial Weekend party, I’m once again working from home today smoking pork shoulder.   I love spending the day using my smoker, and I love the fact that my job allows the flexibility to work from home to do it. Add to that the below posts, and we need three HARD fist pumps!  Have a great weekend! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump Just Do You from Budgets Are Sexy Reaching Financial Freedom: Go With Your Gut from Fruclassity […] Read more »

Budget Reset: Falling Off The Financial Wagon, and Climbing Back On

Written by on · 22 Comments

My wife reminded me that we needed to sit down and talk finances. She was right, as she always is. I knew it was going to be a long conversation, as it was the first one that we’d had since our annual Memorial Weekend party. We both knew this was going to be an in depth, serious conversation. We both knew that as we prepared for the party we essentially ceased to execute every single technique that had resulted in us successfully handling our finances over the last few years. It turned into a full fledged, throw the budget to […] Read more »

I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 5/29

Written by on · 8 Comments

Party weekend was a complete success, a great time was had by all.  I even had some blogger friends from the Twin Cities area make the trip to help celebrate the beginning of summer with us!    I’ve limped my way through the week, as I’m completely exhausted.  I think I need a vacation for my vacation. Now that it’s over, it’s time to get down to business; financially that is.  We did end up spending a little more than we had originally intended, and we’ll have to tighten the screws a little it to make up for it.  It’s time […] Read more »

What Charcoal and Beer Teaches Us About Making Choices

Written by on · 10 Comments

The end of May is in sight, the temps are getting warmer, and Summer is on everyone’s mind. There are great sales popping up everywhere for outdoor home improvement projects, and garden centers are opening up with huge selection of plants, yard care products and grills. Speaking of grills, this time of year I keep my eyes for sales on charcoal. Between my smoker and my grill, I use a lot of charcoal. If I see a great sale, I load up the van and pile it up in a corner of my garage to be used throughout the summer. […] Read more »

I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 5/22

Written by on · 4 Comments

The weekend with our big annual party is here!   I’ve been on vacation from my day job, but it hasn’t felt like vacation.  I’ve been cleaning, smoking meat, and decorating all day every day.   It’s been important to me to make the time to get my marathon training in too, however.  I’ve also found a little time to do some blog reading. So enjoy your holiday weekend, and my favorite posts of the week!   Posts That Make Me Fist Pump Showing yourself Financial Forgiveness from Frugal Rules How to build a Life you don’t have to Retire […] Read more »

Choose Role Models To Drive Internal Change

Written by on · 8 Comments

Over the weekend, my cousin’s husband ran the Green Bay Marathon. His official time was 3 hours, 7 minutes and 18 seconds, with an average pace of 7:09 per mile. His time was good enough to qualify him for the Boston Marathon. I’m in complete awe at his accomplishment, as it’s something that I hope to do some day as well. It wasn’t hard to be just a little jealous. I was thinking about my inklings of jealousy as I was driving around running errands yesterday afternoon, and then relating it to my post last week about the Joneses. Were […] Read more »