The Inappropriate Tip Jar

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The tipping culture in the United States has gone a little off the rails in recent years, in my opinion. Tip jars appear almost everywhere these days. While I’m not opposed to giving a tip for good service, and even though I don’t agree with it I recognize that some workers rely on tips for their income. However, increasingly I see inappropriate use of the tip jar. I encountered two such tip jar misuses recently. Wine Tour Tip Jars My wife and I went on a wine tour in which we rode a trolley to four different wineries in our […] Read more »

Fist Pump Friday: I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 7/27

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My wife and I are showing our age today as we have tickets to a concert of the 80’s hair bands Cheap Trick, Journey, and Def Leppard. My wife LOVES Journey and is excited to see them. Of course, we’ll have to remember that standard “captive audience” concert prices will apply to anything we buy at the concert such as $12 adult beverages, $20 event parking, and hot dogs priced more like steak dinner. To get the most value for our money we’ll be parking for free a few miles away and paying $3 each to take the light rail […] Read more »

You DESERVE To Be A Satisfied Customer

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Businesses are run by people, which means occasionally mistakes will be made. That being said, customers have basic expectations when spending their hard earned money. When those expectations are not met, businesses have an obligation to do something to make it up to their customers. I recently had two such experiences, which the businesses handled perfectly. Olive Garden Put Me On Hold, Forever I dialed Olive Garden’s number to place my to go order as I pulled out of the driveway. I expected to be told it would be ready in 15 minutes, which coincidentally the amount of time it […] Read more »

How to Reduce Your Outgoings without Affecting Your Lifestyle

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I get it. You want to save money, but you don’t want to have to live off baked beans for the next few months while cowering away from the world with your curtains closed. You need to reduce your outgoings to pay off debts or start saving, but you can’t handle the thought of sacrificing your one night a week of eating out and getting merry. Most guides to reducing outgoings are based on budgeting and cutting back on spending habits. That’s solid advice, and you should do that, but these tricks and tips are all about reducing spending while […] Read more »

Fist Pump Friday: I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 7/20

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This weekend is a gift card weekend for my family.  We’ve acquired several gift cards and we’ll be using them all to keep overall out of pocket spending down.  Here’s what we have: Olive Garden ($25) : I got this gift card to help smooth over a situation which left me waiting for my to go order for over 30 minutes. I’ll use this to buy alfredo sauce and breadsticks and make the pasta at home. Local Burger Place ($10) : I got this gift card to help smooth over a situation where a local burger restaurant forgot part of […] Read more »

Big Changes and Uncertainty Ahead

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Major life changes are occurring that may have  significant financial impacts for my family. Both my wife and I have had to make some very difficult employment decisions only time will tell if we’ve made the right choices. Me: Pulling Back On Blogging At my blogging peak I contributed to five different sites, but over the past few years I have slowly decreased that down to two. Recently, I resigned from a site that consumed a very large amount of my time. I decided I would rather spend the time with my family, doing projects around the house, or putting […] Read more »

Secured and Unsecured Loans: Knowing the Differences

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  A loan is the amount of money that an individual borrows from a financial institution or a bank for a specified period. A loan is always repaid along with interest. Currently, loans are the best means of getting finance for purposes such as purchasing a car, construction of a house, education or any other venture requirement. Loans fall under two categories namely: secured and unsecured. When a loan is secure, the borrower must pledge some assets to act as security against the loan. On the contrary, unsecured forms of borrowing, such as personal installment loans, do not have any […] Read more »

Fist Pump Friday: I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 7/13

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Picture sitting outside on a warm summer evening on a deck looking out over a vineyard sampling wines while eating a wood fired pizza. To me, that sounds like a fabulous Friday night with friends.  But how much would such an adventure cost?  Turns out, not that much: Wine tasting (10-12 wine samples) : $9 x 2 people (my wife and I)  = $18 Wood fired pizza: $14 Total price of hanging out with friends enjoying wine, pizza, and the outdoors is a measly $32. This winery sits just a few miles outside our city and has been there for […] Read more »

How Good Is The Lifetime Warranty on Zagg’s InvisibleShield Cell Phone Screen Protector?

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  The screen protector on my daughter’s cell phone was cracked, peeling off and in need of replacement. With some cell phone prices skyrocketing near $1000, it’s no surprise people want to protect their mobile devices, and a $40 screen protector can prevent a screen replacement costing hundreds of dollars. My daughter’s screen protector is an InvisibleShield from Zagg with a lifetime warranty, but to my dismay I discovered I had never registered the product. I’d gladly shell out the cash for a new protector if necessary, but would Zagg honor the lifetime warranty even though I’d never registered the […] Read more »

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

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Today is my wife’s birthday! I’m looking forward to spending some time and celebrating with her.  What do you have on tap this weekend? Fist pump for birthdays and my favorite posts of the week! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump How Successful People Achieve Their Goals from One Cent At A Time Money-Spending Decisions: How to Know When to Splurge from MoneyNing 10 Habits to Reach Financial Freedom in a Hurry! from Life and My Finances 8 Free and Cheap Things to Do with Kids This Summer from Beating Broke   Read more »

How Smart Contracts Can Reduce Your Liability

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If you own a business, you’ve probably heard the term “smart contract” at least once. Smart contracts on the rise in the business world. In fact, some even called 2017 the year of smart contracts. A carefully crafted contract can relieve you of a great deal of liability if things go awry in your company. But you have to make sure you include certain elements within them. So, what exactly is a smart contract and how do they reduce your liability? A Smart Contract, What Is It Good for? You already know retail fraud is a growing problem in commerce. […] Read more »

6 Things You Can Do If Your Doctor Prescribes Medication You Cannot Afford

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Imagine stopping by a pharmacy to pick up a prescription you absolutely have to have, but the cost is more than you have in your checking account.  Do you sacrifice your health because you cannot afford your medication? What would you do? Below are six actions you can take to reduce cost when your doctor prescribes medication you cannot afford. Ask For Samples Drug companies give doctors product samples to be distributed for free. Asking your doctor for samples is not a permanent solution, but could help until a long term solution is found. Be Proactive Tell your doctor if […] Read more »

Fist Pump Friday: I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 6/29

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Today is my wedding anniversary!  22 years ago today, my wife and I tied the knot! I’m planning to take her to her favorite restaurant tonight. It’s the most expensive restaurant in our area, but fear not EOD nation – I’ll be rocking a coupon that will save me $20. One of the best parts of being married is you can be yourself without worry. My wife and I both love to save money, so a coupon doesn’t seem out of place at all – even when we’re dressed up going out for dinner to celebrate our anniversary! Fist pump […] Read more »

Five easy ways to save money by making your home more energy efficient

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Everybody wants to save money. After all, the more you save, the more more you have. And the more you have, the better you can live. The question is: How? If you’re paying attention to the experts, you’re probably paying less for heating, cooling and overall energy than your neighbors–because pretty much all the experts list energy efficient home improvements as one of the best ways to save money. Here’s a look at five easy ways to save money by making your home more energy efficient: 1) Double up your panes When it comes to saving money on your energy […] Read more »