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 »

Fist Pump Friday: I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 8/7

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I got a curious looking letter in the mail this week, but as soon as I opened it up I knew exactly what it meant.  The letter was offering a wide variety of products to display my recently awarded patent.  I have several patent applications in the pipeline through my employer and the notification from them sometimes takes awhile.    This means that once the slow wheels of administration turn far enough there will be a little award bump in my paycheck along with a laminated version of the issued patent for me to put in my leather bound patent binder. […] Read more »

What It Costs To Own Man’s Best Friend

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We brought our dog, Cooper, into our home ten years ago. He was just one in a litter of puppies a friend of a friend was giving away. We offered her $20 but she wouldn’t accept it. Now I understand why; She knew how much it costs to have a dog! If you are contemplating getting a dog for the family then be prepared to increase your annual budget by at least $1,200. That may sound expensive at first but it’s actually on the low end of owning a pooch. Here is a breakdown using our dog Cooper as an […] Read more »

Review: Kaiku Visa Prepaid Card

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My wife and I are back on a cash only spending plan, and it’s working out fabulously. It keeps our spending in check and within budget. Some of the comments on my recent posts on this subject have made a valid point, however. Dealing with only cash means there are times when I may be walking around with a significant amount of cash in my wallet, and I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that makes me a little nervous. One solution to this problem could be a prepaid debit card. Not just any debit card, but a Kaiku Visa […] Read more »

My Favorite Part Of Having Control Of My Finances

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One of the most common questions asked of people going through the process of paying off a mountain of debt is what they will do with the extra money each month once the debt is paid off. Another similar, but slightly different question is to describe how life is different now that the debt has been paid off. I’ve been asked these questions countless times. It’s easy to give the standard answers of build a larger emergency fund, invest more, or save for the kids’ college. I’ve given all those answers. There’s certainly nothing wrong them, as they’re the answers […] Read more »

Fist Pump Friday: I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 7/31

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It’s the end of the month, and the beginning of a new budget cycle.  One of my activities today will be to create our budget worksheet for the next two weeks, and make sure Vonnie and I are on the same page. As I started thinking about things that need to be included in our spending plan, I remembered that our car currently has a half a tank of gas, and our van is still over a quarter of a tank. There’s NO WAY we’re using all of our usual gas budget this week.  Is it weird that I’m excited […] Read more »

Know Your Warranty, Or Pay The Price

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I watched my wife cringe as she sat in the living room chair. She paused the television and told me to listen. She was irritated by the high pitched squeal emitted by our air conditioning unit each time it started up. I heard it, but it just seemed like background noise. It didn’t bother me in the least, but it was like nails on a chalkboard for her. It’s been making this noise for years. It squeals for a few minutes, and then it quits. We had someone come out to take a look at it a few years ago, […] Read more »

Fist Pump Friday: I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 7/24

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In last week’s fist pump session, I mentioned I was taking the day off to make a brisket.  I introduced some new things into my process that I had seen on the TV show BBQ Pitmasters, and the result was the best brisket I’ve ever made.  I had a fantastic day tending my smoker, and turning a 16 pound piece of raw beef into something delicious.  The next day, we hosted some friends to help us eat the brisket and play Card Against Humanity.  Overall, the $50 I paid for the brisket provided two days of fun an entertainment, as […] Read more »

Cash Only Spending Weekend Success Story

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Last week Vonnie and I got back on the cash only spending plan that helped us pay off a mountain of credit card debt. Living within our means, and spending only the budgeted cash we have in hand, sometimes require tradeoffs be made. There’s only so much you can do with a finite amount of funds. It took exactly one week for just such a challenge to arise, and for our methodology to validate itself. Our initial spending plan for the weekend included just a few things:   Fire Up The Smoker : I was watching an episode of BBQ […] Read more »

Fist Pump Friday: I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 7/17

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I watched an episode of BBQ Pitmasters a few days ago in which the contestants made brisket.  I’m always looking for new tips to help perfect my brisket technique, so I made some notes while I watched.   It put me in the mood to fire up the smoker, so I asked Vonnie if I could make one this weekend.  We agreed to put it in the spending plan.  There’s a chance for storms tomorrow, so I decided to work from home and smoke it today.  All I have to do is throw it in a roaster tomorrow for an hour […] Read more »

It Feels Good To Be In Control

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At the beginning of June, I recognized that we had let all the habits that helped us successfully manage our finances fall by the wayside. My wife and I had a long financial discussion and vowed to get back on track. We even reviewed the actions we needed to put in motion. Then along game a series of life events: Grandma’s Marathon Weekend Wedding Anniversary 4th Of July Vonnie’s Birthday Family Vacation to Wisconsin Dells It would have been fantastic to get our processes rolling in the right direction again before these events since they all required spending a significant […] Read more »

Fist Pump Friday: I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 7/10

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It’s been a busy front half of the Summer: Annual Memorial Weekend Party Grandma’s Marathon In Duluth Anniversary 4th Of July Party Vonnie’s Birthday Family Vacation in Wisconsin Dells Whew, I’m worn out, and so is our bank account.  We’ll be coasting the rest of the summer, with no big plans.  That will allow us all to relax, enjoy some good times just hanging out in the summer weather, and for our reserve funds to build back up. Fist pump for coasting the rest of the summer!  What does the rest of YOUR summer look like? Posts That Make Me […] Read more »

Grillin’ And Chillin’ Summer Series: Bratwurst Hot Tub

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It’s officially summer, EOD Nation, and that means it’s time for BBQ.  Over the next couple of months I’ll be periodically be sharing some of my favorite summer recipes to help you be the king of the backyard BBQ in your neighborhood! It’s no secret I’m a huge fan of lighting up the grill or smoker and cooking up some delicious food using a live fire. BBQ, like many hobbies, is something a person can always learn new things. There is always a new recipe to try, or a new technique to learn. While I have no problem lighting a […] Read more »

Fist Pump Friday: I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup 7/3

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Happy almost Independence Day Friday, EOD Nation!  Since the 4th of July falls on a Saturday this year, my employer gives us today off. So what will I be doing today?  Oh, I’m so glad you asked……I’ll be spending it reconciling the checkbook and working with my wife to come up with our spending plan for the next two weeks.  We’re a few days late, but life has been busy lately, and I’m glad to have the day off to play catchup with our financial planning. Tomorrow we’ll be having some friends and family over, busting out the grill, and […] Read more »