Are You Conscientious or a Slacker?

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Extremely frustrated, I waited in a parking lot for one last person that was running late. They were supposed to arrive at 7:30am and the instructions clearly stated the youth group would leave the church at 8:00am sharp. It was this person’s tardiness that broke my wife’s perfect parent streak. You know what I mean; the mom who waves to her child as they drive away in excitement to a five-day excursion of hiking, singing songs by the bonfire, and getting yelled at by counselors because you’re making everyone in the cabin giggle when you should be sleeping. Here it […] Read more »

This Is Why You Pay Yourself First

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I’ve been generally keeping an eye on what my son spends his money on, as I can see his account details when I log into my bank’s online portal. The agreement was that he could spend his first two paychecks as he wished. After that, he must transfer $150 of each paycheck into his savings account. Transferring the funds to his savings account on payday is a great way to teach the concept of pay yourself first. We haven’t made it to the bank yet to open his savings account. But, I’ve been keeping track of how much of his […] Read more »

Fist Pump Friday: I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 6/26

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Last Saturday, I ran my 5th Marathon in Duluth, MN.  When people talk about running a marathon, they talk about hitting “the wall.”  Well, I didn’t just hit the wall, it fell on me and crushed me. Whew….but I pushed through it and finished in just over 4 hours and 23 minutes.  I had hoped (again) to finish in under 4 hours, but  I misjudged my conditioning.  I’m not too disappointed as I over all we had a GREAT weekend in Duluth seeing the sights and going to a concert.  Next up, I’m training for something called “The Looney Challenge” […] Read more »

Are Your Childhood Possessions Hidden Treasures?

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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

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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

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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

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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!”

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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 »

Four Ways To Take A Load Off Your Money Management Chores

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Looking back at almost a decade of debt-elimination and investing, I can see that one thing has contributed to our financial success: Automation. Not only has automation made things easier, it has also forced us to be diligent. Here are four ways to automate your finances and take a load off your money management chores: Bill-pay Our bank offers free bill-pay. It allows us to set up regularly occurring bills like cable, cell phone, and city utilities. In the old days we would have to write a check, lick a stamp, and send it off in the mail. Now, when the […] Read more »

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

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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 »