Change Your Perspective, Change Your Life

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I’m always the first one of our family to throw back the covers and climb out of bed on weekend mornings. My goal is always to get up, get to the gym, and get home before anyone else even thinks of getting up. One such Saturday morning I was composing a note to leave on the kitchen counter as I was preparing to head out to the gym. My wife likes to know what time I left so she knows approximately when to expect me back home. So, I ripped a piece of paper out of a notebook and wrote […] Read more »

I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 1/30

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I always enjoy sharing the story of my wife and I paying off our credit card debt, and this week I was able to do so twice!  Our story was featured this week in a post on US News and World Report Money, as well as in a post by my friend and fellow blogger Paula Pant over at Afford Anything.  Links to both posts are in the Shameless Self Promotion section below – check ’em out!   If that’s not enough to get your fist pumping, then check out my favorite posts of the week! Posts That Make Me […] Read more »

With A DIY Attitude and The Internet, I Can Be A Plumber

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My daughter stomped down the stairs, arms locked straight down with an angry look on her face. “DAD! Again!” I knew she was coming from our upstairs bathroom, so I knew exactly what she was complaining about. The toilet was clogged again. We’ve been having issues with that toilet for a few months now, and on Saturday morning the problem reached critical mass. It was time for me to put on my Do It Yourself Plumber tool belt (just a metaphor, folks, I skipped the plumber’s crack), and spend some time trying to fix it. Analysis: Comparison Flushing The first […] Read more »

I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 1/23

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Today is my son’s 16th birthday!  We have him scheduled to take his road test next week, and as you might expect he’s excited about it.  Having a driver’s license will bring him a whole new level of freedom and mobility.  It will also bring with it extra expenses.  Our insurance is going up, and he’ll need to pay for gas if he wants to get around.   As a 16 year old he now has many more options to get his first part-time job.  In addition to filling the gas tank, he has things he wants to buy, including his […] Read more »

Get Your Morning Energy with BelVita Bites and V8 Veggie Blend from Target!

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  I’m currently training for my 5th marathon, with my goal for this marathon to be my fastest yet. As I prepare to enter the heart of my training for the June race, I need to pay very close attention to what I foods I put into my body and when. I run almost exclusively in the morning and it’s important to get some morning energy burning before I head out into the crisp winter air. I want something light, nutritious, and give me enough fuel to keep my motor running throughout my entire run. Recently I started a #NewBreakfastRoutine […] Read more »

Debt Is A Temporary Condition – How Long It Lasts is Up To You!

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Today’s post is my contribution to the #DebtIsNotForever movement started by Jackie Beck over at The Debt Myth. You can participate as well by taking a picture of your “Why” you want to get out of debt, or why you’re working to get out of debt right now and posting it to her Facebook page. Check out this link for more details – Jackie is also hosting a giveaway for all that participate in the movement, and publicly take a stand against debt. Will you stand with us? Pain is temporary. It may last for a minute, or an hour, […] Read more »

I Love You Like a Blogger Roundup – 1/16

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 Happy Friday, EOD Nation!  Recently I wrote a post about Gazelle intensity, and how I needed to channel my inner gazelle to save up for a projected tax bill come April.  I had thought that I would need to save about $7000, however after recalculating I believe it’s actually $5500.  Christmas kind of put a slowdown on the savings, but we have been able to put away $1500 towards the effort.  That means we need to save $1000 in each of the first four months of the year to make it happen.  I’ve done the calculations, and have a budget […] Read more »

Budgets make me feel inadequate, but made me rich

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Last year I recorded a show about the 7 Common Denominators of the Wealthy. It was then I realized there were many commonalities related to having – and operating on – a household budget. With so many wealthy habits tied to being on a budget, why is it that most people don’t do one? It is because budgets makes us feel inadequate. It certainly has made me feel inadequate. Tell me if you’ve felt the same way before too. Budgeting makes me feel inadequate Think back to the last time you created a budget. How did that make you feel? […] Read more »

Small Victories- Getting Out of Debt One Small Step At a Time

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small victories get out of debt one step at a time

Getting out of debt can seem like a daunting task.  When you finally decide to take the step of getting yourself out of debt, it’s easy to be intimidated by the huge goal you’ve presented for yourself. And when you realize what you’re up against, you’re ready to give up on getting out of debt before you even get started. So how do you overcome that overwhelming feeling when you want to achieve your goal, but you’re so intimidated by all the work you know it will take to get it done? You have to chill out, take a step […] Read more »

Improvement Requires Change

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I’m looking to achieve some big goals in 2015. It all really boils down to being the very best I can be in the important areas of my life. One of the biggest categories is fitness. I want to tune my diet, helping me to become a healthier and much trimmer athlete. At the end of each day, I spend a little time reflecting on what I consumed. If you’ve never done this, I highly recommend doing this at least once. Each time I do this, it’s very obvious why I’m not at my goal weight. The amount of complete […] Read more »

I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 1/9

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As it’s the first part of January, the blogosphere is filled with posts about New Year’s resolutions, how to set them, and how to achieve them.  It’s interesting to read so many different perspectives.  It’s a subject that saturates blogs at the beginning of every year, but to tell you the truth, I can’t get enough of them.  I even wrote my own of sorts, and just want to remind all of you of my own viewpoint on the matter.  If you want to achieve any goal in life, keep these things in mind: Take constant action each and every […] Read more »

How To Get The Most Out of A Hotel Stay

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Saving money on a hotel room is sometimes a question away. Just asking if  a better rate is available can in some cases save a significant amount of money. My brother in law wins the prize for the biggest discount, however, because with one question he saved over $200. We had been planning a New Year’s Eve stay at a hotel with some family near the Mall Of America in the Minneapolis / St. Paul metropolitan area. The location would put us in walking distance of several restaurant options for dinner, along with the potential to go to a movie and a […] Read more »

I Love You Like a Blogger Roundup – 1/2

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Happy New Year, EOD Nation!  Today is back to reality day.   The holidays that consume the second half of December are over, and while I and the kids are still on vacation today, the wheels of routine begin to turn.  We will begin to tackle the mountain of laundry that has accumulated, a grocery shopping trip is in the works, and a full blow budget marathon is on tap.  The checkbook needs reconciling, bills need to be paid, and a course needs to be set for 2015.  I feel the winds of normalcy beginning to blow, and that it itself […] Read more »

Defining Phenomenal

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Waking up in the morning and realizing you’ve reached the day on the calendar when you get to add one to your age tends to make a person think about what they have and have not yet accomplished in their life. Yesterday was that day for me. Combine that with the end of the year when many people think about what they want to change, or do better in the new year and the result is some serious thinking going on within my brain as I drift off into unconsciousness for the night. If I was being honest, I’ve been pondering […] Read more »