Let’s try something a little different today, EOD Nation. Instead of a single subject blog post, I’ve got two quick hits for you. Both are personal experiences I’ve had in the last week. Both are good examples that you have to keep your eye on your money at all times. Free Sample Machine or Marketing Ploy? “Would you like a free sample?” said the machine at the end of the dairy aisle in Walmart. Each time I passed, it squawked at me. After several passes I noted the product being advertised. I found myself interested in checking it out. The […] Read more »

I’m charging everything these days. That’s right, I use a credit card as my method of payment for virtually every purchase. I’m not overspending, and I’m not going into debt. I’m actually earning money AND making it easier to keep my wife and I on the same page regarding our checking account. It’s not just any credit card I use, it’s one that has a cashback rewards program. By using the credit card for every possible purchase, we earn cash back. We keep a running total of the amount spent for the week, and then once a week we make […] Read more »

My adventure started with a phone call from my son telling me the license plate on the front of his car had disappeared. I thought the situation would warrant a simple exercise of going to the license bureau to get new plates. Turns out, this would be a lesson in the art of being smart with money. New License Plates, Take One I explained my situation to the license bureau desk clerk, handing her my driver’s license and the insurance card for the vehicle for which I needed new plates. The card listed the make, model and VIN number. She […] Read more »

Sometimes change occurs so slowly you barely notice it’s happening.  Other times one can point at a defining moment where things seemed instantly different. I felt a defining moment in how my wife and I look at money, and what we spend it on, happen as we discussed ordering pizza over the weekend. To Pizza Or Not To Pizza It was dinnertime, but neither of us were particularly hungry.  Still, a commercial earlier in the day had my wife in the mood for a certain kind of pizza. I was on my way to my laptop to place an order […] Read more »

Due to current circumstances, many if not all of us are spending a lot more time at home. In Minnesota we have been ordered to shelter in place by our governor. That means we are only supposed to leave our homes if absolutely necessary. Being one of those people that try to find the positive in every situation, I’m viewing this as an opportunity to save money, accomplish some things that I wouldn’t have otherwise, and of course have some fun. Here are some things you can do while quarantined in your own home to have fun, be productive, and […] Read more »

Monthly payments can be a useful financial tool, or they could be the force of pure evil. They can help a person afford something they normally could not, or they can deceive by masking something’s true cost. I was reminded of the rules of the monthly payment game this week as I dealt with a cracked screen on my cell phone. I picked up my phone after dropping it face down on the garage floor to find it had many small cracks. Luckily the phone still worked, despite the multitude of cracks. Over the course of several days, the cracks […] Read more »