After a few weeks of above average temperatures, fall definitely hit Minnesota this week.  It’s still been pleasant with highs in the 50’s and 60s but with talk of freezing temperatures during the nighttime, and leaves falling from the trees, the colder weather is here to stay.  Which means it’s time to close down my sprinkler system for the season. For years I borrowed an air compressor from one of several friends or neighbors that own one.  Last year was the first year I actually paid someone to come and do it for me, and I did it again this […] Read more »

I received an email last night from my daughter’s middle school orchestra teacher reminding us the instrument rental contract and fee was due today.  This was news to us since we had received zero previous correspondence regarding the contract and fee.  We knew it was coming, but this year has been different from other years.  Every other year the teacher has been at schedule pick up day at the end of Summer.  We pay our fee then along with all the other beginning of the school year fees.  Except this year, she wasn’t there.  There was a sign that indicated […] Read more »

My favorite weekend of Fall is here!  It’s Twin Cities Marathon (TCM) weekend!  I’m not running the marathon this year….but I am running.  A. Lot.  I have a 10K and 5K tomorrow (Saturday) and a 10 mile on Sunday.  I’m hoping to fist pump across the finish line just as I did when completed the marathon last year (it’s the picture I use for my Friday posts)!!!! After this weekend, I’m looking forward to things slowing down for awhile. The big calendar on the fridge shows no plans for the remaining weekends of the month.    I’m hoping to do […] Read more »

Last weekend I ran a half marathon in my hometown of Rochester, MN, finishing in a personal best 1:51:07 – 23 seconds faster than my goal time!  Next weekend I head up to the Twin Cities area (about an hour north) to run three races (5K, 10K, and a half marathon) during Twin Cities Marathon weekend.  Sandwiched in the middle is this weekend…..which I plan on using to sand my deck and spend as little as possible to save up for next weekend.   I’m hoping to again avoid the temptation of buying some not-needed shoe insoles.  LOL. Fist pump […] Read more »

Happy Friday, EOD Nation! I’ve been looking forward to this weekend for quite awhile as I am running a half-marathon on Sunday.  I’ve never raced this distance before, so it should be fun.  Then, two weeks from now I run several races in an event called “The Looney Challenge” during Twin Cities Marathon Weekend.  I run a 10K on Saturday (October 3rd) at 7:30, then run a 5K right away again at 9:00am.  After that, I run a 10 mile on Sunday, October 4th. The good news is that the race entry fees are already paid for, and this weekend’s […] Read more »

First Friday of the school year!  Vonnie works mornings as a paraprofessional at an elementary school, and afternoons at the local public defender’s office.  But, she doesn’t work the afternoon job on Fridays, so we have a standing lunch date.  That means today is lunch with my wife day! YEAH! But before I head out to pick up my lunch date, I’ll be stopping by the ATM and withdrawing our weekend entertainment funds.  All Cash, All Weekend! Fist pump for cash, and for my favorite posts of the week! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump How to Choose Your Splurges […] Read more »

One more week, and the next school season will be underway.  While that means that my mornings become very busy with making breakfast and getting kids off to school, I can’t wait for the checkbook bleeding to stop.   Pictures, yearbooks, school supplies, clothes, you name it,  I’ve paid for it.   I can’t wait to get back on a firm schedule, both in day to day living and with our spending. Fist pump for schedules, and my favorite posts of the week! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump Are Your Finances Out of Control? from Club Thrifty Why Failure Totally Rocks! […] Read more »

  A few weeks ago I posted a review of the Kaiku prepaid debit card.  Yesterday I read an article from my friend Crystal over at Budgeting in the Fun Stuff (who has also reviewed Kaiku) about a situation in which a reader had an issue with their Kaiku and reached out to Crystal for assistance.  Customer service is a big deal to Kaiku, and the issue was quickly resolved.  Two things to make note of here: Kaiku customer service ROCKS.  As with any company, sometimes issues arise.  The key is how these issues are dealt with, and Kaiku gets […] Read more »

Yesterday the Pizel family headed to Valleyfair, an amusement park about 90 minutes away in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area.  It was our last summertime “hurrah” for family activities.   We arrived 30 minutes after the park opened, and stayed almost until it closed.  I haven’t gone on that many rides in one day in, well….ever.   So. Much. Fun.  How did you say goodbye to summer?   Fist pump for amusement parks, and keep ’em going for my favorite posts of the week! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump Debt Payoff Isn’t Just About Discipline from Fruclassity 3 Tactics to Speed […] Read more »

My wife and I had a great time at a concert last night.  There’s a club in our mid-sized city that works really hard at bringing nationally known hard rock acts to town.  Nothing gets my heart pumping like some great hard rock in a club setting.  So. Much. Fun. The only downside is that it wiped most of our entertainment spending for the weekend.  But have no fear, it’s all been planned for and budgeted!  We have enough left for me to fire up the smoker to make some ribs on Saturday to have some friends over for Minnesota […] Read more »

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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »