I’m a week into working from home mode.  I leave the house to get my wife to and from work (as a paraprofessional for the school district she is currently providing child care for essential emergency workers), and to go to the grocery store.  That’s it.  There are rumors the governor of Minnesota will eventually declare a state of shelter in place.  That wouldn’t change my life at all at this point.  So far things are going alright, at least I don’t have to hurry to take a shower in the morning! Fist pump for working in jammies and my […] Read more »

The Coronavirus hysteria has reached my employer.  I received an email from my employer late yesterday afternoon recommending those who can work from home should seriously consider doing so. Therefore, starting today I’m working from home until further notice. I stopped by the grocery store to pick up a few things and found the shelves very empty.  Not just the toilet paper aisle, almost everything. I just wish it was nice enough outside for me to sit on my deck and work. Fist pump for working from home and my favorite posts of the week! Posts That Make Me Fist […] Read more »

Welcome to another weekend, EOD Nation. I like to save money as much as the next guy, but I have no problem spending money on worthwhile activities and experiences. For example, this weekend I’m headed to a Food and Wine Expo where I wonder around a large facility sampling wines from across the country as well as food from restaurants in the area. Not only is it a fun filled 5 hours, but it also exposes me to different food and wines I may want to buy later for enjoyment at other gatherings.  The face value of the ticket is […] Read more »

The road to handle both our automobile insurance and the gap insurance claims for my daughter’s car accident has been long and windy. I took many phone calls to get everyone the information they needed, but I believe payments from both policies are in flight. We’ve already purchased a replacement car, so at least I don’t have all day Duber (Dad Uber) responsibilities.  The outcome is good (wrecked car completely paid off), but I could do without having to deal with insurance companies for awhile. Fist pump for being done dealing with the accident, AND my favorite posts of the […] Read more »

My daughter handed me an unusually heavy plastic bag, which I quickly realized was full of coins. “Isn’t there a place where you can take these to turn them into money?” she asked smiling. I listed several places  I could take her coins:   The CoinStar machine at Walmart, which was most convenient but would take 10% of her money as payment. The coin counter at our local bank She scoffed at paying to convert her coins into paper money, and asked if I would take it to our local bank. She collected all the loose coins she had from […] Read more »

Happy Valentine’s Day EOD Nation!  My wife told me a few days ago to not buy her flowers.  They look nice, but then she just puts them on a shelf and a week later I throw them away. Instead we’re braving the crowds and going out to eat.  The good news is we’re using a gift card we purchased from Costco a few weeks ago.  We’ll save $20 on our dinner AND we won’t have to pay anything out of pocket today.  As far as this weekend’s spending plan goes, Valentine’s day cost me the $4 for the card and […] Read more »

Happy Friday, EOD Nation! I’ve got some fun stuff planned for this weekend.  Dinner with friends on Friday night at a restaurant and on Saturday night another friend is smoking a brisket and asking people to bring sides for a night of food and fun. Sunday I plan to be snowed in my house watching the opening weekend of XFL football.  Sounds like a lot of fun AND easy on the wallet.  What do you have rolling this weekend? Fist pump for a busy and fun weekend, AND my favorite posts of the week! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump […] Read more »

Happy Super Bowl weekend, EOD Nation! I’m excited for the game, I think it’s going to be a good one.  The last few years, in my opinion, the commercials haven’t been very good. But, I’ve seen some sneak previews and I’m hopeful there will be some good ones this year.  I’m not much of a go to a bar and watch the game sort of person, so we’re hoping to get together with friends to enjoy the event. Fist pump for Super Bowl weekend, AND my favorite posts of the week! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump More Reasons to […] Read more »

Fate hit me hard this week.  I knew it was coming, and I even wrote about it in my post earlier this week.  We had someone come and look at our extremely loud washing machine and my fears proved correct.  The drum bearing was going bad, and the service person deemed it was not worth the cost of parts and labor to fix on our 15 year old washing machine.  We were instructed to go to a local appliance store where we were given a dollar amount towards a new washer. We picked one out, and as I had predicted […] Read more »

We’re bracing for a winter storm to hit Minnesota today.  School was cancelled last night, and everyone (including myself) went to the grocery store to stock up on supplies. Which is kind of silly because the storm will last a grand total of 24-36 hours.  I’m pretty sure we had enough food to survive one day without leaving the house.  But, NFL playoffs are on tomorrow, and then Sunday it may still be windy and raw.  So, I don’t have to go outside at all this weekend if I don’t want to. Fist pump for being snowed in, and my […] Read more »

Happy Friday, EOD Nation! We’ve concluded all our holiday gatherings and have abolutely nowhere we need to go. Which is good, because it’s a wintery weekend in the Midwest, with the potential of some icy, snowy weather.  Feels like a great weekend to stay indoors, make some chili and watch the Minnesota Vikings in the NFL playoffs.  Relaxing, low key and inexpensive.  Sounds great to me! Fist pump for doing nothing, relaxing and my favorite posts of the week! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump 4 Ways to Find Extra Money to Put on Debt from Beating Broke 12 Ideas […] Read more »

Happy New Year, EOD Nation! I’ve been on vacation for two weeks now, and while it’s been nice, I’m looking forward to getting back to a normal day to day routine next week.  It will help my mindset, my productivity, and my finances. It’s easy to spend more money when on vacation and thus harder to stick to your usual budget. Get your fists up for getting back to normal routines, and my favorite posts of the week! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump 52 Week Savings Challenge List – The Best Ideas from Four Hats And Frugal How To […] Read more »

Merry Post Christmas Friday, EOD Nation! I like Christmas as much as the next guy, but even if I stay within my holiday spending budget, I feel like I’m hemorrhaging money.  I’m ecstatic returning to my normally scheduled spending plan. Did I mention tomorrow’s my birthday? Fist pump for being past money hemorrhaging holidays, my birthday, and my favorite posts of the week! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump The Art of Paying Bills from DINKS Finance Why You Need a Budget If You’re Broke from Beating Broke 8 Money Challenges For The New Year! from Budgets Are Sexy When […] Read more »

I’m hosting Christmas with my family this weekend.  I’m looking forward to seeing my parents, as well as my brother and his family. We plan to watch some football, eat some food, and play games together. How about you, EOD Nation, are you seeing family this weekend for the holidays?  If so, make sure you get in your weekend money motivation first! Fist pump for family, the holidays, and my favorite posts of the week! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump Three Ways to Unload Unwanted Gift Cards from Beating Broke Do you ever USE your Emergency Fund? What for? […] Read more »