Fist Pump Friday: I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 2/12/21

It’s Valentine’s Day this weekend, as if you didn’t already know.  Polls show that despite the pandemic, Americans are planning to spend more than ever on their significant other. The pandemic may actually be fueling the increase in spending because many have more discretionary funds due to lockdowns.  My wife has instructed me more than once that I am not to buy her flowers.  We do have plans to go out to eat for a special Love Day meal at one of her favorite restaurants.  Outside of that, we’ve both agreed that the best use of our funds right now […] Read more »

Successful Budgeting Requires Looking Ahead

Looking at the calendar, I knew my wife and I had to do some extra planning during our next budget talk. Our budget cycle runs bi-monthly because that’s how I get paid. Looking at the 2021 calendar, I get paid on January 29th, and then again on February 15th. In between those two paydays are three weekends. We normally split the discretionary funds for a pay period between two weekends, but just how the calendar laid out in this instance, we have three. This situation requires us to look ahead, and plan ahead. Life is full of scenarios just like […] Read more »

3 Ways to Overcome Small Business Debt

Businesses, just like people, occasionally take on debt to cover key expenses. Indeed, many small business owners take out loans and accumulate debt to pay for long-term expenses or particularly costly projects. Unfortunately, some businesses, just like some people, struggle to manage their loans effectively and overcome debt. If this situation sounds familiar, then don’t worry. It is possible to overcome business debt and build a successful company. And these three tips will help you accomplish just that. Check them out here: Speak to a Professional Contrary to popular belief, not every business leader is a financial expert. Rather, some […] Read more »

Fist Pump Friday: I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 2/5/2021

NFL football is my favorite sport to watch, therefore The Super Bowl is one of my favorite events. Normally I’m getting together with friends for the big game, either at my home or somewhere else.  This year, my wife and I will be winging it alone.  Literally, since I will need to have Buffalo wings as part of the game day food.  See what I did there?  It’ll be different, but I’m sure I’ll still enjoy the game. After all, my wife is my favorite person, and she loves football just as much as I do. Fist pump for The […] Read more »

Not Everyone Has Hassle Free Return Policies Like Costco and Amazon

I’ve become accustomed to the hassle free exchange policy of the most popular retail giants. Returning something ordered from Amazon is as easy as bringing it to the nearest UPS store, scanning a QR code and having the refund sitting in my Amazon account by the time I get home. I once returned an unused air mattress I decided I didn’t want to Costco nearly a year after I purchased it. No questions asked. But not all retailers are the same. Consumers need to research  the return policy of unknown retailers, especially if ordering online. I was reminded of this […] Read more »

Fist Pump Friday: I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 1/29

With the reopening of restaurants in Minnesota, last weekend my wife and I went out to dinner with some friends.  It was fun, and the food was great but eating out can be expensive. This weekend will look much different.  Tonight, my wife and I purchased Alfredo sauce from Olive Garden and made pasta at home.  A normal Olive Garden visit would cost close to $100, but at home it’s a fraction of the cost.  Saturday night I’ll be grilling steaks, again at a fraction of the cost of going to a steakhouse.   We may not be going out, […] Read more »

How to Prevent Big, Long-Term Financial Problems

financial problems

Unfortunately, it doesn’t take much for a person to fall into serious financial trouble these days. One or two ill-fated decisions can put even the most responsible and resourceful individuals behind the eight-ball for years to come. As such, it’s important to understand how to prevent big, long-term financial problems from occurring in the first place. This way, you can ensure you never experience serious economic strain. No matter your current financial status, these tips will help you manage your money in the short and long-term: Research Big Purchases Carefully Though it sounds simple enough, the reality is that big […] Read more »

4 Bad Spending Habits You Should Break ASAP

spending habits

Solving money problems doesn’t happen overnight. No matter how carefully you plan a budget, you still have to follow through on your plan day after day in order to save money and improve your financial situation. As such, it’s crucial not only to build good financial habits but to break poor spending patterns as well. Learning how to avoid and prevent unnecessary purchases over a long period of time can go a long way toward helping you reach financial stability. To that end, here are four bad spending practices that you should strive to break right away: Procrastination Putting off […] Read more »

Combining Money Saving Techniques In A Single Night Out

We share a lot of great money saving tips here on Enemy Of Debt. The goal is to enable readers to save money in their day to day life. Other personal finance blogs aim to do the same. Individually these tips will save money, but imagine if several could be combined into one frugal event. That’s exactly what my wife did with some friends over the weekend. Restaurant Gift Cards from Costco My wife and I planned to go out to dinner with two other couples. The agreed upon restaurant sold $100 gift cards at Costco for a price of […] Read more »

Making Money in the Stock Market Using Data and Science

  Like everything good in this world, your stock market picks should also rely on data and science to be profitable. Data science is becoming more and more popular these days, and everyone is all about data/science. What it can do to help, what it can change, what it does in general, and how it impacts your stock market picks. Data is usually represented as numbers and those specific numbers can represent many different things. They can represent an inventory, consumers, the number of sales, and even cash. The point is, data readily represents plenty of different things in number […] Read more »

What Is the Right Credit Utilization Ratio?

Your credit utilization ratio is the calculation of the outstanding balances that you have in your revolving credit accounts (credit cards and lines of credit) in comparison to their limits. So, what should your credit utilization ratio be? The Right Ratio There is no concrete rule for credit utilization ratios. They are more like guidelines that you should follow if you want to be more financially stable. What works for some might not work for others. But, if you’re looking for a specific number, financial experts recommend that users strive for a 30% credit utilization ratio or lower. In this […] Read more »

Fist Pump Friday: I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 1/23/20

I unexpectedly had to shell out $125 for a new food saver vacuum saver this week.  A food saver allows me to make bulk amounts of taco meat, sloppy joes and barbeque items and then vacuum seal them for later use.  It helps not waste leftovers as well. But they only seem to last a few years before it just stops sucking the air out of the packages. I’ve read articles saying the gaskets wear out.  I saw a suggestion to wet the gaskets, but it didn’t help my cause.  So, I bought a new one, and it works like […] Read more »

Three Ways To Make Your Aging Computer Last Longer

A friend of mine called complaining her computer was running slower than it used to. Frustrated, she asked if I could look at it and see if there was anything I could do. Having dealt with this exact problem on my own computer I had some ideas as to what to look for. Check Hard Drive Utilization If your hard drive is filled near capacity, your computer will run slow. Check the utilization of your hard drive and delete unneeded files. If you keep pictures and videos on your computer, consider buying an external hard drive to store that data […] Read more »

5 Tips for Guaranteed Success with Binary Options

If you have decided that you want to start trading, you will have a lot of decisions to make. Will you trade stocks, forex or even binary options? A binary option is a financial product where there are typically two outcomes based on the option expiring in the money. Binary trading can be complicated at first and so you need to know what you are doing before making any big decisions. Below, we thought we’d help you out by offering 5 tips for guaranteed success with binary options. Read on to hear what these are. Choose the right broker The […] Read more »