Fist Pump Friday: I Love You Like A Bogger Roundup – 10/23/20

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I’ve been waiting for today for a long time.  Twelve months ago I was in a walking boot recovering from surgery to repair a completely torn Achilles Tendon. Today I will run the Twin Cities 10 mile run.  Normally this run would occur the first weekend in October in the Twin Cities starting at US Bank Stadium and ending at the state Capitol. Due to COVID-19  the run is virtual this year.  The bad news is, there will be no starting line buzz, no crowds along the course, and no massive finish line.  The good news is, I’ll have some […] Read more »

How to Book a Luxurious Vacation Without Breaking the Bank

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Everyone deserves a vacation where they can relax and escape from the realities of their everyday lives. Recently, with the rise of social media, travel has become a status standard. The more luxurious and unique your vacations are, the more likes you get on social media, meaning more admiration from your peers. However, not everyone can afford a crazy luxurious vacation with room service every night and hotels for $1,500 per night. Luckily, there are some hacks to book a luxurious vacation without going into debt. Choose Your Destination Wisely If you’re looking for a tropical vacation but don’t want […] Read more »

Use Your Hobbies and Skills to Make Money

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I called my wife while driving home from helping someone build a computer. I had been there for around five hours, but we had assembled the computer, installed the Windows operating system, and had it connected to the internet. She suggested I could charge to do that. She was half joking around, but she was right.  As I drove home, I thought of other hobbies or skills of mine that I could utilize to make extra cash. Computer Services This is the idea from the introduction. With my computer skills, I could help people build, upgrade or repair computers. With […] Read more »

A Letter to Title Loan Lenders in Wisconsin: Don’t Take Advantage of the Disadvantaged

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It’s time for title loan lenders in Wisconsin to become a part of the solution. With 2020 bringing a pandemic to our doorstep—and with it, unprecedented unemployment rates across the state—some in our communities are facing financial devastation. In the face of dwindling wages, bills surge. We struggle to keep the heat on as the temperature drops, we come home to empty refrigerators. Some of our most vulnerable are turning to subprime loans—like title loans and payday advances—to make ends meet. Republican Congressman Glenn Grothman (R-Glenbeulah) noted that 13% of Americans between 22 and 53 years of age have used […] Read more »

Fist Pump Friday: I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 10/16/20

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Fall has definitely made it’s appearance.  Leaves on the trees have been changing for awhile, but we were still enjoying temps in the 60’s and 70’s.  Most of next week’s high temps are in the 40’s.  Yikes.  While I’m sad to see summer leave, I do look forward to turning on the fireplace and watching it snow.  It also means it’s time to get serious about being ready for the holidays, both mentally and financially.  I know some people save for holiday spending all year, but I just can’t get myself to do it. But, with November staring me in […] Read more »

Try More Beer, Spend less

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Microbreweries are very popular right now. They’re a great place to go with some close friends, try some locally made drinks and socialize. Many microbreweries have games for patrons to play as well. Part of the fun of going to such a place is to try different things. But after trying several brews you might find your stomach full, but your wallet empty. Thankfully, many microbreweries offer something that provides the opportunity to sample a variety of new things without draining your wallet. This perfect solution is called a flight. What Is A Flight? A flight of beer is several […] Read more »

Fist Pump Friday: I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 10/9/20

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My daughter is six weeks into her first year in college, and is already looking to shake things up.  She lives in the dorms, and we told her she didn’t have to have a job her first year so she could focus on her studies and getting acclimated to a more independent life. Well, she starts a new job on Monday and her and a friend she met in the dorms are already looking at apartments for next year.  This is an opportunity to have great financial discussions with her regarding budgeting, rent, utilities, damage deposits and other independent living […] Read more »

What Pizza Told Me About My Finances

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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 »

Fist Pump Friday: I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 10/2/10

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We made it! After taking a serious chunk out of our discretionary funds by buying a new snow blower a few weeks ago, we’ve entered a new budget cycle with the first of the month.  That means we cut our discretionary funding enough over the last two weeks to pay for the snow blower AND still have quite a bit of fun. When you and your significant other are on the same page financially and the lines of communication flow freely, you can accomplish anything! Fist pump for reaching financial goals, AND my favorite posts of the week! Posts That […] Read more »

10 Of My Favorite Store Brand Products at Walmart

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My wife occasionally gives me a hard time for buying store brand products. They are perceived as being cheaper because they are inferior in quality. Sometimes that’s true, but not all. Below is a list of ten Walmart Great Value store brand products I purchase on a regular basis, that I can’t differentiate from their name brand counterparts. Note: All prices stated were observed at Walmart in Rochester, MN. Hot Dog or Hamburger Buns Great Value: $0.88 BallPark: $1.98 Savings: $1.10 White Bread Great Value: $0.88 White Whole Grain: $2.48 Savings: $1.60 Dill Pickle Spears Great Value: $1.54 Gedney: $2.28 […] Read more »

Fist Pump Friday: I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 9/25/20

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This weekend I’m firing up my smoker to make brisket.  At one point during the pandemic beef brisket was super expensive due to closure of beef processing facilities.  The price seems to have come down a bit, but a local bbq restaurant is still selling their brisket meals at “market price.”   Even before all this COVID-19 stuff started, BBQ places would sell smoked brisket for $20 a pound.  So buying it at $3.29 a pound (whole brisket) and making it myself is well worth it, and quite frankly better than most bbq places! Fist pump for smoked brisket and […] Read more »

Inexpensive But Romantic Meal At Home

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Nothing about our Friday night was successful. My wife and I had agreed we would have a low profile weekend since we spent the majority of our discretionary funds on a new snow blower last week. We had pizza for dinner, but for whatever reason it just didn’t hit the spot for my wife. For dessert she asked for vanilla ice cream and two chocolate chip cookies we had made a few days before. However, the ice cream tasted funky, probably from being in the freezer too long. I didn’t know how at the time, but I told her I […] Read more »

Fist Pump Friday: I Love You Like A Blogger Roundup – 9/18/20

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It’s the weekend, friends! My wife and I are looking for low cost activities the next few weekends because last weekend we bought a snow blower.  It was a great deal, but it was unplanned. We consciously decided to spend the money out of our discretionary funds for the second half of September.  After laying down a big chunk of cash my new winter toy, we have to be very selective as to what do for fun the next two weekends.  The good news is, this weekend I’ll be occupied tidying up the landscaping on the front of our house, […] Read more »

How to Have Fun Without Breaking the Bank

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    When you want to break the usual routine and try something new, finances can be the first obstacle on the way. Whether the issue is distance or simply the fee associated with a certain activity, many hobbies simply don’t seem feasible. Nowadays, social media has brought us closer to a curated version of the lives of our friends and colleagues. Whether real or imagined, it’s easy to feel left out—especially as others post pictures on boats from a tropical vacation or behind the wheel of a fancy car. The responsibilities of our day-to-day lives prevent us from blowing a paycheck on an […] Read more »