The Expectation of Spending Money

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Every Sunday evening, my wife and I recap our weekend spending, and then do any budget adjustments required  due to higher than expected spending. After the conclusion of this activity recently, I broke the good news that we had stayed well within our allocated weekend funds. As soon as the words left my mouth, they felt wrong. I was confused as to why they felt wrong, after all isn’t that the goal? Isn’t the goal to live within our means by creating a budget, allocating a finite amount of funds for bills and other activities, and then spend less than […] Read more »

My Daughter, A Shopping Mall Trip, and A Scary Situation

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I had a scary situation with my teenaged daughter over the weekend with what happened during a shopping trip to the mall with her friends. It was touch and go for a few days, but I’m now confident that everything is going to be just fine. One of her friends asked her to go to the mall shopping on Friday afternoon. Between her allowance and Christmas gifts she had amassed a tidy sum of money.  She thought a shopping trip to get some new clothes would be a fun way to spend time with her friend. When she returned home […] Read more »

How I Saved 45% and Got Free Yoga Pants At Lane Bryant

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I had been shopping with my wife for nearly four hours when we walked through the doors of Lane Bryant. She was looking for some new clothes, but was encountering some trouble finding what she was looking for. Within a few minutes of walking in the door, she found several things she wanted to try on. When she looked at the prices, however, she thought they were a little more than she was willing to spend. I pointed at a sign advertising a “Buy One, Get One 50% Off” sale. The smile returned to her face and she excitedly headed […] Read more »

4 Lines Of Defense Against Impulsively Buying Neon Green Compression Tights

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I was at Target picking up some last minute school supplies when I shockingly found myself walking through the men’s athletic wear section. Some black and neon green running compression tights caught my eye. I have a blue pair of the same kind and like how they look and fit. My mind envisioned how they would look together with a shirt I already owned of a very similar color. I had talked myself into buying them. Into the cart they went. I’m a conservative dresser, going with mainly darker colors and things that don’t attract a lot of attention. But […] Read more »

The Best $250 Gadget Ever Purchased

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A friend of mine suggested I stop fighting with my old, cracked iPod Nano and replace it with something more current. Call me cheap, frugal, or nostalgic – I just can’t bring myself to part with my old friend (the iPod, that is). Gadgets are exciting! Gadgets are fun. Gadgets make life easier. They are also expensive. Americans spend thousands of dollars on new gadgets – sometimes all at once! A new TV, new phones for the family, and upgraded game systems sit under the Christmas tree each year. There is nothing wrong with that, of course – as long […] Read more »

We’re NOT Going Out For Breakfast……Because I Can Cook!

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“What would you like for breakfast?” I asked my wife. Weekdays are full of the hustle and bustle of getting ready for work and/or getting kids off to school, so on weekends I like to put my cooking skills to use and make my family a big breakfast. “Can we go out for breakfast?” was her reply. We were out of hash browns, plus she couldn’t decide exactly what she was in the mood for. She was thinking that if we went somewhere with a breakfast buffet she could have a little of everything. Eating out is something I would […] Read more »

A Lawn Mower is NOT A Status Symbol

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I was almost done mowing my lawn when I felt something pop loose, after which the handle of the mower was no longer attached to the frame on the left side. I shut off the mower and looked around on the ground, finding the metal peg that held the two pieces together. The peg on the opposite side was immovable, but the one that fell out had worn down enough such that it no longer fit snugly in the hole. Using a screw driver with a very long shaft, I hobbled along well enough to finish the lawn. I knew […] Read more »

Debt and Cleaning

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 Today’s post is from my friend Prudence, who hails from Prudence Debt Free.  I had the honor of having her guest post once before, and I’m very excited to have her back.  So please, give her a warm EOD Nation welcome! Should we hire house-cleaners again? A couple of weeks ago, I was talking with two colleagues about how we used to hire house-cleaners. “Do you hire cleaners?” I asked Cam. “Of course we do!” he answered. As a working couple with two small children, he and his wife found it made life manageable to have the services of a […] Read more »

Rollback Prices for Banquet And Chef Boyardee Products at Walmart!

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  It’s a busy time of year and I’m making it easy in the kitchen with Banquet dinners and pot pies and Chef Boyardee. The rollback prices on frozen Banquet dinners and pot pies and Chef Boyardee cans makes it easy to save and spend less time in the kitchen. The rollback prices are just $0.80 for each frozen Banquet dinner and pot pie now through February 24, 2015 and $0.75 for each 14.5-15 oz can of Chef Boyardee January 20 – March 16, 2015. Tasty meals like Banquet salisbury steak and Chef Boyardee raviolis make dinner easy and delicious! […] Read more »

Travel Hacking with Credit Cards is a Dangerous Trap

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Here he goes again. That crazy Steve Stewart is about to start a ruckus and make people get very angry by telling it like it is. You see, I’m the killjoy that’s about to take away all your fun. I’m the grandpa who isn’t into “hip” things. I’m the old man who says you should do things the old-fashioned way. But I’m going to speak the truth, and the truth can set you free (debt free, that is):   Travel Hacking with credit cards is a dangerous trap Travel hacking has been around for years, but it is growing in […] Read more »

Treat Yourself In the Morning With New McCafe Coffee Blends at Walmart!

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I once entered my bedroom to find my wife huddled under the covers talking on the phone to her mom. Some days, it’s that hard for her to get out of bed. Other days, she’ll stumble down the stairs, sit on the couch in a zombie like trance until she’s had about thirty minutes to come to the realization that the day has started. Being the phenomenal husband that I am, I’ve come to grips with her morning warm-up routine, and try to help ease her transition to consciousness by delivering her first cup of coffee for the day. My […] Read more »

Coupon Alert: Last Minute Savings On Halloween Treats! #ScarySavings

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If you’re like me, you wait until the last minute to pick up the treats to be handed out on Halloween eve.  Sometimes the early bird gets the worm, but in this case procrastinators get the opportunity to use a coupon good for #ScarySavings at Walmart.   If you’re one of those people that were planning to pick up Halloween treats on your way home from work one day this week, Don’t miss your last chance to get this special Halloween coupon for $2.00 off (1) 6pk. 8oz cans or (2) 2L of participating soda and (2) bags of Mars® candy.  This […] Read more »

Are You Taking Care Of Your Money?

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Do you take good care of your money? Think about that question for a few minutes while I tell you a story. My daughter went to an outdoor swimming pool over the weekend with a friend’s family. The weather was hot making it a perfect day to go swimming. Even though the pool was crowded, my daughter had a fantastic time. Until she discovered that the $20 she brought with her was missing from her swim bag. She wasn’t the only one that had lost money, either. Her friend’s mother had $40 stolen from her purse as well. Apparently, the […] Read more »

Club Stores are NOT Always Cheaper

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In an effort to take advantage of our 2% cash back perk of our executive membership, I’ve been trying to get in the habit of making bulk buying run to Costco once a month. By purchasing products that we always need and use in bulk once a month I figured I’d save time and money. One thing consumers have to be very careful about is whether what we’re buying is actually cheaper at a club store. The perception many consumers have is that if you buy gigantic packages at a club store, it MUST be a good deal. But I […] Read more »