Welcome to the weekend, EOD Nation!  I’m feeling extremely relieved for several reasons: we have our hail damage insurance claim taken care of (as much as we can right now) and are just waiting for our contractor to tell us when the roof will be done Our new refrigerator was delivered, and is keeping all our food cold again A major problem at work I’ve been involved in has been resolved With these three stress points behind me, I plan on attending a high school football game tonight, cleaning out smokers tomorrow, and enjoying Minnesota Vikings football on Sunday. Fist […] Read more »

I noticed last weekend our refrigerator just wasn’t keeping things cold.  We had someone come look at it, and after unsuccessfully trying to revive it by replacing one part, the repair person declared our fridge’s compressor was broken.  Replacing the compressor is just as expensive as buying a new fridge, so I guess we’re dropping major coin on a new fridge. Wrong! After our water heater needed replacement a few months ago, we upgraded our appliance protection plan.  While we have been paying more per month, we’re going to get a new fridge for no additional funds out of our […] Read more »

My daughter got her driver’s license this week! She’s extremely excited about being able to go places in a car by herself, and I’m just as excited about not having to pick her up from school, cheer practice or taxi to and from friends’ homes. Her freedom does result in a higher  monthly insurance premium. However, that increased cost is up to her to pay.  She has a part-time job, therefore she can afford to pay for the insurance as her contribution for having the privilege to drive.  More freedom for all, plus a lesson in financial responsibility…..You have to […] Read more »

I’m excited to fire up my new smoker this weekend!  I’m making summer sausage using some venison a friend of mine gave me.  He provides the venison, I’m kicking in the pork to mix with it as well as the seasonings and we’ll split the product.  When I’m done, I’ll have made about 40 pounds of summer sausage at a cost of $2 a pound.  I’ll keep half of it, which means I’ll have plenty for holiday and football gatherings. Fist pump for making sausage, and my favorite posts of the week! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump The Top […] Read more »

We’re headed to GreekFest, a local event held each year in our city, this evening.  There will be Greek food, entertainment, and crafts to look at and purchase. It should be a good time paired with some amazing food. This is exactly the sort of event at which I don’t mind spending my hard earned cash. I don’t know how to make Greek food, and the entertainment will be fun to watch – should be fun! What about you, EOD Nation, is there a local event you’re looking forward to? Fist pump for Greek food, and my favorite posts of […] Read more »

This weekend my church is holding a summer event for the community featuring a BBQ contest and slip-n-slides for kids of all ages. I’m loading up a trailer with my smoker and setting up a booth in the parking lot tomorrow morning, as I’m participating in the BBQ contest. There are three categories; Ribs, chicken, and BBQ sauce.  I’m entering all three, and I’m bringing my A Game – wish me luck! Fist pump for BBQ contests and my favorite posts of the week! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump How to Pay Cash for Your Next Car, Even When […] Read more »

Today was an exciting day for my daughter, as we purchased a car for her. As a busy teen, she needs a way to get around, and her blue Ford Focus will definitely do the trick.  We’ll be using the car to teach her new financial lessons, as well as car maintenance skills – both of which will be beneficial for her for the rest of her life. She currently has a  summer job, but will be looking for something new as fall draws near. After all, she’ll be expected to pay for her insurance! Fist pump for new cars, […] Read more »

The hunt for a car has begun.  Not just any car, my daughter’s first car. We want to find that balance between safety, a car she likes, dependability and affordability.  We test drove a Ford Focus today with a backup camera and bluetooth connectivity to her phone. It also had the one major attribute she wanted……it’s blue. Doing some research on it before we think about going any further, but it has potential! Fist pump for first cars, and my favorite posts of the week! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump Should You Be Tracking Your Net Worth? from Young […] Read more »

My wife and I are showing our age today as we have tickets to a concert of the 80’s hair bands Cheap Trick, Journey, and Def Leppard. My wife LOVES Journey and is excited to see them. Of course, we’ll have to remember that standard “captive audience” concert prices will apply to anything we buy at the concert such as $12 adult beverages, $20 event parking, and hot dogs priced more like steak dinner. To get the most value for our money we’ll be parking for free a few miles away and paying $3 each to take the light rail […] Read more »

This weekend is a gift card weekend for my family.  We’ve acquired several gift cards and we’ll be using them all to keep overall out of pocket spending down.  Here’s what we have: Olive Garden ($25) : I got this gift card to help smooth over a situation which left me waiting for my to go order for over 30 minutes. I’ll use this to buy alfredo sauce and breadsticks and make the pasta at home. Local Burger Place ($10) : I got this gift card to help smooth over a situation where a local burger restaurant forgot part of […] Read more »

Picture sitting outside on a warm summer evening on a deck looking out over a vineyard sampling wines while eating a wood fired pizza. To me, that sounds like a fabulous Friday night with friends.  But how much would such an adventure cost?  Turns out, not that much: Wine tasting (10-12 wine samples) : $9 x 2 people (my wife and I)  = $18 Wood fired pizza: $14 Total price of hanging out with friends enjoying wine, pizza, and the outdoors is a measly $32. This winery sits just a few miles outside our city and has been there for […] Read more »

Today is my wife’s birthday! I’m looking forward to spending some time and celebrating with her.  What do you have on tap this weekend? Fist pump for birthdays and my favorite posts of the week! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump How Successful People Achieve Their Goals from One Cent At A Time Money-Spending Decisions: How to Know When to Splurge from MoneyNing 10 Habits to Reach Financial Freedom in a Hurry! from Life and My Finances 8 Free and Cheap Things to Do with Kids This Summer from Beating Broke   Read more »

Today is my wedding anniversary!  22 years ago today, my wife and I tied the knot! I’m planning to take her to her favorite restaurant tonight. It’s the most expensive restaurant in our area, but fear not EOD nation – I’ll be rocking a coupon that will save me $20. One of the best parts of being married is you can be yourself without worry. My wife and I both love to save money, so a coupon doesn’t seem out of place at all – even when we’re dressed up going out for dinner to celebrate our anniversary! Fist pump […] Read more »

There’s a saying that goes something like, “If a man says he’ll do something, he’ll do it. There’s no need to bug him every six months about it.” I felt a little like this recently as it’s been over two months since our automatic garage door opener broke.  I started to replace it, ran into some snags, but kept plodding along.  Then life got busy and it got dropped for awhile.  Well, this weekend, I’m happy to say I finally finished the job, and we have a working automatic garage door opener!  The estimated cost to have a professional do […] Read more »