The calendar says August, but with temperatures in the 50’s in the great state of Minnesota this morning, the weather vehemently disagrees.  When I was a kid, I frequently had the common argument many have with their parents.  The house is too cold in winter, and too hot in summer.  “When you pay the bills, you’ll understand,” I was told.  I always said when I had my own home, I would be comfortable whatever the cost.  I’ve lived up to my promise.  My AC hardly ever is turned off in the summer.  However with the cool temperatures this weekend I’m […] Read more »

My wife and I are reliving our teenage years today by going to see the hard-rock group Tesla in concert.   I thought they were just OK, but they’re one of my wife’s favorite bands of all time.  So, when we heard they were going to be playing in a nearby city we bought tickets and made plans to go.  Time to get out the leather pants and snakeskin boots! Fist pump for loud hard rock, AND my favorite posts of the week! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump How to Create an Automated Budget Using Tiller from Young Adult Money […] Read more »

A BBQ contest was held at my place of employment earlier this week.  Twelve chefs made pulled pork (as per the rules) and 175 people sampled the food and voted for their favorites.  Everyone was given 3 tickets, voters could distribute the tickets however they wished.  The chef with the most votes was…..wait for it….ME!  I won the competition by 1 vote! Fist pump for Award Winning BBQ, AND my favorite posts of the week! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump 4 Favorite Ways People Overspend from MoneyNing Hate Budgeting? Why You Should Do it Anyway from Everything Finance The […] Read more »

One way you can tell your kids are growing up is when their spending outpaces their allowance.  My 15 year old daughter goes to the occasional movie or visits a convenience store with her friends to buy snacks, but her passion is shopping for new clothes.  No allowance within the realm of reason can fund a teenage girl’s desire for new clothes.  I was pleasantly surprised when my daughter stated she needed a job.  This shows that she understands the concept of having to work to earn the cash needed to buy the things she wants in life.  The problem […] Read more »

It’s been a busy summer with my son’s graduation, college orientation, a wedding anniversary, a trip to a cabin by a lake for the 4th of July, and the grand finale being my wife’s birthday yesterday.   It was a lot of fun, but with all of that behind us, I’m ready to coast for a few months.  No big events, no trips, no nothing.  Sounds like a great opportunity to go into low spending mode, enjoy some delicious food off the grill and just enjoy summer! Fist Pump for enjoying summer, AND my favorite posts of the week! Posts That […] Read more »

It’s been a special week, as my wife and I celebrated our 21st wedding anniversary.  Time sure does fly by when you’re having fun!  The celebrating continues as next week is her birthday.  I’m confused how I have been married to a woman for 21 years who is still in her late 20’s.  LOL. Fist pump for anniversaries, birthdays, and my favorite posts of the week! Posts That Make me Fist Pump Beating the Tedious Process of Car Buying from DINKS Finance 7 Money Wasting Habits You Need to End from The Money Principle How to Help Your Kids Develop […] Read more »

My son used some of his graduation money to have sub-woofer put into his car this week.   He did some shopping around and actually decided to go with the more expensive option of having it done professionally over a private party.  After it was installed, an employee of the car audio place walked him through what they did, how to properly use the product, and stated if he had any questions or problems to bring the car back in and they’d take care of him.  My son looked at me and smiled with a, “Yeah, I made the right decision,” […] Read more »

This Sunday is Father’s Day, and you might be thinking of that special dad in your life.  You might even be one of those special dads.  When my wife asked me what I wanted for Father’s Day, I listed two things:  1.) Time.  I want to be allowed to take the time to smoke baby back ribs on the smoker  2.) A new tank top from Walmart that says “Smokin’ Hot Dad” on it, with the picture of smoke billowing from a smoker.  Cost: $5.    In other words I want to be able to spend time doing my favorite hobby […] Read more »

Welcome to Summer Vacation!  Yesterday was the last day of school for my kids, so there’s some unapologetic sleeping in going on this morning.  This also means that our budget has to go into summer mode as well.  We need extra food around for lunches and probably some extra snacks.   After nine months of sandwiches for lunch, my daughter is sick of them, so that will also cause some changes to the grocery shopping list. It’s also time to start saving up for expenses that will be incurred when my daughter starts cheerleading in the fall! Does your budget change […] Read more »

Last weekend, my wife and I officially kicked off Summer with our annual Memorial Weekend Luau.  It also doubled as our son’s graduation party.  He actually graduates next weekend, and we’ll have a small get together for very close family and friends that day, but comparatively speaking it will be extremely low key.  While we do have some things ahead of us in the coming months (college orientation for our son, cheer leading for our daughter,  etc), nothing that requires a huge amount of planning, or funds.  I’m basically kicking up my feet and ready to enjoy a low stress […] Read more »

It’s Memorial Day Weekend, which means we’re in all out party preparation mode.  This year’s party has the added dimension of doubling as our son’s graduation party for friends and neighbors.  It’s looking like a great day for the event tomorrow.  As we get close in on the final details, we have to ensure that we don’t just start blindly spending money.  But don’t worry, I’ve got cash in my wallet ready to keep me in check!  Cash is king! Fist pump for cash, and my favorite posts of the week! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump How to Save […] Read more »

I’m working from home today, with a 20 pound brisket on the smoker.  It’s the largest brisket I’ve ever made so I’m interested in how it turns out.  It’s for our annual Memorial Weekend party (I’ll be freezing the finished product for awhile) and all I can think of is how much cash I’m saving my being able to make this myself.  Roughly speaking, out of a 20 pound brisket (after trimming fat and cooking) I’ll probably get about 12 pounds of meat.  Buying smoked brisket from a BBQ place for catering will run anywhere from $10 to $15 a […] Read more »

I’m writing this later than usual Friday post at my kitchen table with the deck door open.  I can hear lawn mowers around the neighborhood humming away.  Many people get their lawn mowers tuned up in the spring.  A lawn mower spring tune up can cost anywhere from $30 to $50, which adds up year after year.  I’ve never done one, and lawn mowers usually fall apart physically before the engine stops working so they seem to be a waste of money to me.  What do you think EOD nation? Fist pump for spring weather, and my favorite posts of […] Read more »