It’s homecoming weekend!  We purchased my daughter’s dress awhile back as she knew that a group of her friends were all going together.  Traditionally, people going to homecoming go to a fancy restaurant to eat together.  We’re not doing that with our 14 year old. Instead, we’re hosting a dinner for her friends at our home.  The theme of homecoming is “A Tour of Europe” so we’re having a Europe inspired menu including French Toast (french), spaghetti and pasta Alfredo (Italian), etc.  I think you get the idea.  Tori and her friends are excited, and it’ll be fun and frugal! […] Read more »

A few weeks ago, my son had his senior pictures taken.  We just got word from the photographer that the images are ready for us to look at.  From there we will be deciding what we want to buy.  She has a whole list of products and options and I’m a little scared to start adding things up.  I expect to spend some cash on these lifetime mementos, but I don’t have a feel for how much people “usually” spend on something like this?  Anyone out there in the EOD nation that can give some thoughts? In the meantime, get […] Read more »

Welcome to the weekend, EOD Nation!  It’s race weekend again for me, with a 5K Saturday evening and a half marathon Sunday morning.   The good news is the races are in my city so there’s no travel, dining out, or hotel room expenses.  I just have to drive to the start line and have a good time running. Fist pump for inexpensive race weekends….AND my favorite post of the week! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump Credit Card Facts to Scare Your Straight from The Jenny Pincher 7 Powerful Money Rules You Usually Ignore from The Money Principle 17 Staggering […] Read more »

My family and I are headed out of town today for a family event tomorrow.  Family from various parts of the Midwest will be coming together and staying in the same hotel this evening.  As my wife was booking our room, she found that we had accumulated enough points through the hotel chain’s rewards program to get a free night’s stay.  BONUS!  We don’t stay in hotel’s often, but my wife is diligent in making sure we get our points.  This is the first time we’ve accumulated enough points for a free room.  We may be going out of town […] Read more »

Labor Day weekend is here, which for my kids means school starts next week.   The beginning of the school year signals the imminent change of seasons, but also means a change in the household budget.  It’s time to switch over to the school year spending plan which translates to buying less groceries since the kids aren’t home during the day and adding a “school lunch” line to the plan.  It’s not an even exchange as school lunches tend to cost more than the extra groceries I buy for the summer.  It might not be a lot, but it has to […] Read more »

My daughter begins high school this year.  She’s a typical girl, liking all the things girls typically like.  Which means Homecoming in early October has been a hot topic of conversation with her friends for months.  We’ve checked out a few places with no luck.  That all changed last night.  We went to a store in a nearby small town that specializes in dresses for Homecoming and High School Prom.  She instantly found a dress she fell in love with. You could see it in how she smiled, how she twirled in it, and how she looked at herself in […] Read more »

I’m heading up the the Twin Cities this weekend for a Metallica concert at the brand new 1.1 Billion dollar US Bank Stadium.  Not only do I get to see some of my favorite bands play, but I get to see them in the new home of the Minnesota Vikings.  Being the money freak that I am, I’m interested to see what the prices for refreshments will be.  I’m assuming they’re going to be high, but then again I’ve read stories about other venues trying to be more wallet friendly and slashing prices at the concession stands. Fist pump for […] Read more »

The first NFL preseason game of the 2016-2017 season, The Hall Of Fame Game, was supposed to be last weekend.  Unfortunately it was cancelled due to unplayable field conditions.  I was very disappointed.  That disappointment will come to an  end tonight as my Minnesota Vikings take the field for their first scheduled preseason game of the season!  Thus begins a full six months of football gatherings with friends! Fist pump for football, and my favorite posts of the week! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump Deprivation Is Not Part Of The Journey from The Frugal Cottage Three Simple Steps to […] Read more »

After visiting a handful of college campuses, my son selected his first choice.  My wife and I helped him fill out, and submit his college application.  I told him my wish was for him to graduate from college and start his adult life debt free.  Even if  that means taking out student loans but my wife and I paying them back for him,  starting his life with a clean slate is something that I really want for him.  Something tells me there’s going to be a lot of articles here on EOD about student loans and saving money while in […] Read more »

Yesterday my wife and I took our son on his first college visit to a nearby campus that he is interested in.  He got his first look at what a college campus looks like, including a dorm room.  After the tour, there was a presentation which included a ton of information about the college, including the average cost per year.  I knew college was expensive, and the number wasn’t unexpected, but with my son entering his senior year of high school the reality of it all hit me pretty hard.  Helping our kids through college is going to be a […] Read more »

Walking through the aisle at Walmart, my head snapped as if I had been slapped in the face.  What in the world are school supplies doing out already?  Summer is just getting rolling, isn’t it?  The calendar tells me otherwise. Which means it’s time to start setting aside funds for back to school supplies and clothes.   We’ve got a few weeks to stockpile some cash, but it’s going to come quickly. Are you ready for the coming school year? I don’t know if I can fist pump for the coming school year, but I sure can for my favorite posts […] Read more »

Happy Friday, EOD Nation!  Not only is it Friday, but it’s pay day.  My wife and I have fallen off the cash only weekends bandwagon, and we’ve decided that we’re jumping back on THIS WEEK.  Therefore, I’m heading to the ATM to withdraw this weekend’s spending money.  I’m excited to get back to what makes us most successful in handling our finances….here we go! Fist pump for cash only! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump How to Balance Your Checking Account from Couple Money What I Lose When I Bring My Lunch to Work from Frugal Rules Being Rich Eliminates […] Read more »

I hope everyone had a great 4th of July!  My family’s big plans consisted of……well…..not much.  We picked up a friend of my son’s at the airport and went to the Mall Of America indoor theme park (using all day wristbands that I got for over half off through my employer…SCORE!).  Then we came home, grilled, and watched our city’s fireworks from a hill in a park behind our house.  They were kind of far away, but there were also plenty of people around us that were shooting off fireworks, and we enjoyed them all.  Cheap theme park wristbands, and […] Read more »