With Thanksgiving now in the rear view mirror, it’s time to dive into Christmas hook, line, and sinker.   The holiday spirit hasn’t quite got a hold of me yet, but we have our neighborhood Christmas party tonight….so maybe that will kick the “Bah, humbug” right out of me.  I do know that it’s time to seriously evaluate our Christmas budget.  We’ve got presents to buy and not a lot of time.  In a perfect world, I’d just sit in front of my computer and order everything online, then just wait for the packages to be delivered to my door. […] Read more »

Welcome to a special Saturday edition of Fist Pump Friday!  Alright, so I admit that the Thanksgiving holiday threw my schedule for for a loop and thus I’m a day late with my usual fist pumping. I also have a confession to make:  I went shopping on Black Friday.  Not the crazy, stand in line for hours to buy a low quality, cheap TV kind of shopping.  There were a handful of things that we found in the ads that were good deals that we wanted so Vonnie and I went around to a small number of stores looking for […] Read more »

Next week is Thanksgiving (Whoohoo!), and then comes the official  beginning of the holiday shopping season.  I choose not to participate in Black Friday.  The last couple of years I wouldn’t have even if I wanted to – I just couldn’t find anything in the ads that were worth my time and energy.  BUT, I know a lot of people do partake in Black Friday shopping in almost traditional like manner.  If you do, do your research and be armed with price and value comparisons to make sure you get the most for your money.  Our friends over at The […] Read more »

My wife is hosting a “Ladies Night In” this weekend at our home.  There will be wine, there’s a person coming in to lead the group in a painting activity, and there will be food catered.  Ok, so caterer is me, but it sounds good doesn’t it?  I get to fire up the smoker and make brisket sliders.  Vonnie asked me yesterday if we wanted to simplify things and just buy pre-made brisket from Costco. “We will not serve imitation brisket,” was my response. In addition to the fact that using my smoker is one of my favorite activities, pre-made […] Read more »

It’s November, and I’m excited!  Why am I excited? I’m so glad you asked. Later this month is my most favorite of all holidays:  Thanksgiving!  I love Thanksgiving, and everything it represents.  I’m a HUGE advocate of being thankful for what I have.  I spend a moment each night recounting what I have to be thankful for that day, but spending an entire Holiday being thankful?  Glorious. The only problem is, Thanksgiving can be expensive.  Families get together, huge meals are prepared and eaten and the wallet gets a workout.  The time to start setting some funds aside is NOW.  […] Read more »

Happy Halloween weekend, EOD Nation! There will be plenty of ghouls, ghosts and goblins out and about this weekend.  Scary stuff, right?  You know what’s not scary? My finances. Yeah, yeah, yeah…I know, stop groaning.  But seriously, on a holiday that’s meant to be full of scary costumes, your finances are nothing to be afraid of.  Turn on the lights, blow the dust off your spending tracking spreadsheet and get to work.  I’m sure there’s plenty of us that could stand to give our budget a thorough scrubbing.  Am I right? I think it’s worth a fist pump…. Posts That […] Read more »

Last night Vonnie got her hair colored, and since it was all styled we felt like checking out a new restaurant that recently opened in the area.  As you well know, I’m not a huge fan of restaurants, but they did have  chimichurri beef skewers on their appetizer menu.  Since this was something I hadn’t ever had, it fit the bill (no pun intended) of a justified meal out.  That and my wife looked smokin’ HOT.   Even more than usual. On the way home, she asked me how we could possibly be OK with our entertainment spending.  She had just […] Read more »

After a few weeks of above average temperatures, fall definitely hit Minnesota this week.  It’s still been pleasant with highs in the 50’s and 60s but with talk of freezing temperatures during the nighttime, and leaves falling from the trees, the colder weather is here to stay.  Which means it’s time to close down my sprinkler system for the season. For years I borrowed an air compressor from one of several friends or neighbors that own one.  Last year was the first year I actually paid someone to come and do it for me, and I did it again this […] Read more »

I received an email last night from my daughter’s middle school orchestra teacher reminding us the instrument rental contract and fee was due today.  This was news to us since we had received zero previous correspondence regarding the contract and fee.  We knew it was coming, but this year has been different from other years.  Every other year the teacher has been at schedule pick up day at the end of Summer.  We pay our fee then along with all the other beginning of the school year fees.  Except this year, she wasn’t there.  There was a sign that indicated […] Read more »

My favorite weekend of Fall is here!  It’s Twin Cities Marathon (TCM) weekend!  I’m not running the marathon this year….but I am running.  A. Lot.  I have a 10K and 5K tomorrow (Saturday) and a 10 mile on Sunday.  I’m hoping to fist pump across the finish line just as I did when completed the marathon last year (it’s the picture I use for my Friday posts)!!!! After this weekend, I’m looking forward to things slowing down for awhile. The big calendar on the fridge shows no plans for the remaining weekends of the month.    I’m hoping to do […] Read more »

Last weekend I ran a half marathon in my hometown of Rochester, MN, finishing in a personal best 1:51:07 – 23 seconds faster than my goal time!  Next weekend I head up to the Twin Cities area (about an hour north) to run three races (5K, 10K, and a half marathon) during Twin Cities Marathon weekend.  Sandwiched in the middle is this weekend…..which I plan on using to sand my deck and spend as little as possible to save up for next weekend.   I’m hoping to again avoid the temptation of buying some not-needed shoe insoles.  LOL. Fist pump […] Read more »

Happy Friday, EOD Nation! I’ve been looking forward to this weekend for quite awhile as I am running a half-marathon on Sunday.  I’ve never raced this distance before, so it should be fun.  Then, two weeks from now I run several races in an event called “The Looney Challenge” during Twin Cities Marathon Weekend.  I run a 10K on Saturday (October 3rd) at 7:30, then run a 5K right away again at 9:00am.  After that, I run a 10 mile on Sunday, October 4th. The good news is that the race entry fees are already paid for, and this weekend’s […] Read more »

First Friday of the school year!  Vonnie works mornings as a paraprofessional at an elementary school, and afternoons at the local public defender’s office.  But, she doesn’t work the afternoon job on Fridays, so we have a standing lunch date.  That means today is lunch with my wife day! YEAH! But before I head out to pick up my lunch date, I’ll be stopping by the ATM and withdrawing our weekend entertainment funds.  All Cash, All Weekend! Fist pump for cash, and for my favorite posts of the week! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump How to Choose Your Splurges […] Read more »

One more week, and the next school season will be underway.  While that means that my mornings become very busy with making breakfast and getting kids off to school, I can’t wait for the checkbook bleeding to stop.   Pictures, yearbooks, school supplies, clothes, you name it,  I’ve paid for it.   I can’t wait to get back on a firm schedule, both in day to day living and with our spending. Fist pump for schedules, and my favorite posts of the week! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump Are Your Finances Out of Control? from Club Thrifty Why Failure Totally Rocks! […] Read more »