A few weeks ago I posted a review of the Kaiku prepaid debit card.  Yesterday I read an article from my friend Crystal over at Budgeting in the Fun Stuff (who has also reviewed Kaiku) about a situation in which a reader had an issue with their Kaiku and reached out to Crystal for assistance.  Customer service is a big deal to Kaiku, and the issue was quickly resolved.  Two things to make note of here: Kaiku customer service ROCKS.  As with any company, sometimes issues arise.  The key is how these issues are dealt with, and Kaiku gets […] Read more »

Yesterday the Pizel family headed to Valleyfair, an amusement park about 90 minutes away in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area.  It was our last summertime “hurrah” for family activities.   We arrived 30 minutes after the park opened, and stayed almost until it closed.  I haven’t gone on that many rides in one day in, well….ever.   So. Much. Fun.  How did you say goodbye to summer?   Fist pump for amusement parks, and keep ’em going for my favorite posts of the week! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump Debt Payoff Isn’t Just About Discipline from Fruclassity 3 Tactics to Speed […] Read more »

My wife and I had a great time at a concert last night.  There’s a club in our mid-sized city that works really hard at bringing nationally known hard rock acts to town.  Nothing gets my heart pumping like some great hard rock in a club setting.  So. Much. Fun. The only downside is that it wiped most of our entertainment spending for the weekend.  But have no fear, it’s all been planned for and budgeted!  We have enough left for me to fire up the smoker to make some ribs on Saturday to have some friends over for Minnesota […] Read more »

I got a curious looking letter in the mail this week, but as soon as I opened it up I knew exactly what it meant.  The letter was offering a wide variety of products to display my recently awarded patent.  I have several patent applications in the pipeline through my employer and the notification from them sometimes takes awhile.    This means that once the slow wheels of administration turn far enough there will be a little award bump in my paycheck along with a laminated version of the issued patent for me to put in my leather bound patent binder. […] Read more »

It’s the end of the month, and the beginning of a new budget cycle.  One of my activities today will be to create our budget worksheet for the next two weeks, and make sure Vonnie and I are on the same page. As I started thinking about things that need to be included in our spending plan, I remembered that our car currently has a half a tank of gas, and our van is still over a quarter of a tank. There’s NO WAY we’re using all of our usual gas budget this week.  Is it weird that I’m excited […] Read more »

In last week’s fist pump session, I mentioned I was taking the day off to make a brisket.  I introduced some new things into my process that I had seen on the TV show BBQ Pitmasters, and the result was the best brisket I’ve ever made.  I had a fantastic day tending my smoker, and turning a 16 pound piece of raw beef into something delicious.  The next day, we hosted some friends to help us eat the brisket and play Card Against Humanity.  Overall, the $50 I paid for the brisket provided two days of fun an entertainment, as […] Read more »

I watched an episode of BBQ Pitmasters a few days ago in which the contestants made brisket.  I’m always looking for new tips to help perfect my brisket technique, so I made some notes while I watched.   It put me in the mood to fire up the smoker, so I asked Vonnie if I could make one this weekend.  We agreed to put it in the spending plan.  There’s a chance for storms tomorrow, so I decided to work from home and smoke it today.  All I have to do is throw it in a roaster tomorrow for an hour […] Read more »

It’s been a busy front half of the Summer: Annual Memorial Weekend Party Grandma’s Marathon In Duluth Anniversary 4th Of July Party Vonnie’s Birthday Family Vacation in Wisconsin Dells Whew, I’m worn out, and so is our bank account.  We’ll be coasting the rest of the summer, with no big plans.  That will allow us all to relax, enjoy some good times just hanging out in the summer weather, and for our reserve funds to build back up. Fist pump for coasting the rest of the summer!  What does the rest of YOUR summer look like? Posts That Make Me […] Read more »

Happy almost Independence Day Friday, EOD Nation!  Since the 4th of July falls on a Saturday this year, my employer gives us today off. So what will I be doing today?  Oh, I’m so glad you asked……I’ll be spending it reconciling the checkbook and working with my wife to come up with our spending plan for the next two weeks.  We’re a few days late, but life has been busy lately, and I’m glad to have the day off to play catchup with our financial planning. Tomorrow we’ll be having some friends and family over, busting out the grill, and […] Read more »

Last Saturday, I ran my 5th Marathon in Duluth, MN.  When people talk about running a marathon, they talk about hitting “the wall.”  Well, I didn’t just hit the wall, it fell on me and crushed me. Whew….but I pushed through it and finished in just over 4 hours and 23 minutes.  I had hoped (again) to finish in under 4 hours, but  I misjudged my conditioning.  I’m not too disappointed as I over all we had a GREAT weekend in Duluth seeing the sights and going to a concert.  Next up, I’m training for something called “The Looney Challenge” […] Read more »

Greetings from Duluth, Minnesota!  I’m here doing some site seeing with my wife, and to run Grandma’s Marathon on Saturday.  I was a bit concerned about the weather, as for most of the week the forecast was calling for a 90% chance of rain.  However, as the day gets closer, it sounds like it may rain overnight, but as the race start time approachesthe chance for rain decreases.  Send dry thoughts my way on Saturday – I can’t wait to recap how this marathon (my 5th!) goes! Fist pump for marathon running……and for these awesome posts! Posts That Make Me […] Read more »

Ladies and gentlemen, citizens of the EOD nation, we have arrived at another weekend.  This weekend will be one of rest and relaxation for me.  Next weekend I run my 5th marathon, so  I’ll need all the rest I can get.  Vonnie and I will be spending three days in Duluth, MN so we need to give our bank account some rest and relaxation this weekend as well.   That’s the advantage to thinking ahead and planning your spending weeks in advance:  You have the time to cut back on spending so you have enough funds to have a kick ass […] Read more »

After spending three full days in front of my smoker a few weeks ago making pulled pork and brisket for our annual Memorial Weekend party, I’m once again working from home today smoking pork shoulder.   I love spending the day using my smoker, and I love the fact that my job allows the flexibility to work from home to do it. Add to that the below posts, and we need three HARD fist pumps!  Have a great weekend! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump Just Do You from Budgets Are Sexy Reaching Financial Freedom: Go With Your Gut from Fruclassity […] Read more »

Party weekend was a complete success, a great time was had by all.  I even had some blogger friends from the Twin Cities area make the trip to help celebrate the beginning of summer with us!    I’ve limped my way through the week, as I’m completely exhausted.  I think I need a vacation for my vacation. Now that it’s over, it’s time to get down to business; financially that is.  We did end up spending a little more than we had originally intended, and we’ll have to tighten the screws a little it to make up for it.  It’s time […] Read more »