I’m soooo excited about this weekend, friends! I am participating in a BBQ contest at my church.  I’ll spend the entire day smoking ribs and chicken which will be judged later in the afternoon.  Then, the food is fed to neighborhood folks that come to enjoy sliding on a slip-n-slide.  It’s an opportunity for me to fire up the smoker, enjoy the day with other meat smoking enthusiasts, and participate in a community outreach program for my church. Fist pump for BBQ, fun, and my favorite posts of the week! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump 5 Sacrifices that can […] Read more »

Happy Friday, EOD Nation! I’m pumped because my monthly budget is about to get an infusion of extra cash.  I have two installment loans with their last payment this month, adding hundreds of dollars to our discretionary funds each month. We haven’t figured out exactly what we’ll do with these funds, but likely there will be a bump to our monthly retirement and emergency fund contributions as well as just having more money in our pockets.  Life is good! Fist pump for cash infusions and my favorite posts of the week! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump How to Afford […] Read more »

I went to get my van’s oil changed and came home with my wallet $150 lighter than expected. I had forgotten my van was also due for a transmission service. Since I’d rather pay for the service than to have a more catastrophic transmission problem, I had it done. It made me think about one of my favorite posts from this week (listed below) about saving for car maintenance.  If only I had followed THAT advice…. Get your fists up for my favorite posts! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump How to Budget the Easy Way from DINKS Finance 5 […] Read more »

My daughter, who eventually wants to become an RN and/or a midwife earned her Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) certificate a few months ago, and has recently had a few interviews at nearby nursing homes. She has one offer on the table, and expects to get another in the next few days.  Must be nice, being 17 and having job offer options… Fist pump for my daughter getting her medical career off to a great start, and my favorite posts of the week! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump How to Budget on a Small Income from Club Thrifty Low Effort […] Read more »

I’m currently camping with friends and family at a four day music festival but that won’t stop me from sharing my favorite posts of the week, OR saving money! Concerts and festivals usually jack up the price of everything knowing they have you as part of a captive audience (meaning you don’t have a choice as to where you buy your bottle of water – either it’s from them, or you just don’t get it). But even here there are some ways to save money and make every dollar go as far as it can. One such method is buying […] Read more »

We’re getting together with friends tonight for a shrimp boil.  Everyone is contributing something to the boil and we have several people in the group that have experience with doing them.  It should be fun and frugal, not to mention delicious. Fist pump for shrimp boils and my favorite posts of the week! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump 9 Legit Ways Make Money on the Weekends from Frugal Rules Why I’m Feeling Guilty Spending Money from MoneyNing Guaranteed Ways to Save Money on Groceries from Red Debted Stepchild 6 Warning Signs you’re Living Beyond your Means from Create My […] Read more »

Yesterday was Independence Day – Happy Birthday America!  I didn’t do any of the usual 4th of July stuff. No grilling out, no being outside playing games, and I might have seen one or two fireworks explode out my living room window, but I wasn’t really paying attention.  I did go to the new Spiderman movie with my wife, brother-in-law and sister-in-law, and then hit up some favorite restaurants for a few happy hours. While it wasn’t the traditional 4th of July sort of activities, it was exactly what I wanted to do – spend time with loved ones, enjoying […] Read more »

After a relatively cool start to the summer, this weekend looks to be a scorcher here in Minnesota. My wife and I will be celebrating our 23rd wedding anniversary, and we’ll be hanging out with friends on a boat doing some tubing and waterskiing.  I love summer! Fist pump for summer, anniversaries and my favorite posts of the week! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump 4 Ways to Make Sure Your Bills Get Paid On Time from Beating Broke Step Up Your Grilling Game With These BBQ Blogs from Clever Dude Your Emergency Fund: Why You Need One And How […] Read more »

I’m excited to run a half marathon this weekend. As race day approaches, I’ve been peppered with the customary questions  from people wondering why I put myself through such an ordeal. My answer is really two parts.  First, I like running.  I like the feeling of accomplishment, the fact that it takes both physical and mental strength to finish. Second, as one of my favorite motivational speakers like to say, we should all do difficult things. Doing difficult things gives you the mental perspective that you can do anything you put your mind to.  Running a long race once or […] Read more »

I was reminded this week how valuable good insurance is.  My daughter had her wisdom teeth taken out, total bill coming to about $2500.  After my insurance was applied, my bill was $513, which I paid for with pre-tax funds from my HSA.  Since the HSA funds were deducted from my paychecks, I can’t say the procedure required zero out of pocket funds.  But I can say not one penny was taken out of checking or savings, and there was zero impact to my monthly budget. Fist pump for good insurance, HSA funds, and my favorite posts of the week! […] Read more »

We’re rolling up on another weekend, EOD Nation!  My neighbors have twin girls graduating from high school this year, and their graduation party is tomorrow.  They’re doing brunch for food, and asked if I would make omelets for their guests using a propane fueled flattop in their garage.  Cooking omelets on a flattop outside?  That’s an emphatic “YES” for me.  Can’t wait! Fist pump for omelets and my favorite posts of the week! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump Tipping On Carryout Orders – Yay Or Nay? from Money Beagle How to Sell Your Old Mobile Devices for Cash from […] Read more »

Today, another school year comes to a close, and with it several pieces of exciting news. First, since my wife works for the school district, she doesn’t have to go to work for three months, but she still gets paid. The school district prorates her pay for 9 months of work across all 12 months.  The fact that she doesn’t have to get up and go to work doesn’t change our budget one bit. Second, my son started a new job this week!  He got a job doing IT work for a partnership between his university and a local technology […] Read more »

Party weekend is here! It’s our 23rd annual Memorial Weekend party. We’ve stayed mostly on budget, with one unplanned expenditure – we bought a 10×20 tent for some extra shade. The good thing is it’s an item we can use over and over. Party prep is kicking into high gear, and the weather looks fantastic this weekend! Fist pump for staying on budget (mostly), good food, friends and family…..oh and my favorite posts of the week! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump Common Misconceptions about Student Loans from Young Adult Money Fixed-Rate Versus Variable-Rate Loans from Well Kept Wallet Consider […] Read more »

My wife and I are again throwing our annual Memorial Weekend Summer Kick Off Party next weekend.  Therefore, this weekend is cleaning weekend, including some carpet cleaning and window washing. I’ll busting out a bucket of water and my carpet cleaner.  I could hire someone to do these tasks, but why would I do that when I can do them myself? Fist pump for DIY cleaning, AND my favorite posts of the week!   Post That Make Me Fist Pump Prevent Costs By Replacing Items Before They Fail from Money Beagle Things that make your life better for under $50 […] Read more »