Our house was built 12 years ago, and there’s some rooms that have never been repainted, including a lower level living room.  I’m taking today off, and my dad is staying with me for a few days to give it a nice fresh coat of paint.  I’m not the most skilled painter, but my dad is very experienced.  I’m looking forward to spending some time with my dad, picking up some great painting tips, and saving some money by doing the painting ourselves. Fist pump for a fresh coat of paint, and my favorite posts of the week! Posts That […] Read more »

May is going to be a busy, busy month. We’ve got a trip to Austin, Texas planned for a gaming tournament my son wants to go to.  Our daughter is getting confirmed, and we have our annual Memorial Weekend party.  So, I’m very much looking forward to the next couple of weekends of not doing much both physically AND monetarily. Fist pump for a quiet weekend, and exciting May, and my favorite posts of the week! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump Escaping the 30-Year Mortgage Trap from Club Thrifty 6 Ways to Save at the Grocery Store Without Coupons […] Read more »

Yesterday was my daughter’s birthday.  Since she turned 14, and it was the 14th of the month, it’s apparently called her golden birthday.  I had never heard of this until I met my wife, but I guess it’s a thing.  My wife planned a surprise party for her, having all her friends meet at Olive Garden (my daughter’s favorite restaurant). I brought her there under the impression it would just be a few family members.  She was very much surprised.  My daughter had been vocally worried that we were going to try to throw something together for her birthday at […] Read more »

Greetings from the road to Florida!  I’m writing this in a hotel room in Bloomington-Normal, Illinois as my family and I make our way to Florida for a much needed family vacation.  We’re looking forward to having a week of fun in the sun, while still being budget minded. Here’s to vacations, and to my favorite posts of the week!   Posts That Make Me Fist Pump How To Budget Successfully as a Couple from Couple Money Five Ways You are Secretly Overspending from Master The Art Of Saving The True Cost of Wasting Money on Getting Wasted from Blonde […] Read more »

Yesterday I woke up to 10.5 inches of snow on the ground from a late season snowstorm.  Although I once wrote a post hailing the money saving simplicity of using a shovel, I fired up my snowblower and made quick work of the pile of snow on my driveway.  What made it even sweeter?  The fact that my snowblower was given to me for FREE.  My father gave it to me as it was old (they’ve had it since I was in 7th grade, which makes it….gulp….30 years old!) and very heavy.  He purchased a newer, lighter version that was […] Read more »

Welcome to the weekend, EOD Nation!  This is the weekend where I put my 2015 taxes behind me.  I’ve already gathered all the information needed, and purchased/installed the software on my computer.  At this point it’s just a matter of plugging in the information and filing.  With taxes out of the way, I can focus on our vacation to Florida in two weeks! Fist pump for getting taxes done, vacation, AND my favorite posts of the week – including a shameless plug to my latest BBQ post! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump I Can’t Pay My Taxes: What Should […] Read more »

In less than three weeks the Pizel family will be loading up the van and heading to Florida.  Our accommodations are paid for, and we’ve been saving up our spending money.  In my last paycheck I got an extra bump due to some patent activity awards that came in.  That’s extra cash that will definitely come in handy on our trip! Fist pump for bonus cash, and for my favorite posts of the week! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump Gently Used Car from Debt Discipline 4 Tips To Stop Living Paycheck To Paycheck from MoneyNing 5 Simple Ways To […] Read more »

I’ve got a treat for you today, EOD Nation!  This debt thing that we talk about here on EOD isn’t just a US thing….it’s worldwide.  I’ve got a friend who lives in the UK who put her nose to the grindstone and paid off a ridiculous amount of debt.  Now, she wants to share how she did it, and how you can apply the same principles to rid your life of debt FOREVER.  Part one of a multi-post series of how to do it is up right now.  It’s relatable,  it’s detailed, and it comes from her personal experiences.  I […] Read more »

I did something last night that I’ve wanted to do for a very long time.   I registered for a class to become a certified competition BBQ judge!  It’s just a 4 hour class, and I have to travel about an hour north to the University of Minnesota, but it’s going to be so much freaking fun.  I don’t necessarily want to actually judge a competition (although that would be AWESOME).  I thought that learning how BBQ is judged, I might get some tips on what competition BBQ tastes like, and what is expected of it in order to improve my […] Read more »

My family is going on a trip to Florida for spring break at the end of March.  We’re actually going with some family and friends, and we’re renting a house together for the week.  The payment for the house rental is due, so today I’m writing out a check for what we owe.  Paid in full using funds stashed away in the bank because THAT, my friends, is what is possible when you’re not under the crushing weight of debt. Fist pump for vacations paid in full, AND my favorite posts of the week Posts That Make Me Fist Pump […] Read more »

Happy Valentine’s weekend, EOD Nation!  In addition to celebrating love (I hope your plans have been properly vetted for value!), with the end of the NFL season it’s time to construct a project list, and get busy.  My daughter gets confirmed in May, which means a large gathering of family to celebrate the event.  I’m not sure why family gatherings of such proportion requires extra cleaning, painting and other home related projects, but at this point, I just accept it. Fist pump for home projects (what?) and my favorite posts of the week! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump You […] Read more »

Earlier this week brought the end of January, as well as the conclusion of the first month with a reduced blogging workload.  I have to tell you, I didn’t realize just how much of my time it was taking up until  I was able to back off a little due to the promotion and raise received within my full time career.  I had been redlining for a couple of years, and it feels GREAT to have a couple of evenings each week where I don’t do any blogging at all.  As a result, my stress level has plummeted. They say […] Read more »

I’m feeling a little lost about this weekend.  Normally I spend my Saturday grocery shopping, doing my long run, laundry and any cleaning or other tasks that need to be done. I do this so that my Sunday is completely wide open to watch football. Except there is no football on this weekend.  What will I do with myself? Of course I’m being a little tongue in cheek, as I won’t have any problem filling the void with family activities or projects around the home.  Maybe I’ll even fire up my smoker……… Fist pump for firing up the smoker AND […] Read more »

Tomorrow is my son’s birthday.  His 17th birthday.  How did that happen?  I’m almost positive that just a few days ago I was standing on a chair putting up Christmas decorations, telling a young toddler to stop hitting the cat with the staple gun.  That really happened (it was empty, just in case you were concerned).   Tonight he’s having all his friends over for a computer gaming party for a dual celebration as one of the other boys in the group shares the same birthday.  This particular friend has a computer, but it’s not the best for gaming.  So, the […] Read more »