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 »

The weekend with our big annual party is here!   I’ve been on vacation from my day job, but it hasn’t felt like vacation.  I’ve been cleaning, smoking meat, and decorating all day every day.   It’s been important to me to make the time to get my marathon training in too, however.  I’ve also found a little time to do some blog reading. So enjoy your holiday weekend, and my favorite posts of the week!   Posts That Make Me Fist Pump Showing yourself Financial Forgiveness from Frugal Rules How to build a Life you don’t have to Retire […] Read more »

I’m on vacation next week from my day job.  I’ll spend the entire week cleaning, organizing, and shopping for our annual Memorial Weekend Party which takes place next weekend.   Most importantly, I’ll be firing up my smoker almost every day to create some smokey yummy goodness for the party. That’s my fist pump for the week, what’s yours? Posts That Make Me Fist Pump It’s A Way of Life, Not an Event from Frugal Rules 8 Delicious & Frugal Grill Recipes! from Bargain Babe How would you like to be debt free, forever? from Debt Discipline Wants Vs. Needs – […] Read more »

This weekend brings us Mother’s Day 2015.  I’ll be traveling to see my mom to honor her in appreciation of all the wonderful things she’s done for me, and for the great mom she is. Check out my favorite posts of the week, but DO NOT forget to fist pump for your mom this weekend!   Posts That Make Me Fist Pump How to deal with expensive friends from Get Rich Slowly What Does Financial Independence Look Like? from Young Adult Money How to Talk About Finances With Your Significant Other from DINKS Finance Why You Need Life Insurance, Especially […] Read more »

My post from Monday participated in the Financial Literacy Awareness Carnival hosted over at The Heavy Purse.  If that wasn’t awesome in it’s own right, the post then got picked up over at Rockstar Financials.  Lifehacker is known to pull great content from Rockstar, so my mind was completely blown when my article got picked up and referenced at Lifehacker as well!  Super, duper cool. On a completely unrelated subject, I told my son that he could keep his first two paychecks from his first part-time job to do with whatever he pleased.  After that we’ll talk about paying for […] Read more »

I’ve had one of those weeks where I find myself extremely thankful for my career.  I’ve been consciously taking note of the interesting and cutting edge things that I’m doing, and can’t help but want to put my heart and soul into doing the very best I can.   Enjoying my job sure makes it easy to get out of bed in the morning.  Hopefully that will translate into some sweet pay increases. That would definitely be worth a fist pump! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump How to Be a Conscious Spender from Debt Roundup Do You Need A Budget? […] Read more »

Last weekend we had a birthday party for our daughter – she turned 13!!!!  Vonnie and I are now the proud parents of TWO teenagers.  We bought a huge roll of contractor’s plastic and built a “splatter paint cube” in our garage.  It was actually our daughter’s idea….but we made it come to life.  Tori and her friends each got a container with washable paint and a brush.  They went in the cube and threw paint everywhere.  They had a blast.  It turned out to be more expensive than we had anticipated, so this weekend is a “lay low” weekend. […] Read more »

Tuesday night, my son brought home from work his very first paycheck.  It was for the 8.5 hours he was in training, and he received a paper paycheck as his direct deposit hadn’t taken effect yet.  When I asked him if he knew what to do with the check, he shook his head, “No.”  I explained to him how to endorse a check, and what he would do once he got to the bank.  I could see his eyes glaze over, so I asked him if he wanted me to go with him.  He said, “Yes.”  Looks like a financial […] Read more »

I love new opportunities, and over the last two weeks I’ve had one land on my lap.  I’ve found a new writing client to replace one parted ways with towards the end of 2014.   Vonnie and I will have to sit down and figure out what this means for our budget, making sure that we put the income to good use. That definitely deserves a fist pump, so get your hands up and give me a “one time” on this glorious Friday! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump 4 Ways To Put Your Budget Back on Track from Eyes On […] Read more »

I was taking a final look at my tax return before I sealed the manilla envelope and put it in our fireproof filing cabinet.  I couldn’t help but notice how much I earned last year with my blogging and online adventures.  I earned more as a part-time freelance writer in 2014 than any previous year.   There are limitless ways that a person can make some extra money – in fact our friends over at The Penny Hoarder recently compiled quite a list of side hustles that could fit nicely with any lifestyle.  Substantial income increases at my primary job have […] Read more »