I’m happy to report that I successfully completed my taxes.  Submitted, approved, and paid for.  WHEW, it’s nice to have that off my back.  Now it’s time to turn my attention to saving and planning for our annual Memorial Weekend party.  This seems very appropriate given it’s the first day of Spring. Wait, what?  First day of Spring? That deserves a fist pump all on it’s own….. Posts That Make Me Fist Pump Living On Credit Cards from Live Real, Now Experience over the Event from Debt Discipline Here’s Why You’re Broke: A Sense of Entitlement from Club Thrifty How […] Read more »

It doesn’t seem that long ago that I was riding my bike to clock in at my first job at a Snyder Drug.  This week my son landed his first job at a grocery store.   The store is part of a national chain, therefore puts it in the “large employer” category as far as the great state of Minnesota is concerned requiring it to pay a minimum wage of $8.00 per hour.  My son and I had talked about this previously, as he had been curious as to how much he would expect to earn once he found his first […] Read more »

Vonnie and I had a little getaway planned for tonight.  We were going to take the afternoon off, and head to the Minneapolis/St Paul metropolitan area and spend the afternoon together, and then go to a Nickelback/The Pretty Reckless concert tonight.  We had our bags packed, and ready to go.  I had my list of trip preparation items that needed to be done this morning ready to rock, when we found out the concert has been postponed due to a family emergency.   Bummer. I called the hotel to cancel, however their policy is that we would have had to […] Read more »

When I changed our medical coverage for 2015 to a high deductible PPO with a Health Savings Account, I wasn’t sure if I had made the right choice.  Yesterday I took Tristan and Tori into the optometrist for eye exams, new glasses for Tori,  contact lenses for Tristan, and a bill of several hundred dollars.  Between my contributions and seed money from my employer we had $1000 in our HSA.  I simply swiped my HSA debit card, and walked away with zero out of pocket expenses. I think that deserves a fist pump, just like the following posts! Posts That […] Read more »

Vonnie and I are hosting a get together for her side of the family tomorrow.  Of course I found it as a fantastic reason to offer to fire up the smoker and make pulled pork.  Not only is it delicious, but it’s an relatively inexpensive way to make a large quantity of great food for a largish gathering.  If you ever find yourself in South Eastern Minnesota, let me know and I’ll throw some wood in the smoker, fire up some home made BBQ sauce and show you what I mean. Fist pump for BBQ! Posts That Make Me Fist […] Read more »

Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, and the pressure is OFF.  Well, at least I think it is…..Vonnie and I were talking to some friends about our monthly pot luck get together and we decided to do it on Valentine’s Day.  Vonnie thought spending Vday with friends having a great time was a perfect alternative to the consumerism based holiday it’s become.  But is a trap?  Hmmmm, maybe I better have a backup plan. What are you doing for Valentine’s Day? Posts That Make Me Fist Pump What Does Payday Mean to You? from See Debt Run 3 Golden Rules for Managing […] Read more »

I can’t get enough these days of motivational posts that challenge people to be the best they can be.  This week’s fist pumping posts are full of just that kind of material.  So get warmed up, you’re gonna need those arms to be good and loose. I also had the honor of sharing my story via Loan Now this week, where I also shared my thoughts on debt in general, and my advice to others who are looking to better their financial situation. Happy Friday, EOD nation, see you back here on Monday! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump Success […] Read more »

I always enjoy sharing the story of my wife and I paying off our credit card debt, and this week I was able to do so twice!  Our story was featured this week in a post on US News and World Report Money, as well as in a post by my friend and fellow blogger Paula Pant over at Afford Anything.  Links to both posts are in the Shameless Self Promotion section below – check ’em out!   If that’s not enough to get your fist pumping, then check out my favorite posts of the week! Posts That Make Me […] Read more »

Today is my son’s 16th birthday!  We have him scheduled to take his road test next week, and as you might expect he’s excited about it.  Having a driver’s license will bring him a whole new level of freedom and mobility.  It will also bring with it extra expenses.  Our insurance is going up, and he’ll need to pay for gas if he wants to get around.   As a 16 year old he now has many more options to get his first part-time job.  In addition to filling the gas tank, he has things he wants to buy, including his […] Read more »

 Happy Friday, EOD Nation!  Recently I wrote a post about Gazelle intensity, and how I needed to channel my inner gazelle to save up for a projected tax bill come April.  I had thought that I would need to save about $7000, however after recalculating I believe it’s actually $5500.  Christmas kind of put a slowdown on the savings, but we have been able to put away $1500 towards the effort.  That means we need to save $1000 in each of the first four months of the year to make it happen.  I’ve done the calculations, and have a budget […] Read more »

As it’s the first part of January, the blogosphere is filled with posts about New Year’s resolutions, how to set them, and how to achieve them.  It’s interesting to read so many different perspectives.  It’s a subject that saturates blogs at the beginning of every year, but to tell you the truth, I can’t get enough of them.  I even wrote my own of sorts, and just want to remind all of you of my own viewpoint on the matter.  If you want to achieve any goal in life, keep these things in mind: Take constant action each and every […] Read more »

Happy New Year, EOD Nation!  Today is back to reality day.   The holidays that consume the second half of December are over, and while I and the kids are still on vacation today, the wheels of routine begin to turn.  We will begin to tackle the mountain of laundry that has accumulated, a grocery shopping trip is in the works, and a full blow budget marathon is on tap.  The checkbook needs reconciling, bills need to be paid, and a course needs to be set for 2015.  I feel the winds of normalcy beginning to blow, and that it itself […] Read more »

The presents are opened, the wrapping paper crumpled up and thrown away, and new items assembled – yes, my friends Christmas is now over.  We have even completed our traveling for the season.  All that I have in front of me is a week of complete and unadulterated vacation with absolutely nothing to do.  Whatever will I do with myself?  I have a few things on tap: Relax Get in some great workouts Relax Clean the house Relax Spend time with my family Relax I’m hoping you see a pattern here.  The point is to get a few things done, […] Read more »

Here it is, the weekend before Christmas.  Or as I like to call it, The Calm Before The Storm.  Next week is a short school and work week, and then the entire Pizel family is off for the remainder of the year.  There will be presents to open, traveling to do, and family to see.  I will enjoy the time off, and spending time with family, but I’ll give myself until Sunday before I’ve gone completely bat shit crazy because of the lack of my normal routine.  Yes, I’m majorly Type A, and the struggle is going to be very […] Read more »