I was looking forward to a three day Labor Day holiday weekend, but then I received an email from my management giving me Friday off as well.  Four day weekend! I’m going to relax, fire up the grill, and work on staining my deck.  Looking forward to NFL football starting next weekend! Fist pump for long, relaxing, productive weekends, and my favorite posts of the week! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump What Is a Credit Union? from Club Thrifty Do Waiters Always Deserve the Tip? from Money Ning 23 Ways to Make Money as a Teen from Debt Discipline […] Read more »

In Monday’s post, I declared my wife and I were on a spending freeze. We have an activity this weekend, and we wanted all the discretionary funds in our checking account available.  Therefore, the goal was to not spend any money during this week. I promised I would provide an update in today’s post, so let’s see how we did. Did we touch our checking account?  Nope, no money was spent from our checking account. That means we didn’t spend any money, right?  Not exactly….let me clarify. The goal that started as a complete spending freeze, was redefined as a […] Read more »

My wife and I are officially empty nesters. It doesn’t seem like that should be possible, but yesterday we moved our daughter to college.  Both our kids are at college leaving us with only a cat at home with us.  I’m sad that our kids are no longer at home, but excited for what comes next for both our kid and my wife and I. One thing I do know is we’ll have to re-evaluate our budget once we see how one less person in the house affects utility and grocery bills. Fist pump for maybe lowering some budget expenditures […] Read more »

Earlier this year I began a quest to improve my steak grilling abilities. My goal was to learn how to make steaks so well, that my wife would never want to go out to eat for steak again.  I believe I have achieved that goal. This weekend, I’m putting those skills to use.  I plan to buy some USDA Prime rated fillet mignon steaks from Costco and fire up the grill.  Great food and much less expensive than eating out! Fist pump for a great steak, and my favorite posts of the week! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump Costco […] Read more »

EOD Nation, I am glad to be home.  I spent the early part of the week on vacation with friends on a lake, and after coming home and unpacking immediately left again for an overnight family event. I’m now ready to spend time at home catching up on yard projects, getting in some good work outs, and cooking some delicious meals at home.  I need some time for my brain, and my wallet to recover! Fist pump for mental and financial recovery, and my favorite posts of the week! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump How to Stay Fit Without […] Read more »

I have a date tonight!  Well, my wife and I have a date with our son and his girlfriend.  They both recently turned 21 and we’re taking them to a local vineyard for a wine tasting and brick oven pizza.  It’s not terribly expensive, but it will be great bonding time with our son and his girlfriend. Fist pump for quality time with family, and my favorite posts of the week! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump 7 Amazing Frugal First Dating Ideas from One Cent At A Time How to Find a New Job During COVID from Young Adult […] Read more »

As always, I’m looking for ways to maximize my enjoyment of the weekend while minimizing spending.  Tonight we’ve been invited to cruise the Mississippi River on a boat with some friends.  We’ll bring along a few beverages and snacks, but otherwise it’s low cost, high enjoyment.  Then, later this weekend I’ll be firing up my smoker to make three racks of ribs and having dinner with friends.  The ribs will cost about $30, but that’s super cheap for a fun time with friends. Fist pump for frugal, fun, summer activities, AND my favorite posts of the week! Posts That Make […] Read more »

Happy relaxing Friday, EOD Nation!  I’m currently on vacation with family.  I’m spending my days cruising a lake on a pontoon boat, casting my fishing line into the water, and firing up the grill. I’ve got a few days left until I roll back into real life, but until then I’m going to enjoy every drop of relaxation I can! Fist pump for relaxing vacations, and my favorite posts of the week! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump Does Stockpiling Cost You Money? The Effects of Stress on Your Finances 17 Best Personal Finance Books to Read of All Time […] Read more »

It’s gonna be a hot Fourth of July weekend in Minnesota, but we’re still planning on having a few friends over to hang out for the afternoon.  Our city’s fireworks display has been cancelled (Booooo) but we typically have plenty of private displays visible from our back yard.  I’ll be firing up the grill for some marinated brats and hamburgers, and one of our friends are making watermelon mojitos.  We’ll have other stuff as well.  Looking forward to a low key but fun Fourth of July! Fist pump for ‘Murica, and my favorite posts of the week! Posts That Make […] Read more »

Emergency funds are on my mind today, EOD Nation. There’s even a link to an article about the need for emergency funds in this week’s favorite articles. The reason it’s on my mind, however, is my sprinkler system.  It’s been fairly rainy in Minnesota so far this season, but as we enter July and August things get hot and dry. So I decided it was time to turn on my system.  Unfortunately, there appears to be a problem with the system. Water is being fed into the system, the control panel indicates the system is on when I attempt to […] Read more »

I held out as long as I could, but I finally decided to turn on my sprinkler system for the summer as my grass is looking a little dry. That tends to happen as June turns into July and we enter the warmer and dryer portion of the season. Unfortunately, after opening the water valves, plugging in my control unit and turning on the system, nothing happened.  Something is wrong with my sprinkler system and someone will have to come out and diagnose what is wrong with it and tell me how much it will cost to fix it.  The […] Read more »

On June 1st restaurants in Minnesota were allowed to reopen, although with restrictions.  Outdoor seating only can be used, and capacity is limited to a maximum of 50 people. I made a reservation for my wife and I, along with two of our friends to eat at our favorite restaurant.  It was a warm evening, and the sun was directly in my line of sight, but I didn’t care.  It was nice to be out, and feel a little bit more normal. I didn’t even mind the bill, since it had been so long since we’d had a full meal […] Read more »

Today is my daughter’s high school graduation day. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she will not be having the traditional graduation ceremony.  Her school is holding a “drive up” ceremony in which each family (one car per family) drives through the school parking lot.  When a car reaches the front of the school, the graduate gets out, walks up on a stage and receives their diploma.  They then walk off the stage where a photographer will take their picture next to a stone panther (the school mascot) before the graduate gets back in their car. Given the restrictions our state […] Read more »

Memorial Day weekend is when my wife and I throw a party in celebration of the start of summer.  It started as a house warming party for our first house with a few family members and has grown to last year’s event attended by over 180 people. This year would have been the 24th consecutive year.  Then along came a little thing we call COVID-19.  We’ll be saving money by not have a huge party, but honestly…..I’d rather have the party. At least we can fist pump for my favorite posts of the week! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump […] Read more »