Happy Friday, and happy weekend EOD Nation!  My wife and I are having a date night tonight, as our favorite acoustic guitar performers is playing at our favorite restaurant.  Of course we’ll be stopping at Costco first to pickup a discounted gift card to save money on our meal. Fist pump for date nights, saving money, and my favorite posts of the week! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump 103 ALDI Special Buys You Need Now from Four Hats And Frugal Save on Groceries by Limiting Junk Food from Beating Broke There Are Two Parts To Your Budget Equation from […] Read more »

We’re getting to the tail end of the high school football season.  What that means in Minnesota is, if your daughter is on the cheer team and you go to watch her cheer at the football game it’s gonna be cold. Air temp was hovering around freezing and snow flurries were being whipped around by a biting wind. On our way to the game, my wife and I stopped at a convenience store and purchased hand warmer pads – the kind that get hot when you shake them, and then are placed inside your gloves to keep your hands warm.  […] Read more »

We’re proving the power of the potluck tonight. My wife and I are having a group of friends over for a fish fry and to watch the Minnesota Twins start the post season.  We know some people that have fish from a deep sea fishing trip they want to get rid of, so we started a text thread and rounded up a group of 18 people to bring their favorite side dish or dessert and hang out for a night of food, fun, and baseball. How about you, EOD Nation, how do you have fun without spending a lot of […] Read more »

My son is in his third year in college, and in the last 9 months he’s really shown signs of maturing. First, there was the time he declined to come play softball with me at a 9:15 Monday night game because he was trying to get in the groove of going to bed early so he could get to work early. Then just recently he told me of his new plan to track and limit his weekly spending so he could grow his savings account balance! Fist pump for financially responsible kids, and my favorite posts of the week! Posts […] Read more »

It’s homecoming weekend at my daughter’s high school.  Her cheer team is doing a routine at the pep fest and at the football game, and also has a float in the parade.  Tomorrow she has the homecoming dance. Since she’s a senior, this is her last one and I’ll be soaking it all in. One kid in college, one finishing up her time in high school.  The kids are growing up, which brings on lots of new challenges. I’m sad to see them leave their childhood behind, but excited to see what’s next for them! Fist pump for bright futures, […] Read more »

`I’m having surgery at 7:00am tomorrow morning. On Tuesday, I was running on the indoor track at my health club when I stumbled, landed awkwardly on my right foot, heard a pop and went to the ground.  I had torn the Achilles tendon in my right foot.  The good news is, I’ve been struggling with a large bone spur on that same heel that has made me limp for a couple of years. Since they’re working in that area, they’ll be shaving off that large bone spur. Fist pump for 2 for 1 surgery, and my favorite posts of the […] Read more »

This weekend, I’m helping my employer save some money. My internal organization is having a picnic an volleyball outing, and for the second year in a row I’m smoking BBQ for the main course. I checked how much a local BBQ place would charge for what I’m supplying, and I’m saving my employer 75%.  For an organization of roughly 120 people, that’s hundreds of dollars. I’m not doing it for profit, I’m just doing it as a favor….and for glory, of course. Fist pump for BBQ, saving money, and my favorite posts of the week! Posts That Make Me Fist […] Read more »

My daughter, who will start her senior year of high school in just over a week, has orientation today for her new job as a certified nursing assistant (CNA). Her place of employment is less than two miles from our house, she’ll be making good money, the hours are flexible, and it’s in her desired career field. She’s already been accepted at one university with a great nursing program, and is waiting to hear back from another. Huge fist pump for bright futures, and my favorite posts of the week! Posts That Make Me Fist Pump Best Cheap Cell Phone […] Read more »

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 »