today marks the anniversary of the day when i asked your Queen of Free to by my Queen for Life.  best. question. ever.  i am increasingly thankful for her response.  she is amazing.  i have no lack of gain.thirteen (13) years have passed since my most humble inquiry.  sure we've faced adversity, but we've also experienced immeasurable joy.  publicly, our persona is built around the shoulder to shoulder combat against the debt dragon (what up dragon?).  privately, our relationship is built on … [Read more...]

Ninety-five (40) theses for restaurant freedom: 1.  that fork was just in someone else's mouth.2.  the entree portion sizes are monstrous.3.  the pre-entree breadstick/roll packs 150 calories per.4.  the more you eat, the more you eat.5.  service is often horrendous.6.  mandatory tipping in groups of 8 or larger7.  it's expensive8.  it's not as quick as home9.  it's not as good as home.10.  it's not as good for you as home11.  the wait time is rarely worth it.12.  this one time we held the door … [Read more...]

dear diary: it's been 20 months, 21 days, and 23 hours since i last ate at a restaurant.  i'm restaurant free. still. maybe you're not.  that's cool.  this isn't … [Read more...]

a member of the Royal Court wants to go restaurant free.  he asked for tips. he's the only one to ask. thought i'd share the tips. anybody else wanna try this for 30 days?1. make sure your wife is on board w/ u doing it 2. don't force it on anybody 3. three months in - you won't even want it 4. you gotta get mad. healthy, motivating anger. 5. don't eat it if it's free. treating it like an addiction has been key. it may have been an addiction. 6. read non-fiction books, watch less tv. tv makes u … [Read more...]

i do something.  while my biggest draw is still that i do not something. i now do something. been walking. two miles at a time. been working out. been more active. got excited thinking about how i was transforming my body and mind from nothing into something. that's not what i'm doing though - so the object of my excitement is misplaced.  i can't make nothing into something.God does that.  creatio ex nihilo. creation out of nothing.  not me.  i have something to work with (not much), so it's not … [Read more...]

picture haze around this post to get the full effect.  $100Q quit job = snowball. … [Read more...]

Christmas is in december.  i know this because it was in december last year. and the year before. and so on. it will be here soon. traditionally, gifts are exchanged around said holiday.  it's prudent to consider that now. in august. not late december.  not eating at restaurants works the same way. the lead time is shorter. but, i still need a plan.    everyday is like Christmas.* i'm not surprised by lunchtime.we set forth on a pilgrimage to the home of the great rodent father in october (the … [Read more...]

calling all Lords and Ladies. the king needs your help.  the KoF's closer to 40 than 30. it's true. you can't really help with that. but, maybe you can help with the following list of 40 (or more) things i plan on doing before i turn 40. career and traditional spiritual goals were intentionally omitted. the aspirations are not ranked.  but, if you see something on the list and have a suggestion or an appropriate level of expertise or insight regarding the same and want to share - please let me … [Read more...]

we bought that many tv's. well, we coulda. i guess that's different.  it would have been a much more awesome way to go into debt. follow my math.  before you push back and say, "i hate math," stay with me - i'm a mathmagician.february 2010 is when we made our first extra payment toward the last debt in the snowball (keep in mind the following totals exclude what was paid from 4/2/8 until feb. 2010 - that math's gonna be rough). the amount above the minimum payment that we have paid … [Read more...]

cause i'm not a real blogger yet and can't figure out how to always comment on my own blog, here are some additional books i've read or forgot i read when i did the king's top 40 post.  it's not 40 more books, but i don't wanna lose track of what i've been reading.Debt Free UWeirdSquare Foot GardeningFollowing JesusToday We Are Rich (loved this book)Free Prize InsideThe Likeability FactorQuitter (like the way Acuff writes)so 49 books or so in just under 40 months.  since my top 40 post, i spent … [Read more...]