Big week this week!
First, I moved this site over to my new VPS hosting. I personally think it loads far faster, but I will wait a few days and see what Google thinks in my analytics account. Next thing on the blog agenda is potentially changing my theme to one that loads a bit faster. My wife and I both recently started new blogs and so we also purchased the pro pack of genesis themes, so we have plenty of great themes to choose from. In case you are interested – my wife’s blog is about different types of diets and foods, and mine is dedicated to exploring various online money making ideas and tracking my progress with them all).
Second, on Monday I posted about burglaries that were happening in my area. Well wouldn’t you know it, on Wednesday night at about 6:30pm (just after dark) we had someone try to break in through the front door. Fortunately Ricky was right onto things and he bolted down to the front of the house barking his head off like a dog possessed, and that caused whoever it was to run off really quickly.
Ricky ~ A dog possessed
Unfortunately the police don’t seem to be doing anything about the situation, and so I think it is only a matter of time before there is some form of vigilante justice taking place. I know a few of the guys were talking about a stakeout not long ago. I guess we will see. In the mean time Ricky will have to stay on guard and keep us safe 🙂
Ricky ~ Alert and keeping us safe.
Third up, and far more pleasant – my wife and I are celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary today
We just went out to a dessert bar for lunch, it was incredibly tasty, but it seems that my eyes were bigger than my belly, and I was unable to finish all my food. Also, for those you you that are budget conscious, you will be pleased to know we used a coupon that gave us 25% off the total bill 🙂
Lastly, I was finally able to cross off a long term goal today. My wife and I have successfully managed to reduce our total debt to under $100,000 (you can check out our progress here). It honestly doesn’t seem like that long ago that we had over $300,000 worth of debt. Fortunately we have managed to really buckle down with our savings plan and now it feels so great seeing all that debt disappearing so quickly. – Yay us 🙂
Search Terms
Here are some of the search terms that I enjoyed that sent people to my site this week:
- do you lend you tools to your neighbour – I don’t, but that’s only because I don’t have many tools 🙁
- baby shower by the pool – Sounds like a great idea.
- is the game of thrones coming to free tv in Australia – Ha, not likely.
- spring break college drunk blow – OK then, good for you.
- why so expensive to build a house – I wonder the same thing.
- images of awesome vegetable gardens – I’m glad someone thinks my veggie garden is awesome!
This Weeks Best Posts
I have a few posts that I found interesting this week, and a few of them were on blogs that I don’t often frequent – goes to show that I should get out and view a few more different blogs than I normally do. I hope you enjoy these post as much as I did.
- How we save over $5000 on food – Memoirs of the Norwegian Girl
- Should Your Teenager Get A Job? – Midlife Finance
- Is There A Best Way To Pay Down Debt? – Modest Money
- 14 Ways That You Are Wasting Money – Tackling Our Debt
- Have You Made Sure Your Paycheck is Insured? – One Smart Dollar
- March 2013 CBB Budget Update #3- A Quiet Month With The Budget – Canadian Budget Binder
Be sure to check out all the best posts of 2013 – Top Personal Finance Articles – 2013 Edition
Carnivals and Mentions
I was mentioned in the following carnivals
- http://blog.familymoneyvalues.com/2013/03/carnival-of-money-pros-easter-2013-edition
- http://youngandthrifty.ca/yakezie-carnival-march-31
- http://www.makingsenseofcents.com/2013/03/carnival-of-retirement-3.html
- http://reachfinancialindependence.com/financial-independence-carnival-4
The following bloggers were kind enough to link to me also:
- No one linked to me that I am aware of this week 🙁 What a sad day for the Monster Piggy – I’ll have to do better next week!
If I missed you in my round up then please let me know and I will add you next week. Have a great weekend all 🙂
Thank you so much for mentioning me, but I thought I`d let you know that I´ve moved to my self hosted blog now, so I`m now over at http://www.thenorwegiangirl.com 🙂
The Norwegian Girl recently posted..Travel Memories
No problems, I updated the link to point to your new blog. Congrats on moving to self hosted. It is far better than using Blogger or WordPress.com.
Thanks, yes I think so too:-)
The Norwegian Girl recently posted..Budget Friendly Cooking; Bolognese sauce
Wow, that’s pretty scary to have someone try to break in your front door like that. Hopefully they won’t try again with your pooch guarding the house.
Great job on the debt repayment. I love to see big drops like that. Have a great anniversary.
Justin recently posted..The Frugal Path: Happy Six Month Blogivesary!
Thanks Justin 🙂
Ricky was onto it very quickly, so hopefully they don’t want to tangle with him.
Happy Anniversary! Sorry to hear about the attempted break-in. It’s really ridiculous that the police aren’t patrolling after so many attempts. I’ve heard having a dog is the best way to prevent break-ins and deter would-be burglars. We plan on getting a dog and that would be a big added bonus.
DC @ Young Adult Money recently posted..Friday Giveaway Roundup – 103 Giveaways
Thanks DC 🙂
The is only one of the many many many advantages of having a dog.
Thank God for Ricky!!!!! SO glad you guys are safe and sound. Hopefully this incident will keep them away from your door for good. And happy anniversary as well!! And wonderful news on the debt reduction – another big reason to celebrate! Where are the links to those two new blog sites? 🙂
Laurie @thefrugalfarmer recently posted..Motivation: The Frugal Farmer 2013 Goals
The new sites aren’t quite ready yet, soon enough though.
Happy 5th Anniversary!! Trying to break in through your front door?! That takes some nerve. I would keep Ricky by the door at all times. Scary!
Alexa recently posted..Success: Everyone Starts at the Bottom
Fortunately he sits by the door most of the time so that shouldn’t be an issue.
Happy Anniversary to you guys! We had a similar event happen at our house a while back. The only difference being that the moron who tried to break in cut himself on the window he busted and then just ran off…
Jacob@CashCowCouple recently posted..What’s Your Financial Lifestyle? (Part 1)
Sounds scary, at least we didn’t have to replace a window like you.
Oh my god that is so scary! You guys need to set up a neighborhood watch desperately. Please keep us updated.
Michelle recently posted..Couponing Like A Pro
Will do, hopefully I have nothing else to report.
Happy anniversary and congratulations on reaching another debt paydown milestone! And thank goodness you have a tough dog to protect you – I hope the police can figure out what’s happening in your area and fast! Stay safe!
Shannon-ReadyForZero recently posted..How Do You Stay Motivated for Long-Term Goals?
Thanks Shannon. Ricky isn’t very tough, he is such a wimp.
Happy Anniversary Mate!! Sorry to hear someone almost broke in your home. Our dog isn’t like your dog. Our dog would open the door and say, what you got to eat mate… ha!! Sad though that the police don’t seem to be doing much about it. If I ever caught someone on my property you can bet they would never come back again when I’m done with them. I don’t put up with that. Congrats on getting your debt down as well, well done. Glad to hear you started new blogs!!! Who is this hosting company you are with? My blog should be ready soon. Your site loaded super fast for me. Have a lovely weekend!! -Mr.CBB
Canadian Budget Binder recently posted..Net Worth Update March 2013 + 1.61% Mortgage Pre-Payment Update
The new hosting company is A2 hosting and it is pretty quick. I have gone down to a consistent 3-4 second loading time.
Wow, so glad that Ricky was there to run the guy off! Hopefully that’s the last you see of them around your house. Congrats on your anniversary, we hit our 12th in about 5 weeks.
John S @ Frugal Rules recently posted..Frugal Friday: Missing From a Wal-Mart Near You Edition
Wow, 12 years is a while, I bet it went fast though.
Glen recently posted..My Personal Debt Reduction Strategies
Haha, great search times, as usual! Interesting contrast of images, too: cute dogs followed by statistics!
I’m glad you liked it 🙂
That is pretty gutsy to break in so early in the night. Glad it all turned out ok. Thanks a lot for the mention this week.
Sean @ One Smart Dollar recently posted..Have You Made Sure Your Paycheck is Insured?
No problems Sean, it’s a travesty you haven’t been included earlier.
Oh my goodness, how scary that someone tried to break into your house!! Good thing you have your dog there, to ward off any potential burglars.
Mackenzie recently posted..Investing In Your Health
Yeah, he did a good job 🙂
Sorry to hear about the attempted burglary. It is a good thing you had a dog. That is why I have two, plus a gun. It sounds like this burglar is going to keep trying because the police don’t seem interested. Sad. Congrats on getting below $100,000 Glen. That is awesome.
Debt Roundup recently posted..Feeling Good Friday: I’m Gaining Steam
Both my wife and I heard it as well, so even without Ricky we would have got there, but he looks a little bit more menacing than us.
Sorry to hear about the attempted break in. Someone is clearly determined to break into the homes in your neighbourhood. Have you guys considered setting up a neighbourhood watch program?
Happy Anniversary and good luck with your new blogs. Look forward to checking them out. Thanks very much for include too!! Keep safe!
Sicorra recently posted..April Giveaway – It’s Raining Money $1,000 Giveaway
Thanks Sicorra, it is pretty interesting living around here at the moment. Looking at the area you wouldn’t think there were so many break ins.
Happy Anniversary. Glad Ricky was able to keep the invader away. Breaking in through the front door is pretty brazen, esp. at a time of day when people are typically at home. I’m glad you guys are OK! I know in some places it’s legal to shoot someone breaking into your home. Maybe just a big sign that says, “I have a gun and I know how to use it”.
KK @ Student Debt Survivor recently posted..One Woman’s Trash Is Another Woman’s Treasure
It isn’t legal in Australia, you pretty much have to offer them a cup of tea if they come in.
Congrats on beating up that debt!
Brick By Brick Investing | Marvin recently posted..Ridiculous Young Entitled Generation
Thanks Marvin, it feels great to see it disappearing.