Author Archives: Mike And Lauren

Do You Need a Good Credit Score? | Fix Your Finances

We’ve shared in the past that Mike used to have bad credit due to a foreclosure when he was 18 years old. Just this month (10 years later) it was removed from his credit report, so we thought it would be a good time to reflect on the pros and cons of building good credit.

Dave Ramsey is famously opposed to having any credit score whatsoever. We’re not so quick to jump on that bandwagon. Watch to find out when we think it’s a good idea to build credit, and when it’s not.

Links:
Appearance of Sh*t Together – https://goo.gl/HwlpzX
Car Payments are NOT OK – https://goo.gl/quksT0

DIY Lithium Ion E-Bike Battery Pack from 18650 Laptop Batteries

How to build a lithium ion electric bike battery pack from recovered used laptop batteries. Save hundreds of dollars by salvaging 18650 li-ion cells from used or even dead laptop batteries bought off eBay.

My pack is 24 volt 20AH which should hopefully provide a 30-45 mile range per charge on my ebike (and cost less than $150 dollars). In the video I show you how to calculate the capacity, then wire and test the completed battery.

Don’t Throw That Microwave Away!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-W2jiB8islo

Rinoa Super-Genius:
https://goo.gl/ByyxlN

Forget College, Learn a Trade

I got to thinking about what I would do differently if I could go back in time. Would I go to college or learn a trade? I went to 1 1/2 years of college before dropping out, and I think that was the right decision.

There seems to be a growing number of college graduates with no jobs and plenty of student loan debt. Maybe more young people should consider learning a skilled trade like electric, plumbing, masonry, drywall, HVAC, etc.

Just to be clear, I’m not saying college isn’t a good choice. I’m saying it shouldn’t be a default choice after high school.

Simple Dollar:
https://goo.gl/92p3Vs

Mike Makes a Folding Extension Cord Organizer

I built shelves to organize my power tools last week, but I needed a way to organize my extension cords. I was inspired by a Pinterest pin and the 5 in 1 coat hangers that you’ve “seen on TV.”

In this video I design my own space saving extension cord organizer that folds down flat against the wall when not in use. Overall I was very happy with the design and it’s working great!

I don’t have plans for this build, but if there’s enough interest I might put together a sketch or two.

Mike Makes Power Tool Storage w/ Cord Organization

This week I build power tool organization above my new tool board that we made last week. Each shelf was custom built to hold each power tool with a shelf below that organizes all of the cables.

I was pleasantly surprised with the results. It’s nice to finally have a place to store everything!

The Dark Side of Debit Cards

Have you ever wondered how you should answer the question, ?debit or credit?? How can store owners have minimum purchases and offer cash discounts? In this video we discuss the pros and cons of debit cards vs. credit cards.

When researching this video we found the history of the ?debit signature? fascinating, so we go off on a tangent. We finish by explaining the difference between running a debit card as credit and using a credit card.

Hope you enjoy 🙂

Research Links:
https://goo.gl/kgJ26Q
https://goo.gl/KGqGK3
https://goo.gl/TKDDmY
https://goo.gl/BbtJnK

Mike Makes a Tool Board (Hand Tool Organization)

I’ve had my hand tools in a drawer at home for weeks after building the workshop. It was time to organize all of my hand tools on the wall with a custom tool board.

In this video I make holders for my most used tools (pliers, wrenches, hammer, tape measure, knife, screwdrivers, speed square etc.) Like Matthias and others, I prefer this tool board over the french cleat system.

The Economy Is About to Collapse! But, That Doesn’t Change Our Plans

People often wonder how our early retirement plan accounts for economic collapse or the bubble bursting. The short answer? We don’t account for collapse, however we do expect cycles of boom and bust.

In the video we discuss the 78 reasons why you shouldn’t have invested in the stock market over the last 100 or so years, and the one reason you should.

78 Reasons Link:
https://goo.gl/IOwf62

Mike Makes a 3D Wood Photo

We have strange shelves in the walls of our living room that end up collecting junk. We wanted to experiment making a 3D wood photo cutout using Steve Ramsey’s inkjet photo transfer method.

The project turned out great! How we divided the photo into layers worked out perfect, and the scroll saw made quick work of the cuts.

When we do it again, we’ll make sure to have plenty of ink the printer, do a lot more sanding, and use an image with more contrast.

The search for a scroll saw:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAWpSGg2UFc

Steve Ramsey Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNEctCPmPbk

Our amazing photographer friend:
https://naomichokr.com/