Kids Eat Free or Cheap (Fox Cities, WI)

Here is a listing of all area restaurants that offer free or reduced price children's meals. If you find new places to add, please let me know and I'll update the list. If you find some place that should be removed, please let me know that too!

This is an unofficial list, and it's generally best to call ahead to verify the special. Also, it's typical that the special applies to dining in only.

Every Day (some holidays may be excluded)
Quizno's (Appleton, Kaukauna, Grand Chute) - One free kids meal with each adult meal purchase.

Monday
Mi Pueblo (map) - Up to two children's meals free with each adult meal purchase.
Applebee's - Up to two children's meals for $.99 each with an adult meal purchase of $7.99 or more.
El Azteca, Kimberly - $.99 kids meals. One per adult.
HuHot (after 4pm) - One free kids meal for each adult meal purchase.

Tuesday
Mi Pueblo (map) - Up to two children's meals free with each adult meal purchase.
Perkins - Free children's meal with each adult meal purchase.
Fazoli's (5p-8p) - $.99 kids meal with each adult meal purchase (5-8pm).
Applebee's - Up to two children's meals for $.99 each with an adult meal purchase of $7.99 or more.
Atlanta Bread Company - One children's meal for each adult meal purchased after 4pm.

Wednesday
Charcoal Grill (map) - Up to two children's meals free with each adult meal purchase.
Applebee's - Up to two children's meals for $.99 each with an adult meal purchase of $7.99 or more.
Sergios - $1.49 kids meal with paid adult.

Thursday
Perkins - Free children's meal with each adult meal purchase.

Friday
None

Saturday
None

Sunday
Ground Round (map) - $.99 children's meal with each adult meal purchase.
Solea - Free children's meal with each adult meal purchase.
The Melting Pot - Free children's meal with each adult meal purchase.
O'Charley's - Free children's meal with each adult meal purchase.
Buffalo Wild Wings - $1.99 kids meals.
Good Company - $1.50 kids meals. One per adult meal purchase.
Senor Tequila - One free kids meal per adult meal purchase.
Sergios - $1.49 kids meal with paid adult.

Sunday - Thursday
Cinder's - $1.99 includes free sundae.

Tuesday - Saturday
Perkins - One free kids meal per adult meal purchase.

Monday - Friday
Pizza Hut - Two free kids lunch buffets for each adult buffet.

Are You Throwing Money Away?

Earlier this month I wrote about an article on one of my favorite blogs (getrichslowly.org).

Well, I'd like to bring your attention to another one of my favorites, thesimpledollar.com. Recently, this blog covered some nice ways to trim your household expenses. This was relevant information for me because I'm always looking for ways to save money. And these are ideas that you wouldn't normally think of. Kudos to Trent for passing these tips on! If you'd like to learn some easy ways to save a few bucks, read Stop Wasting Money on Disposable Things.

• Stop Wasting Money on Disposable Things
• Is The Value Menu Really A Value?
• Making Your Own Laundry Detergent
  

Favre Raises Middle Finger to Packer, Jets Fan

First he retired. Then he reportedly asked about coming back to the Packers. When he learned his former bosses were willing to make a trip to his home to work out his return, he decided he'd rather stay retired.

Later he leaked that he wanted to return to the game and his former team. When news broke and we was asked about unretiring, he told reporters that it was all "just rumours." A few days after that he made it known publicly that, indeed, he did have the itch to play again.

What followed is well documented. The Packers had moved on, Brett was upset, and now he's in NY playing for the Jets. He didn't exactly exit on good terms. For the weeks that followed his trade, he continuously bad mouthed the Packers, especially their GM Ted Thompson.

The latest turn of events has Brett Favre calling his former team's opponent to offer up tips on how to beat the Packers. It is reported, though unconfirmed, that Brett called the Detroit Lions and talked with their coaching staff at length and offered tips on the nuances of the Packers playbook. If true, this is a childish act of sabotage and, in my opinion, further tarnishes the legacy of Brett Favre.

I do believe the story. The reporter, Jay Glazer of Fox Sports, is a credible reporter who has broken several stories related the Packers in the past. I also believe that Brett has hurt his own credibility with how he's handled the whole situation since his retirement press conference.

This latest incident is absurd. It has no place in professional sports. While there is no formal rule prohibiting it, it is an unwritten rule that this is not done. As Charles Woodson put it, there is "no honor" in what Brett did.

It would have been one thing if Detroit had called Brett. But they didn't. He called them, and while he was supposed to be concentrating on his new team, his new teammates, his new offensive system and his next opponent, he was spending time trying to sabotage his old team. He is an egotistical player who can't handle that the Packers moved on without him. It really is a slap in the face to his new team, his old team, and the fans that loved him so much for so long.

As a lifelong Packer fan, all I can say is....Go, Pack, Go. The team is doing just fine without him.

Is It Your Civic Duty to Vote?

The last few elections, there has been a lot of effort to convince people to vote. These efforts almost always target youthful voters. That is, those who have recently earned the right to vote by passing the legal age of 18 years.

While I applaud the basic principle behind these efforts, I can't help but wonder the kinds of people we are encouraging to vote. A recent 20/20 segment did a fine job of pointing out that not everyone who can vote, should vote.

It is my personal opinion that it is our civic duty to vote. I have some guidelines that go along with this.

• Try to vote in every election. Presidential elections are important, but local and state races also impact your day to day life.
• Know the candidates. Learn the candidates positions on issues that you feel are important. Candidate websites can be a great starting point.
• Watch at least one debate. This rule really only applies to presidential elections, as most other debates just don't happen at convenient enough times to actually watch. Doesn't mean you can't read the highlights from an independant reviewer, however.
• Don't be locked in to a particular party. Keep your mind open. Sometimes candidates get real close to the "other side." It really does make more sense to vote based on a candidates stance on specific issues.

I would also argue that while it is our civic duty to vote, it is also our civic duty to not vote if we don't take the time to learn about who we are voting for. This is the point John Stossel really hammers home in the above mentioned story by 20/20. People should not vote for a particular person simply because of race, age, or popularity (including celebrity, parental and friends' opinions).

Gas Falls to $2.99

Gas in my home area fell today to $2.99 per gallon. It's been ages since I'd seen it this low, and I had to do a double take to make sure I'd seen the sign correctly. It was confirmed as I passed another gas station on my way to work that indeed, the price had actually dropped.

So, now that gas is "cheap" again, should Americans go out and go hog wild buying gas guzzlers and being inefficient with our cars? I vote no. In fact, I propose something that most political candidates would not because it would be unpopular. That is...raise the gas tax.

John McCain, who has earned my vote in this election for his stance on issues I deem most important, has suggested eliminating the gas tax during the summer season. Sarah Palin, in her home state of Alaska, has fought for and successfully implemented a similar measure.

Barack Obama has smartly avoided the issue for the most part. However, he did say that he thought John McCain's and Hillary Clinton's calls for gas tax suspension was simply a political move to try to gain votes. And I think on this he is right.

Americans are used to higher gas prices. We've begun the adjustment process. Demand has fallen. The market price has adjusted. But, with the price falling, I fear Americans will fall back into our old, comfortable pattern. This is not good for our well-being as a country, or as inhabitants of this Earth.

In order to dis-incentivize that from happening, I propose that the gas tax be tripled from its current figure of 18.4 cents per gallon to 55 cents per gallon. I would place one strong caveat on this, though, and that is that all money raised via this tax would go to research to find sustainable forms of energy to displace gasoline as the primary fuel for our cars. Well, that and for the maintenance of roads, as less money has been coming it for that purpose as less fuel has been purchased.

I'm not the only person who feels this way. The NY Times opined back in 2005 to raise the tax. And as recently as March 2008, the Boston Globe ran a story calling for higher gas taxes, though for different but still valid arguments than I've made.

What ultimately matters, though, is what our elected politicians think. They won't act unless it is necessary, and even then they would really like to see a call for it from the public. They know that if the public isn't behind it, they won't get re-elected.

What do you think?

How To Invest Now

In my last post, I ended with a note saying it would be silly to stop contributions to retirement plans based solely on current market conditions.

Maybe silly isn't the right word, as every one's personal finance situation is different. But let me tell you, if I had the available money, I'd be buying up as much as I could right now. The best alternative to that, though, is continuing to buy in as I've done for a few years now. I will not stop buying unless some personal emergency forces me to. Buy low, sell high; that is the rule. Prices are low right now. It seems pretty straight-forward to me.

I'm no expert on personal finance. And neither is J.D. over at GetRichSlowly.org. But he is an excellent self-educated personal finance blogger, and is the author of one of my favorite blogs. He is well-informed, and writes a lot of relevant material on his site.

Today, he writes about Investing in a Bear Market. This expands on my theories for why now is a great time to buy. If you are on the fence about buying in or waiting the storm out, it's worth a read.

Market in Free Fall

The Dow Jones index dropped another 128 points on Friday, closing at 8,451. It actually dipped under 8,000 during the day, before rallying back. It's 52 week low (7,882) is only 55% of its 52 week high (14,279).

How low do you think it will go? Are you worried? Does it feel like a recession to you, even though we aren't technically in one? Will the economy's problems alter your plans for saving for retirement or other goals? These are all questions I'm curious to learn answers to.

I don't really know where the bottom is. I sure hope it's not too much lower. I am worried. A slow down in the economy greatly impacts my job security. It hasn't felt like a recession to me until very recently. It seems there has been much more focus on it lately, and people are actually starting to pay attention to what's going on around them. The silver lining here is that this may help bring us back to being a nation of savers, rather than free spenders on imaginary money. A basic rule of thumb my single income family tries to live on- spend less than you earn and save the rest.

And no, I'm not worried enough about the economy to stop contributing to my retirement accounts. At prices this low, it'd be silly for someone my age to do that.