question for macy or anyone else who might know:
"6. I churn credit cards for the sign up bonus but don't carry a balance. My last trip to Hawaii was booked on points. Chase Sapphire 50K bonus points each, personal and business card. That was $1, 350 towards travel. Citibank was 75K points for Citi Premier and citi checking. That's was almost $1000 toward travel. "
I now try and charge almost absolutely nothing other than a here or there internet purchase on my credit cards. I do remember though, when my daughters first started college, my (then) boss who had a PhD in Genetics told me again and again and again to initially charge their tuition on a credit card, and then pay the amount I had planned to pay the college on the first initial billing. I never listened to her, and then for subsequent years watched her take her entire family of four to exotic places like India, some islands off of Vietnam, and to the Swiss Alps, all compliments of free points on her credit cards. I need all of this explained to me. For sure it sounds like a good deal. I imagine I could charge a credit card with my property & school tax bills, my yearly heating bill (oil heat) and other big ticket things on a credit card and get points that I could use for travel???
I usually fly to JA on US Air and usually get upgraded to first class while checking in, sometimes from US to JA, and pretty much all of the time from JA to US. I have found that there is a pretty small difference.
Also, I want to point out that I get really much better deals if I go to JA on Dec. 27 or 28 instead of 12/24, 12/25 or 12/26. Also President's week the air goes WAY up. As it does in the summer time, I usually can't get a decent price until August. August in JA no longer thrills me, my last couple of times there it was SO humid I felt like leaving immediately upon my arrival. There are all the Independence Day celebrations and concerts island wide. And there are always the November/early December / April /May cheap airfares offered. Tuesdays seems to be the best day to book online as far as the cheapest offerings.
For the younger members on this forum, each and every $1,000 you contribute to an IRA each year will reduce your taxable income, so your hard earned dollars stay with you instead of being contributed to the Federal Government. For those of you giving to charity, get a receipt.. it is tax deductable.
It seems like quite a few of you own your own homes with no mortgage (me too).. but I really and truly love my home "my biggest equity also".. and I don't want to give it up. Years down the line there is always the reverse mortgage business.
And as Rastagirl777 pointed out, many friends died early on with the sudden onset of cancer, a heart attack, an unforseen accident... In my area, Levon Helm of The Band just died & I know it wasn't in his retirement plan... I had a friend Beth in the late 1960's early 1970's and those times were a TRIP in itself. We used to have FUN going to concerts all over and going here and going there. It was disconcerting to read her obituary recently.
For any of you who work for a company that matches your ira contribution, be diligent on taking them up on their offer! Another method that I have found works as far as my daily living expenses is shopping at WALMARTS. I do clip coupons and usually save about $15 per shopping. I do stock up though (I have a large shelving area /pantry type of situation) in my basement. I have lots of laundry detergent, dishwasher detergent, shampoo, conditioner, juice, toilet paper, paper towels, canned soups, canned tomatoes, moisturizers like Vaseline Intensive Care and so on, all purchased with $1 to $2 coupons. I buy potatoes there and go to different places for meat, fish and produce.
I'm not so good at going to various gas stations for cheaper prices & go to the one on the nearest corner to where I live. It seems I spend A LOT of money on gas -- I drive my old car to and from work 2 x per day (coming home at lunch time) to walk my dog. Then on the weekends I drive my newer car to and from my older daughters home to babysit.
I come from a family of immigrants to the US, my mother grew up during WW II in Penarth South Wales. She was actually drafted when she was 17 years old and was trained as an electrician on the Spitfire, my father's family was from the Hague, Holland. My mother is actually one of those kinds of people who has dollars under her mattress. And she just turned 88 just I am going to have to deal with the mattress situation.
