Making Me a Millionaire

What Credit Card Do You Use?

So I’d like to know what credit card you folks out there are using.  I’m looking for a credit card with good rewards.  My husband travels for work so it makes sense to get a travel-related credit card.  We never carry a balance but we just use our credit cards for everything so we can take advantage of the rewards!  I know a lot of financial experts warn us against using credit cards but I’ve been using them for over 10 years, have always paid in full on time and just sit back and collect my hotel points. Anyway, I’d love to know what you are using!

Back from Seattle

Sorry folks!  I’ve been MIA for a while because we’ve been in Seattle checking out the city and deciding whether or not it is the place to move to.  Well, after much thought and discussion, we’ve decided that Seattle will most likely be our new home!  Now we’ll just have to work out the kinks and start downsizing.  We currently live in a 4br townhouse and have accumulated a bit of junk.  We’re looking to move into a 2br/2ba apartment in Seattle so we’ll need to spend lots of time on Craigslist  trimming down on stuff.  I’m glad we’ll be downsizing because after living in such a big house, I really do believe the bigger the house you have the more money you spend to furnish it!  I am however, sad that we won’t be owning property.  I really hope we can get back into the world of real estate before home prices get too high again.  Sometimes I wonder if this move is a good idea.  It’s definitely a great place to raise well rounded kids but with our families back east I’m sometimes conflicted.  My husband doesn’t seem to have this problem as he just does it without worrying so much.  Would you ever move across country to save yourself from state income taxes?  Would you move far from your family to give your kids a good environment to grow up in?

Happy Holidays!

Well, in the last few weeks, we’ve been completely swamped.  After sending my husband off to NYC for his first project, I packed up the house and headed home myself for the holidays.  With all the stress of the holidays looming overhead, I’ve been frazzled and distracted.  So distracted that I left my 4 month old MacBook Pro at the airport!  Luckily, after many frantic calls to the airport, TSA found my laptop (along with 32 other laptops that were left behind that day before noon!) and they will be shipping it to me over here in NY.

What have I learned from this?

1) Always put a password on your laptop

2) Always back it up before you go on a trip

3) Never have auto-login for your email account or anything else

4) Always be thinking about your valuables when you go through a security line at the airport.

We’ve had a crazy busy Christmas this year and spent quite a bit of time with family.  Being around all these babies makes me want to have one soon even more!  Yesterday we also went to see Avatar in 3D at the AMC IMAX theater.  I usually try not to watch movies in the theater unless they’re action movies or visually stunning.  Avatar was both and I would happily pay to watch that movie again.  It was probably the most amazing movie I’ve ever seen and it is definitely one that will revolutionize film making.  If you’re planning on seeing it, just to give you an idea of the costs, you can watch the matinee show (first show of the day) for $10 per person.  Regular tickets go for $14.50 and in Manhattan they are going for $17.50.  I know, it’s expensive!  But definitely well worth it!

Hope you all enjoy the rest of the holidays!

An Act of Charity

We’re back from New Orleans!  Had a great time there although we ran into a few storms which made it difficult to walk around.  I’m glad to be back home though and to start the research/planning process of our move.  My husband started work today but we’re not sure exactly when he’ll officially be on the road.  Once he starts traveling, we’ll make a trip to Seattle (which takes the top spot in places we are considering to move to).  When it comes to places with no state income tax, Seattle is really the only one on the list that we are both willing to move to.  Las Vegas comes in second but I don’t find it to be a family friendly place.  Ideally, we’d love to move to California but I think we’ll wait a few years for that because if we moved now, we probably wouldn’t be able to afford a very nice place to live in there.

So back to New Orleans.  We went with a group of friends which made the trip lots of fun.  But it was heartbreaking to see such poverty everywhere.  We also went to the lower ninth ward which was devastated by Hurricane Katrina and it was really an experience of a lifetime.  I recommend stopping by there to anyone who visits the New Orleans area.  It’s incredibly sad but it brings you closer to the event and allows you to see how terrible the destruction was.  It’s been 4 years and the area still has not been rebuilt.  Homelessness was everywhere and it made us wonder how many of the homeless were victims of the hurricane.

We went out for lunch on our last day and decided to pack all our leftovers into a box and offer it to the next person we saw who could use a good meal.  Just seeing the look on the man’s face when our friend handed him the box and how he immediately began eating ravenously was one of the greatest feelings.  It felt so good to know we weren’t wasting food by leaving it at the restaurant and that we were offering food to someone who was hungry.  I encourage all of you to consider doing something like this the next time you are at a restaurant and haven’t finished your meal.  There are plenty of people out there who would love to finish it for you!

The only thing that disturbed me was the fact that we had to use a styrofoam box for the food.  I doubt it got recycled.  I’m going to have to start carrying biodegradable boxes or something!

Before I sign off, I’d like to share a photo I took of steps leading to where there once was a house.  It was a heartbreaking image for me.

Down to 1 Car

Sorry everyone I know I haven’t been blogging with as much frequency as usual but we’ve been very busy over here with all the changes.  Thanks for giving me suggestions on where to move to.  We’re still trying to figure that out and we’re in the process of trying to sell one of our cars.  With my husband traveling all the time, we won’t need 2 cars so we’re going to sell one of them and save some money from that!  He’s also starting work next week so we need to get most of this stuff done soon.  Then on top of that, we’re leaving for New Orleans today for a trip that was planned a while ago and we’re trying to book our tickets back to NY for the holidays.

I’m pretty excited about selling our car.  We’re hopping to get around $23,000 – $24,000 for it and with that money plus some money we have in savings, I’d like to pay off the additional home loan we have.  By doing that, we’ll save over $7,000 in interest on that loan, reduce our insurance payments, eliminate maintenance costs and gas!  We’ll be left with one car which we’re currently leasing (i know big mistake) and once our 3 years are up, hopefully we will have saved enough to just plop down money for a good practical family car.

OK I’m off to New Orleans.  Hopefully I’ll have some nice photos for you all!

Things I’m Glad I Spend Money On

I try to be frugal as often as possible and for me, being frugal does not mean skimping on quality.  It’s important to me that the products I purchase are good quality and long lasting.  I will gladly put down a large amount of money for something that will offer me much in return.  With that said, here are some of the best big purchases/pricey items I’ve made.

1. My Tempur-Pedic Bed. I used to think it was crazy to spend almost $2000 on a mattress.  Back then, I would never splurge so much on a mattress.  When a friend of ours moved across country, he sold us his Tempur-Pedic mattress for $700 along with a whole bunch of other stuff.  My husband and I had just gotten married and were furnishing our place so we took it all.  The mattress did wonders for our sleep.  I had never slept so well before in my life and when I woke up in the morning, my back never hurt.  We loved our mattress so much we went out and bought 2 Tempur-Pedic pillows to go with it.  We loved those just as much.  Today, we’ve been using the mattress for about 5 years and still love it.  I will never go back to a regular mattress again and we both agree that if the time came to get a new mattress, we will gladly plop down the $2000 for it.  Good sleep and a healthy back are so important to feeling good during the day!
2. Organic, non-processed food. Not all my food is organic, but most of my produce (especially the ones that have the most exposure to pesticides) are.  I’m a firm believer in the importance of living a healthy lifestyle and if there’s anything I can do to improve the quality of my life and avoid major illnesses, I will do it.  If I can prevent cancer in the long run by cutting down on the amount of pesticides, preservatives, nitrites, high fructose corn syrup, and so on, I will do it.  Who knows, maybe I’m not genetically predisposed to cancer anyway and I could have eaten all the chemical compounds I wanted but I’d rather be safe than sorry.
3. My Gym. I used to go to LA Fitness for $30 a month until the place got so crowded that you had to wait in a line to use the treadmills even at 6AM and you had to show up 45 minutes before a class just for a chance to fight for a spot.  I had had enough of showing up at the gym with no machine to use so I decided to quit and join the other local sports club by us.  This was definitely a nicer and more expensive gym and I was hesitant about joining at first but decided I had no other choice because I was NOT going back to LA Fitness.  I always hear people say that you should cut out your gym membership if you’re trying to save money but I will give up many other things before I give up this gym membership.  Why?  Well, first of all, being healthy is important to me.  But second, with the amount we pay for this membership, we get your typical gym equipment, indoor and outdoor tennis, indoor and outdoor swimming, volleyball, a rock climbing wall with instructor, racquetball, squash, basketball, and all sorts of classes (none of them ever full) such as spinning, kickboxing, yoga, pilates, step, belly dancing, water aerobics and so on.  The list is endless.  With access to all these activities, we rarely pay for activities outside of the gym.  If we’re bored on a weekend, instead of heading to the mall, we can go play tennis or go rock climbing.  In the past, we would go watch endless movies on the weekend or go shopping and easily spend $100.  Now, we do one of the many activities offered at our sports club.  So yes, it’s expensive, but it’s worth it!
4. LASIK. The best surgery I’ve ever had.  OK not that I’ve had any other surgery other than getting my wisdom teeth removed, but this is a surgery worth having.  For a little more than a Tempur-Pedic mattress, you can have perfect vision and never have to deal with contacts or glasses again.  You can also pay for LASIK surgery with your FSA account so it is tax deductible!  The procedure is painless and there’s about a 3-4 hour recovery time.  After having this done 4 years ago, I still am amazed at how good perfect my vision is.
5. Travel. My husband and I love to travel.  It’s a great way for us to spend more time together and enjoy our lives.  Sometimes we travel with our college friends and those are always memorable trips.  Yes, travel is expensive, but the experience we’ve gained and the memories we’ve made together are priceless.  There’s no better way to open your mind than traveling.  We do always try to be frugal when we travel though.  We will use points from our credit card for hotel stays and try to research dining options before we go.

In the end, I think having balance is important.  We try to be frugal in many ways in our lives but I do believe there are times when splurging is a good idea or even necessary.  What are some things you spend money on that you will never regret?

Google Offering Free WiFi

From now until the end of the year, Google will be offering free WiFi at 47 airports for those of you traveling for the holidays.  What a nice gift from Google!

Here’s a list of the 47 airports:

• Austin (AUS)
• Baltimore (BWI)
• Billings (BIL)
• Boston (BOS)
• Bozeman (BZN)
• Buffalo (BUF)
• Burbank (BUR)
• Central Wisconsin (CWA)
• Charlotte (CLT)
• Des Moines (DSM)
• El Paso (ELP)
• Fort Lauderdale (FLL)
• Fort Myers/SW (RSW)
• Greensboro (GSO)
• Houston (HOU)
• Houston Bush (IAH)
• Indianapolis (IND)
• Jacksonville (JIA)
• Kalamazoo (AZO)
• Las Vegas (LAS)
• Louisville (SDF)
• Madison (MSN)
• Memphis (MEM)
• Miami (MIA)
• Milwaukee (MKE)
• Monterey (MRY)
• Nashville (BNA)
• Newport News (PHF)
• Norfolk (ORF)
• Oklahoma City (OKC)
• Omaha (OMA)
• Orlando (MCO)
• Panama City (PFN)
• Pittsburgh (PIT)
• Portland (PWM)
• Sacramento (SMF)
• San Antonio (SAT)
• San Diego (SAN)
• San Jose (SJC)
• Seattle (SEA)
• South Bend (SBN)
• Spokane (GEG)
• St. Louis (STL)
• State College (SCE)
• Toledo (TOL)
• Traverse City (TVC)

Happy surfing!

10 Ways To Save Money This Thanksgiving

So with my husband jobless this Thanksgiving, it’s very important to us that we enjoy Thanksgiving (it is after all my favorite holiday of the year) while not spending as much money.  With all that food, Thanksgiving can be pretty pricey and we all know we need to be careful this year as with many other families who are in the same boat.  Despite the circumstances, we still have a lot to be thankful for this year and skimping out on Thanksgiving just wouldn’t be right!  Here are a list of ways to save this year.

1. Have a potluck dinner. We will be doing this this year.  Since my husband and I along with some of our closest friends are all in our 20s and don’t live in the same city as our families, we have decided to come together and do Thanksgiving by the couple.  We’re splitting the costs by making it a potluck dinner and having each couple sign up for different dishes.
2. Plan ahead. Know exactly what you will be making on the day of so you can avoid having to run out last minute for missing ingredients or supplies.
3. Go shopping now. If you know exactly what you’ll need, go to the supermarket as soon as possible and pick the items up.  At this time, they are usually on sale and the closer you get to Thanksgiving day, the higher the prices will be.
4. Make your own pumpkin pie. Buying pre-made pumpkin pie is more expensive.  Make the pie from scratch and you’ll be proud of your baking skills and saving money.
5. Travel on Thanksgiving day. I usually travel to my home state to spend Thanksgiving with my family or the in laws.  The best and cheapest day to travel is Thanksgiving day.  Airfares are lowest on this day for those of you who want to fly.  Traffic is not as bad on the road as they are the day before.
6. Stay put. If you usually travel to family for Thanksgiving, think about staying where you are this year and spending the day with your significant other or friends.  You’ll save on gas or airfare.
7. Get your turkey frozen. It will be much cheaper than a fresh turkey!
8. Get your butter in bulk. We all know butter is big in a Thanksgiving meal.  You’re going to need lots of it.  It’s time to hit up Costco and get that huge block of butter.
9. Skip on decorations. OK so maybe your house won’t look as pretty without all the Thanksgiving decorations.  But remember, we’re all celebrating the day because we are thankful.  No one is going to judge you for not having decorations in place.  They are going to remember the night as a fun one with good food and many memories.
10. Black Friday. Make a list of items you need to buy for Christmas (or any other reason), where you are going to buy them and go to sleep early.  Black Friday has some awesome deals but don’t let yourself get carried away.  Get just what you need and you will be saving money.

Do you have anything to add?

Don’t Pay Taxes If You Don’t Have To

Sure, most taxes are unavoidable.  They leave you feeling powerless and maybe even robbed.  But not all taxes are equal.  The consumption tax surely isn’t.  Because when it comes to consumption taxes, we do have a say on how much we are going to pay in taxes and how frequently.  Limit your consumption and you limit your consumption taxes.

I was born and raised in New York and my family continues to live there today.  I no longer live in New York but I do visit a few times a year and when I do, I make sure I do as much of my clothing shopping as possible.  Why?  Because you can buy all the clothes you want (as long as it’s under $110 per piece) and not pay a single penny in taxes for it!  It really does pay to hold off on your shopping for the right tax free opportunity.

I urge you all to do this if you plan on visiting states that don’t tax clothing.  Here’s a list of states that don’t tax you on clothing.

Alaska – no sales tax.

Connecticut – no tax on clothing under $50.

Delaware – no sales tax.

Massachusetts – no tax on clothing under $175.

Minnesota – no tax on clothing.

New Hampshire – no sales tax.

New Jersey – no tax on clothing except fur.

New York – no tax on clothing under $110.

Oregon – no sales tax.

Pennsylvania – no tax on clothing.

Rhode Island – not tax on clothing.

If you don’t live in any of the above states, you might be lucky enough to live in a state that has tax free holidays every year. Here’s a list of states that offered tax free weeks/weekends in 2009.  Most of them are offered right before the fall school season in August.  The list I compiled is based on my online research.  Do make sure you find out what the dates are and whether your state will be participating in a tax holiday this year.

• Alabama
• Connecticut
• Georgia
• Iowa
• Louisiana
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• New Mexico
• North Carolina
• Oklahoma
• South Carolina
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Vermont
• Virginia