UPDATE 8.22.18 //
It’s about that time (crazy enough) to savor those last days of summer and start thinking about the next big season. With Brian going off to kindergarten and Grace going to her first year of preschool, it’s time to start thinking about back to school shopping!! I know for some it may seem too soon, but I like to go in with a game plan to tackle it all at once and not have to go back multiple times for things we may have forgotten.
This year is big since both kiddos will be going to school every day. Especially for Brian starting Kindergarten — his list of must-haves is pretty long…along with just the general list of fall necessities. Does anyone else feel like their kids grow SO MUCH over the summer? Like none of their clothes fit them, so we may have to do a big shopping trip to get some more basics and fun stuff for the new school year.
With two kids going to school now, this shopping trip, while fun, will also cost a pretty penny. But with my Amex EveryDay Card, I can use Membership Rewards points I’ve accumulated over the past few months towards my supplies purchases! How great is that!? So, using this Card for our “everyday” purchases helped me earn 1x points for every eligible dollar I spent*. The major benefit to this is I use it all the time for our groceries, and when I use the Card at valid US supermarkets I can actually earn 2x the points (up to $6,000 per year in purchases)*. Also, since I made more than 20 purchases in the last billing period (thanks to tons of travel), I earned 20% extra points on those purchases* (terms apply). Win!! So needless to say, using my Card has helped me build up a points bank that is going to enable me a guilt-free shopping spree for the kids to get them ready for the new school year!
I’ve shared with you a few times now why I love being an Amex EveryDay Card Member – there really are so many benefits to having this Card. If you are in the market or have been thinking about getting a Credit Card, I can at least tell you that this Card has worked really well for me and my family, and there’s no question we’ll continue to use it!
UPDATE // 8.22.18 //I am excited to be teaming up with Amex once again to help share some insight into one of the ways we are managing our finances.
It’s no secret that the Joy’s like to have fun! Whether it’s traveling, activities, concerts, etc. we love to live it up and make memories together. That said, there are times that we need to keep ourselves in check financially and lately we have been able to do that since I became an Amex EveryDay Credit Card Member.
I’ve previously shared how we are affording our fun with the Amex EveryDay Credit Card (which you can read about here). But in case you didn’t know, I also wanted to share the ways in which Amex is more than just a credit card company. They are also a great resource for financial planning/management and they are constantly rolling out new features and tools to help us stay on top of things. For example the new American Express® MyCredit Guide is a free tool to help you manage and track your credit. You can see your VantageScore® credit score provided by TransUnion® and get TransUnion credit reports. The two best parts are 1) this free tool is available to you whether or not you are an American Express Card member and 2) using MyCredit Guide does not impact your credit score. So, you can check it as often as you need to without any penalties.
One of the coolest new features of MyCredit Guide tool is the score simulator which helps you assess any possible impacts of financial decisions before you make them! So, whether you’re buying a house, taking out a loan or planning to open a new credit card you can proactively help yourself to make a quality decision using the tool’s estimated results of how your current credit score may be impacted by that choice. I wish I had something like that during the house buying process as it’s just a really helpful indicator to help you make better financial decisions. Another great thing is that they will email me if there are significant changes to my TransUnion credit report – this will help me to identify potential fraud.
So whether you are interested in becoming a Amex EveryDay Credit Card Member or just want to benefit from the free MyCredit Guide tool I highly suggest checking their site out to get up to speed on all the ways in which you can take control and gain rewards from your finances today.
Visit www.AmericanExpress.com/MyCreditGuide for terms and to learn more.
UPDATE // 6.18.18 // Are any of you a serial redecorator like me? I especially get into high gear in Spring, so I’ve recently been eyeing spaces in our house to add summer decor items to. I recently gave our bar cart an essential oils makeover, and I absolutely love it! The kids are so into oils now (which is so cute) so we talk about different ones they want to diffuse. My oily life habit has become a bit pricey, so I’m very grateful for our Amex EveryDay Credit Card. I get excited watching the points add up, as it means my oils collection can get more robust! The best part is that if I make 20 or more purchases on the Card in a billing period, I can earn 20% extra points on those purchases*!! That’s a lot of points…fast! While I may be putting my points towards my beloved oils, there are so many ways to use your points the way that you want – check them out here!
Guess what?? We flew to Florida on our last family vacation almost entirely for free using the American Express Membership Rewards points we earned from our everyday purchases made using our Amex EveryDay Credit Card. How awesome is that?? If you haven’t already assessed your current credit card situation to make sure you’re getting the most bang for your buck, springtime is the right time to do it! We decided to open an Amex EveryDay Card earlier this year so that as our everyday expenses add up, so do our rewards! I’ve already mentioned the awesome welcome offer below, so be sure to read through so you can get the whole picture. I just had to check in and update you on how amazing this Card is already treating us 🙂
Here are a few benefits that our family really loves…
- Earn 2x points at US supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases* • 1x points for every eligible dollar you spend* • Make 20 or more purchases with your Card in a billing period and earn 20% more points on those purchases* • You can get double Membership Rewards® points on every dollar of eligible travel purchases when you use your Card to book your trip through AmexTravel.com*
*This post was sponsored by @AmericanExpress*
One of the things I get asked about a lot is how I budget with a busy family of four who also love to travel. I am so excited to be partnering with Amex to help bring you a series of content over the next few months focused around how we are affording our fun with the Amex EveryDay Credit Card!
So I know talking about personal finances can be uncomfortable for some, but in this series I will focus on sharing some of my own experience and perspective (as I do with fashion, recipes, etc.) to give some inspiration to those of you who are looking for ways to make the most out of expenses (i.e. earning rewards).
Brian and I have gone through many phases of life/careers, and with that comes an evolving way to look at our finances: changing the way we want to spend vs. save vs. invest. Our main goal is to ensure we are financially stable both now and in the future while also giving our kids and ourselves life experiences that bring us joy and memories!! Throughout the years, we have tried different approaches including different credit cards and the one thing we realized was, wait…..how can we get the most bang for buck when using a credit card? When we learned about the Amex EveryDay Credit Card, it addressed that spot on!! So we opened an account and have already transitioned it to be our primary payment for many of our daily living expenses.
In terms of budgeting, every few months (especially now that it’s tax season!) we take a good hard look at what we’ve been spending money on, how our savings are doing and discuss any adjustments we need to make. As I mentioned in a previous post <3 Brian and Grace are getting easier to travel with, so one of our goals for 2018 is to take advantage of that and start showing them more of the world. In order to afford that, we are being mindful of where we spend our daily dollars and using the Amex EveryDay Card whenever we can as we know we can earn points to put towards our travel expenses!
So why am I an Amex EveryDay Card Member? The main appeal of this card is earning the great rewards while we just go about our daily lives. So as we spend money eating at restaurants, going to the grocery store, filling up at the gas station, getting that afternoon caffeine kick at the coffee shop, etc., we are earning rewards that will help us do the fun stuff!
As you know, I always like to share a good deal with you all, so sharing this card falls right into that category as they have a great welcome offer for new Card Members:
- 0% intro APR** (annual percentage rate) on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months, then a variable rate of 14.49-25.49%
- a $0 balance transfer fee** on transfers made within the first 60 days of account opening and
- You can warn earn a welcome bonus of 10,000 Membership Rewards Points* after making $1,000 in purchases on the Card in the first 3 months
All this with no annual fee**!
*Read about the offer and benefit terms
**Note that rates and fees may apply
So now that we have our card, I will be sharing some of the experiences we’re able to enjoy thanks in part to the rewards we’re earning every day. I will also share more about how money management plays a part in my day to day both as a family member and as a business owner. If you have any specific questions you would like me to address in future posts, comment below!
If you’re local, I definitely would recommend visiting Humbled Coffee House in Stamford — and they accept Amex!
