I love credit cards so much! v2.0 (see first page for add'l details)

[hsmamato2]

Just used the last of my Lowe's Amex 10% offer on a 5 piece sectional conversation patio set. Went through RMN for another $60 off for spending over $200 on an online purchase. Free delivery too!

does that offer apply to gc purchase online?

 

[Judique]

I was the impression that free lunch programs are federally funded. Although I have no idea how they determine eligibility since I know this one family who lives in a brand new 4600 sq ft house that they paid close to $500k for plus added a beautiful in-ground pool and their children (I think there are 6 of them) get free meals.

Eligibility is based on income and number of people in the family and children requiring lunch not assets. They may have come from an inherited and paid off home, and only have a 100K mortgage, and their income may support that plus their real estate taxes. There are so many variables that come into consideration as well as income. Are the children fostered or adopted? This is another game changer that I saw a lot of in my career.

I was pretty poor when I was divorced 30 years ago and 'still' didn't qualify for even reduced lunch. Never did qualify for anything.
I'm one of those that are happy there are programs in place for those who need them, but I used to actually wonder if I would have been as driven to earn and be successful if I'd had an easier time and received help. I had to either have money for my kids breakfasts and lunches or make sure I fed them and made their lunch before school.

 

[Judique]

They flew out of Denver, but left from Co Springs because they have family there that they left their dog with. I think the main roads were closed and had to go back roads. They only rarely fly out of Co Springs when they can find a good deal.

My daughter goes back and forth to Colorado Springs because Dad is there, but almost always flies out of Denver to get free or cheap SW flights.

 

[GlamMistress]

Thank you all for being wonderful. No matter what anyone says, we are not a group of nameless strangers here. We are friends.

My brain feels like scrambled eggs but you are helping. And reading here and trying to be normal is helping.

I did decide to go ahead and cancel my Aerosmith trip. Too many omens for me to overlook.

 

[Judique]

Just finished planning out my final staff appreciation week at DS’s current school. (Although after this week and how DS was unfairly treated I almost decided to drop out but I am going to march since just the type of parent I am.) I am going with a Harry Potter inspired theme.
Friday before the staff receives their “owl mail” invite and I set up 9 3/4 station
Mon- Sorting Day- a parent is making cupcakes with the house colors inside to “sort” the teachers
Tues- Beginner Wand Training Day- make pencils into wands and instructions on the spells
Wed- The Great Feast- I have a friend who will cater it and I’ll make Polyjuice Potion and Butterbeer
Thurs- Visit to Honeydukes- candy bar and I’ll make chocolate frogs
Fri- Quidditch Tournament- my neighbor made DS an awesome HP corn hole set last year for his birthday and Rita’s Ice to close out the day

Super excited despite how unhappy I am with his school. We just need to get through these last 49 days and then we get to move on to hopefully a much better environment for DS.

You've gone to a lot of work and expense. I'm proud of you! Thanks for doing all that. I know there is often little thanks in comparison to the hours put in - similar to a teacher's job.

 

[amalone1013]

First: my very favorite thing about Colorado



I love the look of the mountains while theres still some snow on them. I just cant get too close or they make me sick

And yet...I was that "idiot" at one point in my life

We all were before we were enlightened! I had my Discover for about a year before I got my no fee Arrival. I did put everything on my Discover and paid it off, and even vaguely looked into the idea of using it to make my student loan payments (basically just seeing if there was a credit card field, but alas, there was not). Then I put everything on my Arrival unless it was a 5% category. That was as fancy as I got.

Honestly, that describes CO to a 'T'. Am I right, @amalone1013 and @platamama ?? Almost always sunny, snows and then is gone pretty fast, and most amazing sunrises (and sunsets) you've ever seen?? It's really an amazing climate that you have to live here to really understand. It's crazy good. Winters are mild and summers are glorious.

Yes! I love everything about how crazy the Denver Metro has gotten

That is a difficult question to answer even if the question seems simple. How do you measure how good the school is? Test scores?? Didn't we have a discussion here in the last month about how much testing goes on and what good it does for the kids? As a teacher, you might have different criteria for what you'd like in a school as a teacher vs. as a parent.

CO has poor public school funding, close to $2700 less per pupil than the national average, largely due to an anti-tax amendments passed in the 80's and 90's. The public school teachers I've known have all done their level best for the students, but you can't squeeze blood out of a turnip. In general, schools with a more affluent community supporting the PTOs do better (on test scores at least) but that might be more a function of student SES more than anything else. I grew up and went to school in CO before the anti-tax amendments affected public education much, and I feel that DD does not get the enrichment (music, art, field trips) that I got when I went to school. It's sad, short-sighted, and shooting ourselves in the foot by failing to support the next generation the way they should be. They're the ones who will be running the show when we're old.

According to this graph, the only states that have worse changes than Colorado to per pupil funding are Georgia, Texas, Indiana and Idaho.

I am always interested in other people's thoughts of the schools out here, because everyone I know was in the Adams 12 district. They are either already graduated, in the schools currently, work in them, etc. I get the impression that for this district at least, the number one priority is avoiding a lawsuit so they let kids/parents walk all over the staff, make outrageous demands of the school/staff... and a lot of classroom time goes to letting kids act out (these are just normal kids where their parents let them act however at home, so they come to school and do the same, but the teachers are no longer allowed to try and stop them so class is just interrupted). Oh, also MIL has a school that stops class 3 times a day for free snacks, on top of lunchtime and breakfast. I don't want kids to go hungry, but 3 seems extreme? I don't remember getting snacks in elementary school (maybe preschool/kindergarten, definitely not after that). And the really bizarre thing is, how many kids will eat a whole kiwi or radish? That's what they hand out all the time!

They flew out of Denver, but left from Co Springs because they have family there that they left their dog with. I think the main roads were closed and had to go back roads. They only rarely fly out of Co Springs when they can find a good deal.

The stretch of road between Denver and the Springs is a nightmare. And there's pretty much no other option to get around, so if the weather is bad or there is in accident you are screwed. I can't remember if it's two or three lanes each way.

Just finished planning out my final staff appreciation week at DS’s current school. (Although after this week and how DS was unfairly treated I almost decided to drop out but I am going to march since just the type of parent I am.) I am going with a Harry Potter inspired theme.
Friday before the staff receives their “owl mail” invite and I set up 9 3/4 station
Mon- Sorting Day- a parent is making cupcakes with the house colors inside to “sort” the teachers
Tues- Beginner Wand Training Day- make pencils into wands and instructions on the spells
Wed- The Great Feast- I have a friend who will cater it and I’ll make Polyjuice Potion and Butterbeer
Thurs- Visit to Honeydukes- candy bar and I’ll make chocolate frogs
Fri- Quidditch Tournament- my neighbor made DS an awesome HP cot hole set last year for his birthday and Rita’s Ice to close out the day

Super excited despite how unhappy I am with his school. We just need to get through these last 49 days and then we get to move on to hopefully a much better environment for DS.

I want to be staff at that school... Hope things are better going forward with new environments!

 

[amalone1013]

No matter what anyone says, we are not a group of nameless strangers here. We are friends.

Everyone here is now in my collective friends group. Even if I imagine you all like this in my mind:



Thought it would be funnier to use avatars that aren't actual photos of people...

 

[Judique]

Everyone here is now in my collective friends group. Even if I imagine you all like this in my mind:

View attachment 393195

Thought it would be funnier to use avatars that aren't actual photos of people...

I finally look like I lost some weight and I'm getting exercise dancing around as a stick figure!

 

[wed100105]

I finally have something exciting to post!

Remember how I uprgraded to the HHonors Aspire and THEN realized that the resort credit is limited to about 230 resorts that are specificially designated?

Well, I talked DH into a trip to Arizona this Christmas break using our "we-want-to-take-our-kids-to-all-50-states" rationalization because there were a couple of resorts that looked great to try. We booked 5 nights at the Hilton Sedona Red Rock on points, and 2 nights at the Hilton Waldorf Astoria Biltmore in Pheonix. I booked the WA with a LCM rate that includes $100 daily credit. Total was $718.20 for 2 nights. I was hoping that this would work--and it did!!! Credits posted last night.

$718.20 for two nights
-$100 credit from Aspire card ($100/500 WA by 6/30 promo offer)
-$250 resort credit (Aspire card)
_________
$368.20
-$200 in credits from the rate I booked



Plus, both resorts qualify for the $250 resort credit. My resort credit date will reset on September 19. DH has the same offer on his Ascend card to upgrade to the Aspire and earn the bonus points....it's so tempting!

 

[disneymagicgirl]

Yep, I understand. Just know the summers in CO are the best summers known to man lol! If we ever move, I will miss the summer here so much. And winters here are milder than you could imagine.

How could that be? There is no

 

[disneymagicgirl]

What are your dates - you said Beach Club, right? Just looking to add this to my list of examples I'm tracking to see if anything changes here (for better or worse).

For that example I pulled 5/22-25....garden view

 

[pillow]

Guys I don't know what to say or do anymore. You already know my one girlfriend was out for Vegas because she hurt her knee very badly. Then my husband went into a downward health spiral.

But now, I have just learned that my other girlfriend who was meeting us... died last night. At age 42 this is obviously sudden and a shock.

I feel numb. And I don't know who to talk to about this so I posted here.

Oh that's awful. So very sorry!!

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Everyone here is now in my collective friends group. Even if I imagine you all like this in my mind:

View attachment 393195

Thought it would be funnier to use avatars that aren't actual photos of people...

I do wear a helmet everywhere that I go.......

 

[MKTokyo]

Guys I don't know what to say or do anymore. You already know my one girlfriend was out for Vegas because she hurt her knee very badly. Then my husband went into a downward health spiral.

But now, I have just learned that my other girlfriend who was meeting us... died last night. At age 42 this is obviously sudden and a shock.

I feel numb. And I don't know who to talk to about this so I posted here.

So sorry... That's awful.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

I was the impression that free lunch programs are federally funded. Although I have no idea how they determine eligibility since I know this one family who lives in a brand new 4600 sq ft house that they paid close to $500k for plus added a beautiful in-ground pool and their children (I think there are 6 of them) get free meals.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

According to the income guidelines they would have to make less than $55k as a family of 8 to get free lunch. About $78.4k to get reduced lunch. Maybe they FIREd. Worked long enough to buy huge house and save money and now they claim very little as income. Sorry, been reading too many FI blogs. Or maybe they sell drugs. So all money under the table Lol. That’s where my thinking usually goes. Lol


View attachment 393190

We have a couple of friends who I always wonder where in the world their money comes from based on the facts I know (their careers, etc) and my thinking always goes to the same place.

 

[MKTokyo]

OUCH!
@amalone1013, let me borrow your hammer.

United Eliminating Award Charts and Close-in Booking Fees - VFTW

United MileagePlus Abolishes Award Charts - OMAAT

United’s Award Chart is Extinct – Here’s What Awards Now Cost - TPG

I'm still digesting the news, but it's not good. MileagePlus redemption rates on United will be dynamic, and there will no longer be a minimum or maximum price for awards. Changes effective 11/15/19.

I'm so about this news because we keep going back & forth on whether we want to do Vienna/Prague/Budapest or Copenhagen next year, and either choice means a *A flight... which would have been booked through United... and now I likely have a useless CC, & useless miles to go along with it.

BUT I took the 70K biz offer so at least I did not lose a 5/24 slot for nothing

& we got Hamilton tickets for London, which were only £200 each for seats that were nearly $800 each in NY. I will comfort myself by blasting Yorktown

 

[disneymagicgirl]

Eligibility is based on income and number of people in the family and children requiring lunch not assets. They may have come from an inherited and paid off home, and only have a 100K mortgage, and their income may support that plus their real estate taxes. There are so many variables that come into consideration as well as income. Are the children fostered or adopted? This is another game changer that I saw a lot of in my career.

I was pretty poor when I was divorced 30 years ago and 'still' didn't qualify for even reduced lunch. Never did qualify for anything.
I'm one of those that are happy there are programs in place for those who need them, but I used to actually wonder if I would have been as driven to earn and be successful if I'd had an easier time and received help. I had to either have money for my kids breakfasts and lunches or make sure I fed them and made their lunch before school.

maybe the formula needs to factor net worth then, not just annual income. Seems like abuse of the system to me. They can sell their fancy house, budget, and feed their own kids.

 

[tink1970]

@wendow and @amalone1013 y’all paint a lovely picture but I cannot imagine living somewhere that has a breed ban-love me, love my dogs! Plus...no beach! Aren’t we fortunate that this country has so many options?

@Alexle2007 - your week sounds both wonderful and exhausting! I’m sure the teachers will appreciate your efforts.
At DD’s middle school the teachers would complain about their Christmas/end of the year gifts if they weren’t nice/expensive enough. THAT was a school I was happy to leave, so I understand your readiness to move on.

 

[Alexle2007]

You've gone to a lot of work and expense. I'm proud of you! Thanks for doing all that. I know there is often little thanks in comparison to the hours put in - similar to a teacher's job.

Thanks! It was an awful week as DS was accused of punching a boy at school and the asst principal gave him half of a day in the resource center the next day. Of course, I spent my evening lecturing DS and kept saying he had hit the boy when he was swiping to try to get the basketball back that the boy had taken from. Then he had a huge panic attack when I tried to drop him off. Turns out he had a huge math assessment that day and was only 20 minutes to complete it. He goes into school on Fri and is talking to his friends at lunch only to find out that he was one friend had only seen the boy crying but had reaccounted the story that the boy had told. And the boy who was actually the only one who had actually witnessed the entire event wasn’t even interviewed. And told DS that the boy he had “hit” and actually moved his head so he would be hit. So I emailed the asst principal on Fri afternoon when I found out this information clearly upset the eye witness wasn’t even called in. The asst principal called that afternoon and apologized for not seeing everything through and said she would talk to the eye witness on Mon and would be remove the referral depending on the results. But in the meantime, DS’s math assessment grade posted and it was absolutely horrible. So that will be the next topic I take up. So I am kind of bitter at that moment.