Written by Out and Out @ BoardingArea
Dang, the last time I did a full credit card inventory was three years ago. Can you believe? Back then, I had 29 cards. These days I have 23, and currently have my eye on three more (ironically, all cards I’ve had before: Chase Sapphire Preferred…
Author: Out and Out
My first $100K: How to start investing
Written by Out and Out @ BoardingArea
You know how bloggers say they started their site because their friends kept asking for pointers? This post on how to start investing is exactly that. I posted on Insta and Facebook about my first $100K invested in the stock market for my retirement &#…
My first vacation during coronavirus was really weird
Written by Out and Out @ BoardingArea
I had to get out. My last trip was to Cabo San Lucas in early March. So for the July 4 “holiday weekend,” I met my mom and stepdad in Heber Springs, AR. It’s a cute mountain town ~45 minutes north of Little Rock. We booked two nights …
Condo sold, net worth return to form, & up $35K – July 2020 Freedom Update
Written by Out and Out @ BoardingArea
Big news first: I closed on my condo on June 29! It hit the market April 22, and I got the offer on May 30. As y’all know, I’ve been on veritable pins and needles waiting for this. Now that it’s over, I’m almost embarrassed at t…
Plastiq Payments Earn 5X Points (up to 7,500) With Citi Prestige Promotion
Written by Out and Out @ BoardingArea
If you have a Citi Prestige card, there’s a promotion running through the end of August 2020. You can earn 5X points per $1 spent on “online purchases” – up to 7,500 Citi ThankYou points. My friend Angie tipped me off that Plast…
Hitting a major rough patch & down $35K – May 2020 Freedom Update
Written by Out and Out @ BoardingArea
Selling my Dallas condo has consumed most of my energy this month. Every time I check the Zestimate on Zillow, it falls a little more (yeah, I know it’s not reliable, but seeing the number go down gets me in the worst way). The value was above $2…
April 2020 Freedom Update
Written by Out and Out @ BoardingArea
What a month for my April 2020 Freedom update. My condo is on the market now (!). COVID-19. I moved into an apartment around the corner. And I’m still employed – for now. I’m concerned my property value is going to drop like a stone, …
Ways to support Out and Out during the COVID-19 pandemic
Written by Out and Out @ BoardingArea
What a strange time to be a travel blogger. And what an especially strange time to be a travel blogger who’s also interested in personal finance topics. I can’t travel, and the economy is going through one of the rockiest, decline-iest, bea…
Review of My $100 Stay at the Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos
Written by Out and Out @ BoardingArea
Writing this now is so weird because my last trip was exactly a month go today. In early March, I headed to Cabo San Lucas to enjoy a 4-night stay at the Hyatt Ziva Los Cabos. Read about how I booked it for $100 per person – including flights …
Taking a $25,000 beating & dealing with panic in a bear market – March 2020 Freedom Update
Written by Out and Out @ BoardingArea
This year has already been difficult in many ways. So I’ll have to unleash a whole lot of not great news. Of course, everything is down right now. And I’m fighting my HOA about a roof repair and thinking about renting an apartment nearby an…
One IRA maxed, a return to credit cards & up $10,000 – February 2020 Freedom Update
Written by Out and Out @ BoardingArea
Hello my droogs. How quickly things change in a day. I started this post with such excellent news to report: big gains, strong performance, and hard work paying off. As I write this, I fear I’m about to go into battle with my HOA over repairs tha…
Booked: Four all-inclusive nights in Cabo worth $2,600 for $202 + 145K points (1.8 cpp)
Written by Out and Out @ BoardingArea
For the third year in a row, I’m heading to a Hyatt all-inclusive vacation in Mexico with an old friend from Chicago. The past two years, we’ve gone to the Hyatt Ziva Puerto Vallarta. This year, we’re switching it up and visiting the …
Balance transfer cards 2020: A godsend when you need more time (but don’t fail the test)
Written by Out and Out @ BoardingArea
Hi lil lovies. The holidays were wild, eh? I’m writing this in a medicated haze with flu-like symptoms. But I wanted to write. And I’ve been meaning to talk about is how I’m using balance transfer cards to: Meet my current financial g…
My First Month of Diligent Saving & Net Worth Is up $20,000 – December 2019 Freedom Update
Written by Out and Out @ BoardingArea
November was the first month I got down and dirty with my new financial goals. Having them in mind gave the month shape and purpose – I felt for the first time in a while that I was working toward something urgent and real and palpable that I cou…
Roundup of Targeted Amazon Offers With 1 Amex, Chase, Citi, or Discover Point – Save on Holiday Shopping!
Written by Out and Out @ BoardingArea
There are lots of targeted Amazon promotions out there now. Which is awesome, because Black Friday are Cyber Monday are next week! When you combine these deals with inevitable sale prices, you stand to save buku bucks this holiday season. Or you can do…
Need a Checking Account With NO Fees, Minimums, or ATM Charges EVER? Try These.
Written by Out and Out @ BoardingArea
It’s been over 4 years since I first professed my love for the Fidelity Cash Management account – one of the best no fee checking accounts. And about the same amount of time since I wrote about the Aspiration Summit account. But that was be…
Todoist Review: How I’m Using It to Organize My Life and (Travel) Goals
Written by Out and Out @ BoardingArea
It’s about time I update my Todoist review. I’ve been using Todoist to organize my days since 2015 – almost five years by now! It’s an app and website I use every day and I can’t imagine life without it. That’s becau…
My Audacious Plan to Increase My Net Worth to $500,000 in 5 Years – November 2019 Freedom Update
Written by Out and Out @ BoardingArea
I’ve been wanting to talk about personal money stuff for the longest time. After all, my tagline has always been “Investing. Positivity. Oh, and travel.” Fear held me back because I didn’t want to sound like I didn’t know …
SoFi Money Review: Free ATMs, 1.8% APY, No Fees, & $50 Bonus – I’m Impressed
Written by Out and Out @ BoardingArea
I took the bait. Everyone’s abuzz about SoFi’s cash management account, SoFi Money, because you get: Unlimited, instant ATM reimbursements worldwide allowing you to use any bank ATM that accepts Visa – an amazing perk for travelers 1….
Is Citi Double Cash Now the Best Card for Plastiq Payments? (Mortgage/Rent, Auto, HOA)
Written by Out and Out @ BoardingArea
Plastiq is an online service that allows you to pay nearly any bill using a credit card. And now for the “gotchas:” There’s a 2.5% fee to send a bill payment You can’t make loan payments (rent, car note, etc.) with a Visa o…