I realize my weekly manufactured spending posts are getting tedious to read. So rather than repeat my Walmart trips in fascinating detail every week, I decide instead to write abouthow much manufactured spending I managed to do in a single month. This turned out to be fairly easy (researching this post was the hard part). Nowadays, … Read more
My stay at the Hyatt Regency Paris Charles De Gaulle wasn’t planned but turned out to be just what I needed. After a hellish few days, I ended up at Charles De Gaulle Airport, which is one of the worst airports in the world. When planes aren’t landing and taking off, Charles de Gaulle doubles … Read more
Over the past couple of months, we’ve seen some incredibly fares between the West Coast and Asia. Back in July, The Flight Deal shared a $330 roundtrip fare between San Francisco and Hong Kong. Since then, lots of other fares of around $400 have popped up. Just a couple of weeks ago, there was a … Read more
Beauty box subscriptions like Birchbox and Glossybox are very popular these days. For $10 – $39.95 per month, subscribers get a box of premium beauty product samples shipped to their doorstep. If you’ve ever been subject to a hard-sell at Sephora or dealt with a MAC makeup artist who hasn’t quite mastered the nuances of … Read more
This past weekend I was at my favorite Walmart store buying money orders. On my last visit, one of the cashiers remarked that another woman had come into the store that week and bough money orders “exactly like you do”. In $2,000 increments, split across five debit cards. I laughed it off when she suggested … Read more
After a few days in Thessaloniki, I decided to head to Calais to volunteer with Help Refugees. Things were unorganized in Thessaloniki and I felt like I wasn’t getting to do what I came there for. You can read about my volunteering experience in an article that will be published in Fodor’s soon (I’ll share … Read more
The first steps in the Starwood-Marriott merger were taken last week, when reciprocal benefits were announced for members for both programs. This was a positive step, with generous elite status matches and a 1:3 transfer ratio for SPG: Marriott transfers. Marriott is trying to win over Starwood members, while allowing Marriott and Ritz-Carlton Rewards members … Read more
Remember when the Marriott-Ritz Carlton takeover of Starwood hotels was announced last year and I wrote about how the news wasn’t so bad? Well, my point of view has been validated today, because all three programs have taken the first step in merging and it’s actually working out in our favor. Starting today, Starwood Preferred Guest … Read more
I’ve seen a few tweets on Twitter recently from people who lost and then found Visa Gift Cards with full $500 balances on them. On one hand, it’s great that they found these cards, but on the other, it’s awful that they lost these gift cards in the first place. I decided to write a post … Read more
Most of you are familiar with Agoda, an OTA booking site for hotel and flight bookings. Earlier this year, Agoda launched PointsMAX, which enables members to earn frequent flyer miles on hotel bookings. I was recently asked by Agoda to test out PointsMAX provide feedback in exchange for a $300 booking credit. I booked two … Read more