Joni Kinney

Benefits of Flexible Points

March 20, 2019 By Joni Kinney Leave a Comment

Towards the end of every year, I always start to look at the balances of my point accounts and start also looking at what I plan to do for traveling over the next year or two. Yes, I really do mean year or two. (Check out our post on our plan for our next Hawaii vacation.) I have found that using flexible points gives us the most travel options.

When I had started to look at the first trip to Hawaii for our family, I planned it out over 2-3 years to make sure I could do as much with points as possible. There are always risks planning that far out such as points needed for the flights or hotels go up or airline carriers changing flight options. We were fortunate that the choices we did gave us some flexibility in case of those changes.

Chase Ultimate Rewards

Over the last two years, I have moved to keep points in a program such as Chase Ultimate Rewards. This way my points aren’t locked up with Southwest, Delta, or Marriott. Using this program let us keep our flexible points in one place until we need them.

Using Flexible Points

For the trip to Hawaii we recently went on, I was short the miles needed for all the flights using United. They had nonstop flights that were worth us spending a little more on. By not having my points locked in, I was able to transfer from Chase to United to complete that booking.

Additionally, I was then low on points to finish the hotel booking through Marriott for the travel package for the boutique hotel. I was able to top off the account with Marriott with the points from Chase.

Benefits of Flexible Points – When things Change

During those two years, a lot of changes happened in regards to the points hobby.

Alaska Airlines lost the ability to book Delta fights.
Alaska gave the flexibility to book American, Alaska or Delta flights.

Starwoods/SPG was a considerable hotel favorite in the points hobby. Starwoods/SPG was purchased by Marriott and changed redemption rates. Additionally, they cut the ability to earn points by 1/3rd the price per dollar than previously. Rumors of other airlines being purchased, hotel groups consolidating, would force many to try to stay ahead of the game. Where having the flexible miles in something like Chase Ultimate Rewards allows transfer partners for hotels as needed with IHG (Holiday Inn), Marriott, or Hyatt (my personal favorite).

For airlines, you have many options including Southwest and United. You can always cash in Points through the travel portal at 1.25 cents per point or penny per point in statement credit. Another example of how flexibility is beneficial. Southwest recently began booking flight options to Hawaii. This gives more options besides United and Delta, and will likely continue to make travel there competitive.

The more flexibility you have, the better.

Planning a Trip to Hawaii on a budget

March 10, 2019 By Joni Kinney 2 Comments

Our last trip to Hawaii was a three-year process in the making. We could have done it quicker, but I still wanted to maintain our other trips. So how do you go about planning a trip to Hawaii on a budget?

Figure out your flights. The majority of your cost is going to be getting to Hawaii. You can find decent deals on hotels and food can be as inexpensive or as expensive as you make it in most places. But flights are always the wild card when planning a trip to Hawaii on a budget. Here are our considerations for keeping costs down.

General Flight Considerations

To give you an idea of the airline costs; for the three of us to fly round trip from Chicago to Honolulu, it was 135,000 miles total. Joni and I can fly to Cancun from Chicago round trip for 20-25,000 combined usually. It is possible to get the points pretty quickly if you want to do the credit card sign up bonus game.

Southwest Airlines recently got approved for long haul flights from the West Coast to Hawaii. Their first test flight was completed with government review and they have just recently opened up flights to Hawaii. When the news initially broke about Southwest getting closer to having another carrier flying from the Continental United States, some of the other carriers started to run specials with some of the lowest costs seen in a long time.

It is believed that the increase in competition will drop the dollar amount and airline miles required for that once…or twice… in a lifetime trip. With this news, I am having to keep four different airlines as potential options.

Keep in mind what airline and what airport you want to travel out of when planning a trip to Hawaii on a budget. Are you ok with a layover? Want a straight through flight? Are you willing to travel super early or want to be flying all day? With a flight this long you may want to travel during waking hours or you may want to fly mostly overnight. These are important questions you need to ask before you book your trip.

Consideration # 1 – Inter-Island Flights with Hawaiian Airlines

Joni had mentioned she wants to go to Maui along with Oahu this next trip. So when we are planning our trip to Hawaii on a budget we have to consider this additional cost. Hawaiian Airlines runs cheap flights between the islands. I have seen prices ranging from about $150 round trip or 15,000 miles between the islands per person. Hawaiian Airlines has a secure online shopping portal where I already picked up around 4,000 miles in the last 4-6 months doing shopping at a couple online stores I like. This will definitely help our budget.

The other quick options for miles if I need for these on shorter notice is through Barclays. They have a Hawaiian Airlines card where just the general offer is 50,000 miles for $1,000 in purchases over 3 months. I also over the past year have seen an offer as good as 60,000 miles after one purchase. That would be 3-4 round trips between the islands for an annual fee of $99.

Flights to Hawaii

Option #1 – United Airlines again (Chicago to Hawaii)

This is what we used last time. Right now we are mostly getting our miles using their phone mobile app making purchases at Buffalo Wild Wings and Starbucks. I already have enough in the account for one round trip ticket. I don’t think Joni would approve on me going on a solo trip for this one. I do not want to lock miles hard into United Airlines as they do not have the best options for Las Vegas.

Option #2 – Southwest

This is more likely the direction we will end up going. I do prefer Southwest over United just as a personal preference. Most of my Southwest miles that I use for my Vegas trips come from the Ultimate Rewards program now with Milwaukee having non-stop flights there.

The superior flexibility that Chase has with their Ultimate Rewards points program is that I can transfer those points to either Southwest or United. This offers us great options when we are planning trips and will certainly come in handing when planning a trip to Hawaii on a budget.

Option #3 – Delta through Minneapolis

Delta is my second favorite airline. If I am not flying Southwest to Las Vegas, then most likely I am flying Delta. They have many non-stop flights all over; including some to Hawaii. Delta also has options for flights out from many of the regional airports to get to Minneapolis, Detroit or even Salt Lake City as places to connect from.

One of the new cards I have been looking at over the last 4-6 months is from American Express. Delta Miles take a long time to accrue using their branded credit card at 1 point per dollar for regular purchases. I do carry it and pay the annual fee as I am ahead just on bag fees every year and it also gets me earlier boarding.

But the American Express Gold Card gives 4 Membership Reward Points per dollar spent on Groceries and Restaurants. These points can be converted into Delta Miles. Groceries and restaurants are more substantial expenses in our household, so I am still working the math to see if the cost of the annual fee makes up for the difference.

So what is the next thing we will have to consider when planning a trip to Hawaii on a budget? Hotels… stay tuned we have tips for that too!

Types of Motivation

March 7, 2019 By Joni Kinney 1 Comment

I believe there are four unique types of motivation. Most people agree there is Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in place. While that is true, there are internal and external motivators; I actually believe there are 4 motivations that truly drive people.

Motivational Types

Self Motivation
Pleasing People Motivation
Monetary Motivation
Rewards Motivated

While the bottom three are types of extrinsic, meaning they are driven by outside forces; the top item is intrinsic. So let’s talk about the bottom three types of motivation here first.

Pleasing People

Many people seek the approval of others. Trying to please people can be toxic to your relationships and hold you back from finding your true self. If you are always seeking the approval of someone else, then you can’t be who you want to be.

If this motivational type describes you here are some tips. Be honest with the people in your life and make sure you are acknowledging your needs. Stop being guilty when you tell people NO to something. It’s not going to dissolve the Earth to put yourself first once in awhile. Make it a priority, here are some self-care ideas for you!

Monetary Motivation

We all know someone who is driven by money and pretty much only money. Now I’m not talking about those who need to make money to survive and have so much debt all they can think about is money. That’s an entirely different problem.

These people will put everything on the side burner if it means they are making more money. While hurting their relationships isn’t something they intend to do, they often don’t realize they have hurt others until the relationship is past salvaging. While there are many types of motivation, I believe this can be one of the most hurtful to those you love.

If you find yourself in this grouping, make a focus to spend time with those you love to be around. Ensure you find ways to tell those around you what they mean to you.

Rewards Motivation

Now you are probably thinking this is the same as money. After all, money motivation and rewards motivated are tied close together. However, they are different.

Those who are driven and motivated by rewards, don’t care what the prize is. It could be a title, wealth, prestige, or even something small like an extra soda or attention from their boss. This type of person tends to make everything in life into some competition even if they are competing against themselves.

If you find yourself in this group, make sure you are not risking your loved ones by turning things into competitions when they shouldn’t be. These people tend to be exhausting to be around, so watch this if you fall into this type of motivation.

Self Motivation

This is one of the hardest types of motivation to conquer and what we all strive for. Self Motivated people don’t care about what others think, money, rewards or any combination.

These people are only motivated by what they think and their own beliefs. These are often some of the most successful people. By having a positive attitude, you often attract positive people to you and this helps you continue to be self-motivated.

Which of these types of motivation do you feel you resonate strongest with?

St. Patrick’s Day – Irish Quotes

February 26, 2019 By Joni Kinney Leave a Comment

St. Patrick’s Day is more than just green beer. Although living in Wisconsin green beer is plenty on St. Patrick’s Day. I have put together some of my favorite Irish Quotes for you all. I hope you enjoy this collection.

If you are looking for some other quotes check out our Summertime Quote Collection and our Mindset Quotes.

Irish Quotes

There are only two kinds of people in the world, The Irish and those who wish they were.
Irish not because I was born in Ireland, but because Ireland was born in me.
May you always have walls for the winds, and a roof for the rain, laughter to cheer you, & those you love near you.
Everything will be alright in the end. If it’s not alright, it’s not the end.
May your heart be light and happy, may your smile be big and wide, and may your pockets always have a coin or two inside.
Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.
Luck occurs when preparation meets opportunity.
Believe in yourself and you will be unstoppable.
Luck is believing you are lucky.
Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
The only thing that over comes hard luck is hard work.
I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have.

Shamrock Irish Quotes

Shake your Shamrock
May your blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow, and may trouble avoid you wherever you go.
Never iron your 4-leaf clover, because you don’t want to press your luck.
May a lucky shamrock bring you cheer, and lots of luck far and near.

I love different quotes and helping people maintain a positive mindset. These Irish quotes are about shamrocks and luck and believing in yourself. I hope you enjoyed them, as much as I enjoyed finding them.

I would love for you to join me over on Facebook to see our latest posts and quotes.

5 Frugal Steps to Save Money on Clothes

February 19, 2019 By Joni Kinney Leave a Comment

Clothing is a necessity, but you don’t have to spend a lot to look good. Most people I know who have children have found ways or try to find ways to save money on clothes. Here are some of my favorite tips that everyone can use to help make this an area budget friendly.

If you need help saving money in other areas of your budget check out this article on 5 useful ways to save money on utilities.

Use resale shops to make purchases

Thrift shops or resale shops are great places to pick up bargains. Many people take things to these stores so that they can get credit. These credits can often be used to purchase items from the store or can be turned into cash. Every store has its own policies, but this makes thrift stores great places to pick up new wardrobe pieces.

Additionally, because their items are continually turning over, you can check several times a week and may have many things to choose from. Check for sales or when they run specials. Many thrift stores will run monthly or weekend specials that will help you save even more.

Sell older items

If you have clothes you are no longer wearing, sell them. This is a great way to save money on clothes because you can then use the money you earn to purchase new items. Using the money from your older clothing items helps ensure you continuously have a friendly clothing budget.

One of the best ways to clean out your clothing is to follow the Marie Kondo Cleaning method. She will teach you how to decide what you need to keep, as well as how to organize your items.

Buy items on clearance

When you do have to purchase something new find the clearance racks. Many people shop the clearance racks to get great deals and help you save money on clothing. Don’t forget the online clearance sections of your favorite stores too. Just because you are not in a physical store doesn’t mean you can’t find great deals.

Staple Pieces

Basic tank tops, athletic wear and basic pants do not need to be a designer. No one is going to notice if your tank top you see about two inches of is from Target. Use in-store specials and sales to maximize savings on these staple pieces.

If you are really looking to save money on clothes, skip the fancy athletic wear all together. Your work out clothes do not need to be fancy, just get what means your minimum needs. For many people that is shorts and a decent fitting tank top.

Make a list

Treat clothes shopping like you would any other shopping adventure. Start with an agenda. What are the basics you need to purchase? You may find an awesome pair of jeans, but if you already have 30 pairs at home, you are not wearing, skip that item and purchase what you need.

You are not saving money on clothes just because you bought something on sale. Like my husband always tells me we aren’t saving money by buying things we don’t need.

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Fabulous ideas for Valentine’s Day – A Gift Guide

January 27, 2019 By Joni Kinney 2 Comments

Are you trying to figure out that perfect gift for your loved one? Do you want to make sure that Valentine’s Day is special? Here are some gift guide ideas for Valentine’s Day.

If you are looking for that perfect activity to do for a date night then you need to read 10 Valentine’s Date Ideas that are Simple and Easy.

Gift ideas for Valentine’s Day

For the fashion diva in your life get her a fantastic pair of leggings with built-in support! Or one of the other clothing options! Spanx features cute apparel items ranging from shapewear to swim; they even have a men’s line.

Since there are many great ideas, we recommend you check out Top 5 Best Selling Leggings! Spanx has a wide range of products for the woman in your life.

One of my favorite places to shop for gifts is Mixbook. They have a wide range of items that can be customized. From canvas prints to Custom Photo Books at Mixbook you are almost guaranteed to find some ideas for Valentine’s day here!

Recently we visited Oahu, Hawaii and one of the things I discovered was the amazing coffee on the islands. Coffee is one of my absolute must-haves to start my day. For the coffee lover in your life, this is a great idea for Valentine’s day.

Last but not least for the entrepreneur in your life! Whether that is Direct Sales, at home business or just someone who wants to gain some extra Social Media skills. Then you must help them by purchasing one of the courses from The Socialite Suite or The Purple Teacup.

We hope you have enjoyed the ideas for Valentine’s Day that we have put together for you. Feel free to comment if you have other great ideas for those deserving a gift for Valentines.

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