Is it just me or is Citi Double cash not that great? Only get $2 if you spend $100??

[Anonymous]

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@Themanwhocan wrote:

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 *sigh* ... I bought BOGO boxes of Breaded Fish Fillets today. But I forgot to buy tartar sauce.

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What was the cost out of curiosity?  I bet you saved more there on one item than most do with rewards in a month

[redpat]

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@Anonymous wrote:

lol what.... 

I spend around the same as you but not much on entertainment because I don't go out and much less on food.eating out. I do eat out but cheap stuff like Chipotle take out and it's like $7 a time; I don't get a drink or chips but just the bowl... lol  Not really because I am cheap but because I have something to drink at home.    

I spend 

$100 a month on phone bill 

$45 on internet 

$0 on cable 

I think $7 Netflix 

$14 HBO Now

I don't get hair cuts every month but once every 4-5 months but when I do it's $90 lol 

I don't go to the doctor every month (once a year for check up). I don't have health issues where I need to see one monthly.

if you see a doctor every month you probably have serious health issues. 

$150 ish a month on car insurance  

$200 amonth on groceries 

not sure how much on take out like Chipotle etc...   maybe I would gess $80 a month or less. 

Maybe $120 a month in gas but I use my BOA for gas cash back. 

I don't spend much on entertainment other than Netflix streaming and HBO streaming and simple take out meals. I do buy food but not from expensive restaurants; the most expensive would be $11 ish a meal for myself (no tip) as its take out. 

My entertainment is Netflix, HBO Now. I also forgot but Spotify Streaming and XM radio. I do online shopping but it's whenever I feel like it. There's no real budget for it but it's certainly nowhere near a few hundred dollars a week. 

I spend nothing on movies as I would rather watch movies at home and honestly hate night clubs, drinking, socializing. lol. Don't like concerts etc..  

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Remember when you die you can't take your money with you.........We have a friend that is similar, he doesn't go to MLB game with us because he can watch on tv and the ticket is too expensive, his income is over 100k, lol.  We tell all the time death is certain.

[BirchBarlow]

Using cash reward cards is in itself a form a frugality.  Even if it's only 1.5 to 2 points, it's still more money in my pocket, so I would be a fool not to avail myself of free money.  On the other hand I would be equally foolish not to pay in full every month as the interest would far exceed the reward.  Bottom line, whether you're a heavy spender or a light spender if you pay in full, it pays to use a reward card.  Otherwise I would agree, use something with a lower APR.

As far as which reward card to use, the reward rate isn't the only factor to consider.  You should also consider other factors like redemption minimum and point expiration as well as the warranty and price protection policies, both of which vary from bank to bank, and both of which could be equally valuable as the reward rate.  For example, Chase Freedom offers 90 day price protection, Citi Double Cash offers 60, and BankAmericard offers no price protection.  This makes Chase Freedom more attractive for big ticket purchases despite the fact that it's only 1.5 points.

[delaney1]

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@redpat wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

lol what.... 

I spend around the same as you but not much on entertainment because I don't go out and much less on food.eating out. I do eat out but cheap stuff like Chipotle take out and it's like $7 a time; I don't get a drink or chips but just the bowl... lol  Not really because I am cheap but because I have something to drink at home.    

I spend 

$100 a month on phone bill 

$45 on internet 

$0 on cable 

I think $7 Netflix 

$14 HBO Now

I don't get hair cuts every month but once every 4-5 months but when I do it's $90 lol 

I don't go to the doctor every month (once a year for check up). I don't have health issues where I need to see one monthly.

if you see a doctor every month you probably have serious health issues. 

$150 ish a month on car insurance  

$200 amonth on groceries 

not sure how much on take out like Chipotle etc...   maybe I would gess $80 a month or less. 

Maybe $120 a month in gas but I use my BOA for gas cash back. 

I don't spend much on entertainment other than Netflix streaming and HBO streaming and simple take out meals. I do buy food but not from expensive restaurants; the most expensive would be $11 ish a meal for myself (no tip) as its take out. 

My entertainment is Netflix, HBO Now. I also forgot but Spotify Streaming and XM radio. I do online shopping but it's whenever I feel like it. There's no real budget for it but it's certainly nowhere near a few hundred dollars a week. 

I spend nothing on movies as I would rather watch movies at home and honestly hate night clubs, drinking, socializing. lol. Don't like concerts etc..  

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Remember when you die you can't take your money with you.........We have a friend that is similar, he doesn't go to MLB game with us because he can watch on tv and the ticket is too expensive, his income is over 100k, lol.  We tell all the time death is certain.

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Is he like that with everything? I hate going to the movies, not worth it to me. I'll wait until it's free at the library lol. On the other hand, I'll gladly drop hundreds on a new handbag.

[redpat]

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@delaney1 wrote:

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@redpat wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

lol what.... 

I spend around the same as you but not much on entertainment because I don't go out and much less on food.eating out. I do eat out but cheap stuff like Chipotle take out and it's like $7 a time; I don't get a drink or chips but just the bowl... lol  Not really because I am cheap but because I have something to drink at home.    

I spend 

$100 a month on phone bill 

$45 on internet 

$0 on cable 

I think $7 Netflix 

$14 HBO Now

I don't get hair cuts every month but once every 4-5 months but when I do it's $90 lol 

I don't go to the doctor every month (once a year for check up). I don't have health issues where I need to see one monthly.

if you see a doctor every month you probably have serious health issues. 

$150 ish a month on car insurance  

$200 amonth on groceries 

not sure how much on take out like Chipotle etc...   maybe I would gess $80 a month or less. 

Maybe $120 a month in gas but I use my BOA for gas cash back. 

I don't spend much on entertainment other than Netflix streaming and HBO streaming and simple take out meals. I do buy food but not from expensive restaurants; the most expensive would be $11 ish a meal for myself (no tip) as its take out. 

My entertainment is Netflix, HBO Now. I also forgot but Spotify Streaming and XM radio. I do online shopping but it's whenever I feel like it. There's no real budget for it but it's certainly nowhere near a few hundred dollars a week. 

I spend nothing on movies as I would rather watch movies at home and honestly hate night clubs, drinking, socializing. lol. Don't like concerts etc..  

---

Remember when you die you can't take your money with you.........We have a friend that is similar, he doesn't go to MLB game with us because he can watch on tv and the ticket is too expensive, his income is over 100k, lol.  We tell all the time death is certain.

---

Is he like that with everything? I hate going to the movies, not worth it to me. I'll wait until it's free at the library lol. On the other hand, I'll gladly drop hundreds on a new handbag.

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There are cobwebs on his wallet it also squeaks when he opens it.  His picture is under the definition of cheap.

[Anonymous]

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@redpat wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

lol what.... 

I spend around the same as you but not much on entertainment because I don't go out and much less on food.eating out. I do eat out but cheap stuff like Chipotle take out and it's like $7 a time; I don't get a drink or chips but just the bowl... lol  Not really because I am cheap but because I have something to drink at home.    

I spend 

$100 a month on phone bill 

$45 on internet 

$0 on cable 

I think $7 Netflix 

$14 HBO Now

I don't get hair cuts every month but once every 4-5 months but when I do it's $90 lol 

I don't go to the doctor every month (once a year for check up). I don't have health issues where I need to see one monthly.

if you see a doctor every month you probably have serious health issues. 

$150 ish a month on car insurance  

$200 amonth on groceries 

not sure how much on take out like Chipotle etc...   maybe I would gess $80 a month or less. 

Maybe $120 a month in gas but I use my BOA for gas cash back. 

I don't spend much on entertainment other than Netflix streaming and HBO streaming and simple take out meals. I do buy food but not from expensive restaurants; the most expensive would be $11 ish a meal for myself (no tip) as its take out. 

My entertainment is Netflix, HBO Now. I also forgot but Spotify Streaming and XM radio. I do online shopping but it's whenever I feel like it. There's no real budget for it but it's certainly nowhere near a few hundred dollars a week. 

I spend nothing on movies as I would rather watch movies at home and honestly hate night clubs, drinking, socializing. lol. Don't like concerts etc..  

---

Remember when you die you can't take your money with you.........We have a friend that is similar, he doesn't go to MLB game with us because he can watch on tv and the ticket is too expensive, his income is over 100k, lol.  We tell all the time death is certain.

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I don't skimp out on entertainment because I am cheap but because my ALL TIME favorite entertainment is staying home and watchig Netflix. 

I don't enjoy social gatherings and going to any events like concert etc because I am not social; I like staying home. I like to be social on forums but not in person. I don't enjoy watching sports or sporting games; don't watch it on tv even. Why would I want to see it in person? 

I also don't have much friends or acquainances so to be honest I would have no one to go to those events with even if I wanted to but don't feel sorry for me because I am this way by choice. I like staying home and I am an introvert and don't like a lot of in person social interaction. 

The thing is that I am different than most people and most things that most consider fun are not fun to me. 

Fun to me is posting on forums, watching Netflix etc..

I won't regret anything when I die because to me I AM enjoying life.

Honestly many times when I was forced to be somehwere I just fantasized that I was home again because I never enjoyed it. For me it is more enjoyable to eat at home while surfing the net, reading forums etc than eating in public in a restaurant. I can enjoy myself at home more.  

Going to public events is actually not fun to me but more like a chore or an obligation. Its a waste of energy when I would rather be comfortable at home.

I am a homebody; I don't enjoy going out. Not because I am cheap but it's in my nature to be a homebody. I don't like going anywhere.  

[Anonymous]

Emergencies can be budgeted for via savings. That's kind of the whole point of being frugal in the first place. Hole up money in savings, liquid assets, part of it needs to be accessible easily. How did my family, enrolled in Medicaid for most of our lives, deal with unexpected situations? We had medical bills, car breakdowns, even more dire situations than those. Certainly not with revolving debt. This idea that emergencies have to be taken care of by credit card is ludicrous. Medical bills? Pay what you can, then leave them out to dry; hospitals/physicians do not charge interest and most are more than happy to wait a good amount of time before sending them off to collections. Plus, hospital bills are negotiable, just call up the hospital billing dept and make a counter offer. (I'm not joking, people just don't know this.) That's getting off-topic but the point is that emergencies ≠ credit cards. A low APR card is great...except when you're otherwise well-prepared to deal with unexpected things. Maybe if you spent less on a daily basis for your "entertainment," you could rack up more in savings/assets and not have to be so completely reliant on credit cards when in a financial pinch.

[Anonymous]

jc007 as has been said there are many ideas for you to sort through on this thread. Also, you do what works for you. Sometimes it is hard for extroverts and introverts to understand each others life drivers and having been on manager as well as a member of various groups it takes all types of people to make the world go round. Remember this board is but one forum of people and ideas. There may be others out there that have their own opinions. Good luck in your search for the right card.

[nachoslibres]

Yeah, lots of good info in here.  I think we all need to understand that everyone is different, our spending and our priorities are different, and honestly it seems no one is upset with another - posting on forums where no one can read the other person's body language or other factors make us assume things that aren't really correct.  I deal with this kind of stuff on a daily basis and find that most problems in life, in work, etc. come from communication or the absense of it - and usually in the absense of it people assume things and get feelings hurt and think someone has an issue with them when in fact the other person thought everything was great.

Anyway, OP, I'm an introvert as well.  However, in my job, I have to be an extrovert.  While I love my job, it is draining, and there is nothing I would rather do with my free time than either watch Netflix or sometimes I go out and just cruise in my Subaru.  I know most people would think that's weird, but that's how I'm wired.  I do like spending time with friends and I do like going out to things like baseball games, football games, but only occassionally - for the most part I would rather stay at home and watch that on tv as well. So, I don't think what you like to do is weird, and honestly, it is probably going to work out well for you in the future when you have a lot more money saved than your peers.  I know personally I would spend a lot less money if I was single with no kids - but that's ok - I love my life (most of the time) and keep my wife on a budget so we are able to not have to live paycheck to paycheck and are able to save money.

[Anonymous]

Agreed; there's been a lot of good info in this thread and no offense taken.