About Me

Steve

45, married, one kid. Family practice physician. Frugal since birth. Raised by frugal parents. Trying to teach my daughter the same.

2009 Ebay Challenge Progress
Goal: Avg. Sales of $100/month
January Total: $208.99
February Total: $175.08
March Total: $132.43
April Total: $34.24
June Total: $23.99
July Total: $0
August Total: $0
September Total: $166.45
October Total: $27.48

2009 ROTH Contributions
Goal: $10,000
Progress: $10,000

2008 Credit Card Usage Totals

January 6th, 2009 at 04:24 pm

It's that time again. Time to look back and review the spending for the year. This entry covers our credit card usage for 2008.

Marriott Visa: $31,652.26
AOL Visa: $5,831.72
Discover: $3,265.06
--------------------
Total: $40,748.04

That's just about $300 more than 2007 which isn't bad at all considering we had the Bat Mitzvah this year and spent a lot of money on that. The only major expense that wasn't charged was the caterer.

As for rewards, we earned 35,287 Marriott points. That would get us 6 nights at about $90/night, so $540 in rewards.

From AOL and Discover, we earned cashback of $258.21.

We also got a free night certificate from Marriott Visa worth between $150 and $200.

That gives us total rewards earned for 2008 of $950-$1000.

As always, all bills were paid in full and on time, no interest charges or late fees. The Marriott card does have a $65 annual fee, but since we got rewards worth over $700, I think it is well worth the price.

Posted in Credit cards, Personal Finance | 5 Comments »

5 Responses to “2008 Credit Card Usage Totals”

Analise Says:
January 6th, 2009 at 05:01 pm

Using your CC the way you do is a smart way to make extra money. I do the same... pay cc bill in full and on time every month and earn rewards, otherwise it is not a good strategy. I agree some CC cards are worth the fee. My Alaska Air card has a $75 fee but in 2008 alone, we saved over $4,300 on airline tickets to Boise, NYC, and El Salvador.

Considering inflation and the Bat Mitzvah, you actually spent less than 2007.
whitestripe Says:
January 6th, 2009 at 06:44 pm

i do the same, my anz visa has an annual fee of $49 but I earnt about $200 last year. Hoping I will earn more this year!
Amber Says:
January 6th, 2009 at 08:03 pm

You did really great DS. I just cashed out my BoA rewards for $120, unfortunately I have a balance but by April I hope to have this paid off
Ima saver Says:
January 7th, 2009 at 08:06 am

I earned $700 in cash using my chase rewards card. Like you, I pay the balance off in full each month.
coreys Says:
January 10th, 2009 at 09:36 pm

That is a lot of credit card spending! Do you pay all of your expenses through your credit cards? Just curious.

Disneysteve's Common Cents Blog

Thoughts, observations, tips & advice on living below your means, staying out of debt, etc

2008 Credit Card Usage Totals

5 Responses to “2008 Credit Card Usage Totals”

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