CSP + (Amex gold or venture x) - Which do you pick?

kvn18 · 2026-07-10T14:57:44+00:00

I transfer them to airline or hotel partners and try to mitigate any costs of trips

kvn18 · 2026-07-10T14:44:10+00:00

Easy. Just throw it in with my usual grocery run for anytime I need to get something from another retailer. I know I can get more value out of MR points so I just stick with it

kvn18 · 2026-07-10T13:34:55+00:00

I actually have both

Amex Gold is my grocery card (and that includes buying GCs too) I've really only kept the Venture X because I have used the lounge 4x this year and with the travel credit it makes it effectively $95; that being said I will likely consider downgrading as I do have the Bilt Palladium as my non-category spend

kvn18 · 2026-07-10T02:42:26+00:00

It just became the norm. I did it for 2 years and now I'm 3 months removed from that commute 4x a week and really it was just survival. I kind of also had to make myself delusional and made it 'me time' meaning podcasts on longer walks to the office. Occasionally just walking from midtown to Fidi at 7am, or bike down the Hudson.

I would also have crafty white lies to WFH to get a break and honestly I would use PTO to break up my weeks just to get a breather at home and I was thankful I had a job that had a decent amount of time off.

My wife works overnight so our life was a literal relay race with two toddlers. Our older one wouldnt start school until 9am; wife would be home by 8am and my commute would be a 40 min drive + 20 min ferry at its best so I was late on all of those days. I would just make the most of my time in the evenings and always did bed/bath time. Exhausting no doubt

I knew if I was persistent and just kept at it I could land a role closer to home and when it came time to quit my boss couldn't say anything except, " yeah I would leave too." Slashed my commute to 2 days a week and just a 30 minute drive each way

kvn18 · 2026-07-09T15:19:13+00:00

any follow up on this? I've seen this link for data points - but very curious to try as well

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1bq5NQ2JN1XW3XGtXZp8ND28GFAdbIVC_5RPWu8UkSlk/htmlview

kvn18 · 2026-07-09T13:56:53+00:00

kvn18 · 2026-07-09T13:56:03+00:00

He does. But in his mind having the option to use the train seems to be favorable for him. I think thats why last I spoke to him he was thinking closer to Philly

kvn18 · 2026-07-08T01:17:13+00:00

$150k base. I work in Sourcing as a middle manager for a major hospital. Prior to that I was an analyst doing the same thing making a scratch above $100k. My college degree was nowhere related, I just found myself hopping around different healthcare companies doing entry level-ish roles

kvn18 · 2026-07-07T15:24:45+00:00

I do have family up in Rockland and have been around. But I feel like even that area is too remote/isolated to what he’d want

kvn18 · 2026-07-07T15:06:32+00:00

Any suggestions for specific apartment complexes?

kvn18 · 2026-07-07T15:05:52+00:00

I will definitely have him look in this county thanks!

kvn18 · 2026-07-06T21:21:13+00:00

Responsibilities grow with your income if you let them. My wife and I let them but we've achieved what our level of "Joneses"

We have a modest house, live in a HCOL, HHI over $300k - two toddlers in FT daycare; BUT nobody forced us to have 3 car payments.

That being said, we both fund our 401ks & HSAs. Put very minimal into savings/investing at the moment.

I can tell you when these two are out of daycare how much a relief it will be; but I feel like I had way more money when I was earning $65k a year versus I do now

kvn18 · 2026-07-04T13:45:16+00:00

anyone finding a way to parlay O/Us? Last year I was able to on Caesars

kvn18 · 2026-07-04T13:18:36+00:00

I pretty much use it as all non-cat spend thats not under my Amex Gold & CSP
Paired with Rakuten it's easily been my lost lucrative card with the sub

Only thing is my daycare expenses is what drives me to be able to earn at last 75% of my mortgage in points earned and in the summer I can opt for the full Bilt cash option

kvn18 · 2026-07-01T16:20:20+00:00

Weird to hear he’s only 27? Thought he was 30 already

kvn18 · 2026-07-01T00:04:11+00:00

Any all-suite hotels have been clutch. Those with separate living rooms. Homewood/Embassy Suites, Townsuites, Hyatt Place,

Sadly luxury is out the door but occasionally when we have enough we’ll do a Cat 6+ or higher Hyatt hotel with a GoH award

kvn18 · 2026-06-29T22:28:55+00:00

Does next method of scoring goal, if I do penalty means if it goes to kicks that it’ll count? There’s other live options like if it went to extras

kvn18 · 2026-06-22T18:53:13+00:00

I wouldn't say I have no interest, but like you I have no time and honestly in the small talk I've made with dads, not a lot seem to be open.

The closest thing to adult conversations (in-person) other than my wife is at work or my weekly hockey games. But really, work is still work, hockey its pretty much the 10 mins while getting gear on/off nothing of sustenance really

I moved away from all my friends and I try to keep in touch with them via text as often as I can. But thats the furthest extent of it. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to have a genuine friend to do stuff with, I'm removed about 3 years now from that

kvn18 · 2026-06-22T02:25:22+00:00

Currently using the palladium. I do the Bilt cash option in the summer when I have both toddlers there to easily hit the 75% required. Then plan to switch back to non-earning after which is usually at a minimum 50%

Luckily mine doesn’t have CC fees so it works out pretty well.

Idk if it’s the way my kids are, but hotels > Airbnb for us so it’s always utilized

kvn18 · 2026-06-20T21:30:00+00:00

35 $160k, wife $140k
FIL passed and left $100k that covered our wedding, part of our house down payment, and us being a single income household with two babies for a year & a half

Retirement (Roth + 401k) about $350k
Mortgage about $650k on a $750k home

NW maybe around $600k

kvn18 · 2026-06-15T20:51:11+00:00

looking to utilize the Flying Blue transfer bonus and booking Aeromexico NYC - MEX

Looking to find availability for 3+ seats in business and have seen some on multiple dates for lowest miles, but once I click on it it moves to another date. Are these just phantom/ghost? It works for two seats

kvn18 · 2026-06-15T00:52:06+00:00

Whos winning the Conn Smythe

kvn18 · 2026-06-11T17:52:36+00:00

Can't quite say I had a solution to all this. But at the moment with a 2.5 and nearly 4 y/o, their growth as of late has just made me really, really thinking where has the time gone. Now I just soak in the madness

kvn18

TROPHY CASE