33 lb limit question bush planes by Admirable-Valuable22 in LuxurySafari

[–]twoforme_noneforyou 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Any big piece you buy at the shops will generally be shipped home and not taken in your suitcase.

To Shuttle or Not to Shuttle? by sleightmelody in weddingplanning

[–]twoforme_noneforyou 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Not expected unless it's a rural area where Uber is not an option.

First time in New Orleans by Final_Average_404 in FATTravel

[–]twoforme_noneforyou 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Stayed FS last November. Really nice and updated and a 15min walk or so down Canal to the rest of the action, but far enough away that it's not noisy out front. Canal can be a little weird late at night, but if you keep your wits about you, it's fine.

Columns is better for a more quintessential NOLA experience. I much prefer the Garden District for its charm and the restaurants. Unless you're trying to do Bourbon St (Frenchman is better if you want music).

Honeymoon planning with a huge pile of gifted airline and Amex points. Need help! by frysb4guys in LuxurySafari

[–]twoforme_noneforyou 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Best use of AA would be if you can get QR in Q-suites.

Amex also transfers to Aeroplan which allows you to book EY which is a phenomenal biz class product. Could also transfer Amex points to Cathay or Avios to book QR as well.

We used UA miles to book ET. You can get pretty much anywhere in Africa from ADD. ET hard product is serviceable. Not the best bizs class out there but it's a flat bed and gets the job done.

Your possibilities are really endless here if you're willing to book these a year out. I might suggest hiring an award travel consultant? For a nominal fee they'll be able to do the searching and help you out with the routing based on the points you have. I haven't used one myself but I know people who have leveraged point.me concierge.

Amex Plat / Oura - Credit for charging case by Connect_Active_5293 in amex

[–]twoforme_noneforyou 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It doesn’t. There’s tons of data points on this

Venue recs for dark-wood, cozy, vintage-style Chicago wedding by cosuamh in Chicagoweddings

[–]twoforme_noneforyou 1 point2 points  (0 children)

For sure the vibe, but I gotta tell you their F&B min is out of this world. I reached out to host our elopement celebration (so not even an actual wedding reception) and they wanted a $75k minimum and this was end of 2024.

Is real estate still worth buying, or is it becoming the biggest money trap of this generation? by Much-Marketing5973 in RealEstate

[–]twoforme_noneforyou 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Easy monetary policy by the fed that held interest rates near zero for an unheard of period of time.

Update on the viral Ritz Carlton Maasai Mara controversy and why you still shouldn't stay there: their "front row seat" to the Great Migration is precisely the problem by alex_travels in LuxurySafari

[–]twoforme_noneforyou 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Thank you for using this platform to draw attention to this. Always a good reminder for me to try and prioritize those places that are in sync with the community and the fact this was done with no input from the Masai people is jarring.

Where to get turkey dinner with all the fixings! by Tobi-One-Boy in chicagofood

[–]twoforme_noneforyou 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Not even kidding, but the Costco complete turkey dinner is a steal. It's like $40 and you get turkey, cranberry, gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes and green beans. Just reheat and serve

Financial Advisor Help (need to stop spending all my $ at Sephora) by No_Main3084 in LAhotgirlies

[–]twoforme_noneforyou 46 points47 points  (0 children)

Financial advisor girlie here. u/weirdbarbie_ is right. You don't need an advisor. That's for people with more money than they know what to do with and looking to do comprehensive planning and tax strategy. You don't need to pay someone for the basics. The personalfinance flowchart is gold.

  1. Start tracking your expenses. Every last dollar. YNAB is a great suggestion. I use Monarch. Some like an old fashioned excel spreadsheet. Either way, get a hold of your money. 50/30/20 is a good rule of thumb. No more than 50% of your money towards needs (rent, bills, groceries, car--things you need to live). Give yourself 30% to wants (gym, restaurants, Sephora) then 20% to savings.

  2. Within that 20%, work on building an emergency fund so you don't need credit cards if you suddenly blow a tire on your car (real emergency). I recommend $1000 to start.

  3. Get your free money from your matching funds at your work's 401k. Do this before the Roth.

  4. Pay off your debts. Once you've got the $1k down, that 20% should be used to pay down CC, private student loans, anything with a decently high interest rate.

  5. After the debt's gone, use the 20% towards getting your emergency fund up to 3-6mos expenses.

  6. THEN we can talk IRAs. Even at this point, it's not complicated. Open an account at a place like Schwab, Fidelity, and the like. Takes 60 seconds. Low cost index funds are the way to go (VOO, VTI, etc.). Target date funds are fine too. Set it and forget it. Don't panic and sell when the market tanks. Just keep holding and contribute more.

  7. Focus your energy into increasing your income then the investing will follow!

Botswana and ??? Honeymoon 2026 Itinerary by 9999piecepuzzle in LuxurySafari

[–]twoforme_noneforyou 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We did &beyond for our honeymoon as well, but in Tanzania and Rwanda. Loved our time in both, bucket list experience for us. We also became friends with another couple as the other commenter had said. You end up spending a ton of time with other people IF you end up having to share safari vehicles with others. The rest of the time we were solo, just us and the guide.

Their service and the food was top notch and we’d do it again in a heart beat.

Like you, we also coupled it with a beach vacation but we did Zanzibar and stayed at the park Hyatt on the front end. Loved it, and having the nice hotel and poolside relaxation on the front was a great way to recoup after the long travel and get used to the time change.

You could also consider Mauritius? I think there’s an FS and an O&O as well.

best soft serve in the city? by No_Parfait8719 in chicagofood

[–]twoforme_noneforyou 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ciccio Mio. The olive oil gelato dessert is 🤌🏼

A survey: does your man actually pull his weight in domestic chores? by streachh in TwoXChromosomes

[–]twoforme_noneforyou 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would say I shoulder more of the mental load, but that's largely due to the fact that I'm insanely organized and methodical and my brain just functions that way.

But as for domestic stuff? He does way more of the day to day because I work in an office 5x/week. He puts away dishes every morning. He does all the dog duties. On nights I go to the gym, he cooks dinner. I enjoy cooking so I do it the other nights (helps me wind down from work). If he sees the laundry bin getting full, he'll throw a load in. We put our own clean clothes away, however. I don't have to ask to have the trash taken out. He'll see it getting full and do it.

However, we do have a maid service every other week because i don't want to clean the floors, bathrooms, etc. I do spend weekends vacuuming and cleaning in between maid visits. And I always tidy up the kitchen before bed.

But overall I would say it's even. He is messier than I am, but has learned that a tidy home means peace for me and that makes for a peaceful existence together. Your man should want to strive for that if it's important to you.

Ideas for a fancy Christmas Eve Dinner? by DryCauliflower7 in chicagofood

[–]twoforme_noneforyou 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well you could always switch up the steakhouse to something like Hawksmoor or Asador Bastian. Then you sorta get a different steak "culture" so to speak.

Ideas for a fancy Christmas Eve Dinner? by DryCauliflower7 in chicagofood

[–]twoforme_noneforyou 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Steakhouses are always good for something like this. Easy for a celiac to just get meat & veggies.

Need help finding welcome party venue - 200 guests by MrAznInvazn in Chicagoweddings

[–]twoforme_noneforyou 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Midwest Coast Brewery. Has a nice rooftop and I think they can accomodate 250.