best cash reward credit cards
For years I built up miles using my reward credit cards, only to find out that those miles were worth less and less. About a year ago I decided it was time to switch, and I’ve applied for and received two great credit cards that reward you with something that never goes out of style – cash!
Blue Cash from American Express
I have been a big fan of Blue Amex cards for a long time now. Amex is the greatest card I’ve ever owned for two reasons. First of all, they have the best record of your spending of any credit card, bar none. I get a fancy year-end report categorizing my spending and I can download it in all kinds of ways from the website. Second of all, they are the best credit card company if you need to dispute a charge. They don’t argue with you – if you call up and dispute a charge, they take it off your account immediately. They’ll work it out with the vendor and if it’s settled, then you don’t have to worry about the charge. Other credit cards may make you pay, then send a refund if it’s settled.
Throw in a 0% introductory rate, no annual fee and 5% cash back on just about everything, and you’ve got a card you can’t beat.
Discover More
The Discover card is great for shopping online. You can earn up to 5% cash back at some retailers. There are no annual fees. I don’t use it as much as the Blue Cash card, but it never hurts to have a backup for online shopping to prevent too much risk of identity theft!
New Year Celebration – Russian Style
photo credit: Gabriel Pevide
New Year’s Celebration is a big holiday in our family accompanied by lots of champagne drinking. I call it the “New Year Russian Style” – bigger than Christmas or any other holiday or all of them combined together. It arose during the secular regime of the former USSR. New Year lasts all night and spills over to the next day. The preparations for the celebration of the New Year are as busy as for Christmas in the western world.
A lot of women and men begin their crash diets just before New Year; everyone wants to fit into their fabulous evening attire. The abundance of food and drink on the New Year’s table is alluring and no one is thinking of depriving themselves that night. My American husband knows it too well – he’s started his diet. And I started mine a long time ago (or maybe I just never stopped). One of the methods I use is the Magical Leek Soup from the book “French Women Don’t Get Fat
As we do most years, we are hosting a party in our house. We are planning an elaborate menu. The idea is that your New Year’s table should be full and abundant to invite an abundant year into your lives.
Father Frost (in the form of my husband, wearing a costume) will visit us with a big bag full of presents. Presents don’t have to be anything big. If you know a person you can tell what they like the most. And I know that my husband loves to drink coffee all day long – you can guess what he is getting for New Year’s.
The real magic of the holidays is not about gift-giving but about festivities, food, laughter and drunken dancing on the table with your family. Have a healthy and abundant New 2009 Year!
Travel + Leisure Los Cabos Giveaway!
Got a weekend off and don’t know what to do? You probably would like to relax, have someone serve you a tropical drink with a cute little umbrella in it and maybe get a massage or two. And you would like someone else to pay for it. Ah, sounds like a paradise!
Well, it’s all possible. I found that Travel + Leisure magazine is giving away three-night stay at the Sheraton Hacienda del Mar Resort & Spa in Los Cabos, Mexico, plus round trip airfare for two.
Go to their website to enter (just click here).
And if you win, please, please send me pictures.
May the New Year bring you new luck!
giveaway at Parenting magazine
Everybody likes to get free stuff! I know I do, even though I practically never win anything. That’s my luck. But I still enjoy participating in free giveaways here and there.
The holidays are approaching fast and a lot of sites and magazines give away all sorts of wonderful items. I would like to share with you a couple of them – I won’t lie, I’d love to win them myself but enter for yourself and let me know if you win!
“Parenting” magazine is giving away:
- Sony Cyber-shot Camera – ONE (1) GRAND PRIZE: One (1) Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W170, One (1) Sony Soft Carrying Case LCS-TWB, One (1) Sony Marine Pack MPK-WD, and One (1) Sony GPS Unit GPS-CS1KASP, approximate retail value of $540.00
- Flip Video – THREE readers will win A FLIP VIDEO ULTRA CAMCORDER approx. retail value [$125 each].
- Nintendo Wii Fit- ONE (1) GRAND PRIZE: Nintendo Wii Fit, approx. retail value $89.99 and more.
Go to their website at www.parenting.com/giveaway to enter!
I’ve been working hard to lose some weight after baby #2, with a lot of success. Now that I am on my track with the weight loss through proper diet and exercise, I would love to win the Wii Fit and the Breville HealthSmart Steamer. They are giving away 25 – TWENTY FIVE – of those. Amazing!
So hurry – most giveaway entries need to be submitted by January 2009.
Good luck!
Please leave a comment if you won, so I can feel bad for myself later! 
Just kidding – we’d love to hear that you won after hearing about it on The Inside Guide Today!
Happy Holidays! And best wishes from our family in the coming New Year!
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