Living outside Kansas City means I do most of my grocery shopping the old-fashioned way: lots of planning and big trips to the store every other week. But I’ve figured out a trick to stretch my grocery dollars even further using Instacart credits that come with certain Chase credit cards — especially on the weeks […]

When I book flights with points, I almost always still owe a small amount in taxes and fees. And on the rare occasion I pay cash for a flight, I’m intentional about which card I use to pay for it. I put those charges on my Chase Sapphire Preferred — not because of the points, […]

Where you stay near Universal can completely change your trip — especially when you’re traveling with tweens and teens. Hotel choice affects:• how early you can get into the parks• how much walking you do• whether you need Express Pass• how exhausted everyone feels at the end of the day For families with older kids […]

When we travel as a family, rideshare is unavoidable at times. Yes, we do rental cars, but for quick in-and-out trips, it’s typically rideshare for us. Airport transfers, hotel rides, theme parks, dinners — those costs add up quickly. Since we’re already paying for rides, we want them to work for us rather than feel […]

There’s a lot of noise online about the “best” card or the “perfect” setup. But real families don’t live in perfect spreadsheets. We’re paying mortgages.Helping kids with college housing.Buying groceries.Trying to plan one meaningful trip a year — not fly every weekend. So instead of chasing one magical card, many families do better with a […]

Quick note before we start:I don’t have this card linked directly in this post. If you’d like my affiliate link (which supports my work at no extra cost to you), feel free to DM me on Instagram, and I’ll send it your way. I only share links when someone asks, and only if it truly […]

Sometimes the best trips don’t go exactly as planned. When we landed in Oakland, our original plan was to drive straight to Yosemite National Park — but a record-breaking snowstorm had other ideas. Roads were closed, the park had no electricity, and all we could do was pivot. So we pointed the car toward the […]

After a few action-packed days exploring San Francisco, we slowed things down for the most peaceful stretch of our California road trip — three nights in Monterey and Carmel-by-the-Sea. This was the midpoint between the big-city buzz up north and the theme-park energy waiting for us down south. It ended up being our favorite part […]

There’s something magical about seeing Mount Rainier for the first time — that massive, snow-covered volcano rising out of the clouds doesn’t look real until you’re standing at its base. For our family’s 10-day Washington adventure, we flew into Seattle, spent a few days exploring Mount Rainier National Park, crossed the ferry to Olympic National […]

There’s a new transfer bonus available for a limited time! Through November 6, 2025, Chase is offering a 25% bonus when you transfer Ultimate Rewards® points to Southwest Rapid Rewards®. That means every 1,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards® points becomes 1,250 Southwest Rapid Rewards® points. Transfers generally process within one business day, though they can take […]