Just a short post to bookend 2013. This year has seen so much change in my life–some bad, some good. The great part about ending a year is you can leave the bad behind, and take the good with you.
I wanted to take a moment to offer thanks to all of you all. For the readers who have helped Milenomics grow, and who make posts better with great comments. For the other bloggers who’ve shown me the ropes, and welcomed me. For the retweets, and support on twitter and FB. Thank you all.
What’s To Come in 2014?
Looking out at 2014 what would you like to see more of here at Milenomics? This post will just be an open thread; comment with your likes/dislikes, but be honest, brutally honest. I promise can take it 😉 Until next year, stay safe tonight, whether you’re spending NYE local, traveling, or spending time with friends and family;
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind ?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and old lang syne
For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we’ll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.
And surely you’ll buy your pint cup !
and surely I’ll buy mine !
And we’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet,
for auld lang syne…
Happy New Year Eveyone.
-Sam
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Thank You!!!! Awesome website!!! Much appreciated!!! Happy New Year!!!
Sam – thanks for the education this y ear, my first full year in ‘the game’. You have taught so many of us so much, we couldn’t possibly repay the gratitude.
Best wishes for a happy and healthy 2014 and beyond!
Also my first full year in this game, having gotten our first bonus point credit cards in late Nov. 2013. Yours is one of my favorite blogs. I also especially like Saverocity and TravelBloggerBuzz.
One thing I wish I had was a chart of “unusual” benefits of specific credit cards. I read about that stuff when I choose a card to get and again when the card arrives, but since it doesn’t apply to day-to-day spending, such benefits tend to be forgotten – at least by me! Here’s what I am referencing:
When we were trying to get my son home for Xmas at the last minute, you reminded me that holders of the United Explorer card could book 25,000 one way awards. Had you not, I would have blown 50,000. Matt of Saverocity just did a post on the CITI Aadvantage reduced mileage cities. Barclays’ US Airways cards come with a onetime pass to their lounge, B of A’s Alaska card has a $99 companion ticket you can book annually, and Chase Ink Bold provides 2 free visits to Lounge Clubs for all cardholders.
I can pretty much keep track of what cards offer what cashback. And I know that unless I am meeting a spend, it generally is best to buy tickets with a co-branded card, a Sapphire card or something that earns at least double points. But the perks that are attached to just one card tend to slip my mind.
Perhaps you or some enterprising spreadsheet wizard can share or create such a thing. I’d be happy to learn about any other system to help track these kinds of perks.
Thanks for a super blog with useful, well-explained info and all the personalized replies to our comments. I look forward to what 2014 will bring. Happy new year to you and all the Milenomics readers! Cheers!
Your blog became one of the few I regularly read. But I suggest you get rid of all the silly acronyms, or at least tone them down considerably.
And when you mean Manufacturing Spend, use MS (which everyone uses) not your own proprietary acronyms.
And don’t feel you need to post something every day. Good content doesn’t grow on trees – this hobby doesn’t need any more worthless blather that so often is proffered by bloggers just to publish something.
My post just got deleted with my internet connection resetting so i’ll make this short
I like all the “silly” acronyms. Your verbage and approach sets you apart from many bloggers
When the referral money starts i hope u choose more frequent miler than milevalue. Enough said there
Whatever direction u choose i wish u continued success
Hi Sam,
Great blog! I love the economist’s approach to earn and redeeming miles. After reading some stuff on your site it brought a lot of my own thought processes on the subject of miles and points to a more concise view. In turns out you and I are on the same page on most subjects but reading your posts and thinking about it from an economic standpoint made it all “click” in my brain.
Tools such as the demand schedule and separating miles between domestic and international really does help us focus on earning the points we need for the next 12 months of travel plans. Most people start by applying for new cards and grabbing at whatever points they hear about with no real plans in mind.
Taking the time to figure out what to earn, how to earn them, and most importantly USING the miles and points you earn is a long but necessary step in the process. I can’t tell you how many award booking clients I have that want to take a trip and don’t have the optimal miles and points to get to that destination. We can make it work the majority of the time but it would be a lot easier following the guidelines here.
In short keep it up! It is nice to have a blog that has good content that isn’t under the guise of trying to push credit card applications. I don’t think it’s wrong to earn commissions from referrals. I do think it is wrong to publish a post for the sole purpose of doing so without any real value to the information presented.
Happy New Year everyone!