From the New York Times: Credit Cards Without Foreign Exchange Fees.
I will have to do the math for my family, but Miss Em may spend part of the summer and then a semester abroad.
The 3% foreign transaction fee (pure profit for the card companies, according to the article) is offset somewhat by the cashback I get from American Express.
Would you go to the trouble to get one of these cards?
Showing posts with label traditions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label traditions. Show all posts
Monday, 15 November 2010
Saturday, 13 March 2010
Cleaning Your Closet: Mommystyle
Lucy Marmalade (formerly known as Miss Em) arrived home on Thursday night for spring break. Mr. FS and I went to work as usual on Friday. When we got home, who should greet us with a great big smile but Lucy?
She looked nice: black knit top, belt, floral skirt. Then I noticed: MY black top, MY belt.
There are two kinds of mommies: the go ahead you can have it mommy and the it's mine mommy. My own mommy was of the former kind. Hence I feel it is my obligation to give it forward through the generations.
Lucy said, "I noticed a new green shirt on your bed (from Penney's--marked down to $2.00!), so I decided to see what else was in your closet." Okay. I used to do the same with my stylish and generous mommy.
Last time Lucy was home, I was reading in the living room. I could see Lucy going back and forth between my bedroom and her own. First trip: my new velvet hangers (Can I have these? Yes). Second trip: my green sweater. And so on.
It's a great way to declutter.
Do you have any similar family traditions?
She looked nice: black knit top, belt, floral skirt. Then I noticed: MY black top, MY belt.
There are two kinds of mommies: the go ahead you can have it mommy and the it's mine mommy. My own mommy was of the former kind. Hence I feel it is my obligation to give it forward through the generations.
Lucy said, "I noticed a new green shirt on your bed (from Penney's--marked down to $2.00!), so I decided to see what else was in your closet." Okay. I used to do the same with my stylish and generous mommy.
Last time Lucy was home, I was reading in the living room. I could see Lucy going back and forth between my bedroom and her own. First trip: my new velvet hangers (Can I have these? Yes). Second trip: my green sweater. And so on.
It's a great way to declutter.
Do you have any similar family traditions?
Friday, 27 November 2009
Ghosts of Black Fridays Past
I just finished consuming my traditional post-Thanksgiving breakfast: mashed potatoes and gravy. Sheer bliss. I added some braised greens to the bowl also. These were from the garden. More bliss.
Miss Em was lamenting that this was her very first Thanksgiving without her older brother, aka Frugal Son. I said, "For me too." To which she replied: "You had 34 Thanksgivings without him." So true.
To distract her from her sorrow, I said, "Remember our after-Thanksgiving tradition? When we went to the toy sale at the Junior League Thrift Store in New Orleans followed by a trip to the zoo?"
She drew a blank at first, but then she remembered. "They always had Santa and big cookies."
Right. What I remember: Whizzing by Lakeside Shopping Mall, with its full parking lot. Then, on to Freret Street for the thrift store, which opened a small annex full of toys just for the season. It was always packed, and probably as competitive as any Black Friday sale at a big box store.
I was serene and guilt-free. I was looking for wood toys and art supplies; these were usually kind of beat-up looking and the art materials were not complete sets. Since I was not going for the most-desired new-in-box items, I did not feel that I was stealing from the poor, who were there for gifts for their little ones. Meanwhile, the kids were talking to Santa and eating cookies. Mr. FS was--as is his wont--standing in a corner looking bored or irritated.
Then on to the wonderful Audubon Zoo, where we had a membership for many, many years. On the biggest shopping day of the year, the parking lot was usually almost empty. Since the weather was usually nice, we would have a picnic lunch. Then home.
And now I will commence my favorite part of Thanksgiving: turning my turkey carcass into stock!
What's cooking at your house?
Miss Em was lamenting that this was her very first Thanksgiving without her older brother, aka Frugal Son. I said, "For me too." To which she replied: "You had 34 Thanksgivings without him." So true.
To distract her from her sorrow, I said, "Remember our after-Thanksgiving tradition? When we went to the toy sale at the Junior League Thrift Store in New Orleans followed by a trip to the zoo?"
She drew a blank at first, but then she remembered. "They always had Santa and big cookies."
Right. What I remember: Whizzing by Lakeside Shopping Mall, with its full parking lot. Then, on to Freret Street for the thrift store, which opened a small annex full of toys just for the season. It was always packed, and probably as competitive as any Black Friday sale at a big box store.
I was serene and guilt-free. I was looking for wood toys and art supplies; these were usually kind of beat-up looking and the art materials were not complete sets. Since I was not going for the most-desired new-in-box items, I did not feel that I was stealing from the poor, who were there for gifts for their little ones. Meanwhile, the kids were talking to Santa and eating cookies. Mr. FS was--as is his wont--standing in a corner looking bored or irritated.
Then on to the wonderful Audubon Zoo, where we had a membership for many, many years. On the biggest shopping day of the year, the parking lot was usually almost empty. Since the weather was usually nice, we would have a picnic lunch. Then home.
And now I will commence my favorite part of Thanksgiving: turning my turkey carcass into stock!
What's cooking at your house?
Thursday, 3 September 2009
Student Debt and Marriage: Scary Stuff
My aversion to debt is pretty apparent to anyone who's read more than a post or two. Student debt is a vexed issue, because it is a necessity for some. All I can say is "Live like a student!"if you are borrowing money and THINK before you decide on pricey private education over a public option.
But what of those who have already borrowed large amounts. A few days ago I read about law grads from prestigious institutions who cannot find the corporate job they were counting on. Today, courtesy of the Wall Street Journal, we hear of people putting off life cycle events (home purchase, marriage) so burdened are they by debt.
Here is one fellow:
Zack Leshetz, a 30-year-old lawyer in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., has $175,000 in student loans from his seven years in college and law school. Lately he has had his eye on the real-estate market. "Everyone says that it's a great time to buy a house," he says. But that is not an option right now, he says, thanks to $800 a month in payments—and another chunk of student loans in forbearance, which means payments are halted while interest accrues. "I find myself living paycheck to paycheck," he says.
He has also been engaged since March, but has held off on marriage. "There's no way I can pay for a dream wedding, or even just a regular wedding," Mr. Leshetz says. "I feel like I'm putting my entire life on hold."
What I am about to say is probably predictable. OK. I understand about the house purchase. But the wedding? The big American wedding is a "tradition" of very recent vintage.
My own wedding cost under $50.00 and the most expensive component was the German measles antibody test required by the state of Indiana. But I acknowledge that I am a scrooge of festive parties like weddings. Still: how about a pot luck dinner? a barbeque at a park? Even a dinner at a nice restaurant for a select few. I'm sure that others of a more festive nature can improve on my suggestions.
The great Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin of Your Money or Your Life list lots of frugal dating ideas and then opine, "The best part of dating is free."
So true. Same for marriage.
But what of those who have already borrowed large amounts. A few days ago I read about law grads from prestigious institutions who cannot find the corporate job they were counting on. Today, courtesy of the Wall Street Journal, we hear of people putting off life cycle events (home purchase, marriage) so burdened are they by debt.
Here is one fellow:
Zack Leshetz, a 30-year-old lawyer in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., has $175,000 in student loans from his seven years in college and law school. Lately he has had his eye on the real-estate market. "Everyone says that it's a great time to buy a house," he says. But that is not an option right now, he says, thanks to $800 a month in payments—and another chunk of student loans in forbearance, which means payments are halted while interest accrues. "I find myself living paycheck to paycheck," he says.
He has also been engaged since March, but has held off on marriage. "There's no way I can pay for a dream wedding, or even just a regular wedding," Mr. Leshetz says. "I feel like I'm putting my entire life on hold."
What I am about to say is probably predictable. OK. I understand about the house purchase. But the wedding? The big American wedding is a "tradition" of very recent vintage.
My own wedding cost under $50.00 and the most expensive component was the German measles antibody test required by the state of Indiana. But I acknowledge that I am a scrooge of festive parties like weddings. Still: how about a pot luck dinner? a barbeque at a park? Even a dinner at a nice restaurant for a select few. I'm sure that others of a more festive nature can improve on my suggestions.
The great Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin of Your Money or Your Life list lots of frugal dating ideas and then opine, "The best part of dating is free."
So true. Same for marriage.
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