The hustle culture makes it seem like everyone has to be busy 24/7 in order to be “productive”. One takeaway I have from seeing a therapist last year is that it is important to listen to yourself, your body, and to take breaks often.
For that reason, I am taking a step back from building additional streams of income. Instead, I am focusing on creating systems to scale my current businesses. Additionally, I am focusing on recharging and bringing my heart peace and joy. Most recently things that brought me joy, included visiting my family and celebrating my father’s 70th birthday. I took a week off from work to refresh, and spend some time by the water by myself to reflect on where I have come from and what I need to do in the future.
There are a few positives about having w2 income. One is that a check still gets deposited despite not working for two whole weeks. Solopreneurship is great when it comes to flexibility. But one downfall is that without the proper systems, you do not eat if you do not work.
August Income Summary
In August 2020 I did not bring any income in addition to my W2 income. In fact, I lost some money since my multifamily building is currently not operating at 100%. This is due to one tenant that is not paying rent.
I spent this month celebrating and enjoying life. Highlights of the month included traveling home to celebrate my father’s 70th birthday, and spending a few days on the beach in the Dominican Republic. I took a week and a half from work to thoroughly enjoy the beach and my family!
I don’t have much to share on the income side. What I can share, however, is how I was able to spend about half the month traveling without losing sight of my budget. I was able to do this because I leveraged credit card points to cover travel costs. Using this method allowed me to not overspend, and stick to my budget.
Secure a Cheap Flight by Using Airline Points Strategically
During the month of August, I took three round trip flights. Two were with Delta airlines and one was with Jetblue. All three of my trips were at a discount and were extremely cheap flights due to earning points with airline credit cards.
When it comes to credit card points in general, the points become advantageous once accumulated over time. The best way to expedite point actual and redemption is with a very intentional strategy to generate and use those points. There are people that use general travel miles and sign-on bonuses to get free travel across several airlines.
I, however, am very particular about the inflight experience I would like to have. As a result, I prefer to use airline-specific credit cards. My two airline cards of choice are the Barclays Bank JetBlue Master Card and American Express Delta Platinum credit card.
I don’t spend more than I usually would on these cards. The JetBlue card I use for recurring expenses related to my multifamily unit. The Delta card I only use for purchases made through Delta. This is because I earn the most points on this card on delta purchases. That, in addition to exclusively flying delta out of Indiana, has proven to save me money. Combining card spend with loyalty flying will get you free upgrades, points for free flights, and points for partial pay upgrades.
Delta
Cheap flight number one was a roundtrip flight on Delta with a connection. What this means is for my Delta SkyMiles points I got credit for four different flights, which add up for future upgrades. The flight I booked got me 3 times the points with the Delta Credit Card. In addition, I was able to pay for an upgrade to first class using points only – as in no actual cash came out of my pocket in order to fly first class!
I would have purchased hotels and flights anyway, but because I purchased these with my Delta Credit Card I am able to redeem “free” benefits because of my use.
Of course, these benefits are only worth it if you pay your credit card in full, and do not incur any interest charges with your cards. That is the only time when these benefits are truly free.
Cheap flight number two with Delta was also booked first class. It was purchased with a discount using points that I receive from my 9 to 5. At the company I work at, a benefit is “points” for peer recognition. These recognition points from different people throughout the company can be used to redeem valuables such as gift cards, handbags, vacuums and the like. My colleagues use these points to redeem designer bags and store gift cards. I, however, use the points to redeem delta gift cards. This particular trip, allowed me to have a first-class direct round trip flight for under $300 out of pocket.
One additional tip is to add your frequent flier number to any work travel you will be doing. Those points for a work trip can be redeemed for personal trips that you take in the future.
JetBlue
The key to maximizing points on JetBlue is only to redeem when the point cost is a good deal. For example, if you can book a flight that is usually 20,000 points for 6,000 points that is when to book and use points.
I booked a free flight to the Dominican by redeeming points at a very low cost. The only thing that I had to pay for was taxes, which came out to a little over $100. Not bad for an international flight, right? I paid for these taxes using my JetBlue Credit Card, earning me additional points in the future.
For the cheapest flight options, verify and compare the dates with the cheapest points cost by using the “Best fair finder” search feature under the “Book” menu.
Summary
It’s important to remember that money alone isn’t everything. Mental health and wellbeing I would argue is even more important. Being at peace and doing what makes you happy will put you in a better place to perform at your best.
Following my month of taking a break, I am clear that I need more mini-breaks throughout the year. I am also clear that I want to spend my time with the family.
Leveraging credit card points is a great way to take these mini-breaks even if it’s just a night at a hotel to decompress.
When is the last time you took some time to reset, clear your mind, and set your intentions for your future? When is the last time you truly felt relaxed and clear about what you wanted?
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