A couple of days ago I mindlessly opened two emails from Yazing, indicating they had $17.34 to each of our PayPal accounts. I mindlessly transferred the windfall into our checking accounts. It got me thinking about the ways we use our manufactured spending profits and it kind of disappointed me.
We are all of different ages, economic conditions, and levels of manufactured spending activity. I thought I’d start a conversation on how to “spice up” my manufactured spending game.
As with the deposits I mentioned above, we typically just put the money in our checking account, where it is mixed in with other income. There’s not much glamor or sense of accomplishment when that’s what we do time after time, after time.
I know some people can actually make a living doing manufactured spending and some have actually moved to more MS-friendly cities to make that livelihood happen. When you think about it, it’s not all that stressful and can be a decent wage per hour. My hats off to full-timers.
For me, at my advanced age, I have a hard time doing anything, with any sense of determination, for more than an hour or so. I can only make so many stops on an MS route before I’m tired of the game.
When the game changes, as it frequently does, with Dosh coming back to Sam’s and now Walgreens and 4X bonuses at Sam’s for Membership Rewards points as an example, I get a little charged up again. And when this SoFi referral chain hit, I was really charged up. But as we all know, if it’s good, its gonna end.
With this last bump in activity, I decided to dedicate my earnings to a frivolous venture. I dedicated my SoFi referral income and credit card sign-up cash bonuses to buying micro shares of thoroughbred racehorses. Now, understand, a .01% share of a racehorse sells for anywhere from $65 to $125. This is fun money for me and gives me an inside look into the world of horse racing. I do not expect to make a profit.
But what happened is it charged me up again. I had a goal when I went MS’ing or checking on my referrals. I was contributing to something measurable.
In the first half of the year, I listed every single SoFi referral dollar I earned by adding them to a sheet of lined paper. I listed the activity, amount of profit and did a running total. For sign-up miles, I typically add just the sign-up bonus amount with airline miles at 1 cent each and hotel points (primarily Hilton) at 0.4 cents each.
At the end of the six-month trial, it was gratifying to see I had accumulated about $12,000 of goodies. Split almost 50/50 between cash, miles and points. And I used some of the first half-year earnings to support my wife’s work at a free medical clinic by buying blood pressure cuffs and hand sanitizer for patients.
Maybe this just is a crazy old retired guy filling in time, but having a goal in mind, seems to help me hold my interest. Are any of you doing the same or similar?
Saving to buy something? Pay for a trip with miles and cash for the odds and ends? Earn a certain amount each month to ease the monthly budget? Covering your medical insurance or past medical bills or paying tuition?
I realize how lucky I am to be able to use my manufactured spending profits for a folly like this one. I’m sure it will change soon and we’ll be on to the next “plan of the day”
But I’d really like to know your goals and thought processes as you stand in that Walmart line or drive from grocery store to bank. Or maybe, better yet, run out to the mailbox to pick up the gift cards delivered from GiftcardMall or wherever.
We are a complicated group of people, motivated by a variety of factors. I laid my current goal out there for all to see. Anybody else suffer from the same pointless misdirection? Or have you all set your sights on a long -erm goal and can stay on task day in and day out?
“I can only make so many stops on an MS route before I’m tired of the game”
I can relate. I start out invigorated with a plan of buying gcs at Simon, OD, Winn Dixie……
And then stopping at the many WMs and grocery stores on my MS route for MOs. But I never fulfill my daily planned run. I find 4 hours of MS in a day is all I can take then I lose my enthusiasm and go home.
I’m early retired so I refuse to make this a job. If it’s not fun like a hobby/game should be, I won’t do it.
I generally MS strictly for vacation points. Most of my efforts are for gathering ultimate rewards points that are transferable. My goal is for at least one to two weeks vacation paid for by points. Usually we get both the air and hotels/resorts covered. We are dual points family but most of the time it takes a little push to get the husband helping and we have limited money order avenues.
MS spend gives us extra vacations that we would not be getting any other way and we are extremely grateful. We both have multiple 5x Office supply credit cards that we try to max out each year using staples and office max but it is getting harder as stores have cracked down with limits.
Still get a lot of joy sitting on a Carribean beach trip earned with points or credit card sign ups.
Thanks for inspiring us with your posts.
Old retired gal here. I agree with you. Once I have a goal in mind, I am much more focused and determined. I also keep a separate bank account for all cash back and portal funds. I use that separate bank account to pay for 2 months condo rental and rental car in a warm climate out of the midwest winter.
I have my routine down to ordering VGC’s from the AAdvantage eShopping portal and using an AAdvantage card to get 2X miles once per week to earn 254,800 miles per year at a cost of ~$2,500. We use those miles to fly up front twice a year to Hawaii. Takes about an hour each week to liquidate them. I also pay 6 mortgages through Plastiq with an AAdvantage card to earn more miles for the 4 – 6 other trips we take each year, both domestic and international.
Once per month I make the 2 hour trip to the nearest Simon Mall (which is in the same city as my Mom lives, so I’m going anyway) to buy $25,000 worth of VGC’s with an AAdvantage card and a CFU. I can liquidate about half on the way home and the rest in about 3 hours the next day (I’m early retired also, so….).
And, I take advantage of the Staples and Office Depot VGC sales to earn UR points with my CIC and liquidate those via GoBank.
Everything else in life goes through either the CSR, CFU, or Freedom Chase cards earning UR points to pay for expenses on our trips.
I don’t have any cash back cards. Only miles or points earning.
Ed, spending $2500 just for 254,000 AA miles is insanity (1cpp!) Go read up about using Turkish miles to book United flights to Hawaii – you’ll save 80% that way. Get rid of your silly AA card and switch to much more valuable transferable points (Membership Rewards, Ultimate Rewards, Thank You points etc). If you’re a Hawaii fan, Citi Thank You points are your best friend. Get a Double Cash card (2% everywhere) and can transfer to Turkish. Frequent Miler has great write-ups about it.
Yes, I’m quite aware of the points you make. Reading FM’s posts on Turkish miles to Hawaii, I just have no desire to jump through all the hoops required, and I believe that only applies to flights from the west coast. If we lived there, it would be something worth considering.
While 1¢ per mile is a valid argument for flying in coach, it’s a 10 hour trip (flying time) from where we live to Hawaii and I’m not going to do that in coach. 1¢ per mile ($2,500) to fly up front is quite reasonable in my book for 2 round trips per year to Hawaii for 2 people. We have 2 specific dates each year we need to go, and I tend to book them well in advance.
I have over 3/4 of a million Chase UR points that I transfer to fly on United on the rare occasion they have flights I can do, and for transfer to Hyatt for hotels.
Ed, it’s nationwide. Anywhere United flies. And many flights can be booked online, so not a big hassle. Regardless, spending 1cpp for points is nuts. You should be spending significantly less l than that for transferable miles (there are near-zero cost options – cheaper than Simon – available), let alone 1cpp for limited utilty airline-specific miles.
So, you’re saying that spending ~$2,500 for 2 round trips for 2 people in first class to Hawaii is not a good deal? 1 round trip for 1 oerson in coach can be in excess of $1,000 from where I live at the times we have to go. I’ve been making these trips for 10 years, and I know what it costs from here. United’s availability in first class to Hawaii from here is virtually non-existent.
You’re right he should be doing that but the Turkish method is probably on life support right now.
Attention. It seems something is deleting and or moving comments. Ariana is award and working on it
Ed.C, if your goal is only getting 2 aadvantage miles per $, then you should do the same thing you are doing but with a Chase Marriott card. You’ll get the same 2 points per dollar (and many times they have bonus miles with spending thresholds), and then you can transfer the points to American but with a 20% bonus. and the extra ones you can accumulate for a hotel night or transfer to another airline with the bonus. You’ll also get a 35000 point night a year after you pay the annual fee.
Your welcome.
(I can refer you to a Marriott card if you want).
Ricardo – Thanks for the suggestion. I’ll definitely consider that if I ever get under 5/24 again. Right now, Chase cards aren’t an option……
I love using the BofA Travel Rewards VISA. It pushes me to use my MS profits on vacation travel. It enables me to stay in small independent hotels in Europe, that don’t take Hilton, Hyatt , or Marriott Points.
Jim, I just used this card for $500 credit on an Airbnb last month. How to you maximize your manufacturers spend on this card?
I buy Visa Gift Cards at Giftcardmall . I like that I have to use the earned credits or points for travel expenses. I can’t use these credits to pay my utilities. I’ve earned all these points, I’d better plan some free travel, and maybe splurge on a hotel I wouldn’t reach in my pocket to pay for.
Meals is one travel expense I can’t usually cover with hotel or airline points. If I eat an occasional meal at the hotel, and charge it to the room, I can knock that expense out with BofA travel reward points too.
How can I write for this blog? The bar seems very low.
Read between the lines, dude. What Rick writes is never what it seems.
what does this mean? What is Rick hinting at?
That’s what makes MS and this whole hobby great. Any jerk, with a little guidance can do it. But where are you going to get that guidance? From people like Rick who enjoy sharing sharing.
Thanks Jim for the compliment. I get paid to write, but I really enjoy seeing people travel for free or earn a few extra bucks for themselves. And I get paid as well to contribute
What am I missing here “ Dosh coming back to Sam’s and now Walgreens“
Isn’t Walgreens only online? I don’t see an MS angle.
ABC I see Walgreens in my Dosh app and have made an instore purchase that I think will pay me 3% in 30 days if I read it correctly. I’m still waiting
I really don’t see any great usefulness of Dosh. They never have any offers at stores/sites I shop at except Sam’s was recently added. But it is for a maximum of $15 LIFETIME and $10 off membership ONCE.
Looks to me like Dosh is definitely a YMMV app.
The merchants and offers rotate. My Dosh is doing 0 for me right now but will come back.
I discovered a problem trying to order from giftcardmall and walmart.com. For weeks my orders would be cancelled in 30 seconds for no apparent reason. Reaching back in the past, I remembered I couldn’t log on to AA with my VPN active, but Delta accepted it. Sure enough Giftcardmall and Walmart.com orders go right through with the VPN disabled. Probably there are other sites that don’t like VPN ‘s.
I am very paranoid about trackers. but sometimes you have to turn it off.
Jean Paul
I am pretty green to the points game but I have used it primarily to cover 1st class flights that i would normally be willing to spend the cash on. I haven’t really booked any new trips (different than i would have before collecting points) but I am now not paying for the the flights AND I am sitting up front and enjoying it much more. Thanks to everyone that contributes to this site (and others) for helping me learn the ropes.
My wife and I were initially drawn to the MSing game to try and score enough points/cashback to purchase a jeep wrangler for our planned move to AK. Roughly a year and a half in, we were able to buy our rubicon. After that, was motivated to score Cap1 spark biz card sign up bonus for $2k back when it first released. Next goal was earning the southwest companion pass (hell of a deal), not ideal for everyone, but for us it was just what we wanted/needed. Now, since my wife and I love to travel, I frequent my Marriott card to try and hit some of the nicest hotels in the areas we travel to. Wife and I are going to stay at the Al Maha this December and try out some other popular spots the blogs mention. Been fun, but a lot is changing.
We also are staying at the Al Maha in April, 2020. Flying Ethiopian Bus. over and back care of Amex and Citi.
I take my MS money and I pay my bills with that money. I average about 3-4K a month and I take my paychecks and save most of them. The only bill that gets paid with my paycheck is my mortgage. I’m still young so I have to get the debt knocked out of the way in order to make pure profit.
Sounds like Young Jobless has got a real solid plan to make his life very comfortable.
Congratulations on your plan
I’m amusing you have a well paying job as well? That’s a pretty decent amount To profit from MS without huge credit Limits
Agreed. This seems unlikely. With a 2% card and $4k profit this requires in excess of $200,000 spend per month without fees (probably over $300k after fees). How many of these cards can you get and what kind of credit limit they giving young guys? I think credit cycling with these numbers wouldn’t last long.
I am retired and do weekly MS at WM and WF. I try and keep my volume such that I do no more than what my daily/weekly errands require. Making a trip just for MS, for me, is allowing MS to control my life and I do not want that. A few years ago, I bought every visa gift card at 5 Staples. Flushing those through every WM I could find was just insane. I got shut down by Barclay and one bank shut me down. I decided I would rather go slow and find smarter ways to MS. Much happier going low and slow with better methods.
That’s a sensible attitude: Don’t let MS control your life. It can get addicting.