In addition to travel and financial updates, I decided to try and reflect on life that is happening (which is not all about money and travel). So today’s post will be the life update 🙂
Actually, September was a big month for us. Our eldest son (we’ll call him Kid 1 in future posts) went to college, and it was a beginning of new life for all of us. A new independent college life for him and the almost same but not really life for us. We do feel his absence every day, and having a few min call or an exchange of a few messages is not enough to cover that gap in our lives.
His move-in day was September 23rd, and most of the month went into preparations – building the list of what needs to be brought into the residence hall and then fulfilling that list. Having multiple conversations about the college life, discussing the expectations, and then having the conversations again (because mom is nervous). Booking the room at Hyatt (using Chase UR points!) for the night before the move-in day, and then driving the kid and all his stuff to the college town.
The move-in day started really chaotically. Before moving into the residence hall, students needed to check-in at a central location and receive a key to their rooms. Every student was given a check-in time window, during which they should have arrived, to avoid everyone trying to do so at the same time. Our check-in time was in the morning, and so we dutifully arrived at the assigned time. Imagine our surprise when we hit the traffic jam, which was at least a mile long. Well, the reason for the traffic was the parents who decided to ignore their check-in times and to arrive earlier. That was a mess! It took us more than three hours to get to the check-in point, and it was even more frustrating due to the fact that you had to stay in the car during the check-in, the walk ins weren’t allowed (I guess, COVID related restrictions). It would have really helped if they just gave room keys to the people who decided to walk to the check-in points (while the cars were stuck in long queues), since those people would have left the queue and made it moving faster for those who decided to stay in the cars. But oh well…
Three and a half hours later we got the keys and were able to visit the residence hall and unload the stuff. The dorm rooms are small, but have all the necessary furniture for each of the two roommates: a bed, a desk with a chair, an armoire to keep their clothes in. They even have a sink, which is handy (no need to run to the restrooms every time they want to wash their hands, or even brush teeth).
The rest of the day went smoothly, and the weather was beautiful and cooperating. Visit the union to get the student ID, check out the campus, have late lunch/early dinner with the student (now the real one, with the ID!) and then say goodbyes and get on the road for another six hours of drive back home…
As we came back, our youngest kid (Kid 2) greeted us with “sooo, what are you planning to do with Kid 1’s desk and his second monitor?” That caused us to consider the state of Kid 2’s bedroom and deciding that he outgrew his small desk and did need to have more “real estate” to keep the keyboard and now two monitors, as well as the space for the notebooks to do his homework. So, the new project started – shopping for the new desk and rearranging the furniture in Kid 2’s bedroom to accommodate a larger desk. Mission accomplished – Kid 1’s room is preserved and Kid 2 has a more mature setup in his bedroom.
Credit card hacking:
I would also like to provide an update on our Credit card hacking progress, as this is my new hobby, which provides both financial benefits and entertainment for me.
In September, we did not open any new credit cards since we are working on a second part of DH’s Sign Up Bonus (SUP) for Capital One Venture card (the remaining $16,000 for the second 50,000 points). Since DH doesn’t like switching credit cards for different purchase categories, having to fulfill this remaining spend over multiple months is perfect for him.
For redemptions, I used 8K Chase UR points to book Hyatt in Eugene, OR, which would have cost us $186 if we paid for that. That means that I got 2.3 cents per point, which is slightly above the average value estimate of the UR points. So, all is good!
Conclusion:
New life started for both us and our student. We are excited to him to build his own path and wish him the best in his future endeavors!
How did you September look like? What changes happened in your life?