u/MeasurementPure7844

I am in a ton of debt - mortgage, masters degree, car, credit cards, the works.

This past year, I tried to stick to the avalanche method to pay down my largest credit card debt ($20k), to no avail - “emergencies” just kept popping up. Side note: I know that’s not technically the avalanche method but that was my interpretation/implementation of it.

Finally this year I accepted that I wasn’t getting anywhere. So I targeted my smallest credit card debt -$3k, which also happened to be my highest-interest (30% or so). And as of this month, I paid off the last $300 of that card! Woohoo!

It really is so invigorating! I can’t wait to tackle the next one!

Just wanted to share my little victory with others who might understand the struggle.

As stated in the title. My three year old’s shitty attitude is chipping away at my mental health.

We have been getting along great the past several months. Up until now, I’d say the roughest stretch was 1.5-2.5, when he had discovered his own free will but I couldn’t reason with him at all.

Now he’s 3.5 and this past week it’s like the gloves came off. He hits me, scratches me, throws things (most recently a large toy train) at me, pushes me, insults me, ignores me, refuses to do basically anything without a fight, and yells at me over anything and everything.

Example: this morning, he was helping me make my coffee. He loves operating machines. I reached for the K-cup and he accused me of “taking it from him,” when I was literally handing it to him so he could pop it in the machine. He spit in my face, insulted me, and refused to do anything else for about 30 minutes.

Context: we are on what was supposed to be a lovely little trip out of town to a nicer part of the state. We went to the beach, to a really nice park, and today to a water park / amusement park that is geared towards toddlers. We’re staying at a really cute hotel that has waterfalls and several ponds with koi fish.

I just don’t understand how any kid could be so miserable in this setting.

I have tried: ignoring him, addressing him gently, addressing him firmly, screaming at him, and spanking him. I AM NOT PROUD OF THE SCREAMING AND THE SPANKING.

I just want to be happy. I work really hard (single mom & elementary school teacher). I want to enjoy this trip and my son’s company. Is that so much to ask?

As the post title states - I will be driving with my three year old from La Fortuna to Manuel Antonio and I’d appreciate some suggestions on where to break up the drive. We will spend the first part of the day at hot springs so his afternoon nap lines up with the drive. However he only naps about two hours, and of course we’ll need to stop for potty/snacks/stretches along the way.

I have looked at the driving map and I have a few places on my radar, namely Jacó. But if there is something I’m overlooking, especially a little hidden gem you can share, I’d love to hear it.

Thanks in advance for any tips!

I opened the Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Plus last November when there was an elevated SUB of 85k points. I was able to easily meet the spend between my son’s third birthday party and holiday spending.

I’m very happy with the card because I used the points to book us flights to Costa Rica this summer! I was really into traveling before the pandemic but it will be my little guy’s first international trip :-).

Now, however, I’m struggling to find a use for the Southwest card. It’s kind of an outlier in my current setup: I am earning points with WF, Amex, and IHG, and I got the CFU 5% cash back bonus for the first year on gas and groceries that I plan to convert to transferable Chase points with a Sapphire down the line.

I have no immediate plans to travel on Southwest again. The Costa Rica trip is a one-off as I pay down some other debt and wait for my mini to be out of daycare.

All this to say - when is the best time to cancel the Southwest card? Can I cancel it after our trip (July), just before the one-year mark to avoid paying the next AF (Nov 23)? Or is it better to keep it for two years?