u/Wichertj

Backstory: Wife and I moved a few states over away from family last July for her job. We moved from TX to Illinois. I'm 36 and she is 34.

We want kids but I have always been hesitant from a financial perspective. We make average money for the area at 150k combined income.

My question for new Dads, when did you feel financially ok to start trying for a baby? For reference we rent an apartment and have 60k in savings, 125k in retirement and zero debt.

thanks in advance. On the one hand I think just 10k more in the bank will help but I feel like that is a never ending cycle and we should just start seriously trying.

I rent in an apartment complex and my unit is on the top floor (4). I'm curious if people think we need flood insurance? I read our renters policy and we do have hurricane coverage. Here is a quote from our policy:

"Loss By Windstorm During A Hurricane With respect to Paragraphs B. and C., coverage for loss caused by the peril of windstorm during a hurricane which occurs anywhere in the state of Florida includes loss to: 1. The inside of a building; or 2. The property contained in a building caused by: a. Rain; b. Snow; c. Sleet; d. Hail; e. Sand; or f. Dust; if the direct force of the windstorm damages the building, causing an opening in a roof or wall and the rain, snow, sleet, hail, sand or dust enters through this opening."

I read that as if a window breaks (we have category 3 non-impact) or if the roof rips off and water gets in we are covered.

Does flood only cover ground up water?

This will be our first hurricane season so maybe we are extra paranoid. I have looked at getting flood insurance through FEMA since our renters company does not offer flood insurance.

I know this offer is on the low end. The main reason for considering is we have a $4k expense coming up this month that will cover a decent amount of the SUB minimum spend. Who knows it I could ever get the 100k point offer with the new format Amex rolled out (as high as) and with the amount spend on food and groceries the points will still stack up fast.

Interested to hear your thoughts.

CREDIT PROFILE

• * Current credit cards you are the primary account holder of:
  • Wells Fargo Active Cash - $4,400 Limit - Opened in 2009
  • Citi Double Cash - $3,500 Limit - opened in October of 2016
  • Discover IT - $8,300 Limit - Opened in 2015
  • Capital One QuickSilver - $10,000 Limit - Opened in January 2014
  • CSR (Downgraded to CSP) - $29,500 Limit - Opened in November 2022
  • CFF - $11,200 - Opened October 2023
  • AMEX Plat - Opened May 2024
  • CFU - $11,200 - Opened June 2025
  • WF Autograph (transferred from Bilt) November 2025.
• * FICO Scores with source (see note on FICO score sources below): (: Experian 797, Transunion 802)
• * Oldest credit card account age with you as primary name on the account: 17 years
• * Number of personal credit cards approved for in the past 6 months: 0
• * Number of personal credit cards approved for in the past 12 months: 0
• * Number of personal credit cards approved for in the past 24 months: 0
• * Annual income $150,000

CATEGORIES

• * OK with category-specific cards?: Yes
• * OK with rotating category cards?: Yes
• * Estimate average monthly spend in the categories below. Only include what you can pay by credit card.
  • * Dining $:100
  • * Groceries $1000 with $500 from Walmart using Walmart +
  • * Gas $:200
  • * Travel $2,500 on flights per year and $1,000 on hotels.
  • * Do you plan on using this card abroad for a significant length of time (study abroad, digital nomad, expat, extended travel)?: No
  • * Any other categories (examples: phone/internet, insurance) or stores (example: Amazon) with significant, regular credit card spend (the more you specify, the better): $No
  • * Any other significant, regular credit card spend you didn't include above?: No
  • * Can you pay rent by credit card? If yes, list rent amount and if there's a fee for paying by credit card: $No. Used to have Bilt but it no longer makes sense.

MEMBERSHIPS & SUBSCRIPTIONS (delete lines that don't apply)

• * Current member of Amazon Prime?: Yes
• * Current member of Costco or Sam's Club? Yes
• * Currently paying $13.99/month or more for Disney Bundle (Disney+ / Hulu / EPSN+) or other Hulu services? Yes
• * Current member of Chase, US Bank or any other big bank?: Yes

PURPOSE

• * What's the purpose of your next card (choose ONE)?: (first credit card, balance transfer, saving money, travel rewards)
  • * If you answered "travel rewards", do you have a preferred airline and/or hotel chain you regularly use? Used Hyatt points mostly but with the devaluation not sure going forward. Fly Delta/SW mostly.
• * Do you have any cards you've been looking at? Amex Gold (if wife can get a SUB). She got 60k prior but seemed low. Also looking info Cap 1 Venture with the ability to get Venturs X SUB as well in the future.

We are looking at a new card due to a cruise bill that is coming due this month. Might as well put it on a CC and pay it off in full.

I'm searching for headphones and have ran into a few problems. I'm looking for headphones that have a microphone. I had a pair of Sennheiser HD471G that finally gave out. I have tried the following headphones:

1. Sennheiser HD 280 Pro and I did not like the fit at all. Too tight and heavy. Felt warmer wearing them.

2. Sennheiser HD 400S. These would be good but the fit isn't right, it's called around the ear but they sit on top of my ear and cause discomfort.

3. Sennheiser HD 599. These fit perfectly but I didn't realize they don't have a microphone. They truly fit around my ear rather than on my ear.

Anyone have a recommendation? I'd like to stay with he Sennheiser brand.

Looking to spend to to $140

Thanks!