Looking for a new credit card cash back program

This is a shout out for recommendations on a new credit card to use for their cash back program. We started with Discover, which worked well, especially when we were at BYU and they had 5% cash back on education for a quarter. We paid ahead our rent (which was listed as an education expense since it was paid to BYU) and made bank on that! And when we were in Michigan we discovered Chase Freedom, which worked great, giving us 3% cash back on our top 5 spending categories. And then we could redeem $200 worth of cash back for $250... I was a big fan of the 25% more CASH (which I can use a lot more judiciously than a gift card.) Again, it has been very good to us. But they just changed the program, taking it down to a flat 1%... I know we can do better than that! We would love to be loyal to a company, but when we start with them because of their cash back program, then they slash it down significantly, well, the draw just disappears.

So, if any of you have a card that you really like, please let me know! :)

Summer 2009

The blog is currently under construction, so hopefully you enjoy the pictures even though the text is hard to read. And I finally got rid of the August 2008 pictures! (Over a year later...) We're doing our walk-through on the house tomorrow! If all goes well, we should be able to close this week!

Our home!

I am finally taking a break from dreaming about what to do with the front and back yards, and posting this picture for everyone who has asked about the house that we are purchasing in Sterling, Virginia. (Josh's job is about 20 minutes away, in Fairfax, Virginia.) As those who knew us in Michigan can imagine, we're very excited to have a yard to work on. :) There's a (strange) patio of bricks (unmortared) in the front yard, and I'm looking forward to removing that and reusing the bricks to give the yard more shape. I'm having lots of fun learning about lawn care, plants that work well in Northern Virginia, and also picking paint color for the interior. We took advantage of the labor day weekend sales and have gallons of paint in our apartment here in Fairfax waiting to be used. Also true to Amanda-form, we've acquired a queen box, mattress, and frame (for the guest room in the basement - come and visit!), a bathroom mirror (3x4 feet), a computer desk, and hopefully a futon. (The person giving it away has the screws, etc. put away in a "safe" place, and they're trying to relocate that "safe" place.) We are closing on September 30, so the first orders of business are to remove the bricks, aerate then overseed the lawn (before it's too late), and meanwhile paint the interior. I figure I can help a lot taping the ceiling and baseboards so Josh will "only" have the painting to do, not the prep so much. The interior is a peachy color - not my favorite at all, and we are very much of the mind that it is easier to do before settling in than afterward! There are other projects we'll be doing, but I'm working on taking it one step at a time and prioritizing. I can't do it all at once! We'll have about 8 weeks till the baby is due when we move in, so it'll be a whirlwind, but talk about the ultimate nesting project... :)