About Harlan

Just a dude living in Memphis, traveling, and working toward financial independence.

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Clear the Clutter: 5 Apps to Organize Your Digital Life to Create Clarity

by Harlan 6 Comments

a screenshot of a computer

I had to take a stand. My digital life was becoming unwieldy.

I’d groan when another email came in. It took multiple clicks to find events on different calendars. Multiple email accounts.

Information spread out in too many places. Not enough good stuff, and too much trouble to find anything enjoyable.

I was beginning to stagnate in the sheer stuffness of it all. Actually, I was stagnating. I got there.

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Ahhh, yes… Clean simplicity leads to increased productivity, fewer errors, and a clearer mind

I pared my digital life down to a few basic apps. It’s been a few days now and I’m already used to my new workflows.

Better yet, the space in my mind allows me to think more clearly, make fewer mistakes, and get my work done faster.

I’m not a productivity blogger, but I do like to be productive. Maybe this’ll help you, or at least turn you on to a few new ways of doing things.

The clutter has GOT to go

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Booking Martinique: My Experience With Citi Prestige Concierge and 4th Night Free Benefit

by Harlan 6 Comments

palm trees on a beach

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I’ve been getting to know the ins and outs of my new Citi Prestige card, including the perk I was most excited about: the 4th night free benefit.

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Yeah, I could deal with that

Here’s how it all worked with getting the 4th night free in Martinique, where I plan to visit in February thanks to Norwegian’s new non-stop service from JFK (and Boston and BWI!).

Finding the hotel

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Save (or Earn!) Money at Amazon and More This Holiday Season

by Harlan 5 Comments

a black bag with a white text and a black and white text

I’m in holiday shopping mode, and enjoying the many shopping deals available right now.

If you see a good deal, maximize it even more.

Irresistible, really

Irresistible, really

For example, I ordered some stuff from The Body Shop today and stacked:

Plus, I got a tote bag stuffed with products for $35… including a product I wanted that usually costs $36 on its own. And free shipping and samples.

Here are a few other ways to save before Cyber Monday sucks you into a shopping frenzy.

1. Paribus

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Just Booked: Martinique $317 Round-Trip and Non-Stop on Norwegian

by Harlan 5 Comments

a beach with a mountain in the background

Hot off the heels of my trip to Barcy in January, I’ll be heading to the French Caribbean island of Martinique in February 2016!

So excited!

So excited!

There’s quite a good sale going on right now, and as I looked through the fares a few weeks ago, I thought wow, these will sell out quick!

But, they didn’t. And when I saw the fares start to increase, I pulled the trigger on this one.

The flights are wide open

The flights are wide open

I usually wouldn’t book 2 trips so close together, but this sale, combined with the $250 airline credit on my new Citi Prestige card, formed a perfect storm of BOOK THE TRIP.

Why I did it

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Get an Easy 1% Cash Back on Your Rent and Other Debit Card Purchases

by Harlan 15 Comments

a screenshot of a credit card

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I have to thank Out and Out reader Greg for pointing this out.  He says:

I have a Paypal Business Debit MasterCard that earns me 1% cash back on “credit” purchases. I don’t fund it, I just use it to pay almost all of my bills and have it linked to my bank account.

I get my 1% cash back on everything, don’t have to worry about my Paypal balance (as long as my bank balance is good), it makes me feel like I’ve added a layer of protection to my bank account, and it buys me some float time from when I make a purchase until it clears my bank account.

I don’t do “debit” transactions with it BC I don’t get 1% cash back and and money is immediately withdrawn from my bank account… Unless of course my Paypal account still has a balance left from my monthly cash back reward, then that is deducted before anything hits my bank account.

After doing a little digging, Greg is absolutely right!

I wrote about how to pay rent with RadPad and the PayPal Business Debit MasterCard.

You can add in PayPal My Cash cards purchased from CVS to earn points and miles, too. As long as you load up your account and ONLY take the money out through a purchase made from the PayPal Business Debit MasterCard.

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RadPad and PayPal play well together

And yes, RadPad specifically codes as a purchase and earns 1% cash back.

In application

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I’m Prestigious! Getting Citi Prestige and First Impressions of the Card

by Harlan 35 Comments

a black and blue credit card

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I got my Citi Prestige card this week and wanted to share the experience. Because it was an experience getting this card.

And I can’t wait to dig in to to all the perks this card has to offer!

Here are my first impressions and things I noticed right away.

The 2-package process

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Citi Smart Savings Are Here!

by Harlan 20 Comments

a screenshot of a website

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I wrote before about seeing hints that Citi might compete with AMEX Offers “soon.”

Looks like it’s here!

This is the first I’ve seen of this, so I’m excited to see what Citi will continue to do with Citi Smart Savings offers.

Here’s what I got on my accounts.

What’s Citi Smart Savings?

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Alaska MileagePlan: The Last Good Loyalty Program? (Alaska Vs. American by the Numbers)

by Harlan 17 Comments

a comparison of logos with a man's face

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I’ve been interested in Alaska’s MileagePlan program for a while now. But I’ve never actually banked any flights to them.

As I get ready to base out in Dallas, I, like everyone else, am waiting for all of American’s little shoes to drop. And what it might mean.

For all the speculation, we haven’t actually heard anything from American yet.

It’ll be a shame the program might change as I move to their backyard.

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There can only be one

I even thought, wow, I can really kick off earning miles toward Executive Platinum status with my biz class flight to Barcy in January. That’ll be a nice boost toward status right at the beginning of the year.

But now I’m looking at MileagePlan all over again.

The numbers

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Must-Haves of Travel: Calcium Bentonite Clay

by Harlan 4 Comments

a white plastic container with red text and black text

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This stuff is intense!

WHAT AN ADVERT

WHAT AN ADVERT

Labeled, “World’s Most Powerful Facial” with a tagline of “FEEL YOUR FACE PULSATE!”

But seriously, this stuff gets down into your pores in a way that’s really incredible, and perfect for clearing out any build-up caused by travel.

What’s calcium bentonite clay?

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Yes! Instantly Approved for Citi Prestige!

by Harlan 22 Comments

a close-up of a sign

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I just had 3 rum and cokes and bit the bullet.

I’m now the proud owner of a Citi Prestige card.

I was worried about not being instantly approved online because I’ve heard that lots of folks with perfectly good credit have had their applications “denied,” then approved after a few days of waiting, which sounds stress-y.

So, a bit drunkenly but full of courage, I approached the Citi Prestige application.

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Citi Prestige: No Luck Getting a $350 Annual Fee In-Branch, and Why to Apply ASAP

by Harlan 21 Comments

a beach with palm trees and blue water

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Wanted to share my experience about trying to get a reduced annual fee on the Citi Prestige card.

Like lots of peeps, I’ve been kinda/sorta intrigued by this card for a while now. Today, I woke up and decided I’d go apply in-branch. Because I’ve heard some folks have had luck getting a $350 annual fee as opposed to a $450 annual fee, which is obviously awesome and preferable.

So I strapped on my little booties and walked down to the branch on 86th St in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.

I waited to speak with a banker and started it off with, “How much is the annual fee on the Citi Prestige card?”

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Come in Houston, er, Dallas: Buying a House and a Move Toward FIRE

by Harlan 23 Comments

a city skyline with a highway and a large building

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Alternate titles for this post: Airbnb helped me buy a house in Dallas.

Most of y’all know I run a few Airbnb properties here in NYC.

Well, I’ve been ferreting away the earnings for a long while.

I’ve been using my Fidelity Cash Management account as a defacto business checking account, and my Aspiration Summit account to save up a down payment (and an AMEX personal savings account to pay Uncle Sam) because it has a sweet 1% interest rate.

My new empire state?

My new empire state?

I haven’t posted my Dallas hotel reviews yet, and I haven’t meant to be not as chirpy as usual, but here’s what’s been up.

Way back in August, I flew down to Austin (and actually posted my review of my Austin hotel, go me) for a work meeting. On the way back, I tacked on a few days in Dallas and started shopping for a place in Oak Lawn/Uptown.

Why?

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