[HappyHiker]

Posted today. Good Luck to all. Spend it wisely.

[Ringangleclaw]

I'd give up my dividend in a second if they would pay the CEO what he's worth and not that chump change $3,000,000.00 they expect him to scrape by on. A living wage is important, and we members of the formerly known as Co-op must push the board to treat their exectutives as humans and not cattle. I'm thinking of starting a Go-Fund Me for these poor souls.

[Slugman]

$44. I bought some stuff for my bicycles, new tires, new seat, other things, plus hiking stuff like permethrin, stove fuel, Nikwax waterproofing, some stuff for canoe camping, but no major items. I'm surprised it added up so much. But I hiked, biked and canoed all summer and fall, no job, so it was all put to good use. On top of the $44, I have a $22 return of an item I bought with that "spend $100 and get a $20 gift card" deal they had, and a $100 gift card I got for my birthday. I can buy something up to $180 with 20% off. I get two coupons, my GF always buys at least one thing for me so she geys a coupon too. I'm looking at the Helinox Chair Zero, looks comfy, holds my weight, folds small, just one pound, $120. Or I might get a new lightweight raincoat, or even a hammock. I see thry have a nice looking North Face mid hiker on clearance, plus another 25% off, in size 14.

[Ringangleclaw]

[DIYSteve]

[bobbi]

i'm rich! $1.10

[iron]

$0.00

[zephyr]

[Tom]

Normally this is the time of the year I wax poetic about how much I earned by NOT using my REI card and choosing a credit card that offers twice as many rewards for non REI purchases. That wasn't the case this year as I did need to put a few small charges on my (otherwise useless) REI card every month so it would report a balance to the credit rating agencies. I did this so I could pimp out the 10+ year credit history on my REI card for fun and profit, also known as credit card piggybacking: https://www.thebalance.com/credit-card-piggybacking-and-impact-to-credit-scores-960197 I made about $20K last year pimping out 7 credit cards that would otherwise gather dust in my sock drawer. Sadly the market is now flooded with people doing this, and the profit margins have dwindled to the point it's no longer worth the risk of getting your cards cancelled. Sorry, no ebook.

[iron]

[Stefan]

[Tom]

Iron, 2016 was still a banner year for credit card arbitrage. Piggybacking was just icing on the cake. If anyone is looking for a good rewards card, try this one (or one of the other cards highlighted). https://www.doctorofcredit.com/alliant-cashback-visa-signature-credit-card-review-3-cash-back-first-year-2-5-59-af-waived-first-year/ Earns 3% on all purchases in year 1, then 2.5% on all purchases thereafter. That's 250% better than the REI card (unless you shop at REI), and you don't need to wait for a stinkin' dividend.

[Ringangleclaw]

[moonspots]

[drm]

It's not just the dividend, but the 20% discount coupons that follow shortly after. And I just saw that Backcountry.com is now offering 20% off one full price item, so the affect of competition spreads. Maybe REI's two 20% coupons (one for a full price item, one for a discount item) drain the market elsewhere for a bit.