Sponsored Post: The Recessionista + American Express Membership Rewards Points

Here’s something some of you may not know about me.  I have been an American Express card member since 1994.  For the past 16 years, I have reaped some amazing benefits from being a cardholder.  Just to name a few, I have traveled in Europe with the card, dined at some delicious restaurants, shopped at the finest stores and never paid interest fees on my charges. Other things I like about my American Express card include purchase protections and 24/7 customer service. I like to pay off my statement when it comes due, and when I pay promptly, I receive a little reward called Membership Rewards.  If you haven’t heard of this program, you might want to check it out, because it is one of my tips for living fabulessly frugal.  Here’s the basic concept, for each dollar you spend on your card, you accumulate  membership reward points.  The points are somewhat similar to frequent flyer miles. Once you accumulate enough of the points, you can cash them in for travel rewards, shopping, dining out, furniture, home electronics, computers, and even, fashion! ( Did you know you can even pay US State and Federal Income Taxes with Membership Reward Points.)  And the magic points never expire. Of course, it does take a while to accumulate points, you won’t just rack up thousands overnight. But here’s the deal, in a year, you can rack up quite a few, easily hundreds if not thousands, on items you regularly buy.  I use my card almost every time I put gas in my car or buy groceries. Sometimes American Express even gives cardholders double points for using the card to buy gas, or groceries.  Just check the Membership Rewards point specials online, or check the mailers they send out to apply for the special enrollments on the point offers.

So, you might be thinking, why is this frugal fashionista prattling on about Membership Rewards points? Because dear readers, I have accepted an offer from American Express to demonstrate all the things you can buy with Membership Rewards points.  In the next few weeks, I will be blogging about how I will be refashioning/refurbishing my home entertainment center using Membership Rewards points.  This is a very exciting challenge for me.  If you read my blog, you might well guess that I care more about the clothes on my back than my home entertainment center 🙂 The TV in my living room is almost 20 years old, and comes with a state of the art, built in VHS tape player!  I have no stereo.  I play CDs on an old JVC “boom box.” Every now and then, a little modern home entertainment technology seeps in , and I do plug in my iPod.  But generally, I’ve never been into the whole big screen TV home entertainment system, and honestly, I haven’t been able to afford it.  You know, Chanel never designed an LCD  panel, so frankly, it has had limited appeal for me 🙂   To help me step into the modern age, and see if I can truly live up to the name of my blog, American Express has gifted me with 300,000 Membership Rewards point to help me upgrade my home entertainment center.  I also come into this challenge with 30,000 of my own Membership Rewards points.  So bear with me readers for the next few week, as I document this challenge, and let you know exactly what 300,000 Membership Rewards point can buy.  My eyes are already completely dazzled by the Membership Rewards points catalogue.    I’ll be working with my points, just as if I was working within a design budget to do this remodel.    This week, I am challenged to spend 50,000 points.  Can I do it? I am confident that I can steep up to the points plate.  My dad once told me that I hold a Black Belt in shopping, so now is the time to bring my expertise to the test.  

In the spirit of full disclosure, each post within this challenge will be labeled as a sponsored post  and note that  I am receiving a total of 300,000 Membership Rewards points from American Express.  However, I want my readers to know that I do use Membership Rewards points. I have used points to previously remodel my kitchen (via Home Depot) gift cards.  I truly believe in the value of using Membership Rewards as a way to stretch your dollars a little further, and make your wardrobe or your home stylish!  Readers, do any of you use credit or debit cards that offer points, rewards or Frequent Flyer perks? Have you found it effective in terms of conserving your cash?