Ask MetaFilter posts by ml98tu

Is a joint credit card a good or bad idea?

ml98tu — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 07:00:14 -0800

My fiancé and I are considering getting a joint credit card and I had a few questions about it. Background: Engaged to be married, living together and all finances are joint (with the exception of assets in existence before we moved in together six months ago). We have four credit cards between us, with him actively using a Discover card as well as a Visa/MasterCard card for places that don’t take Discover. I really only use one card on a regular basis, a Visa/MasterCard. I’m pretty much the one that takes care of the bills, mostly because I get home first. We pay all balances in full each month. We both have very good credit and no credit-card debt.

I am trying to get us to stick to keeping a budget, which I know we can do, but it’s hard with fragmented finances and all the different cards. I don’t usually know what he’s spent until the statement comes in 3-4 weeks later, so it’s hard to have a real-time picture of how much is left in the various categories of the budget. Plus, it would probably simplify things if we just used one card for both of us since it all comes out of the same place and would be one bill vs. three.

We have been talking about a joint credit card for some time, but I feel sort of uneducated and a little nervous about the whole thing. Other than the possibility that I could go on a wild spending spree and he’d be liable for the charges, what are the risks of a joint card (particularly if we’re not yet married)? How can we protect ourselves from these risks (including that spending spree)? And finally, what cards do you recommend? We both like the cards we’re with – so should one of us add an authorized user to the account, or should we start fresh with a new account together? Any recommendations on non-travel reward cards? Is there anything else I should be asking or considering? Am I over-thinking this? I found a few articles on the web, but they were kind of generic and for people with bad credit or debt problems, so I thought I'd turn to you guys.

Thanks everyone.

Clothing/fashion analysis websites?

ml98tu — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 10:39:12 -0800

I enjoy watching What Not to Wear and find myself analyzing real people on the street through the lens' of Stacy and Clinton. Help me find a kindred website! I've been doing some Google and AskMe archive searches, but can't quite find what I'm looking for, if it even exists. Ideally, the site would post a photo of a person in normal clothes (preferably along the lines of the style choices often used in What Not to Wear) and then analyze why that outfit is or isn't successful for that particular person. Even better: it would have info on how to purchase the clothes or suggest similar items. My biggest challenge is creating a cohesive outfit, including accessories, and finding the right pieces. Stacy and Clinton pair seemingly random pieces because they "go" and I often like the result. My fashion eye doesn't work like that - I'm sort of Ann Taylor Loft vanilla right now and think such a site might help me take it up a notch.

It would be sort of like The Sartorialist or these sites, yet less edgy and with more/better commentary. I'm not really looking for cutting-edge or radical fashion. StyleDiary also almost works, but it's just people posting photos of themselves and doesn't really explain why a particular skirt works on that person.

My style is similar to the style choices used in the show, yet I'm not quite as adventurous as I could be. I'm hoping that finding/reading such a site will allow me to learn more about how to dress, help me find good clothes, and let me experiment with fashion while still looking great.

Please tell me such a site or blog exists Mefites!

Recommendations for places to try on wedding dresses in NYC.

ml98tu — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 07:48:39 -0800

Need recommendations for places to try on wedding dresses this weekend in NYC. One of my friends is coming to NYC this weekend and wants to go shopping. I just got engaged and she thought it would be a fun/girly adventure to go wedding dress shopping. I'm looking for recommendations of places to go try on some dresses and maybe have a little champagne and fun in the NYC area. I just moved here and don't have any idea which places are good/bad and haven't started doing any real wedding research yet either. There are like 40 listings on TheKnot/WeddingChannel so I would prefer to get recommendations from locals/trusted MeFites. I won't be buying, but just trying on to get a feel for what looks good, as mentioned in this thread. There are a few other considerations that may impact this, please lend me your advice.

- We haven't started planning yet. That means I don't know the season, the location (beach, house of worship, etc), or even the budget. Does that render this useless?
- Am I supposed to do this with a certain person/people? She won't be the maid of honor - is this something I'm supposed to do with my mom, my fiance's mom, or my maid of honor etc? Will I offend anyone if we go? She will probably be a bridesmaid if that matters.
- Is there enough time to get an appointment for Saturday/Sunday? How does this work?

I'd love to hear store recommendations even if we don't go this weekend, since I obviously will be going at some point. We're subway-bound and would prefer Manhattan but are willing to go to other boroughs if there's a place worth visiting.

Thanks!

GPS for Urban Living?

ml98tu — Thu, 31 May 2007 17:46:05 -0800

I'm moving to NYC soon and given my history of getting lost half the time I leave my house, I'd like to get a GPS to help me navigate my new city. However, I'm sort of stumped to as to whether or not I can actually get what I want... I'd like it to have support for public transit. I know this is probably not entirely possible, since I'd imagine the unit can't communicate with satellites while underground. I'd like to be able to enter my destination, have it tell me where the closest stop is and what the best route is (to the subway, and which subway line(s) to take once I get there), and then when I exit the subway, it would tell me how to get to my final destination. It would be similar to DC Metro's Trip Planner, but in the palm of my hand. If it can't do that, is there some sort of map I can load or some other software I can buy for a normal GPS that will do something similar?

Or do I have to get creative? For example, I have an older Palm OS so perhaps this software might work? Another possibility is that I think my cell phone (Verizon LGVX8100) will support VZNavigator, but that doesn't appear to have transit information. If anyone has experience with those or knows of some other device/software that will solve all my problems, by all means let me know.

Overall, I think I would prefer GPS since it will have common things like the closest grocery store or bank, but will also allow me to input specific addresses. I have a tendency to wind up places and not know where I am, so something that can pinpoint my location would be useful too. I'm not too concerned about cost.

I've looked at this thread which was helpful but not quite what I had in mind. I've also looked at this CNet article and the accompanying reviews and this recent story on GPS subway support.

I understand that getting lost is half the fun of learning a new city, but it is particularly frustrating and if I'm on a time-table, I'd like to not be late. Thanks for any suggestions or input, I'm pretty open as long as it will keep me from getting lost.

Birthday gift for mid-20s guy

ml98tu — Thu, 25 May 2006 11:56:57 -0800

I have no clue what to get my boyfriend of four years, who is turning 26 in two weeks. I’d like to give him something fun, like an experience, but all of the “experience” websites cost way more than I’m looking to spend. Here’s the details: we live in the DC/Baltimore area and he’s into piano, karate, and listening to jazz/funk music. Looking to spend less than $100, as I already bought a ticket to fly home with him for his birthday so he can see his family. Also, it has to be a “family-safe” gift since he will probably open it in front of them.