People say nothing in the world is free, but we believe some things are sometimes tangentially free.
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Everyone has to spend money on essential purchases like food and travel. In this section, we will share with you the methods that we've implemented over the past many years since we became parents of two young children. As our expenses grew with the start of our family, we needed to not just economize but also make sure to take advantage of anything that we could get for free or nearly free. For instance, there are many benefits that come with the many credit cards, memberships, frequent flyer miles, online purchases, and grocery spending. Let's see how each of these work.
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First up: Frequent Flyer Miles...
Frequent Flyer Miles
Flying is expensive. But many of us do because it is an expense that we can't avoid especially when traveling far to see relatives. It shouldn't come as surprise that flying with one particular airline than a variety of airlines over time can be ultimately more beneficial through the frequent flyer miles that one can obtain. This is called brand loyalty, and airlines love to retain your business by giving out rewards. Sign up for any of the major airline companies (like American AAdvantage, United Mileage Plus, Delta Sky Miles to name a few) to earn points for each mile traveled. Our family has stuck with American Airlines over the many years going back before we had children. Over the past twenty years, Hannah and I have jointly accumulated over 750,000 miles, thanks to work-related travels and traveling to see family. With these miles, we have obtained roughly thirty free coast-to-coast free airline tickets. You could also earn additional points through the credit card partnerships they all have through major banking institutions like American Express, Chase, and Bank of America. With these partnerships, you can earn additional miles with every dollar you spend on their credit cards. There are other ways to earn miles, such as car rentals, online shopping, and dining rewards. But they are not likely to earn a ton of miles in comparison to credit card purchases in our family's experience since the aforementioned purchases are lower in volume and not as much in actual dollars spent. Why we like frequent flyer miles:
Our Top 5 Favorite Frequent Flyer ProgramsDelta Airlines
Frequent Flyer Program: SkyMiles Minimum Elite Status Requirement: 25,000 qualifying miles or 30 qualifying segments per calendar year (and $3,000 minimum annual spending level for US residents). Why We Like Delta: Miles don’t expire. You can earn elite status without ever flying (by spending big with a Delta branded credit card); and top-tier elite members get upgrade certificates and 25,000 bonus miles. 
American Airlines
Frequent Flyer Program: AAdvantage Minimum elite status requirement: 25,000 qualifying miles or 30 qualifying segments per calendar year in addition to a $3,000 USD minimum annual spending level. Why we like American: You can earn miles with more than 1,000 partner companies; AAdvantage has plenty of interesting non-One World airline partners (e.g. Etihad Airways, Fiji Airways, Air Tahiti Nui, Alaska Airlines, Westjet, Hawaiian Airlines); the program regularly launches terrific promotions to earn extra miles; and top-tier members receive four upgrades per year on American Airlines flights. 
Alaska Airlines
Frequent Flyer Program: Mileage Plan Minimum elite status requirement: 20,000 eligible miles earned on Alaska Airlines and Virgin America per calendar year. Why we like Alaska: Mileage Plan is not revenue based; you can earn and spend miles on great airline partners (e.g. all One World airlines and several others such as Singapore Airlines, Korean Air, Fiji Airways and Emirates); and the program has one of the best all-around award charts. 
United Airlines
Frequent Flyer Program: Mileage Plus Minimum elite status requirement: 25,000 qualifying miles or 30 qualifying segments per calendar year (and $3,000 minimum annual spending level for USA residents). Why we like United: United and its Star Alliance partner airlines fly to more than 1,100 destinations worldwide; you can earn and redeem miles on dozens of participating airlines; and top-tier elite members get six upgrades each year. 
Southwest
Frequent Flyer Program: Rapid Rewards Minimum elite status requirement: 35,000 qualifying miles or 25 qualifying segments per calendar year. Why we like Southwest: Southwest Airlines is a perennial favorite for commitment-phobes. Known for its flexible ticket policy and two free checked bags for every passenger, Southwest doesn’t charge the fees that come with flying on other airlines. 
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