My first minimum spend was like $3,000, and thinking I had to spend that amount kind of freaked me out. But here’s the secret, if you track your spending, you will find you probably spend that much anyway.

If you’ve ever thought, “There’s no way I could keep track of all this,” just know: I’ve been there.

Managing points, credit cards, school calendars, work projects, and family travel doesn’t come naturally to me—it’s something I’ve had to get better at. But over time, I’ve built a few habits and systems that make it feel less overwhelming, and more like second nature.

This post isn’t about having it all figured out (because I don’t). It’s about the simple things that have made the biggest difference—for both our travel goals and our everyday sanity.

This is the behind-the-scenes of how I track our points, stay on top of payments, and plan trips without losing my mind.

People assume that because I talk about points and miles a lot, I must be a spreadsheet-loving, detail-obsessed person who never gets overwhelmed. That’s… not exactly true.

The truth is, I have a love-hate relationship with travel credit cards.

I love what they’ve done for our family—I mean, we’ve stayed in five-star resorts for free, flown to Hawaii in peak season, and saved thousands of dollars on school break travel. But the mental energy it takes to keep it all running? That’s real. Especially as a mom managing a household, sports schedules, and a business.