I have been bitten by the Swap Curse

[BernardandMissBianca]

Guess what I get to do????


Buy $700 in new tires for my car. I have complained to DH that he needed to get the tires balanced and rotated. But no his soul focus has been on the Mini. I refuse to take the car to the tire place, they treat me like crap cause I'm a girl (that's a whole nother thread) anyway DH was supposed to do it.

Well he comes back from getting lunch and you can see the steel cording on the tire! ERGH!!!!! I am beyond pissed!

[Michellepooh]

Ugh, just what you need right before going to WDW!!

I'm getting pretty scared of this swap curse thing. When I take the cruise swap to the PO tomorrow, I'll drive very slowly with my hazards on and watch for banana peels in the parking lot!! :lmao:

[hopemax]

Well, I'll trade you your tire bill, for my dental bill.

It's my own fault. Before I had my tooth problem in May, I hadn't been to one in 20 years (long story) except once, and that was for emergency work. So now, I'm being a good girl and going. But that means I've had two root canals this month. And of course dental insurance maximums are ridiculous. And while we have COBRA for the first bit of work, DH's new job doesn't have "dental insurance." They have a dental savings plan, but that means a short list of dentists we can see. So we are just going to get our flex spending account set up, and then pay OOP, because I like this dentist.. The "emergency" phase is done, but I still have a ton of fillings that need, and they all add up. The only good news is that I'm earning a ton of Disney Dream dollars on my Disney Visa!

[New England Eeyore]

Hmm. Can I blame my winter heating oil bill on the swap hostess curse? Just after the rolodex signups, I got my payment plan paperwork. My monthly bill has more than doubled! Ouch! I thought what we paid on gas for the car was painful enough (DH drives 80 miles a day for work)- this one just put me over the edge!

[party of 3]

Ugh, just what you need right before going to WDW!!

I'm getting pretty scared of this swap curse thing. When I take the cruise swap to the PO tomorrow, I'll drive very slowly with my hazards on and watch for banana peels in the parking lot!! :lmao:


omg michelle this made me laugh right out loud!!! that is so funny i can't even stand it!!!!
i'm driving very slow and watching for banana peels!!!!!
:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:


Hmm. Can I blame my winter heating oil bill on the swap hostess curse? Just after the rolodex signups, I got my payment plan paperwork. My monthly bill has more than doubled! Ouch! I thought what we paid on gas for the car was painful enough (DH drives 80 miles a day for work)- this one just put me over the edge!

ya know what NEE mine came that very same day as the signups! and mine also more than doubled! and i still owe them some from last year. i got a bill for what i owe over the budget and here's your budget. thank you very much! really.

all that being said, here's a story for ya....

i work as a manager of a credit union right. so i have this one girl that is VERY delinquent on her car and personal loans. so i've sent letter after letter, call after call. so she calls one day this week and says "listen, i can only pay you what i can pay you i had to buy oil this week.":confused3 what are ya kiddin me i said to myself. i have to buy oil too ya know! duh! but i still pay my bills on time. so i said to her "i understand that, but you did sign the note agreeing to pay X amount of dollars each month until the loans were paid, right? so you really have to pay them." she says "sorry can't. like i said i'll pay ya what i can when i can!!!" click. hung up! just like that. now i can repo her car but as for the personal i'm stuck! i basically have to beg her to pay it. of course i'll send it to the atty and he can deal with her, but really. can you stand some people??!!
sorry just had to get that off my chest and vent for a minute.
back to regular programming.......

[TPCShauna]

So sorry, BAMB!

What is a winter heating oil bill?

I have announced to the swap gods that all of my swaps for the remainder of the decade have to be smooth sailing because I have paid my dues three-fold this year. Anyone want to take bets on how soon that blows up in my face? :scared:

[Kim1964]

See, I knew there was a reason I didn't see swap hostessing anywhere in my future:). And yet, a piece of my exhaust pipe rusted out and finally broke today....13 days before Disney. The good news, DH can probably fix it. The bad news, if he doesn't get if fixed before Saturday morning, my mental health break (overnight in Boston with a childhood friend, no kids or DH) won't happen and you will all be reading about me in the paper..............

I guess the other good news is that it happened now and not at 4:30 a.m. on the way to Bradley International Airport!

[BernardandMissBianca]

Ugh, just what you need right before going to WDW!!


always!!!My house hates me going on vacation!

Well, I'll trade you your tire bill, for my dental bill.

It's my own fault. Before I had my tooth problem in May, I hadn't been to one in 20 years (long story), and that was for emergency work. So now, I'm being a good girl and going. But that means I've had two root canals this month. And of course dental insurance maximums are ridiculous. And while we have COBRA for the first bit of work, DH's new job doesn't have "dental insurance." They have a dental savings plan, but that means a short list of dentists we can see. So we are just going to get our flex spending account set up, and then pay OOP, because I like this dentist.. The "emergency" phase is done, but I still have a ton of fillings that need, and they all add up. The only good news is that I'm earning a ton of Disney Dream dollars on my Disney Visa!

hope I hadn't seen a dentist in 18 years when I finally started going back. I had 13 teeth pulled (all baby teeth) when I was 11 and they ended up pulling 2 that didn't need to come out, so I don't have the 2 next to the front teeth on top. It never bothered me growing up but I guess I'm getting vain in my old age. They will be replaced next year but I need braces first. 35 years old and wearing braces, ugh!

Hmm. Can I blame my winter heating oil bill on the swap hostess curse? Just after the rolodex signups, I got my payment plan paperwork. My monthly bill has more than doubled! Ouch! I thought what we paid on gas for the car was painful enough (DH drives 80 miles a day for work)- this one just put me over the edge!

I dread my bill. I know it will double too. We paid 1200 last year. That one is going to hurt.



i work as a manager of a credit union right. so i have this one girl that is VERY delinquent on her car and personal loans. so i've sent letter after letter, call after call. so she calls one day this week and says "listen, i can only pay you what i can pay you i had to buy oil this week.":confused3 what are ya kiddin me i said to myself. i have to buy oil too ya know! duh! but i still pay my bills on time. so i said to her "i understand that, but you did sign the note agreeing to pay X amount of dollars each month until the loans were paid, right? so you really have to pay them." she says "sorry can't. like i said i'll pay ya what i can when i can!!!" click. hung up! just like that. now i can repo her car but as for the personal i'm stuck! i basically have to beg her to pay it. of course i'll send it to the atty and he can deal with her, but really. can you stand some people??!!
sorry just had to get that off my chest and vent for a minute.
back to regular programming.......

sounds like my friend. I get that she can't pull money out of her hiney but everyone else has to pay bills too.

So sorry, BAMB!

What is a winter heating oil bill?

I have announced to the swap gods that all of my swaps for the remainder of the decade have to be smooth sailing because I have paid my dues three-fold this year. Anyone want to take bets on how soon that blows up in my face? :scared:


Home heating oil bills are for us crazy people that live in the North where the white stuff falls. LOL
Most of us use either oil, natural gas, or propane to heat our houses. I use oil, still the most cost effective. Anyway, we have a tank in our basement that holds 250 gallons of oil that we burn in a steam furnace to heat the house. Other houses use forced hot air or water furnaces. Some houses still use oil heated water but we have electric hot water. Our old house used oil heated water so we also got 1 oil fill over the summer.
We typically have our tank filled 3-4 times a year depending on how cold it is. Rumor has it the oil will be $5 a gallon this winter.

[hopemax]

Sorry about the braces. That is one thing I don't need, thank goodness. All my problems, but my bite is excellent. I am now missing 2 rear molars, but I'm the only one who knows they aren't there, so no replacements. DH lost a front tooth several years ago, when it lost a war against a baby back rib. He hadn't been to a dentist in 10 years. So in AZ, we got his mouth all fixed up, except replacing that one tooth. Now its my turn.

[Tigger1221]

always!!!My house hates me going on vacation!



hope I hadn't seen a dentist in 18 years when I finally started going back. I had 13 teeth pulled (all baby teeth) when I was 11 and they ended up pulling 2 that didn't need to come out, so I don't have the 2 next to the front teeth on top. It never bothered me growing up but I guess I'm getting vain in my old age. They will be replaced next year but I need braces first. 35 years old and wearing braces, ugh!





I am sorry things are going bad for people. I paid my dues this summer and hopefully the rest of the year will be ok. At least some of you get to go to Disney soon! My sister is 11 and has had 6 teeth pulled and needs 2 more out. Mom is making them wait until the others start to grow since she is starting middle school.

[BernardandMissBianca]

Oh yeah, DH and DS12 just reminded me 1 year ago today we were mailing a swap I was hostessing and we got into our accident.

And he just said we should stop scrapping! :scared1:

[party of 3]

we have huge dentist bills here too! we had many of years with no dental insurance. dh just got it about 4 or so years ago for us and now i just picked it up at work for us as well. so dh's covers the 3 of us and mine just covers dh and i. but that does not make up for all the we owe the dentist currently. i pay her so much every month. it's just another bill for me.

[randon82104]

dental seems to be the big one tonight. my DS8 just got braces a few months ago. His first set, as they say he will need two gos at it because of his overbite. he only has 6 brackets on top now and wears headgear and then a break and then full set. ouch!!:scared1:

trish

[New England Eeyore]

Rumor has it the oil will be $5 a gallon this winter.

Yup, that is what my oil company estimated it at. You don't even want to hear the total bill. I'll be wearing a lot of sweaters, and hats and scarves inside the house.

[TPCShauna]

Home heating oil bills are for us crazy people that live in the North where the white stuff falls. LOL
Most of us use either oil, natural gas, or propane to heat our houses. I use oil, still the most cost effective. Anyway, we have a tank in our basement that holds 250 gallons of oil that we burn in a steam furnace to heat the house. Other houses use forced hot air or water furnaces. Some houses still use oil heated water but we have electric hot water. Our old house used oil heated water so we also got 1 oil fill over the summer.
We typically have our tank filled 3-4 times a year depending on how cold it is. Rumor has it the oil will be $5 a gallon this winter.

We have a gas heater and water heater but that comes from the utility company. Y'all don't have something like that? Is that because you live outside of a city or are urban areas the same way?

Sorry for being so confused. I've just never heard of such a thing and am a little :scared1: at the thought of having a giant tank of oil sitting around my house. :eek:

[New England Eeyore]

Some people in this area have natural gas heat, but if your house was built using oil (and at a certain time that was the norm), it can cost a lot of money to convert to natural gas. When our original furnace died, we looked into converting, but the outlay was so expensive, and at the time natural gas and oil were not that different in price, that we went with continuing the oil. I may live to regret that.

The oil tank is just a way of life - we also tend to have nice big cellars in this neck of the woods and it's just sits there in the corner. To be honest, the thought of natural gas being piped into my house freaks me out more! At our old apartment we had a gas stove and my DsD once turned a burner on without telling anyone. We came home after a few hours and the smell was overwhelming and we all felt like we had dodged a huge bullet. I was so glad that this house had an electric stove!

[Michellepooh]

Oh yes, gotta love the oil man. I was just telling DH that I'm going to start stocking up on tons of diapers, etc. now while we don't have any oil bills because once those start coming there won't be any money for anything!! Our last fillup was in May and it was close to $800!! :scared1: And I live in a tiny house!! I couldn't imagine heating one of the McMansions they're building everywhere. DH actually plays poker with the guys from our oil company one night a week and I keep asking if he can get his winnings in oil. :rotfl:

[party of 3]

michelle that's funny. getting his winnings in oil!!

i was at target the other day and the diapers were all on clearance. i asked the lady about it, (because of my great newphew) and she said they always do that this time of year. just fyi. you might want to check it out!

[BernardandMissBianca]

Some people in this area have natural gas heat, but if your house was built using oil (and at a certain time that was the norm), it can cost a lot of money to convert to natural gas. When our original furnace died, we looked into converting, but the outlay was so expensive, and at the time natural gas and oil were not that different in price, that we went with continuing the oil. I may live to regret that.

The oil tank is just a way of life - we also tend to have nice big cellars in this neck of the woods and it's just sits there in the corner. To be honest, the thought of natural gas being piped into my house freaks me out more! At our old apartment we had a gas stove and my DsD once turned a burner on without telling anyone. We came home after a few hours and the smell was overwhelming and we all felt like we had dodged a huge bullet. I was so glad that this house had an electric stove!

I refuse to have gas heat and stoves. No way no how. If the oil were to ever burn I doesn't explode like natural gas.
Our friends that lived in NC almost lost their house to a gas leak. They woke up to a nasty taste in their mouths and booked it out of the house. The gas company was doing work on the house the day before and didn't get the seal nice and tight. They were so lucky, the gas company told them it would have blown up their house and at least 6 houses adjacent to theirs.

Even in urban areas there are a lot of older homes that have been converted into apartments and they have oil too. Our school also has oil. I'm not sure what most new buildings use though, probably oil.

We are looking into geothermal heating. It uses the ground and water to heat and cool. Our neighbor has it and it's wonderful, but expensive. It cost them 30,000 to put it in. However, they will recoup that cost in no time by having no oil costs.

[AlexWyattMommy]

We use proprane to heat our house. I don't even want to guess what our bills will be. I will be investing this year in the plastic over the windows though.

Sorry about the tire bill BAMB. That is something you can't put off. You put babies in that thing. It has to be safe.

Our dental insurance only pays up to $1000 of work per year for the whole family. My root canal and cap last year took up all that. That means the tooth pulling and cavity filling for the boys was all OOP. They go back on the 6th. I'm pretty sure my eldest will be getting a tooth pulled. The tooth is already filled and there was a watch on the inner gum line. He does not brush well and even with the Oral-B I don't think it was enough.

I believe in the hostess/swapping curse.

[BernardandMissBianca]

DH is going to put the spare on tomorrow so I can take DS to the dentist and go to Michael's. It should hold up until our bonus check comes. I swear every time we get a little bit of money something happens. It's like the universe wants us to be in debt forever! I had planned to pay off the Sears card.

[aroyer]

I swear every time we get a little bit of money something happens.

Tell me about it!!! We have just got over the trauma of DH's job and he just got into the job that he absolutely loves. It is a small firm and his boss came to him on Monday and said that he had taken on too much and was needing to cut back. He values DH and has been incredibly pleased with his work and is treating DH like a partner not an employee. A huge welcome change from the HORRIBLE old job. However, his boss was cutting his own salary so DH volunteered to also take a pay cut...:scared1: . Yep, so we are now seriously short... We have options so we aren't in huge trouble, but there goes the scrap money. :scared:

[MazdaUK]

If its any comfort oil bills are shocking over hre - we've even had people robbed with violence (so i dread to think what it will be like in the winter). Its rural areas and big places that are off-grid that use it. Have you ever thought about changing to biomass heating (that's a technical term for wood :lmao: ) New biomass boilers/heaters can use pellets (they look like rabbit food:rotfl: ) and work on a timer so you don't have to shovel it in, and they just put the store where the oil tank was. Better for the planet, lower carbon, no problem if you spill it:rolleyes1

We've just heard our dentist is selling his practice to a US firm so everyone who satys will go private. Our own practitioner (a very nice lady and the best dentist I've ever had!) wants to stay doing NHS (which still costs, just not as much) has to try and find her own surgery now:headache: I hope she manages it! I dread changing - I had a terrible dentist who kept saying fillings needed replacing, and digging them out, so of course each time the filling got bigger and tooth got thinner:scared1: :mad: So I don't eat toffee any more just in case.

[party of 3]

ah sorry ashley. maybe it's just a temporary thing until things start picking up. :hug: and at least he's happy and not be treated awful. but i know it just stinks.

[AlexWyattMommy]

Tell me about it!!! We have just got over the trauma of DH's job and he just got into the job that he absolutely loves. It is a small firm and his boss came to him on Monday and said that he had taken on too much and was needing to cut back. He values DH and has been incredibly pleased with his work and is treating DH like a partner not an employee. A huge welcome change from the HORRIBLE old job. However, his boss was cutting his own salary so DH volunteered to also take a pay cut...:scared1: . Yep, so we are now seriously short... We have options so we aren't in huge trouble, but there goes the scrap money. :scared:

:hug: Oh Ashley, that's rough. I know that some income is better than no income but that is seriously cold comfort while you are eyeing that new cuttlebug embossing folder or wondering if you can make these tennis shoes last another six months if you put some crazy glue on the sole.

I'm going to guess that a few swaps that require shopping your stash will be a big hit next year. I can take those on, I think next year will be less stressful than this year.

[AlexWyattMommy]

I swear every time we get a little bit of money something happens.

For us it's everytime we get something finished or space cleared out. I had just finished cleaning the wrap around porch. It had lots of old kid toys and dog beds and just junk piling up. We took everything useable to the Salvation Army, tossed what wasn't and I washed our house. It looked great. That is now where all the subfloor is piled up. I need to go take a photo.

We also put the fish in the pond and got rid of the 60 gallon tank & stand that was in our entry way. Got rid of the boxes of season clothes that were stored there. Thought to myself - :banana: I have room for the big tree this Christmas. :sad1: This where the tall dresser of military toys, 3-drawer rolling cart of playdough and the computer from downstairs is now housed. The other wall space that was open in the computer room has the TV and the kitchen/family room have the rest of the dressers. :lmao: We now look like the pack rats we are. I hid it pretty well before. ;)

Even so, these are easy issues in the bigger scheme. Once the mold is removed, that can just sit until we have the money. Not everyone has a finished basement. We will be fine without one.

We and everyone else will not be fine if we can't heat our homes or drive our cars. I want to put a wood burning stove in our fireplace. Less warmth waste that way. But a cord of wood isn't going to be cheap either this year. Not sure what the pricing of the wood/corn pellets are compared to wood compared to propane. Have some figuring to do. Need to call the propane company about locking a price this year.

[nicurn]

right there with ya on the swap curse thing. my car died (dead as a doornail) right after getting off the garden state parkway... had to call AAA, had the state trouper, tow truck, whole 9 yards... had to get new alternator/battery. yesterday we had to deal with termites... they aren't in the house, but we have a big colony right by the wall... sigh. good thing I already had my halloween $ stamps from ac moore cause I'm not allowed to shop EVER again apparently. :) maggie

[aroyer]

ah sorry ashley. maybe it's just a temporary thing until things start picking up. :hug: and at least he's happy and not be treated awful. but i know it just stinks.

:hug: Oh Ashley, that's rough. I know that some income is better than no income but that is seriously cold comfort while you are eyeing that new cuttlebug embossing folder or wondering if you can make these tennis shoes last another six months if you put some crazy glue on the sole.

I'm going to guess that a few swaps that require shopping your stash will be a big hit next year. I can take those on, I think next year will be less stressful than this year.

We are hoping that it will be 3-4 months max. His boss thinks that will be all that it takes. We are lucky that DH's family has a restaurant that he can pick up shifts on the weekends. I have offered to get a job, but he insists that he doesn't want me to. With the trips to the restaurant added to the salary we should be pretty close to where we are now but it would be hard for me to out shopping for scrap stuff while DH works 6-7 days a week. Thanks for the hugs!

[TPCShauna]

I'm so sorry all y'all are going through this awful stuff. At least most of my issues have been personal health. I will get better (eventually) but things are still going OK in terms of finances. Hopping on the BAN wagon for scrap shopping has made a huge change in our budget. I really didn't realize how much money I spent on swap stuff until I see it in our bank account. We are literally planning our WDW trip with the extra and I'm still scrapping just fine. I just had to get out of the habit of cruising around to buy the new stuff.

I honestly don't think about the issues of having gas heat and I refuse to cook on anything other than a gas stove as I'm a total foodie and fancy cook and I need that fine gauge temperature control. I guess I just didn't realize everyone didn't have gas through the utility company. I grew up in Dallas/Fort Worth and now live in Sacramento and the infrastructure is just a way of life. DH keeps wanting to move to Chicago and I'm starting to wonder if this is an issue there. I'm thinking I just need to keep to the warm states so I don't have to deal with it.

Even with that, our gas/electric bill has gone up a ton! We've been lucky this summer that it hasn't been too terribly hot so we can turn the air off by 8:00ish every night. That has kept our bill to a pretty manageable $180 a month or so but when it gets hot and the air stays on, we are up around $250 and our house is SMALL! The last couple of winters have been colder as well and our monthly bills November through February have been around $235.