Debt Dumpers - 2015

[Dentam]

I sure wouldn't want to try to afford any medical care without insurance. I got a bill for a doctor visit from January. Total visit was a consultation and writing a prescription for a cold. Total bill was $135. For maybe 15 minutes. No lab work, no in-office shot. Just weighed me, looked in ears, nose, and throat, and listened to heartbeat and breathing then write the scrip. And my medical insurance doesn't pay anything until I've spent $4500 in a year. That's why I have my HSA, but next year I may have to up my monthly contribution. Currently, I have them deduct $150 a month, but if a full months deduction only covers 1 basic office visit, ugh.

It's absolutely insane how much they charge. I had a similar experience with a 10 minute doctor's visit where he barely even paid attention to what I was saying and didn't prescribe anything. When you are already sick and dealing with the stress of not knowing what is wrong, the bill is enough to put you over the edge sometimes. I had pretty bad anxiety with that one. Luckily another doctor was able to figure it out and the stress decreased greatly once I knew what I was dealing with. Anyway, not to turn this into a health care rant, ha. I have an HSA also and my employer contributed $300 when I set it up so that was nice. That initial contribution is enough to pay for two years of contact lenses and annual eye exams. At least eye care is pretty reasonable compared to dental!

 

[dayvewc]

Anyway, not to turn this into a health care rant, ha. I have an HSA also and my employer contributed $300 when I set it up so that was nice. That initial contribution is enough to pay for two years of contact lenses and annual eye exams. At least eye care is pretty reasonable compared to dental!

Nice. This is my second year with the HSA. I dropped from the "gold" coverage (at $450 expense to me per month) to the "bronze" (at $11 a month for me) and started the HSA contributions at $125. It was saving me $300 a month that way, and I'm generally healthy so didn't think much about it.

Boy was I surprised!! I was used to the old insurance that had a flat $25 co-pay. Last year after all was said and done, I only had about $300 left in my HSA from my $1500 contributions. Monthly meds at $20 a pop, a couple of office visits for colds, annual checkup for cholesterol and lab work, and then a misbilling once. They charged me the non-insurance rate and then charged the correct amount and credited back the wrong charge. But it took a full month to get the credit back to my HSA. So, I upped the withholding this year. I'm hoping to eventually have enough in the HSA that I will be able to meet that full deductible amount from it and not have to dip into the little savings I have should catastrophe strike. But right now, seems like my best option is to just keep eating an apple a day.

And eye care is absolutely reasonable. I have a secondary eye policy from "the duck company" that pays for 1 exam every year ($75) and up to $250 every other year for glasses. So far, knock on wood, I haven't ever gone over those amounts, but I do have to pay up front and then get reimbursed. Which is nice now with the HSA, it kind of becomes cash in my pocket.

And that ends my commentary on modern health systems. Promise.

 

[bcwife76]

Did our taxes tonight and filed online - and unless we made some horrible miscalculation we are getting a nice refund. Enough to cover our ENTIRE trip this coming September!!! Cruise/flight home/DLR tickets/train from San Diego to Anaheim and all, woohoo!! And leaves us some leftover that will go straight onto our HELOC.
Then in July we are getting a lump sum of nearly $900 from the federal government of Canada for a new child tax credit they are offering (don't ask, it's free money though!!) so instead of going towards our trip that can all go to our HELOC as well.
We're swimming right along with the 52 week savings challenge too so every little bit helps!!

 

[gracie1]

Did our taxes tonight and filed online - and unless we made some horrible miscalculation we are getting a nice refund. Enough to cover our ENTIRE trip this coming September!!! Cruise/flight home/DLR tickets/train from San Diego to Anaheim and all, woohoo!! And leaves us some leftover that will go straight onto our HELOC.
Then in July we are getting a lump sum of nearly $900 from the federal government of Canada for a new child tax credit they are offering (don't ask, it's free money though!!) so instead of going towards our trip that can all go to our HELOC as well.
We're swimming right along with the 52 week savings challenge too so every little bit helps!!

That is great on your taxes!! It's great that it will pay off your trip and still have money to put towards your heloc. I'm hoping to get my home equity loan paid off sooner than the due date. Im playing around with figures - and how much I want to drain down the savings account. But in the end if it saves several thousands in interest I think it will be worth draining the savings and then just rebuilding it.

 

[momtosam]

That is great on your taxes!! It's great that it will pay off your trip and still have money to put towards your heloc. I'm hoping to get my home equity loan paid off sooner than the due date. Im playing around with figures - and how much I want to drain down the savings account. But in the end if it saves several thousands in interest I think it will be worth draining the savings and then just rebuilding it.

I feel ya! I don't pay off bills nearly as aggressively as DR would say because I have to have the comfort of some money in the bank. For me the piece of mind is essential.

 

[kcengle]

Joining in! We need to kick some debt before an upcoming home purchase!

 

[dayvewc]

Joining in! We need to kick some debt before an upcoming home purchase!

Welcome!!!

 

[gracie1]

I feel ya! I don't pay off bills nearly as aggressively as DR would say because I have to have the comfort of some money in the bank. For me the piece of mind is essential.

I know! I haven't sat down and really calculated everything but I think if I could swing it I may be able to have it paid off the end of 2017 - which would be 5 years early! It would pretty much drain me but would still leave enough in my savings in case something happened and I would be able to just take what I was paying monthly for the loan and put into savings to rebuild it back up.

 

[gracie1]

Joining in! We need to kick some debt before an upcoming home purchase!

Welcome!! Buying a home is exciting - and the best thing is to be able to buy one with less debt! You've come to the right place for support!

 

[bubba]

I'm a little late to the party, but I'm in! 2015 will be our year to pay off our debt!!

 

[gracie1]

I'm a little late to the party, but I'm in! 2015 will be our year to pay off our debt!!

Welcome!! Your never too late to join debt dumping! Sounds like you have a plan for this year!!

 

[tikitorie]

Getting frustrated, this was the month I had planned on paying off a credit card( balance is down to $300) but something keeps coming up. Our son graduates in 2 months and it's turning into an expensive year. Needless to say the payoffs going to have to wait another month, but I did make a $75 payment. Amazing how fast balances go up but seem to take forever going down!

 

[dayvewc]

Getting frustrated, this was the month I had planned on paying off a credit card( balance is down to $300) but something keeps coming up. Our son graduates in 2 months and it's turning into an expensive year. Needless to say the payoffs going to have to wait another month, but I did make a $75 payment. Amazing how fast balances go up but seem to take forever going down!

I agree!!! But it's doable. Slowly but surely, just keep swimming.

 

[gracie1]

Getting frustrated, this was the month I had planned on paying off a credit card( balance is down to $300) but something keeps coming up. Our son graduates in 2 months and it's turning into an expensive year. Needless to say the payoffs going to have to wait another month, but I did make a $75 payment. Amazing how fast balances go up but seem to take forever going down!

You will get there!! Cc debt to me is like trying to lose weight - it's amazing how fast you can gain it but it takes forever to loose it!! You will get there - your in the home stretch.
What's surprising is how much parties and all cost!!

 

[momtosam]

You will get there!! Cc debt to me is like trying to lose weight - it's amazing how fast you can gain it but it takes forever to loose it!! You will get there - your in the home stretch.
What's surprising is how much parties and all cost!!

I am trying to lose weight, too!

 

[gracie1]

I am trying to lose weight, too!

Lol!! Me too! I've lost quite a bit over the years and this winter gained a little bit back so I definitely relate the weight loss as slow as debt dumping!

 

[Dentam]

Lol!! Me too! I've lost quite a bit over the years and this winter gained a little bit back so I definitely relate the weight loss as slow as debt dumping!

Same here. Winters are the worst for putting it all back on. Give me sunny, warmer days and my motivation level goes way up - hopefully that'll translate over to the debt dumping too!

 

[Angeejoe]

Getting frustrated, this was the month I had planned on paying off a credit card( balance is down to $300) but something keeps coming up. Our son graduates in 2 months and it's turning into an expensive year. Needless to say the payoffs going to have to wait another month, but I did make a $75 payment. Amazing how fast balances go up but seem to take forever going down!

You're so close to your goal, that's got to feel so good! Great job!

 

[Tardisblue]

Started the debt pay-down journey this past November. Budgeted for Christmas for the first time ever and didn't spend a penny over what we budgeted. We've cut down our cell phone bill, downgraded a car from a payment of over $400/month to less than $150/month, stuck with meal-planning (huge savings), gotten a reduction in before and after school care costs, and reduced our cable/internet bill by about $80/month. Paid off over $12K so far and are shooting to be debt free (including no car payments) by June 2016. It can be done.

 

[gracie1]

Started the debt pay-down journey this past November. Budgeted for Christmas for the first time ever and didn't spend a penny over what we budgeted. We've cut down our cell phone bill, downgraded a car from a payment of over $400/month to less than $150/month, stuck with meal-planning (huge savings), gotten a reduction in before and after school care costs, and reduced our cable/internet bill by about $80/month. Paid off over $12K so far and are shooting to be debt free (including no car payments) by June 2016. It can be done.

That is fantastic!! You should be super proud of yourself!! To have that much debt paid off is great! It's funny but once you get started and see things being paid down its almost an addiction to see how to save money other ways to apply to the debt. Great job