Debt Dumpers - 2013

[gracie1]

You guys are all doing such a fantastic job on paying off debt!! And the idea of taking time to sit down with your kids to teach them more about debt is awesome. I think if I had had that approach I wouldn't have ended up in the debt that I did. My mom has always had a ton of debt, but my father is a cash only/savings man. Who's foot steps did I follow? My moms! But that has definitely changed and I have her on a payment schedule now, and she has paid off one cc and September should have the 2nd one paid off. Then only two more, but they will definitely take a while.

 

[milwaukeemommy]

Wow! That's awesome! Just think how sweet it will be to save all of that interest you were paying!

I was happy when we refi'd it cut our payment down almost $300. Not so huge but still good since we had just refi'd 2 years prior.

We did save enough for a new roof so that's a relief. Next we'll set aside some $ for this big summer trip then by Sept we'll start working on paying off some bills. It's not a lot or out of control, but it's there. Kind of like when pp said how people just accept that some debt is inevitable/acceptable.
We'll probably be putting our tax return into home repairs/maintenance. That's our usual thing.

LOL that's what started this whole thing. We really need a new roof & didn't have the money. So along with refinancing, we are taking out $$ to get that done. It will be a relief to get it done - we've been putting it off for about 3 years!

 

[SpaceGirl]

Michelle
That's great news about your refinance, you have been through a lot this past year, hope this is a fresh start.

Wishing you well and now you'll have extra to put toward that Debt so you and your family can get back to Disney sooner.

 

[SpaceGirl]

I was considering pet insurance as my cat was sick twice at the beginning of the year ($800 in bills, thanks kitty!) but now I'm looking into it, I'm not even sure it's a good idea It would take 3 or more trips for the pet insurance to be cheaper than just paying out of pocket, due to the deductible, monthly costs and then it's mandatory you take your pet to the vet annually for a check-up which is a $250 vet visit that isn't covered. My cat gets extreme anxiety at the vet, to the point where his vet recommended I only bring him in tri-yearly if he's otherwise in good health. The only reason he was sick this year was due to me taking in some foster kittens, but I'm not doing that now and he's indoor only and very healthy. I think I might just put the $30/month into my debt snowball instead, and IF he did ever get sick I could take the money out of the snowball to cover it. I feel like I'd rather the money went to the debt in the meantime, rather than going to the pet insurance regardless of if we use it.

How about you insure your cat yourself...Take $250.00=Annual vet visit to start with...then put $30.00=Payment each month.
If your cat gets sick you'll already have the vet bill saved (or most of it) If he stays healthy THATS MONEY IN THE BANK.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

LOL that's what started this whole thing. We really need a new roof & didn't have the money. So along with refinancing, we are taking out $$ to get that done. It will be a relief to get it done - we've been putting it off for about 3 years!

Yes, it's crazy expensive isn't it?
So far no leaks except onto front porch but we were told 3 yrs ago when the back porch had a leak that the shingles were failing prematurely. (Apparently LOTS of homes affected from this shingle manufacturer). Since the previous owner had the roof done right before we bought in 12/1996, we had no receipts, no recourse to go through warranty. It was only $3K to have just the back porch done then so we did. We just couldn't do the whole thing then.
I can't imagine how much more it can cost when people have a roof full of solar panels that have to be removed first?

Sometimes I feel I'm in the wrong business. Of course, who wants to be on a roof in July heat & only work a few months of the year? No thanks.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

How about you insure your cat yourself...Take $250.00=Annual vet visit to start with...then put $30.00=Payment each month.
If your cat gets sick you'll already have the vet bill saved (or most of it) If he stays healthy THATS MONEY IN THE BANK.

I agree. They want to sell insurance for everything these days.
Heck, you buy a $30 Nintendo game at Toys r Us and they want to sell you insurance for it. Really???

 

[AuroraRora]

How about you insure your cat yourself...Take $250.00=Annual vet visit to start with...then put $30.00=Payment each month.
If your cat gets sick you'll already have the vet bill saved (or most of it) If he stays healthy THATS MONEY IN THE BANK.

That's what I'm thinking too... I'd rather have the money here with me IF I need it, than hand it over to them regardless of if I need it or not! I figure he's young, very healthy, never leaves the house or meets other animals... how bad could it be?? When he's older I'll reconsider, but for now I think it's not the right time. (Btw, LOVE the cat icon!!)

So great to hear everyone's doing well - it's so motivating to see everyone else doing well and feel a part of the group and want to work hard to do well too.

 

[gracie1]

bumping thread

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

Love the universe! Got DH's signing bonus and the glow plug light came on in my car. ERGH!!! I need to get it in the shop ASAP. Since it's an Audi, I feel sure it will be an expensive fix. And I will go ahead and have them change the oil etc while it's there.

 

[dansamy]

Well I'm about to be VERY unpopular at my house. I'm canceling directv & home phone. I will up our dsl speed to the max again. That way we can use streaming. That's gonna put about $75/month back into the snowball.

Tuesday is "pizza night" for us because of Scout meeting. We usually spend $25-30 for that. Does anyone have any ideas for that? I need something quick & probably still pizza. I can't get frozen pizza for much less than what I already spend.

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

We canceled cable in October and have never looked back. 99.9% of what we watch is either on Hulu or Netflix.

We kept the landline because we still have little kids in the house.

As for Pizza, can't really help you tonight but on days we are running mad I throw some drumsticks and thighs (bone in because they are cheap) on the crock pot with BBq sauce. 6 hours on low and they are to die for.

If you went with pizza do you have a Little Caesars around? We get 2 pizzas and a soda for well under $20.

 

[pryncess527]

Ditto Little Caesars. They usually have hot pizzas ready to go for five bucks each

We set up for cable every fall for football season cancel soon as it's over. I found with a digital antenna & Netflix I can get just about everything we want to watch. I even turned an old computer into a DVR and don't miss cable at all

 

[dansamy]

That is Little Caesars. It's usually a 3 meat, either a cheese or pepperoni & one order of wings. I guess the best choice would be to cut it down to one cheese & one pepperoni & skip the wings. I could bake my own wings & toss baggies in the freezer. Take em out & reheat them & sauce them up for me.

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

Do you have left overs? Does it get tossed or does someone eat it for lunch the next day?
I think DH has gotten 1/2 cheese 1/2 pepperoni there before, you just have to wait for it.
Also print coupons off their website.

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Well I'm about to be VERY unpopular at my house. I'm canceling directv & home phone. I will up our dsl speed to the max again. That way we can use streaming. That's gonna put about $75/month back into the snowball.

Tuesday is "pizza night" for us because of Scout meeting. We usually spend $25-30 for that. Does anyone have any ideas for that? I need something quick & probably still pizza. I can't get frozen pizza for much less than what I already spend.

Hi just saw this and thought I'd let you know there's a great (and very easy) recipe for pizza dough to be found at pizzarecipe.org I'm definitely not the greatest cook and I've made it and it's really cheap to do. You can even make a larger batch and freeze the extra pizzas. It's healthier too which is always a bonus

 

[dansamy]

Do you have left overs? Does it get tossed or does someone eat it for lunch the next day?
I think DH has gotten 1/2 cheese 1/2 pepperoni there before, you just have to wait for it.
Also print coupons off their website.

No leftovers. I have two teen boys & one girl plus their dad. DS13 is 6' tall and 126 pounds. DD12 is sometimes eating everything. Sometimes not. Ds11 is another bottomless pit. 5'2 & 90 pounds & growing every day. 2 pizzas gets everybody 4 slices. (I eat wings.) Less than that, the boys are in the pantry an hour later looking for stuff to eat! Maybe, I could cut it down to one pepperoni pizza & make batches of wings? Hungry boys can reheat some wings, sauce em up & have a ball?

 

[gracie1]

Love the universe! Got DH's signing bonus and the glow plug light came on in my car. ERGH!!! I need to get it in the shop ASAP. Since it's an Audi, I feel sure it will be an expensive fix. And I will go ahead and have them change the oil etc while it's there.

Gotta love the unexpected! I went to the dentist this past Wednesday and felt like I was in the principals office. I know I have cavities and hate going there! So I did the $130 filling for the tooth that I broke that I found out while he was in there was severely decayed. He said more than likely I need a root canal And the way it feels I'm sure it does! Now I chipped another filling! Blah .....

 

[ilovemk76]

Well I'm about to be VERY unpopular at my house. I'm canceling directv & home phone. I will up our dsl speed to the max again. That way we can use streaming. That's gonna put about $75/month back into the snowball.

Tuesday is "pizza night" for us because of Scout meeting. We usually spend $25-30 for that. Does anyone have any ideas for that? I need something quick & probably still pizza. I can't get frozen pizza for much less than what I already spend.

Costco

They sell precooked pizza, cash only, at the snack bar. The pizza is large, with 12 slices. It costs $9.99 and reheats very will. They sell cheese, pepperoni, veggie or combo.

The pizza freezes and reheats very well.

If you have a Costco membership, right now they have their premade pepperoni pizza for sale. It is $6.99. All you have to do is heat the oven.

 

[dansamy]

Costco

They sell precooked pizza, cash only, at the snack bar. The pizza is large, with 12 slices. It costs $9.99 and reheats very will. They sell cheese, pepperoni, veggie or combo.

The pizza freezes and reheats very well.

If you have a Costco membership, right now they have their premade pepperoni pizza for sale. It is $6.99. All you have to do is heat the oven.

Thanks for the suggestion, but I live in the land of Sam's only.

 

[AuroraRora]

What about Pizza Hut/Dominos meal deal things? The dominos by my house has a thing where medium pizza's are $5.99 each, maybe 2 of those and you could pick them up?