Debt Dumpers - 2014

[yaddakal]

Thanks guys, I will take any and all advice!

 

[dayvewc]

Just thought about my moms homemade chicken soup recipe. It's nice in these cold months.

Large stock pot.
Fill between 1/3 to 1/2 with water
Add bullion cubes (I have a 16 qt stockpot I think, and use 3-4 cubes)
1 bag frozen mixed vegetables
1 bag frozen peas and carrots
1 large can home style vegall
1-2 cans of canned chicken breast
Put on stove top and heat
Add salt, pepper (or my choice creole seasoning) to taste It's ready to eat when it's hot.

I can generally eat two weeks on this by myself, or close to a week with SO.
And it freezes easily too, so I'll make this and freeze it in individual serving sized ziplock containers. Quick to pop in microwave when needed.

You can also add spaghetti noodles, or egg ribbon noodles, or macaroni. Or for a thicker soup, add 1-2 cans of cream of chicken soup.

 

[Sew into Disney]

Tuesday, DH got word that he earned a little over 10% of his annual salary in a yearly bonus. And got a 2% raise.

We got our federal taxes back on Thursday.

It was a big day. Our oldest turned 11 (need to go change my signature) so we had her celebration (budgeted) and we paid off the loan from our failed adoption.

Writing that check was quite emotional. But it is done.

We bought our flights for our 10th Anniversary trip in April.

I'm about to update our budget spreadsheets to take it out of the future budgets.

Tonight is date night (budgeted )

Congrats on paying off the loan even though it was emotional. Yay for the 10th anniversary trip!

Well.. Just found out we owe 2200 taxes. Very very bad!!!! Already pushing being paid for trip by may. Not happy. Who wants to give me ideas of cheap dinners for family? This is somewhere I spend too much money... Any other hints I will
Take too.
I Don't want to
Move August cruise bc my kids will
Be at ages where they can be in club together. If we waited , they would be separated and they don't want to be..

So yucky about the taxes. As for grocery shopping and meals ...
I purchase all of my meat products at Costco. Then I do the rest of my shopping at a Wal-mart neighborhood market. I have seen a major drop in my grocery bill.
Crock pot meals our awesome. Chicken breast with a bottle of BBQ Sauce makes pulled chicken sandwiches. We eat this with chips.
Carnitas in the crock pot. You can find several versions of this on Pinterest. Actually I get a lot of my recipes from Pinterest. We also eat pancakes for dinner a few times a month. I make them from scratch to save money.

Just made the final payment on DD braces! Still got a LONG way to go but feels good to have this paid off!

YAY!!!


I was doing great on not spending money that wasn't in the budget until yesterday. Crazy winter weather here and I had to dip into the vacation cash I have hiding in the house to take the bus to Walmart. Had to get flashlights in case we lost power.
We got 10" of snow then 1/2" of ice on top of it. We don't get weather like this. Every couple of years we get a an inch or two of snow that melts off with in a day or so. So far this winter has brought us 17".

Lost another day of work which means my paycheck will be short. Not sure if they will end another day at the end of the school year.

Sent my taxes off to be done by my moms tax lady (for free ). Now I just wait to hear what she says.

 

[gracie1]

Congrats on paying off the loan even though it was emotional. Yay for the 10th anniversary trip!



So yucky about the taxes. As for grocery shopping and meals ...
I purchase all of my meat products at Costco. Then I do the rest of my shopping at a Wal-mart neighborhood market. I have seen a major drop in my grocery bill.
Crock pot meals our awesome. Chicken breast with a bottle of BBQ Sauce makes pulled chicken sandwiches. We eat this with chips.
Carnitas in the crock pot. You can find several versions of this on Pinterest. Actually I get a lot of my recipes from Pinterest. We also eat pancakes for dinner a few times a month. I make them from scratch to save money.




YAY!!!


I was doing great on not spending money that wasn't in the budget until yesterday. Crazy winter weather here and I had to dip into the vacation cash I have hiding in the house to take the bus to Walmart. Had to get flashlights in case we lost power.
We got 10" of snow then 1/2" of ice on top of it. We don't get weather like this. Every couple of years we get a an inch or two of snow that melts off with in a day or so. So far this winter has brought us 17".

Lost another day of work which means my paycheck will be short. Not sure if they will end another day at the end of the school year.

Sent my taxes off to be done by my moms tax lady (for free ). Now I just wait to hear what she says.

Yuck! That is some nasty weather!!! Hope you have good news on your taxes

 

[Holly Quinlan]

Paid off another credit card this morning! Been doing pretty good with staying on budget since the new year. Pretty bummed about our tax return will only be getting $150 but I guess its better than being in the negative just glad I didn't technically have it planned for anything that was needed. We have decided to take a cruise next November to reward ourselves for getting our debt to $0.00(that's what it will be by then) so now I need to decide if I want to pay off another credit card this month or take that money and put it on our deposit when they release the new dates. We would be able to pay the card off next month so its not that bad I guess.

 

[gracie1]

Paid off another credit card this morning! Been doing pretty good with staying on budget since the new year. Pretty bummed about our tax return will only be getting $150 but I guess its better than being in the negative just glad I didn't technically have it planned for anything that was needed. We have decided to take a cruise next November to reward ourselves for getting our debt to $0.00(that's what it will be by then) so now I need to decide if I want to pay off another credit card this month or take that money and put it on our deposit when they release the new dates. We would be able to pay the card off next month so its not that bad I guess.

Great job Where are you taking the cruise to? Which cruiseline?

 

[Holly Quinlan]

Great job Where are you taking the cruise to? Which cruiseline?

Disney cruise line! Wanting to do the 7 day eastern Caribbean on the fantasy so hopefully they will still have that itinerary when the release the rest of 2015.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Disney cruise line! Wanting to do the 7 day eastern Caribbean on the fantasy so hopefully they will still have that itinerary when the release the rest of 2015.

They will still have it. The 7 nt cruises alternate between Eastern & Western & have done so at least since I discovered DCL in 2005.

If this is your first Disney cruise, be warned, the level of service compared to WDW will blow you away. They'd cut my kid's meat & crack his lobster. In a nutshell, the most perfect family vacation with everything you love about Disney but in a relaxing way.

I'm a recovering addict. I'm doing a 3 nt escape with a friend & ds13 in March but otherwise this is the first time in years we don't have at least 2 future cruises booked, sometimes 2 yrs in advance. Now that there's 4 ships they don't fill up so fast so unless you're interested in a Thanksgiving cruise, I wouldn't feel rushed to book asap.

 

[gracie1]

They will still have it. The 7 nt cruises alternate between Eastern & Western & have done so at least since I discovered DCL in 2005. If this is your first Disney cruise, be warned, the level of service compared to WDW will blow you away. They'd cut my kid's meat & crack his lobster. In a nutshell, the most perfect family vacation with everything you love about Disney but in a relaxing way. I'm a recovering addict. I'm doing a 3 nt escape with a friend & ds13 in March but otherwise this is the first time in years we don't have at least 2 future cruises booked, sometimes 2 yrs in advance. Now that there's 4 ships they don't fill up so fast so unless you're interested in a Thanksgiving cruise, I wouldn't feel rushed to book asap.

I would love to do a Disney cruise. We were actually talking about doing that instead of Disney world!

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

I would love to do a Disney cruise. We were actually talking about doing that instead of Disney world!

If you can go during off peak time (while kids are in school) it's not so expensive.

 

[Holly Quinlan]

They will still have it. The 7 nt cruises alternate between Eastern & Western & have done so at least since I discovered DCL in 2005. If this is your first Disney cruise, be warned, the level of service compared to WDW will blow you away. They'd cut my kid's meat & crack his lobster. In a nutshell, the most perfect family vacation with everything you love about Disney but in a relaxing way. I'm a recovering addict. I'm doing a 3 nt escape with a friend & ds13 in March but otherwise this is the first time in years we don't have at least 2 future cruises booked, sometimes 2 yrs in advance. Now that there's 4 ships they don't fill up so fast so unless you're interested in a Thanksgiving cruise, I wouldn't feel rushed to book asap.

How quickly do the prices for November go up after they are released?

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

How quickly do the prices for November go up after they are released?

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

It's hard to predict. Lately it seems only holidays sailings climb quickly.

 

[PrincessKymm]

I did a quick run through of my city taxes and looks like I owe $389.80...and as I sit here and roll my eyes I'm not sure if I made a payment to them last year so if I did it will be slightly less. We live in the highest taxed city in our area so I'm just frustrated with myself. I think I'm going to mark on my calendars to pay the quarterly payment and just owe $0 next year. My state tax refund pays for this but I'm just annoyed I even have to file.

DS needs new dress clothes for his band concert...the school tells us 2 days before the concert. I am NOT happy with this school at all for various reasons. It's so bad I'm considering using my pay raise (the $9k raise I received in October) to pay for him to go to a private school. I'm finally in a good financial place and I have to face this tough decision. Ugh!!!

I finally have good vision insurance so we will be using those benefits to get glasses and contacts soon. Last year I paid $150 for DS's glasses and it looks like I will only pay $90 for his progressive lenses and get the frame for free! Co pay for visit is $10 instead of $55. VERY good news!!!

I'm also considering joining a gym to take spin classes closer to home. I go check that out today. Work is getting to me again so I need a healthy outlet. Cost for up to 6 classes a week is only $20-$30 a month so cheaper than the place I go now ($50 a month!).

We need to consult with another neurologist as well so I will need to start saving money for the medical bills that will roll in. My insurance is better than last time DS had seizures so here's to hoping I'm not out a ton of money this time around!

Everything I touch at work today has a problem and I just feel like sobbing. I think I'm going to leave on time an relax tonight and tackle this crap tomorrow.

 

[gracie1]

I did a quick run through of my city taxes and looks like I owe $389.80...and as I sit here and roll my eyes I'm not sure if I made a payment to them last year so if I did it will be slightly less. We live in the highest taxed city in our area so I'm just frustrated with myself. I think I'm going to mark on my calendars to pay the quarterly payment and just owe $0 next year. My state tax refund pays for this but I'm just annoyed I even have to file. DS needs new dress clothes for his band concert...the school tells us 2 days before the concert. I am NOT happy with this school at all for various reasons. It's so bad I'm considering using my pay raise (the $9k raise I received in October) to pay for him to go to a private school. I'm finally in a good financial place and I have to face this tough decision. Ugh!!! I finally have good vision insurance so we will be using those benefits to get glasses and contacts soon. Last year I paid $150 for DS's glasses and it looks like I will only pay $90 for his progressive lenses and get the frame for free! Co pay for visit is $10 instead of $55. VERY good news!!! I'm also considering joining a gym to take spin classes closer to home. I go check that out today. Work is getting to me again so I need a healthy outlet. Cost for up to 6 classes a week is only $20-$30 a month so cheaper than the place I go now ($50 a month!). We need to consult with another neurologist as well so I will need to start saving money for the medical bills that will roll in. My insurance is better than last time DS had seizures so here's to hoping I'm not out a ton of money this time around! Everything I touch at work today has a problem and I just feel like sobbing. I think I'm going to leave on time an relax tonight and tackle this crap tomorrow.

Sorry your having a bad day! I feel like I've been having them more often!

I hope everything is okay with your son. I'm glad to hear that you have better medical benefits to help out! We have crappy insurance but I barely have to pay anything with our company so I really have no right to complain about it!

Good luck on the school decision. That is wrong to just expect parents to be able to throw money out of their pockets with only two days notice!!

How do you like spin classes? I've never done one but always fascinated at those that do.
Hope you have a relaxing evening!!

 

[xCourxCorex]

Last week's paycheck was a little bigger than usual, thanks to MLK holiday pay (time and a half) and an extra 8 hours I picked up And I got my Federal tax return direct deposit today too!

I have squared away my gifts/misc. account, so that'll take care of renewing my nursing license.. and all birthday, anniversary and christmas gifts *should* be covered for the rest of the year - yay!! Plus I was able to put a small chunk towards my emergency fund, and have a little left over for some spending on upcoming trips! Super happy with where I'm at right now, savings goals are on track and maybe even a little ahead of schedule - just need to stay focused

 

[PrincessKymm]

How do you like spin classes? I've never done one but always fascinated at those that do. Hope you have a relaxing evening!!

Spin is amazing!!!!! Definitely try it if you feel like it. You just totally lose everything while on that bike. Your feet keep going and you are concentrating on posture and all your aggression just gets out of your body with each pedal stroke so definitely worth a try. In my soul psycle class (the expensive gym in my world) there is a saying "who knew you could accomplish so much on a bike going nowhere". It really helps with your state of mind without out realizing it because you are so focused on your physical stuff and you let everything go and then that sense if accomplishment at the end...oh it's just wonderful!!! Go do it!!!!

 

[Holly Quinlan]

Last week's paycheck was a little bigger than usual, thanks to MLK holiday pay (time and a half) and an extra 8 hours I picked up And I got my Federal tax return direct deposit today too! I have squared away my gifts/misc. account, so that'll take care of renewing my nursing license.. and all birthday, anniversary and christmas gifts *should* be covered for the rest of the year - yay!! Plus I was able to put a small chunk towards my emergency fund, and have a little left over for some spending on upcoming trips! Super happy with where I'm at right now, savings goals are on track and maybe even a little ahead of schedule - just need to stay focused

Is this year LPN or RN renewal year? I forgot to budget for this guess I should see how many more CEU's I need! But thanks for the reminder.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Last week's paycheck was a little bigger than usual, thanks to MLK holiday pay (time and a half) and an extra 8 hours I picked up And I got my Federal tax return direct deposit today too!

I have squared away my gifts/misc. account, so that'll take care of renewing my nursing license.. and all birthday, anniversary and christmas gifts *should* be covered for the rest of the year - yay!! Plus I was able to put a small chunk towards my emergency fund, and have a little left over for some spending on upcoming trips! Super happy with where I'm at right now, savings goals are on track and maybe even a little ahead of schedule - just need to stay focused

Is this year LPN or RN renewal year? I forgot to budget for this guess I should see how many more CEU's I need! But thanks for the reminder.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

Your emplyer doesn't pay for this?
I work in xray and our hospital reimburses us for our license renewal fees. I'd assume they would for nurses too.

 

[Holly Quinlan]

Your emplyer doesn't pay for this? I work in xray and our hospital reimburses us for our license renewal fees. I'd assume they would for nurses too.

They have online CEU's I get to take for free but the renewal is out of pocket. None of my previous employers have ever reimbursed me either but this is the first job where I didn't have to pay for my CEU's

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[xCourxCorex]

They have online CEU's I get to take for free but the renewal is out of pocket. None of my previous employers have ever reimbursed me either but this is the first job where I didn't have to pay for my CEU's Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

Even years are renewal for RNs, odds are LPNs. I don't think my employer would pay for the license renewal.. Haven't ever heard of any around here that have, and considering how tight they are on budget things if they had in the past, I doubt they would now! Luckily I'm good on CEUs.. Did a few online but then last spring did ACLS which was 15.0 so I have more than enough now (and my bday is in November so still plenty of time)