Debt Dumpers - 2016

[DisneyMandC]

Slightly off topic, but in the ongoing saga of my miserable job (carried over from the 2015 thread)...

There was another contradictory incident with my mentor this morning. Long story short, she told me not to do something about 8 weeks ago, so I didn't do it, and then this morning she came to ask why I didn't do it and I told her because she told me not to, to which she responded by just staring blankly at me. Fortunately I had proof that she had told me not to do it. But as it turns out, I was right the first time in what I said I needed to do... Whatever. So fed up over here.

So after she left my office, I went on a job website and saw an opening entry level position at job I interned at during school. Not the exact field I want to go into, but it's a way out and a comparable salary! I have all the experience they want, and the internship was in the last couple years so they should definitely remember me. I am going to edit my resume some and apply to them this week! They just posted the job today and the listing doesn't close until the 25th. Since it's government, I'm pretty sure they don't contact anyone until the listing is finished, so I won't expect to hear anything back for a bit. The nice part is, since it's government I would be able to continue on with my original public service loan forgiveness plan. If I don't get it, DH and I have already discussed and are comfortable with scrapping it, but it would be nice to have. In the meantime, I'm still hoping to hear from someone else who said he'd give me a call after Christmas/New Years. Fingers crossed!

I've been doing better lately whereas I was really down in the dumps this time last month. I really want to have a great 2016 and am tired of this job weighing me down, so I really hope one of those options comes through!

 

[scdak]

Ouch is all I can say now that I have put down my debts in writing! But now I know where to start and how to make progress. I think snowballing is going to be my best option at this point and that starts in earnest in February when I make my last car payment thus freeing up $325 a month to pay on CC bills.

 

[Eureka]

So, progress with the medical bills. I called my insurance bc I know I'd met my deductible and one of the "smaller" bills (close to $600, thus the quotes) looked bigger than I thought it should be. Turns out it was the doctors' bill for two providers that are out of network. They are going to reprocess it with in-network charges bc as she said they realize in an emergency, you can't pick your providers. So that's good, I will know within a week or two how much that one drops.

The larger bill is over $900, and I called to set up a payment plan, so that's good.

But then I did this. Totally worth it, but doesn't exactly help dump debt. My sister is going to a conference for work in Orlando next month and when we visited during the holidays, I jokingly said hey, I'll come down and see you there. She said do it. For real. I can stay in her room with her and she said if we eat cheap enough, maybe her per diem will cover it. DH said go for it, and I bought my tickets today. They weren't cheap (it's not a vacation week where I live but it is for much of the northeast that week) but with free lodging and being able to see my sister? Priceless. I'll probably work a bit down there while she's busy, but we're going to try to find time to do a day at Universal . Doesn't look like any Disney time, but you never know. So excited bc I never go anywhere, especially without my family.

 

[stayhomemom77]

Is your dad a mechanic?

Nope. He teaches special education at the high school level. He did start out as a shop teacher many long years ago...but he's not a car expert by any means.

I'm not a mechanic by any means, but I don't understand your dad's comment about the fuel system... how would not filling your tank totally full cause your carburetor to freeze up? Plenty of people don't fill their tanks completely full when they go to the gas station, and other don't use that much fuel so their cars may sit with half full tanks for quite a while...

Yeah. I dunno what to say. He doesn't come off well here, does he?

According to what he taught me when I was a teenager, leaving less than half a tank of gasoline in the car in the winter is risky for water getting into the line/carburetor freezing thing but I wasn't talking about driving around on empty and I clearly stated we only use about half a tank of gas per week, so....

On the plus side (I have bounced back already), it's going to be really fun sending them all pics from Paris when we scrounge up enough with these little bits to take our Europe trip!!

DH said something very nice once he could tell I was hurt by the jerky comments. He said, "well the kids and I really appreciate your efforts and we love that we can take fun vacations with the fruits of your labours."

 

[ariel1025]

So, surprisingly great news on the Comcast situation I had. They sent me to collections (without ever contacting me first, unless it was sent to my old address) because they claimed I kept 2 cable boxes and an internet modem that I leased from them. Well, I did keep the modem because I bought it (not leased it) from Best Buy. Anyway I built up the nerve (confrontation is VERY difficult for me) and went to the main office here with the modem (to show the serial numbers) and my receipt from Best Buy. My hope was to get the portion of the money they said I owed dropped for the modem since I had proof of purchasing it. I also wanted to argue the cable boxes but could not find paperwork showing I turned them in, thus having no proof, and no hope of that going anywhere.

Long story short, the incredibly friendly individual I talked to said that clearly their techs did not file things correctly. And since I could provide proof of the modem she was going to take me on my word about the cable boxes and drop ALL charges!!!! She said it could take 30 days for them to pull the collection, but did provide me paperwork saying I was no longer responsible for the payment. This is such a relief as it was over $600 in charges!

So, to anyone who gets nervous (like me) about talking to people about these situations...DO IT! You never know what the outcome will be unless you ask

 

[Eureka]

So, surprisingly great news on the Comcast situation I had. They sent me to collections (without ever contacting me first, unless it was sent to my old address) because they claimed I kept 2 cable boxes and an internet modem that I leased from them. Well, I did keep the modem because I bought it (not leased it) from Best Buy. Anyway I built up the nerve (confrontation is VERY difficult for me) and went to the main office here with the modem (to show the serial numbers) and my receipt from Best Buy. My hope was to get the portion of the money they said I owed dropped for the modem since I had proof of purchasing it. I also wanted to argue the cable boxes but could not find paperwork showing I turned them in, thus having no proof, and no hope of that going anywhere.

Long story short, the incredibly friendly individual I talked to said that clearly their techs did not file things correctly. And since I could provide proof of the modem she was going to take me on my word about the cable boxes and drop ALL charges!!!! She said it could take 30 days for them to pull the collection, but did provide me paperwork saying I was no longer responsible for the payment. This is such a relief as it was over $600 in charges!

So, to anyone who gets nervous (like me) about talking to people about these situations...DO IT! You never know what the outcome will be unless you ask

Glad you got it worked out. We upgraded our modem and speed with Comcast a few weeks ago and have still been getting robo calls saying we need to upgrade our modem. Seems to me like there is a snag in the system somewhere where the left hand doesn't know what the right is doing.

 

[LinderInWonderland]

So I got the free trial lf YNAB and it's pretty sweet. I couldn't wait for my paycheck to come in to start it, so I guesstimated it and created a budget. We tend to overspend on weekends after payday (the whole "yay money, let's spend it" mindset), so I think having something that tells us how much we can spend on things will definitely help. It's also helping me look ahead to expenses coming up that I normally don't think about until they hit. Like dog food. It's about $60 a month, but we don't think about it until we're out, and then that's $60 that we never planned to spend (even though it happens every month). Now, a portion of that money is already in the budget so when the time comes, feeding the dog won't be such a worry.

Thank you to everyone who recommended it! It's really going to help a lot. I don't like that it's a monthly/yearly thing now, but if it works like I think it will during the free trial, I'm willing to pay for it.

This is something I noticed immediately, too! I wasn't budgeting for the cat! Her food runs about $45/month and I put $15 in another line for the vet.

 

[LisaSunshine]

This is something I noticed immediately, too! I wasn't budgeting for the cat! Her food runs about $45/month and I put $15 in another line for the vet.

It was a total duh moment for me! I added a line for prescriptions since she has glaucoma and needs eye drops every day, but I didn't even think about the vet. Good idea!

 

[pryncess527]

According to what he taught me when I was a teenager, leaving less than half a tank of gasoline in the car in the winter is risky for water getting into the line/carburetor freezing thing but I wasn't talking about driving around on empty and I clearly stated we only use about half a tank of gas per week, so....

I think this is one of those relics that used to be true, but modern car design has changed enough that it's no longer a risk to drive with a low tank (other than the regular risk of running out!).

 

[stayhomemom77]

So, progress with the medical bills. I called my insurance bc I know I'd met my deductible and one of the "smaller" bills (close to $600, thus the quotes) looked bigger than I thought it should be. Turns out it was the doctors' bill for two providers that are out of network. They are going to reprocess it with in-network charges bc as she said my they realize in an emergency, you can't pick your providers. So that's good, I will know within a week or two how much that one drops.

The larger bill is over $900, and I called to set up a payment plan, so that's good.

But then I did this. Totally worth it, but doesn't exactly help dump debt. My sister is going to a conference for work in Orlando next month and when we visited during the holidays, I jokingly said hey, I'll come down and see you there. She said do it. For real. I can stay in her room with her and she said if we eat cheap enough, maybe her per diem will cover it. DH said go for it, and I bought my tickets today. They weren't cheap (it's not a vacation week where I live but it is for much of the northeast that week) but with free lodging and being able to see my sister? Priceless. I'll probably work a bit down there while she's busy, but we're going to try to find time to do a day at Universal . Doesn't look like any Disney time, but you never know. So excited bc I never go anywhere, especially without my family.

Ooooh! I'm so jealous about the quickie trip to see your sister. Sounds like a lot of fun!!

Glad to hear you had some good mojo with the insurance company.

So, surprisingly great news on the Comcast situation I had. They sent me to collections (without ever contacting me first, unless it was sent to my old address) because they claimed I kept 2 cable boxes and an internet modem that I leased from them. Well, I did keep the modem because I bought it (not leased it) from Best Buy. Anyway I built up the nerve (confrontation is VERY difficult for me) and went to the main office here with the modem (to show the serial numbers) and my receipt from Best Buy. My hope was to get the portion of the money they said I owed dropped for the modem since I had proof of purchasing it. I also wanted to argue the cable boxes but could not find paperwork showing I turned them in, thus having no proof, and no hope of that going anywhere.

Long story short, the incredibly friendly individual I talked to said that clearly their techs did not file things correctly. And since I could provide proof of the modem she was going to take me on my word about the cable boxes and drop ALL charges!!!! She said it could take 30 days for them to pull the collection, but did provide me paperwork saying I was no longer responsible for the payment. This is such a relief as it was over $600 in charges!

So, to anyone who gets nervous (like me) about talking to people about these situations...DO IT! You never know what the outcome will be unless you ask

Woo hoo! So glad you worked up the nerve to go in and it's awesome that it was all in your favour!!

 

[DisneyMandC]

Nope. He teaches special education at the high school level. He did start out as a shop teacher many long years ago...but he's not a car expert by any means.



Yeah. I dunno what to say. He doesn't come off well here, does he?

According to what he taught me when I was a teenager, leaving less than half a tank of gasoline in the car in the winter is risky for water getting into the line/carburetor freezing thing but I wasn't talking about driving around on empty and I clearly stated we only use about half a tank of gas per week, so....

On the plus side (I have bounced back already), it's going to be really fun sending them all pics from Paris when we scrounge up enough with these little bits to take our Europe trip!!

DH said something very nice once he could tell I was hurt by the jerky comments. He said, "well the kids and I really appreciate your efforts and we love that we can take fun vacations with the fruits of your labours."

I think Dave Ramsey talks about comments like these where he says people will look at you like you're crazy when you start to tell them you're getting rid of debt and cutting back because everyone now is just used to being in debt. Regardless of anyone's feelings on DR (he's not my favorite person either, but I do think he has some good points), I definitely think he's right that people will rain on other's parades about debt-dumping likely because they feel bad about their own debt. For example, DH and I have a lot of property (enough that we need a riding lawnmower, and preferably one of those zero turn high speed ones in order to get everything mowed in under 6 hours) and my mom couldn't understand why we're not just going and buying one at Lowe's and financing it. I hate the fact that I've got a car loan, I'm definitely not going to have a lawnmower loan! I love my mom, but she's 57 and has next to no retirement. She's never been "bad" with her money, but I know that my future is not going to include continuous car payments and financing to stress about. And it makes others uncomfortable when you think that way.

 

[stayhomemom77]

I think Dave Ramsey talks about comments like these where he says people will look at you like you're crazy when you start to tell them you're getting rid of debt and cutting back because everyone now is just used to being in debt. Regardless of anyone's feelings on DR (he's not my favorite person either, but I do think he has some good points), I definitely think he's right that people will rain on other's parades about debt-dumping likely because they feel bad about their own debt. For example, DH and I have a lot of property (enough that we need a riding lawnmower, and preferably one of those zero turn high speed ones in order to get everything mowed in under 6 hours) and my mom couldn't understand why we're not just going and buying one at Lowe's and financing it. I hate the fact that I've got a car loan, I'm definitely not going to have a lawnmower loan! I love my mom, but she's 57 and has next to no retirement. She's never been "bad" with her money, but I know that my future is not going to include continuous car payments and financing to stress about. And it makes others uncomfortable when you think that way.

Thanks for this. You have a good point.

My dad is horrible with money. HORRIBLE. He buys what he wants, when he wants and has absolutely no self control. My aunt (his sister) is the same way. They both have waaaaaay more debt that I've ever had and if it weren't for their spouses (who DO have self control and counteract to some degree their spendy ways) they'd be even worse off.

Still, he was also the one who taught me "if you can't say something nice..." so his jack comment really upset me. My hubby called him a mean name (just to me) which made me laugh though. Thank heavens for the handsome hubs who "gets" it and supports me!

 

[stayhomemom77]

I think this is one of those relics that used to be true, but modern car design has changed enough that it's no longer a risk to drive with a low tank (other than the regular risk of running out!).

That's exactly what DH said!!

 

[DisneyMandC]

I think this is one of those relics that used to be true, but modern car design has changed enough that it's no longer a risk to drive with a low tank (other than the regular risk of running out!).

I've never heard this, but I wouldn't be surprised if you're right. The only issue I've heard with running your car on a low tank is my mom once said it's bad to let your fuel get that low because of some of the junk and old fuel that's accumulated in your tank over time is being used. I don't know if that's true either, I mean wouldn't your gas sort of just all be one combined thing that wouldn't really have an "old" part? I could be wrong, who knows. She told me this when I ran out of gas when I was about 17 and had to be rescued, so she could've just been mad at me lol.

 

[LinderInWonderland]

I've never heard this, but I wouldn't be surprised if you're right. The only issue I've heard with running your car on a low tank is my mom once said it's bad to let your fuel get that low because of some of the junk and old fuel that's accumulated in your tank over time is being used. I don't know if that's true either, I mean wouldn't your gas sort of just all be one combined thing that wouldn't really have an "old" part? I could be wrong, who knows. She told me this when I ran out of gas when I was about 17 and had to be rescued, so she could've just been mad at me lol.

I love gas wisdom. A friend's dad told her "It costs just as much to keep a tank full as to keeping it near empty."

Our never gets much less than 1/2 tank empty, but I budget $20/week for gas as it is. We save a fair amount on gas by using grocery points on it, so if it's less than $20 one week and more than $20 another, it all works out fine.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

DH said something very nice once he could tell I was hurt by the jerky comments. He said, "well the kids and I really appreciate your efforts and we love that we can take fun vacations with the fruits of your labours."

You have a great husband! My extended family doesn't get my efforts to save either, but DH likes our vacations. He has generally been understanding and supportive.

 

[stayhomemom77]

You have a great husband! My extended family doesn't get my efforts to save either, but DH likes our vacations. He has generally been understanding and supportive.

I really, really DO have a great husband!!

I have the hide of a rhino generally...you really have to work hard to hurt my feelings so he was on high alert last night when he could tell I was upset. I'm already cooking up a "revenge" plan (the trip to Europe AND a week in Florida--eat THAT Dad!!) so when I pull it off I can tell myself I never need to listen to their Debbie downer stuff ever again!

 

[bcwife76]

So I got a call from a lawyer this morning; my father passed away and he's dealing with the estate. My father and I have been estranged since 2011; he did some truly awful things when I was growing up and as an adult (including stealing money from me)....all of it a very long story. In the end I just decided I couldn't handle any of his crap and deceit any longer and stopped talking to him. That also included my step mother (horrid woman) and my half brother (again, not someone I would like to associate with, too much like our father). So no I did not receive a phone call from either of them that had he passed, but instead I got a phone call from a lawyer I had never met (and honestly this did not surprise me). My father died without a will (he told me he had one) so if he wanted to cut me out he can't any longer. Once the estate is probated by his administrator (his wife) 1/3 of his estate comes to me by law. So it remains to be seen what this will include. The biggest chunk is his house but at the moment I'm not entirely sure if his wife gets it or if that must be divided between her, myself and my half brother. The house is worth approx $1.4 million. I just want it all done and dusted, whether I get anything or not. I need to move on from all their hatred and deceit.

 

[gracie1]

Ouch is all I can say now that I have put down my debts in writing! But now I know where to start and how to make progress. I think snowballing is going to be my best option at this point and that starts in earnest in February when I make my last car payment thus freeing up $325 a month to pay on CC bills.

It really is an eye opener when you sit down and write down all the debts and payments! The plus side for you is that once your car payment is done it will free up $325 a month after next month which is a huge chunk to put towards debt!

 

[4Mickeys]

Wow this thread has really taken off over the holidays. I have a lot of reading to do. lol.

I wanted to share some good news I got just before the holiday break. I found out that I got the transfer I wanted at work. It doesn't come with a raise but I does set me up for future promotions which is great. But the main thing I'm super excited about is instead of an hour commute each way I'll have a 20 min commute. I'm really excited to see by budget for gas drop. Right now I have to fill up twice a week.

Yeah congratulations on your transfer and the reduced commute - I understand this completely I also used to have to drive about an hour each way and then after my transfer 18months ago I now only drive about 10 minutes to my base (but I do have to drive around most days as part of my job - but still much less overall driving). You don't realise until you stop doing it sometimes how much of a toll it was taking on your body with the big drives each day.

Can I come on here and whine for a bit?

I posted the following on facebook. My friends were quite supportive. My family...not so much. I accidentally posted it where all could see it, instead of on a frugal group page, so I guess it serves me right:

Okay, I have all my goals set for the year and I am pretty pumped about them!! Fair warning...this will be a long post.

On the frugal front, I've decided to try something new. Well, a couple of new things actually. I'm a bit nervous about one of them, but I think it's going to be spectacular in the long run.

First, a little background. My dad always taught us to FILL the gas tank when we were filling up. Like even if the automatic shut off cut us off, he'd keep going to round up to the next dollar and he taught us to do that too. It's easier for accounting, so I'm still doing it 24 years later.

But, in December, I stopped pumping the full amount of gas budgeted for the week. At present, I allow myself $40 a week when no out of town activities are expected. But even if there was potentially room in the tank, I didn't put in more than $35. I never heard the automatic shut off for the entire month, although I usually got pretty close to the full line with $35. We generally use about half of a tank per week for regular to and fro transportation. For the first half of the month, this practice had me ahead of them game, but in the end, the extra money got used up anyway since we had two trips to Chatham/Windsor but I really liked being under budget each week, even by just a couple of bucks.

So much so, that I've decided to continue it. I'm going to pump $5 less each week than the amount I have available in the budget. If I need the money later in the week or later in the month, it will still be sitting there in the bank account, ready for use. BUT, if I still have any of that money left when the next payday rolls around...I'll be pretty excited. I think I'll add it to the vacation fund.

And since that's been such a fun experience, I've decided to do the same thing with the grocery budget. Only I think I'm going to aim for about $7 a week for that one. A dollar a day. I dunno why...it just feels right. LOL

And the BIG change is that I'm going to be paying for my groceries...

with cash!!!

I like the pay at the pump feature too much to mess with going inside and standing in line to pay, so I'll still be using the credit card for gasoline but I think the cash system benefits at the grocery store will far outweigh the few inconveniences this switch will make.

I'm a little nervous about it. I've NEVER paid for my groceries with cash. Well not for the last 17 years for sure...I've always used either gift cards, debit or credit, so this will take some getting used to.

But I am up to the challenge. So cash for food, $7 under budget for groceries and $5 under budget for gasoline.

And it all starts tomorrow! EEK!!


My dad (who lives about 250 miles from me) responded like this:

Let ne know when the carburetor freezes up from the water conensation in the fuel system this winter so I can laugh so loudly you will hear me from Chatham.

And my aunt responded like this:

The cost of all groceries is rising significantly this year so you'll be getting alot less if youre taking money from your grocery budget


Family...you can always count on them to crap all over your exciting ideas.

For the record, I knew grocery prices were going to rise (some have already) and I increased my budget accordingly. I'm still hoping to scale it back some though.


**I left their typos because I am small and petty it hurts a little less.

I also always fill my car and try to hit the rounded of dollar after the auto cut off - but I find that I still end up with some savings in my petrol account as some weeks if I have done less driving it costs me less to fill up so the savings is there anyway. I don't know why but the times when I haven't had much money and only add about $20-$25 bringing the tank up to half-full it just seems to disappear so quickly even with only small trips

Yikes! I hate taking my car in for service because it always costs a lot more than anticipated. I would shop around and call a couple places to price it out. And even call the dealer to see what they charge. I have to have work done on my car and I called the dealer to see what they charged and it was the same as the mechanic down the road - so it is no bargain and will go to the dealer who will at least warranty the work.

I will definitely be calling around today - typically dealers in Australia are the most expensive for servicing and I bought the car second hand.

Is your dad a mechanic?

No but he is only of those hand guys who can usually fix most things and did used to help me out on my old car for simple servicing but his health isn't so good at the moment and it would probably be a bit too much for him to be crawling over and under my car doing oil changes etc.

Oh no! I was hit with a huge problem with one of my cylinder s misfiring before Christmas. I took it to the dealership and they told me it was a defect and that Chylster company would pay the whole repair cost ($1800). If you have a newer vehicle (mine is a 2012) maybe you can check online to make sure it's not a recall or anything before using a private mechanic. I would have never thought to do that before this particular instance.

Oh that is so good that the company owned up to the defect and you didn't have to pay. Mine is a little older a 2008 model - when he started talking about the price he said the guidelines included things like a gasket IN CASE it was broken and then of course the labour costs for that extra time and started trying to cut the price but I think if I didn't start asking questions they just would have gone ahead and charged the $980 regardless of if there was a broken gasket or not once they started working on it and this is why I am not going to use them. At this point I don't think there is anything wrong with the car it is just due for its regular service and this is what they are trying to charge. All fingers crossed that once I get it done they don't find anything that needs fixing!

Thanks to all for your ideas and support