Debt Dumpers - 2016

[scdak]

I hope everyone on the thread had a wonderful Easter! I paid bills yesterday and paid off another small card - only big ones left now but one of those is down almost $2000 since the start of the year and I just realized that if I continue with my current plan I can have it PAID off by the end of the year........if not sooner! I am really stoked right now!

 

[Dentam]

I hope everyone on the thread had a wonderful Easter! I paid bills yesterday and paid off another small card - only big ones left now but one of those is down almost $2000 since the start of the year and I just realized that if I continue with my current plan I can have it PAID off by the end of the year........if not sooner! I am really stoked right now!

Woohoo! Congrats and great job!

 

[Dentam]

My Shanghai trip is a go and I should know the exact dates soon. I will be in Shanghai for the conference for 5 days and am then planning to spend a couple of nights at the Toy Story hotel at the new Shanghai Disneyland. Then I plan to go to Beijing for a couple of days to see the Great Wall and some other major sites. I am saving up vacation time as we speak and will have to put my Disney hotel and park tickets on my Disney cc. I will also need to pay for the Beijing part of the trip. Otherwise my other expenses, including airfare, will be paid! It will set me back a bit in terms of debt dumping but it is a once in a lifetime trip and I'm really looking forward to it! I will post a trip report when I return of course! Hopefully I will do better with it than I have with my WDW report... ahem...

 

[DisneyMandC]

My Shanghai trip is a go and I should know the exact dates soon. I will be in Shanghai for the conference for 5 days and am then planning to spend a couple of nights at the Toy Story hotel at the new Shanghai Disneyland. Then I plan to go to Beijing for a couple of days to see the Great Wall and some other major sites. I am saving up vacation time as we speak and will have to put my Disney hotel and park tickets on my Disney cc. I will also need to pay for the Beijing part of the trip. Otherwise my other expenses, including airfare, will be paid! It will set me back a bit in terms of debt dumping but it is a once in a lifetime trip and I'm really looking forward to it! I will post a trip report when I return of course! Hopefully I will do better with it than I have with my WDW report... ahem...

You HAVE to do a Shanghai Disney trip report!!! Complete with lots of pictures!

 

[scdak]

My Shanghai trip is a go and I should know the exact dates soon. I will be in Shanghai for the conference for 5 days and am then planning to spend a couple of nights at the Toy Story hotel at the new Shanghai Disneyland. Then I plan to go to Beijing for a couple of days to see the Great Wall and some other major sites. I am saving up vacation time as we speak and will have to put my Disney hotel and park tickets on my Disney cc. I will also need to pay for the Beijing part of the trip. Otherwise my other expenses, including airfare, will be paid! It will set me back a bit in terms of debt dumping but it is a once in a lifetime trip and I'm really looking forward to it! I will post a trip report when I return of course! Hopefully I will do better with it than I have with my WDW report... ahem...

Wow, sounds like a great trip! I hope you have a great time

 

[Dentam]

You HAVE to do a Shanghai Disney trip report!!! Complete with lots of pictures!

Will do! I already promised my family that I would do a slideshow presentation when I go to visit them this Christmas, so I will be taking plenty of pics!

Wow, sounds like a great trip! I hope you have a great time

Thanks! I am getting very excited!

 

[bcwife76]

@MrsTurnerLovesDisney wow that was a 2 hour roller coaster of emotions!! Congrats on your dh and his new job though!!!

@stayhomemom77 licence renewal is $75 here in BC (just renewed mine the end of January) so we aren't far behind Ontario. I've got my auto insurance renewal papers on my desk (it's up near the end of April) and my plate renewal is $61. Interesting.

@Dentam So awesome about your Shanghai trip!!!

 

[hmwinter85]

March was a bad month for us. I’m so mad at myself. Several of my bad spending habits came back this month. I didn’t meal plan like I should have and blew the grocery budget out of the water. On top of that I had a crazy month at work and often didn’t feel like cooking after I got home so we ate out a lot more then we should have. Food budgets have always been my biggest weakness.

I also made some impulse purchases for Easter and to redecorate DS’s room. And last night our dishwasher died so now I have to figure out how I’m going to pay for that.

I feel like I did have a couple of wins I guess. We got a new roof and we had enough money from my work bonus and tax refund to cover it. We also got a few medical bills in the mail and for the first time we have a HSA account that we will be able to use to pay it off. There isn’t enough in the account to cover the total, but DH was able to set up a payment plan that will work with the deposits to the HAS.

One unexpected expense, but one I think will save us money in the long was, was buying a zoo membership. We got an offer in the mail for 10% off and I think it should curb any last minutes trips I might plan this summer when I get antsy being stuck at home. And we can bring food in, so now I’m trying to come up with fun picnic lunches so we can go without costing us anything else out of pocket.

Sorry this is so long, I just needed to get it all off of my chest. Time to refocus and get back on track for April.

 

[DisneyMandC]

March was a bad month for us. I’m so mad at myself. Several of my bad spending habits came back this month. I didn’t meal plan like I should have and blew the grocery budget out of the water. On top of that I had a crazy month at work and often didn’t feel like cooking after I got home so we ate out a lot more then we should have. Food budgets have always been my biggest weakness.

I also made some impulse purchases for Easter and to redecorate DS’s room. And last night our dishwasher died so now I have to figure out how I’m going to pay for that.

I feel like I did have a couple of wins I guess. We got a new roof and we had enough money from my work bonus and tax refund to cover it. We also got a few medical bills in the mail and for the first time we have a HSA account that we will be able to use to pay it off. There isn’t enough in the account to cover the total, but DH was able to set up a payment plan that will work with the deposits to the HAS.

One unexpected expense, but one I think will save us money in the long was, was buying a zoo membership. We got an offer in the mail for 10% off and I think it should curb any last minutes trips I might plan this summer when I get antsy being stuck at home. And we can bring food in, so now I’m trying to come up with fun picnic lunches so we can go without costing us anything else out of pocket.

Sorry this is so long, I just needed to get it all off of my chest. Time to refocus and get back on track for April.

Sorry about your March struggles I feel your pain on the dishwasher. Ours didn't die, but it may as well have. It didn't get anything clean. We bought a new one at Lowes at the beginning of March. If you time it right, they often have sales on appliances where you can save a good amount. We got a $700 Maytag for $550. We also opened up a Lowe's credit card and got an additional 5% off. Our house is a work in progress, so we use the credit card there a lot and get the discount.

 

[MrsTurnerLovesDisney]

Sorry about your March struggles I feel your pain on the dishwasher. Ours didn't die, but it may as well have. It didn't get anything clean. We bought a new one at Lowes at the beginning of March. If you time it right, they often have sales on appliances where you can save a good amount. We got a $700 Maytag for $550. We also opened up a Lowe's credit card and got an additional 5% off. Our house is a work in progress, so we use the credit card there a lot and get the discount.

In response to buying appliances at Lowes at our local post office here they have the change of address packets out front on the counters. Inside those packets are coupons and one of them was a 5% or maybe 10% coupon to Lowes for appliance purchases. So you can get a savings without a card. I would check the post office just to see if they have those!

 

[DnA2010]

March was a bad month for us. I’m so mad at myself. Several of my bad spending habits came back this month. I didn’t meal plan like I should have and blew the grocery budget out of the water. On top of that I had a crazy month at work and often didn’t feel like cooking after I got home so we ate out a lot more then we should have. Food budgets have always been my biggest weakness.

I also made some impulse purchases for Easter and to redecorate DS’s room. And last night our dishwasher died so now I have to figure out how I’m going to pay for that.

I feel like I did have a couple of wins I guess. We got a new roof and we had enough money from my work bonus and tax refund to cover it. We also got a few medical bills in the mail and for the first time we have a HSA account that we will be able to use to pay it off. There isn’t enough in the account to cover the total, but DH was able to set up a payment plan that will work with the deposits to the HAS.

One unexpected expense, but one I think will save us money in the long was, was buying a zoo membership. We got an offer in the mail for 10% off and I think it should curb any last minutes trips I might plan this summer when I get antsy being stuck at home. And we can bring food in, so now I’m trying to come up with fun picnic lunches so we can go without costing us anything else out of pocket.

Sorry this is so long, I just needed to get it all off of my chest. Time to refocus and get back on track for April.

Sorry to hear March was touch, I'm finding the "Eat at Home" thread really really useful, and we have barely ate out at all

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Sorry to hear March was touch, I'm finding the "Eat at Home" thread really really useful, and we have barely ate out at all

We rarely go out to eat. Usually just for birthdays and our anniversary. Dh is a pretty good cook and doesn't mind cooking.

We are still living in a hotel and though it has a small kitchen, it's really not fully equipped so we've been getting more take out than usual. Then again our weekly grocery bill is less than half of what it would normally be with such little storage.
Hopefully we'll be back home in 1 more week!

 

[PrincessKymm]

So I decided to stop feeling sorry for myself and I relaunched Mint. I used them successfully after my divorce. My lap top is getting fixed so I can't try YNAB again (I bought it but couldn't grasp it the first two times). Since Mint is all online I can do it anywhere. My food and dining out is out of control. Time to eat out of the pantry again!!!!!!

I've been getting lax about cooking so I need to cook twice a week again. It was working so well but of course I fell off the wagon.

I'm hoping to get two cards paid off plus the one I use each month. It's got a very small balance on it, like $300 so I'm sure with some strategic planning I can pay all three balances by the end of the year.

This cruise is costing me a lot of money. I'm kinda mad and don't want to go now but my sister is going through more rough times. I feel bad so I will go but she needs to grow up. I had a child very young and was forced to grow up in my early adult hood. I had help from my parents but nothing like she got at the same time (3 bailouts to the tune of $3,000 each) and now my parents aren't in a situation to help her and she's realized she doesn't know what she will do. So of course other family has stepped in to help with clear cut guidelines but she hasn't met those so they are mad. So frustrated! Anyways, I just need to concentrate on me and my bills and get them paid off. My Disney trip will be amazing so that's helping me carry through and makes me want to pinch pennies.

 

[toystoryduo]

Well, March didn't go exactly as planned.

Murphy showed up a few times with car repairs, dryer repairs, and having to take money out of savings to cover my DH's paycheck issues.

April should be a much better month for us. We plan on eating at home more often and maybe doing a spending freeze or challenge of some sort as well.

Once we hit our savings goal, it's time to re-start the debt snowball. We have a couple of debts that are small, so those should be some quick, easy wins.

Until then, we'll focus on getting our savings back to where it needs to be.

 

[stayhomemom77]

March was a bit of a challenge for us as well. Two sets of car repairs and the sudden heart attack and subsequent funeral of an out of town loved one wiped out our Curveball fund and put us slightly over budget for gasoline, food and misc expenses. But our emergency money is still intact and April's budget will absorb the overages this past weekend created with only a small reduction to our planned savings transfers. I still have to do the math to see where we stand but payday is Monday and then I'll get everything squared away.

We have no out of town travel planned for April and DH's schedule will change half way through the month when examinations begin at his university. We should be significantly under budget in the gasoline category as a result. I'm working on a plan to reduce our grocery spending for April as well, so hopefully the sales will cooperate with my plans.

It's been a busy month and this week is completely nutso...I'll be glad when things calm down next week!

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

So I decided to stop feeling sorry for myself and I relaunched Mint. I used them successfully after my divorce. My lap top is getting fixed so I can't try YNAB again (I bought it but couldn't grasp it the first two times). Since Mint is all online I can do it anywhere. My food and dining out is out of control. Time to eat out of the pantry again!!!!!!

I've been getting lax about cooking so I need to cook twice a week again. It was working so well but of course I fell off the wagon.

I'm hoping to get two cards paid off plus the one I use each month. It's got a very small balance on it, like $300 so I'm sure with some strategic planning I can pay all three balances by the end of the year.

This cruise is costing me a lot of money. I'm kinda mad and don't want to go now but my sister is going through more rough times. I feel bad so I will go but she needs to grow up. I had a child very young and was forced to grow up in my early adult hood. I had help from my parents but nothing like she got at the same time (3 bailouts to the tune of $3,000 each) and now my parents aren't in a situation to help her and she's realized she doesn't know what she will do. So of course other family has stepped in to help with clear cut guidelines but she hasn't met those so they are mad. So frustrated! Anyways, I just need to concentrate on me and my bills and get them paid off. My Disney trip will be amazing so that's helping me carry through and makes me want to pinch pennies.

Would you be penalized if you cancel the cruise now? Why pay if you don't really want to go?
I would also be frustrated if that was my sister.
Unless she's still a teenager, I can't imagine being an adult and expecting a family member to come and bail me out. Isn't that what we're all doing ourselves here? We all make conscious decisions with our spending and even when we regret our choices, we live with our consequences, and usually learn from them.

 

[mom2t]

I have managed to drop my one cc left $7000 since last November. I wanted it to be more but things happen.. Hoping to drop another $5000 in the next 3 months. I keep plugging along.

 

[dayvewc]

Ok, so today I finally got an email response to the email I sent DRI on 10 February. They pretty much said "tough, you are stuck with it and we expect you to continue paying for everything."

I (paraphrased) replied that I appreciated that they finally got back in touch with me, that since the whole mess started this was only the second time someone had bothered to respond. Also, it was very nice that they could reference all the documents I had signed to verify that the information in them is consistent with what they are billing and charging me. I sure wish I had a copy of those documents so I could see that information as well. And yes, I recognize that the policy says I left the sales presentation with a copy of the contract; but just as the email said that scans of the relevant documents were attached but weren't, somehow I wound up away from there without a copy. So, as far as I can verify, I need to know the address and date I'm expected to mail my firstborn child.

I then went to the BBB website and updated that they had replied to my email from 10 Feb on 29 March, and gave a brief overview of what the email had said, with my reply.

And then, the roommate got up to go to work, and mentioned that I had a couple of messages on the answering machine. :-/. Apparently, the supervisor from the financial office tried to call Monday afternoon, and the quality assurance officer that did my closing tried to call this afternoon. I don't care that the roomie listens to the messages, but since the machine doesn't beep for old messages, I need to know that I have them. Especially since one of my complaints has been the lack of response I get from them.

 

[PrincessKymm]

Would you be penalized if you cancel the cruise now? Why pay if you don't really want to go?
I would also be frustrated if that was my sister.
Unless she's still a teenager, I can't imagine being an adult and expecting a family member to come and bail me out. Isn't that what we're all doing ourselves here? We all make conscious decisions with our spending and even when we regret our choices, we live with our consequences, and usually learn from them.

The penalty is something like $350. It's sad when I'm willing to give up $350 but since it's the same penalty now as it is in September when payment is due I'm holding it for now. If I just cancel me and my son off the penalty is only like $100 or $200 so for now I'm keeping it. I've got plenty of time to open my mouth and cause a ruckus with my sister.

I'm peeved again with her today because she said she would do something for me and now all of a sudden it's not convenient for her so she's backing out. You know the "oh well I would but..." Never mind she confirmed it wasn't an issue last week. Argh! The worst problem is she's older than me! You'd think I could count on my big sister for help but nope, I sure can't.

I'm trying to set up an April budget and I'm failing miserably!

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Sometimes age has nothing to do with maturity level. I had a coworker who was 50 something, never moved out of her parents' house, and had all the responsibilities of a 12 yr old. She'd blow her whole paycheck on frivolous things and even after having worked with her for almost 25 yrs, when she lost her job, had no savings to fall back on.
You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink.