Debt Dumpers - 2016

[MrsTurnerLovesDisney]

Shoo Murphy...if it wasn't for bad luck I wouldn't have any luck at all. Got the car picked up yesterday she's running great.

And shattered my new phone screen. I got the phone back in May had to pay out of pocket because my old phone was not in good condition I couldn't get a free upgrade tho my contract is up in Sept. THe reason my phone was not in good condition it was shattered....

So I paid $150 out of pocket for the phone then got a protector case with a 12 ft drop protection and it says it would shatter the screen protector before the screen. well last night dear daughter who is a toddler dropped my phone on carpet...and it cracked my screen. as we were trying to remove the screen protector since we were hoping that it was broken and not the actual screen my whole screen shattered and the screen itself came loose from the phone and the phone is not even workable.

I'm going to Verizon today to demand either a replacement phone or my money back. I really dislike Verizon

 

[DisneyMandC]

Yeesh, sorry about everyone's bad luck with phones and cars! No fun! @MrsTurnerLovesDisney , it sounds like Verizon or whoever provided your phone case or screen should cover that. I know Otterbox/Lifeproof provides warranties where that should not happen. That is frustrating though.

Update on FIL: He is awake and out of ICU! We started OT and PT today, he will have to learn to walk and talk (and everything else) again. The neurologist said his brain injuries all appear to be the type he can recover from though, and he's relatively young (52), so his prognosis is good. My in-laws live two hours from us and his doctors just recommended they send him to the brain injury rehab center at a major hospital in my city, so we are hopeful that we can get him into that since I know it's one of the best in the nation. It will also be nice to be able to provide more assistance to my MIL and have her stay with us since they'll be nearby. So fingers crossed for continuing good news! He is smiling at us and trying to give us a thumbs up, so we are hopeful things will get better.

 

[KBOhio]

It's been a while since I posted on this forum but life happened. Very slow moving on debt reduction.

Nothing major (or terrible, thankfully) but just busy. Debt reduction got sidetracked by life - son graduated so had all of those expenses, had paying off medical bills from younger son's back issues and just life in general. While we have avoided using credit for day to day expenses, we had to redo our front steps and back deck to make safe for graduation party and used credit cards for that.

Senior year is mind boggling expensive and having two kids in two years graduate has crushed our discretionary spending. Luckily, youngest is only a sophomore so have a breather.

The husband and I regaining focus now. There are expenses still ahead as we get son prepped for college and pay for younger son's sports fees, camps and crazy expensive gear and then school fees for high school.

We have been focused on eating in and trying to resist the urge for more and new "stuff."
Reading everyone's posts helped me regain the focus and drive to get out of debt.

Thanks all for the motivation!

 

[amalone1013]

I second everyone for the motivation!

DF and I each put $600 extra towards student loans last night. July should be a good month - 3 paychecks each, some overtime each (mine will add up to around 80hrs at regular pay!). Plus we have a week and a half vacation, and DF will be gone half a week for work travel. The vacation money is waiting to be spent and we should have some leftover, plus leftovers in the budget categories (we didn't mess with them). And I picked up a rewards credit card - putting the vacation on it will meet the signup bonus, and hopefully we can use it for a few nights at a hotel by DisneyWorld for our honeymoon next year.

 

[MrsTurnerLovesDisney]

@DisneyMandC

It's an incipio case and fine print which isn't listed anywhere on the packaging but deep on the website says it doesn't cover phone damage just damage to the case that is what the 1 year warranty is. to make matters worse I can't even get the photos off this phone of my daughter from this weekend. I'm just done with this week.

Glad your FIL is making improvements though and I will send prayers he does get moved near you I know that will make things sooo much easier on you to be close. Last year my mom had major surgery and even though I was only 45 minutes away and my 2 brothers live right there it was hard not being close to personally check on her. Best wishes!

 

[arlinar]

Been awhile since I posted.

Finally going back to work on the 18th which means another paycheck. I'm also caught up on car payments as well

I was a month and behind on my car due to change of career between me and my significant other.

Now to start widdling down the credit card payment. Doing a $40 payment this month. It might not sound much as I only have a $200 credit limit to help rebuild my credit.

Currently looking for a budget book.

@DisneyMandC

It's an incipio case and fine print which isn't listed anywhere on the packaging but deep on the website says it doesn't cover phone damage just damage to the case that is what the 1 year warranty is. to make matters worse I can't even get the photos off this phone of my daughter from this weekend. I'm just done with this week.

Glad your FIL is making improvements though and I will send prayers he does get moved near you I know that will make things sooo much easier on you to be close. Last year my mom had major surgery and even though I was only 45 minutes away and my 2 brothers live right there it was hard not being close to personally check on her. Best wishes!

Do you have your photos synched up to a cloud that your able to access from a computer? Are you able to get a USB cord to attach your phone to the computer and see about uploading your photos?

Sorry to hear about your phone!

 

[MrsTurnerLovesDisney]

@arlinar
sadly no on both of those cases..i didn't use cloud and I should have and the usb port doesn't seem to be working. I guess that's why I'm extra mad it's not just that the phone screen is broken the whole phone seems to be broken.

while I'm on my pity party here I had a friend suggest I contact my credit card company since I purchased it with my Disney Visa. Thoughts? I've never disputed anything before but this is ridiculous to be sold a product that is able to be destroyed so easily less than 60 days after purchase and to be sold something to protect it that does nothing at all. I have the box the protector case comes in saying 1 year warranty (no where on it does it say only for the case) and that it protects from falls up to 12 feet. I am going to write a letter to both Verizon and the Incipio company letting them know I am not happy with service or products.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

@arlinar
sadly no on both of those cases..i didn't use cloud and I should have and the usb port doesn't seem to be working. I guess that's why I'm extra mad it's not just that the phone screen is broken the whole phone seems to be broken.

while I'm on my pity party here I had a friend suggest I contact my credit card company since I purchased it with my Disney Visa. Thoughts? I've never disputed anything before but this is ridiculous to be sold a product that is able to be destroyed so easily less than 60 days after purchase and to be sold something to protect it that does nothing at all. I have the box the protector case comes in saying 1 year warranty (no where on it does it say only for the case) and that it protects from falls up to 12 feet. I am going to write a letter to both Verizon and the Incipio company letting them know I am not happy with service or products.

Did you get the insurance for it when you bought it? We have ATT and our insurance covers that. Dh and ds16 have both shattered their phones, even in an otterbox.

 

[MrsTurnerLovesDisney]

Did you get the insurance for it when you bought it? We have ATT and our insurance covers that. Dh and ds16 have both shattered their phones, even in an otterbox.

no didn't have insurance....it just seems kinda crappy that within less than 2 months of buying a phone the whole thing breaks. I could have replaced the shattered screen on it for $100 but the whole phone is not even functioning at this point. I feel like there should be a warranty for the actual phone itself even if I'm SOL on the screen. Even like a bill credit of some amount would at least make me feel less sucky about it. Ugh! This proves to me why Disney is the superior company is all aspects lol! They would have at least given me a dole whip for my troubles!

 

[arlinar]

Checked my Credit Karma account and saw that my Equifax dropped by 50 points. Upon checking the public record on my credit report dropped. It makes me happy cause I will be able to actually to rent an apartment again but aggravated that I have to rebuild that credit all over again. It's a never ending cycle.

 

[dayvewc]

So, as a bit of levity.

I went by the dealership to see if the repairs would void the warranty on the car.

When explaining the question to the person, I was as serious as possible and said, "48 days ago I bought my car. Last Sunday, I was driving home from my aunts funeral in Pennsylvania, when some enraged, deranged, demon-possessed, mutant, Godzilla attack deer assaulted my car."

By the time I was done with the description, she was openly laughing. So I continued, "I can't even swear that it didn't have glowing red eyes and was breathing fire. So, since my car is being repaired, is the warranty still good?"

She absolutely lost it, wiped the years from her eyes, and said she'd have to check. Came back and said as long as the shop uses genuine OMG parts, it is still good.

I called the shop, and they said that as new as it was, they were using the GMO parts. And he said about half the parts came in today, they expect the rest by Monday, and it should be fixed by either next Friday or the Monday after.

So, that is good at least.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

So, as a bit of levity.

I went by the dealership to see if the repairs would void the warranty on the car.

When explaining the question to the person, I was as serious as possible and said, "48 days ago I bought my car. Last Sunday, I was driving home from my aunts funeral in Pennsylvania, when some enraged, deranged, demon-possessed, mutant, Godzilla attack deer assaulted my car."

By the time I was done with the description, she was openly laughing. So I continued, "I can't even swear that it didn't have glowing red eyes and was breathing fire. So, since my car is being repaired, is the warranty still good?"

She absolutely lost it, wiped the years from her eyes, and said she'd have to check. Came back and said as long as the shop uses genuine OMG parts, it is still good.

I called the shop, and they said that as new as it was, they were using the GMO parts. And he said about half the parts came in today, they expect the rest by Monday, and it should be fixed by either next Friday or the Monday after.

So, that is good at least.

May I ask, what are "genuine OMG parts"? I think dh has some.

 

[dayvewc]

May I ask, what are "genuine OMG parts"? I think dh has some.

Honestly, I'm really not sure. Both people I talked to rattled off a couple of letters really fast. I didn't catch the exact order so I was guessing.

I think they are expensive though.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Honestly, I'm really not sure. Both people I talked to rattled off a couple of letters really fast. I didn't catch the exact order so I was guessing.

I think they are expensive though.

I was just making a joke. I guess it wasn't very funny.

 

[gracie1]

I was just making a joke. I guess it wasn't very funny.

Lol! I thought it was pretty funny

 

[gracie1]

Honestly, I'm really not sure. Both people I talked to rattled off a couple of letters really fast. I didn't catch the exact order so I was guessing.

I think they are expensive though.

It should be original parts.

 

[DisneyMandC]

Does anyone have any experience with Lending Club or Lending Tree for loans? They seem to be pretty credible and I've seen them mentioned on several debt and financial blogs. We are thinking about getting a loan to consolidate two student loans and DH's car loan. The interest rates with my credit score is far better than our current interest rates on the student loans. I haven't done the math down to the nitty-gritty, but it would be worth it based on that and the lower monthly payment alone.

Any thoughts? I've heard of SoFi too, but the interest rates from them weren't as desirable.

 

[Ngwira]

Budget is busted here. We decided to use the slow summer months to replace all windows in the house. They windows were put in in 1983 so 33 years ago! They are super drafty so needed to be replaced as they aren't very energy efficient. After getting 3 estimates, we went with Home Depot due to a 15 percent off installation coupon and 0 percent financing for 2 years. We are replacing 12 windows at a cost of $7100.00.

I do have this amount in savings to pay in full, but since we have a two year no interest loan I'm not paying it all off at once. I'll likely pay 4K immediately and throw extra money on it till its paid off this year.

The other budget buster is I need a new car. My Honda has 215,000miles on it and I commute 100 miles a day so am worried about safety. Not sure if I should buy new or used. DH,s car has 185k so not sure if we should buy new and he gives me his to commute. Or should I just buy a low mileage used car? I don't want a car payment but if I get a no interest loan I will deal with it. Don't want to take too much money out of savings since we are taking out 4K to pay off window loan.
Any advice would help. Thanks.

 

[Ngwira]

Does anyone have any experience with Lending Club or Lending Tree for loans? They seem to be pretty credible and I've seen them mentioned on several debt and financial blogs. We are thinking about getting a loan to consolidate two student loans and DH's car loan. The interest rates with my credit score is far better than our current interest rates on the student loans. I haven't done the math down to the nitty-gritty, but it would be worth it based on that and the lower monthly payment alone.

Any thoughts? I've heard of SoFi too, but the interest rates from them weren't as desirable.

No advice but they are credible. Good luck whatever you decide.

 

[dayvewc]

I was just making a joke. I guess it wasn't very funny.

That was probably my fault. I've been going 20 hours a day since Thursday, and I saw the ROFL guy, but he didn't register.

Does anyone have any experience with Lending Club or Lending Tree for loans? They seem to be pretty credible and I've seen them mentioned on several debt and financial blogs. We are thinking about getting a loan to consolidate two student loans and DH's car loan. The interest rates with my credit score is far better than our current interest rates on the student loans. I haven't done the math down to the nitty-gritty, but it would be worth it based on that and the lower monthly payment alone.

Any thoughts? I've heard of SoFi too, but the interest rates from them weren't as desirable.

I keep getting stuff from Lending Tree, Lending Club, and Prosper. I looked into them last fall, and Lending Club had the best rates for me. I did a consolidation loan, it is saving me about $100 a month in payments. In general, I go by my dad's advice that you can't borrow your way out of debt, but I managed to cut my interest rates by 1/3, I pay less each month for those payments, and they will be paid off in 2 1/2 more years (instead of the estimated 5 years on my schedule).

I would recommend using one of them just to pay off the student loans if you get a better interest rate. If nothing else, that moves the student loans out of a "protected" status to where they can be eliminated if you have to consider bankruptcy. (Not what any of us would want to do, I think, but it is something to consider).