Debt Dumpers - 2017

[mrsabbott]

We have decided to not buy the truck and to instead pay off debt and replace my broken dishwasher.
I did pay off my Kohl's charge and have put the card up. I will only use it if there is a real need (kids suddenly outgrow all their shoes or something). I did not do this with tax money, but with our regular paycheck. That frees up $25 a month, which is a start. We are trying to decide which debt to pay off first with the refund.

We have decided on a Bosch dishwasher because they have gotten the best reviews and supposedly last a long time. I found one on sale, plus I have an additional 10% off coupon. We will have to pay for installation and I am debating on if we should purchase the extended warranty. Considering our bad luck with dishwashers, perhaps we should!

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

I love, love, love my Bosch dishwasher!!
And I'm so glad we got the one with the 3rd rack. At first I thought this was such a gimmick that would only shrink the height of the 2 racks but really, they drop the bottom rack to lower than avg and there are so many gadgets that we put on that top 3rd rack like steak knives, spatulas, serving/mixing spoons, etc. that would all take up a lot of space if it had to go in the utensil racks.

I bought a warranty from Square Trade and of course didn't use it and probably would not buy one if I were to buy another Bosch. The 3 yr warranty ran out. Our stuff only breaks when we DONT buy the warranty.

We bought ours from www.abt.com which is based in Chicago area but offered free shipping (freight) and because it's out of state, 0% sales tax.
(suck it Chris Christy!)

I would buy from them again. Dh could install it but if you need installation it may be better to buy from a local store.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

http://www.abt.com/product/69411/Bosch-24-Bar-Handle-800-White-Built-In-Dishwasher-SHX68T52UC.html


If mine died today, I'd buy it again in a heartbeat. Our last 3 were GE, Maytag, & Kenmore Elite. This blows them all away.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

DH and I went today to purchase the 5-year maintenance plan on his car. When we bought the car in April we decided to save money and buy the service plan with cash before the 1 year mark instead of bundling it with the auto loan. Back in April they quoted us $800 and it was a big savings over paying each service separately over the first 5 years, so we knew we wanted to get it. I was a little worried that the price might have gone up and they would quote us something higher. Well, we went in and sat down with the finance guy. He pulled up our car's information and said, "Well, how does $650 sound?" My heart did a little flutter and I quickly said, "Oh, sure. Sounds good."

So by waiting 10 months we ended up saving $150 off the plan. And now we don't have to worry about any of the regularly scheduled maintenance costs until 2022! We will probably just need some tires between now and then. It's nice knowing that is covered at such a good price.

 

[dclpluto]

DH and I went today to purchase the 5-year maintenance plan on his car. When we bought the car in April we decided to save money and buy the service plan with cash before the 1 year mark instead of bundling it with the auto loan. Back in April they quoted us $800 and it was a big savings over paying each service separately over the first 5 years, so we knew we wanted to get it. I was a little worried that the price might have gone up and they would quote us something higher. Well, we went in and sat down with the finance guy. He pulled up our car's information and said, "Well, how does $650 sound?" My heart did a little flutter and I quickly said, "Oh, sure. Sounds good."

So by waiting 10 months we ended up saving $150 off the plan. And now we don't have to worry about any of the regularly scheduled maintenance costs until 2022! We will probably just need some tires between now and then. It's nice knowing that is covered at such a good price.

Was it a new car? If so it probably comes with three years so you are actually only getting 2 years of it. But that's a good price. Piece of mind. Lots of things we have we hope we lose money on. Like health insurance, pet insurance, car insurance, home insurance. You want to lose money on all them things but glad it's there if needed.

 

[Eureka]

Good news, I came back from grocery shopping and the van was not in the driveway. Dh got it started and drove it around for half an hour. Let's hope it will continue. We've decided to try to drive it around town on the weekends to keep it running. Also, we may not need four plane tickets for the family event I've referred to before. The kids are off that week so they and DH may drive and take a few more days (special family bday so we'd be visiting his mom) and I can fly up since I am really the only one that needs to be back to work immediately. So that will save us a boatload with just having to buy one ticket.

On another note, we just had a crazy thunder and hailstorm. I don't see any damage to the car or house though. Hope Ngwira and family were safe inside somewhere during it, I know they are touring D.C. this weekend.

 

[Eureka]

First, baby update. Had an ultrasound yesterday and everything is good. DH was able to be there. He got to hear the heartbeat. He is convinced he can see the baby's face, though it is still so small (.94 cm) there really isn't much to see except a tiny blob. I have been officially discharged from the fertility clinic and have an appointment with an OB in 2ish weeks.

DH and I have our Norwegian Fjords cruise in May and we had kind of decided that we were unlikely to take any big trips in 2018 and just wait for Disney in Spring 2019. But I would still like to plan for the possibility of going somewhere. And then I thought, maybe we could go to Wisconsin for a week. We could take the ferry from Muskegon to Milwaukee, spend a few days in Milwaukee, maybe a few days in Madison and also go to Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin (DH really wants to do this). I haven't really been back to Wisconsin in a while and would love DH to see where I went to college. If we went in August or even Sept., then baby would be around 10-11 months. Is this reasonable or completely crazy? It would probably be pretty budget friendly, especially if I used hotel and credit card rewards to book our hotel.

Glad all is going well! Babies under a year are probably the most portable they will be until they're a little older into the toddler years, at least imo. 10-11 months may be pushing it in that area depending if yours is mobile by then. My kids were both walking by 10 mos and that made it harder bc they were not content to stay put. Lol. In terms of a hotel, that's also pretty doable if they or you have a pack n play for sleeping. You will be surprised though how much stuff you need to take when you travel with a baby though, even just the basics. Even 2-3 days is lots of outfits, diapers, plus snacks, toys, etc.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

Was it a new car? If so it probably comes with three years so you are actually only getting 2 years of it. But that's a good price. Piece of mind. Lots of things we have we hope we lose money on. Like health insurance, pet insurance, car insurance, home insurance. You want to lose money on all them things but glad it's there if needed.

It is a new car, but it did not come with any maintenance included. My 2013 VW Tiguan came with 3 years of service when I bought it, but VW wasn't running a similar promotion when DH bought his car.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

Glad all is going well! Babies under a year are probably the most portable they will be until they're a little older into the toddler years, at least imo. 10-11 months may be pushing it in that area depending if yours is mobile by then. My kids were both walking by 10 mos and that made it harder bc they were not content to stay put. Lol. In terms of a hotel, that's also pretty doable if they or you have a pack n play for sleeping. You will be surprised though how much stuff you need to take when you travel with a baby though, even just the basics. Even 2-3 days is lots of outfits, diapers, plus snacks, toys, etc.

I was actually looking at possible trips and we are now leaning towards a cottage rental near Sleeping Dunes National Lakeshore in upper Michigan in July 2018. It is just a 4 hour drive, so travel expenses wouldn't be as expensive as taking the ferry to Wisconsin. A cottage has the advantage of having a full kitchen, which would make feeding baby easier. We could pack pre-made or easy to make meals for ourselves and have minimal food costs (maybe eat 2-3 lunches/dinners out for fun). If we do the week of July 4 then we could do a 5 or 6 night trip and only take 3 days of vacation. I am even checking with some of the cottages to see if they would allow us to take our parrot with us, which would help save a $150-$200 in pet sitting fees (and I would love to have him). If we took the parrot, we might have to drive 2 cars to fit everything in, but that doesn't seem like a huge deal. Fuel costs would still only amount to about $100. This type of trip would give us a lot of flexibility in our schedule.

 

[MEM]

I was actually looking at possible trips and we are now leaning towards a cottage rental near Sleeping Dunes National Lakeshore in upper Michigan in July 2018. It is just a 4 hour drive, so travel expenses wouldn't be as expensive as taking the ferry to Wisconsin. A cottage has the advantage of having a full kitchen, which would make feeding baby easier. We could pack pre-made or easy to make meals for ourselves and have minimal food costs (maybe eat 2-3 lunches/dinners out for fun). If we do the week of July 4 then we could do a 5 or 6 night trip and only take 3 days of vacation. I am even checking with some of the cottages to see if they would allow us to take our parrot with us, which would help save a $150-$200 in pet sitting fees (and I would love to have him). If we took the parrot, we might have to drive 2 cars to fit everything in, but that doesn't seem like a huge deal. Fuel costs would still only amount to about $100. This type of trip would give us a lot of flexibility in our schedule.

I love that you have a parrot! I have always admired them but I appreciate that their lifespan means the parrot could outlive me.

 

[Alexle2007]

On another note, we just had a crazy thunder and hailstorm. I don't see any damage to the car or house though. Hope Ngwira and family were safe inside somewhere during it, I know they are touring D.C. this weekend.

We had that too. But, luckily, I was in a local winery with friends enjoying some girl time.

 

[mrsabbott]

Apparently, the Bosch dishwasher I was looking at has sold out. I will shop around a little more. I don't want to pay over a certain amount. We had a Whirlpool that lasted 4 years and a Maytag that lasted 2 and had been repaired once already. Not a good experience and we will never buy Maytag again.
I have been researching and Bosch, Whirlpool, and Frigidaire have all gotten good ratings for reliability and have models within our budget.

Hubs found out that he is not getting promoted to manager any time soon. He had hoped they would consider him but they restructured and sort of demoted this one guy back to store manager. I really think it is all about money and numbers and not about Hubs' work performance but he is pretty bummed about it.

Crunching numbers.. we will pay off 3 credit cards!! We could pay off a 4th but my car needs work and it is either pay cash or put debt right back on the card we would pay off. So, we will fix that and buy the dishwasher. Any that is left, I want to put into savings for our emergency fund.

We will free up about $150 in payments a month which we will put towards paying off the next credit card! I am also working on the budget to see if I can free up a little more.

Our debt is so embarrassing though. We owe a LOT of money. A whole lot. We will still have 7 credit cards to pay, plus our 3 school loans. But if all goes well, we should get 2, possibly 3 of them paid off by this time next year. Just need to get that snowball rolling!

It is discouraging but each year we will get a little bit closer and each debt we pay will free up more money and make the paying off a littlest easier. Not next year, but the year after we may even be able to go on a real vacation!!!

 

[PrincessKymm]

I've been considering driving for Uber or UberEats or something similar to make extra money.

I overspent on my girls trip. The good news is my sister is FINALLY getting her life together and is starting automatic transfers from her paycheck to my bank account for all the money she owes me.

DS is getting super expensive...I'm considering putting him up for adoption...
He hit his healthcare deductible of $400 on 2/6. I owe that plus a little co-insurance to the hospital already.
Track fees $100
Sports physical $25
Tutoring sessions $50 monthly
Therapy 2x a month $120 monthly
School fees are past due $54
Marching Band Fees will be due in August $100-250 as the school board hasn't set the next years fees yet
He is growing again so he hasn't stopped eating. He ate 1/2 a rotisserie chicken by himself tonight along with about 3 cups of mashed potatoes and a helping of green bean casserole.
I've made an appeal to my health insurance as they have denied DS's genetic testing from last July. Apparently I was supposed to ask the doctor to pre-certify this and know to do this amidst all the craziness that was the day DS had an irregular EKG. If they don't change their decision, I will owe $1500 out of pocket. I'll know in 60 days or so.
I also need to figure out summer activities for him, maybe a pool pass, tennis lessons, pocket money, etc.
Add all this onto his $215 a month braces payment and I feel like sobbing daily.

I'm bribing DS to improve at school. I'm at my wits end with him but this seems to be working so I'm going to have to continue. His first goal was met (improve his attitude in class and pull his D's up to B's or higher) so that cost me 2 tickets to see Gabriel Iglesias, his favorite comedian. $80 for the tickets plus dinner and our transportation home or parking downtown (about $20 for either)

His second bribe is Green Day tickets. I've already purchased the tickets since regardless if he is going I am going with friends. If he hits a 4.0 once this year he gets to bring a friend which will cost me another ticket. I'm not expecting this to happen but will squeal with delight if it does.

DS is struggling hardcore with adjusting to high school. He's technically an 8th grader but our district has 8th grade in the high school. While they are kept separate from the older kids, they are still treated as high schoolers. The ONLY plus to this is DS already has high school credit for some of his classes such as Spanish and Gym which are both graduation requirements. His robotics class is completely free this year. I have no idea what the fees are for his intro to pre-engineering class will be. I'm hoping for free.

I made my first large payment to my next credit card after paying off all the others. I feel like this debt is overwhelming and I'll never unbury myself. I know this isn't true. I also feel like I need to beef up my savings for various reasons. I feel like I need to make more income but I'm already exhausted daily.

 

[Ngwira]

Good news, I came back from grocery shopping and the van was not in the driveway. Dh got it started and drove it around for half an hour. Let's hope it will continue. We've decided to try to drive it around town on the weekends to keep it running. Also, we may not need four plane tickets for the family event I've referred to before. The kids are off that week so they and DH may drive and take a few more days (special family bday so we'd be visiting his mom) and I can fly up since I am really the only one that needs to be back to work immediately. So that will save us a boatload with just having to buy one ticket.

On another note, we just had a crazy thunder and hailstorm. I don't see any damage to the car or house though. Hope Ngwira and family were safe inside somewhere during it, I know they are touring D.C. this weekend.

Ha ha..we were taking cover under a food truck in front of the Smithsonian Museum of African American History when the storm hit. We were drenched...but it's all good. I was so happy to just get same day tickets, it was worth the weather lashing. We also toured the Museum of Natural history. We had a great time in DC. The Fairmont is amazing and we'll return to it in June. I'm hoping to secure a White House tour when we come back. We will also check out the zoo and the National Mall.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

I love that you have a parrot! I have always admired them but I appreciate that their lifespan means the parrot could outlive me.

Hector is an African grey parrot. Super cute and always makes me smile or laugh. I got him when I was a senior in undergrad. He will be 12 years old in April and I am hoping for many, many more birthdays for him. He is such an awesome guy and I love him so much. I told DH jokingly last night that Hector is my #1, if only because I have known him longer than DH.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

Ha ha..we were taking cover under a food truck in front of the Smithsonian Museum of African American History when the storm hit. We were drenched...but it's all good. I was so happy to just get same day tickets, it was worth the weather lashing. We also toured the Museum of Natural history. We had a great time in DC. The Fairmont is amazing and we'll return to it in June. I'm hoping to secure a White House tour when we come back. We will also check out the zoo and the National Mall.

5 years ago, DH and I took a trip to DC over Memorial day. It was our second vacation as a couple and a perfect choice. I was able to get a White House tour through my parent's congressman. I was worried that since DH is Canadian, the request might be denied though, but I requested it many months in advance to make sure. It was one of the highlight's of our trip. Since it is limited to only those pre-approved through a Member of Congress, DH felt like this was a pretty special part of our trip. DH really, really loved the tour and asked tons of questions to all of the docents as we walked through. He still talks about the fact that on the day we went for the tour, President Obama was going to have a private screening of Men in Black 3 in the White House theatre with Will Smith himself.

 

[mrsabbott]

Okay, those 3 credit cards are officially paid off and I "hid" them from my bill pay account so that I no longer have to look at them! Yay!! I also paid 3 overdue medical bills.. they weren't large but they are GONE! I have two more that are a little larger that I am going to try to pay soon. I hate medical bills. I mean, I go in and pay the copay and then they charge me again on whatever insurance decides they aren't going to pay. Ugh!

Still shopping for the right dishwasher. I am hoping that I can find a good deal. Hubs seems set on buying from HH Gregg for some reason, but they don't have the one I was wanting in stock. Since I am the one that will be using it, I am going to shop around.

 

[DnA2010]

DH and I went today to purchase the 5-year maintenance plan on his car. When we bought the car in April we decided to save money and buy the service plan with cash before the 1 year mark instead of bundling it with the auto loan. Back in April they quoted us $800 and it was a big savings over paying each service separately over the first 5 years, so we knew we wanted to get it. I was a little worried that the price might have gone up and they would quote us something higher. Well, we went in and sat down with the finance guy. He pulled up our car's information and said, "Well, how does $650 sound?" My heart did a little flutter and I quickly said, "Oh, sure. Sounds good."

So by waiting 10 months we ended up saving $150 off the plan. And now we don't have to worry about any of the regularly scheduled maintenance costs until 2022! We will probably just need some tires between now and then. It's nice knowing that is covered at such a good price.

Wow awesome!! I've never seen a maintenance plan before- sounds like a great deal!!

 

[MEM]

Hector is an African grey parrot. Super cute and always makes me smile or laugh. I got him when I was a senior in undergrad. He will be 12 years old in April and I am hoping for many, many more birthdays for him. He is such an awesome guy and I love him so much. I told DH jokingly last night that Hector is my #1, if only because I have known him longer than DH.

I'm guessing that Hector talks to you? Some have quite a broad vocabulary, although none so broad as the late, great Alex, eh?. I never knew that Alex lived at Brandeis University, not far from me.

 

[mrsabbott]

I am so excited!! Lowe's had the same dishwasher I wanted at HH Gregg but it was on sale for $100 cheaper! Not only that, there are rebates for the cost of installation, plus a 10% back rebate, and a $50 rebate from the electric company for it being energy efficient. AND we also got a 10% military discount!! Yay!!!

Downside is that they didn't have a black one in stock. It will be about a week for it to come in and then they will schedule the installation.

I was so bummed that they had sold out of the one I wanted but a much better deal happened so that was awesome!!

On the not so budget friendly side, we went out to eat after. We don't often because it is such a budget breaker, but it was our splurge! Two of our kids ate free and with tip it was $60 for the six of us. The kids were so excited that we all ate together.. I guess it was worth it. But I am going to skip getting my nails done again this week to make up for some of the cost.