Debt Dumpers - 2018

[belleelc77]

I got my refund back this week. Paid off the balance on my credit card racked up over PHM weekend. I am making a triple payment on my student loans this month. The rest will be used to pay my 6 month car insurance premium, annual home owner's insurance, remodel my small bathroom, and replace the upstairs flooring in my townhouse. Luckily, family members are doing the work so the cost is mostly materials. I'm pretty happy with how far my refund is going.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

I can empathize with this, I'm so sorry for all you're going through. I had shingles in 2015 just before presenting my senior thesis in college. I was in so much pain and lost so much sleep (and honestly I think I probably had other illnesses too) that I routinely lost my memory of conversations for even a few months after the sores had gone. One day while I was in the middle of shingles I went to check in with my thesis advisor regarding my illness, and got lost in the building I'd been in every day for classes for years! I kept forgetting why I was there and if I was supposed to be in class. I'll never forget that feeling! I really hope you're better soon!

I know exactly what you mean. It's an awful feeling. Crazy what a virus can do to us. I find that words escape me and even when I guess correctly, it sounds completely foreign. Sometimes when I read I see words that are not even there. When I realize it makes no sense, I re-read it and wonder where I got some words that I thought I saw before.
When I first got sick in Dec I told my dr that once I'm 100% I want the shingles vaccine, even if I have to pay out of pocket for it. I think ins doesn't cover it until you're 60. Heck with that, it would be money well spent. With my luck it would hit me twice as hard as the average person.

What you're describing also sounds like what my sister calls "chemo brain". During her breast cancer treatment, she couldn't remember where she parked her car in the parking garage attached to her building. She was worn down exhausted from the chemo and trying to work as much as possible and she was too weak to walk around looking for her. She just stood there crying for a while and waited for more cars to empty and she finally found her car. Mine isn't that bad. I can't even imagine going through that.

 

[Miss Whimsy]

Just got back from Disney! So much fun but so much money lol. I feel like food has gotten more expensive, or maybe I just drink more now that they serve booze in more places haha.

If my BF and I split this evenly as planned then my portion is actually mostly paid so I'm just waiting for him to pay me back (we put the entire vacation on my Chase Disney card) so my budget kind of looks like I'm in even more debt right now but it's actually his. (I mean, it's mine until he pays me, but you know what I mean.)

Turning around in less than two weeks to go to my brother's wedding, so going to be on a super-cheapo diet for a few weeks with all this travel... yikes.




I kind of tried to catch up on the 15+ pages I seem to have missed, @Dentam did you find a place? I can't believe you had to move so quickly. And I hope everyone is feeling better!!

 

[Bamaclan4]

I know exactly what you mean. It's an awful feeling. Crazy what a virus can do to us. I find that words escape me and even when I guess correctly, it sounds completely foreign. Sometimes when I read I see words that are not even there. When I realize it makes no sense, I re-read it and wonder where I got some words that I thought I saw before.
When I first got sick in Dec I told my dr that once I'm 100% I want the shingles vaccine, even if I have to pay out of pocket for it. I think ins doesn't cover it until you're 60. Heck with that, it would be money well spent. With my luck it would hit me twice as hard as the average person.

What you're describing also sounds like what my sister calls "chemo brain". During her breast cancer treatment, she couldn't remember where she parked her car in the parking garage attached to her building. She was worn down exhausted from the chemo and trying to work as much as possible and she was too weak to walk around looking for her. She just stood there crying for a while and waited for more cars to empty and she finally found her car. Mine isn't that bad. I can't even imagine going through that.

 

[Bamaclan4]

So sorry you are going through this. A few years ago I had a minor stroke that affected the memory part of my brain. I know how frustrating it can be to see that image or word up there somewhere but not be able to grasp it. I did find that doing crossword puzzles, word searches and memory picture puzzles did really help. Maybe as your strength grows you will feel like doing some of those things. I wish you well.

 

[Tygerlilly]

Small victory: we've really struggled finding a good balance when it comes to grocery shopping. It seems we go to extremes - super cheap or super expensive items. Last night and today we sat down and made a faux meal plan and checked the ads and made a realistic budget of $150 for 2 weeks of groceries. We spent $154.31 and actually got closer to 3.5 weeks worth of food! I'm super proud of us and hope some of these quicker meals we have planned will keep us out of the drive thru.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Small victory: we've really struggled finding a good balance when it comes to grocery shopping. It seems we go to extremes - super cheap or super expensive items. Last night and today we sat down and made a faux meal plan and checked the ads and made a realistic budget of $150 for 2 weeks of groceries. We spent $154.31 and actually got closer to 3.5 weeks worth of food! I'm super proud of us and hope some of these quicker meals we have planned will keep us out of the drive thru.

Thats awesome! We spend more than $150 per week but with 2 teen/young adult boys nothing lasts around here. They have hollow legs!

 

[DLgal]

Thats awesome! We spend more than $150 per week but with 2 teen/young adult boys nothing lasts around here. They have hollow legs!

Ugh! Same here and my kids are BARELY teenagers (13 and 11). I do a HUGE shop every week and then inevitably have to do a second (or third) trip to the store to get stuff that has run out. I wish we had another refrigerator...

 

[Amanda Ryan]

The end of 2017/the beginning of 2018 has been really good for us and debt dumping.
At the end of November we paid off CC1 which was 6k
In January we paid off snap on (3,300)
February 2/28 - we paid off paypal credit (1,400) and Disney (2k)

Next up is CC2 (our last CC) which the balance was 7,500
- paid down 700 on 3/2 with another 3k payment by the end of the month
If we stick to our budget, this will be paid off by the end of May!

We are debating whether or not we should keep our extra car or sell it. My husband now has a work truck provided by the company, so it doesn't get much use but he has mentioned if they switch him to deck crew he could have to use his own vehicle again. SO that would be another 5k, probably paid off by September if we decide to do that.

I'm actually surprised at how well we are doing considering in January I left my job, taking a $6/hour pay cut to be home more with our DD who will be 5 in May.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Ugh! Same here and my kids are BARELY teenagers (13 and 11). I do a HUGE shop every week and then inevitably have to do a second (or third) trip to the store to get stuff that has run out. I wish we had another refrigerator...

Yes, then add some friends and there’s barely a crumb in the house. I keep reminding myself some day I will miss it. Just like I miss them wanting to sit on my lap and snuggle.

 

[Dentam]

@Dentam did you find a place? I can't believe you had to move so quickly.

Thank you for thinking of me. This past week has been pretty rough. I am feeling more hopeful now though. The drain under my kitchen sink just started leaking badly tonight. Turns out it is split open on the underside. That's not the good news, ha. I emailed my landlords and let them know about it. In responding, they said they would be more than happy to write me a reference letter. So, that's better than trying to move without one, especially since I've lived here for over 4 years. I emailed them back thanking them and then asked one more time if they will reconsider. We will see what they say, but I doubt they will change their minds. At least I will have a letter though and my other qualifications for a rental such as good credit and a stable job are all in good order. My credit score actually went up over ten points this past month! I have until the end of April to move, and more for rent signs are appearing everywhere as spring nears. I'm feeling more hopeful that something will work out.

This has also gotten me in gear to do some decluttering that I'd been putting off. I took a car full of items to goodwill today and plan to continue packing and decluttering each weekend. I don't want to be overwhelmed by putting anything off, since spring is my busiest time of year at work and that will be stressful enough in itself.

Thanks again for checking on me, I appreciate it!

 

[iheartbelle87]

Hi, I'm here but not new to 'debt dumping' or the Dis

Goal for 2018 is to pay $6k-$7k per month on the mortgage, as it's our only debt!

Plan on using swagbucks to pay for a hotel for a wedding we're attending this summer and want to stay overnight, as well as start stocking up on some baby items

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Thank you for thinking of me. This past week has been pretty rough. I am feeling more hopeful now though. The drain under my kitchen sink just started leaking badly tonight. Turns out it is split open on the underside. That's not the good news, ha. I emailed my landlords and let them know about it. In responding, they said they would be more than happy to write me a reference letter. So, that's better than trying to move without one, especially since I've lived here for over 4 years. I emailed them back thanking them and then asked one more time if they will reconsider. We will see what they say, but I doubt they will change their minds. At least I will have a letter though and my other qualifications for a rental such as good credit and a stable job are all in good order. My credit score actually went up over ten points this past month! I have until the end of April to move, and more for rent signs are appearing everywhere as spring nears. I'm feeling more hopeful that something will work out.

This has also gotten me in gear to do some decluttering that I'd been putting off. I took a car full of items to goodwill today and plan to continue packing and decluttering each weekend. I don't want to be overwhelmed by putting anything off, since spring is my busiest time of year at work and that will be stressful enough in itself.

Thanks again for checking on me, I appreciate it!

Does Purple Heart pick up near you? They are great for getting rid of clutter, as is Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA). You simply schedule a pick up date online, tell them where it will be such as front porch, driveway, etc. and put the stuff out the night before. Sometimes they come really early, like 7 am.
I used to load my car and trek out to Good Will until I found PH & VVA. I can imagine though that sometimes you just want to be rid of it immediately and don't feel like having it sit on the porch for a few days.
Just decluttering of any kind is such a great feeling. More space, less junk.

 

[Eureka]

Thats awesome! We spend more than $150 per week but with 2 teen/young adult boys nothing lasts around here. They have hollow legs!

Don’t I know it! We spend way more than you per week and still one of my kids says there’s never any food in the house. (Which of course is not true, lol). They both eat like it’s going out of style, especially since they do sports year-round.

 

[Dentam]

Does Purple Heart pick up near you? They are great for getting rid of clutter, as is Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA). You simply schedule a pick up date online, tell them where it will be such as front porch, driveway, etc. and put the stuff out the night before. Sometimes they come really early, like 7 am.
I used to load my car and trek out to Good Will until I found PH & VVA. I can imagine though that sometimes you just want to be rid of it immediately and don't feel like having it sit on the porch for a few days.
Just decluttering of any kind is such a great feeling. More space, less junk.

I hadn't heard of that, I'll look into it, thanks! Actually, I have a Goodwill drop off station less than five minutes from my house which is very handy. They take most everything except for larger items like furniture. For that you have to go to a Goodwill store location which is about 10-15 minutes away depending on traffic. I don't have any big furniture to get rid of luckily, and if I did I couldn't fit it in my car anyway. lol

Oh, and I double checked - my credit score has actually gone up 20 points from the beginning of the year due to debt dumping.

 

[bababear_50]

I am trying to figure out if it is possible to pre pay money onto a credit card to raise the limit for a purchase?
Has anyone ever done this?
I am interested in maximizing the points I would earn on this card.
Hugs Mel

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

I am trying to figure out if it is possible to pre pay money onto a credit card to raise the limit for a purchase?
Has anyone ever done this?
I am interested in maximizing the points I would earn on this card.
Hugs Mel

Without requesting a limit increase, is it possible to charge half of the big purchase, pay it off, then charge the other half?
Most cc companies avoid customers having a negative balance. For example if your balance is $1000, it wont let you make a payment of $2000. Maybe it’s different if you mail a check. I havent done that in years.

 

[bababear_50]

Without requesting a limit increase, is it possible to charge half of the big purchase, pay it off, then charge the other half?
Most cc companies avoid customers having a negative balance. For example if your balance is $1000, it wont let you make a payment of $2000. Maybe it’s different if you mail a check. I havent done that in years.

Thanks Hon
Yes I guess your explanation makes more sense than mine,,lol
I am processing and sorting this out,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

I am headed to Disney World for Spring break soon,,I want to buy a small point DVC contract,, but I want to do the transaction while in Disney because it is a much simpler process than (snail mail) from Canada.
I do have the cash to pay for it but it's alot of money and to not earn the most points I can would be silly.
I am losing alot on the CAD to USD exchange already.
I think I will call the credit card company and ask them to increase my limit--it can't hurt to ask.
I haven't used a check in years--I guess I could always ask the bank for a "one time only check".,,
This purchase is a "total Mel purchase" and as usual I am struggling making it. Lots of what if this or that happens,,second guessing myself.
I already have 3 other small point contracts at OKW and just need more points to be able to stay two weeks a year when I retire in a few years.
Hugs Mel

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Thanks Hon
Yes I guess your explanation makes more sense than mine,,lol
I am processing and sorting this out,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

I am headed to Disney World for Spring break soon,,I want to buy a small point DVC contract,, but I want to do the transaction while in Disney because it is a much simpler process than (snail mail) from Canada.
I do have the cash to pay for it but it's alot of money and to not earn the most points I can would be silly.
I am losing alot on the CAD to USD exchange already.
I think I will call the credit card company and ask them to increase my limit--it can't hurt to ask.
I haven't used a check in years--I guess I could always ask the bank for a "one time only check".,,
This purchase is a "total Mel purchase" and as usual I am struggling making it. Lots of what if this or that happens,,second guessing myself.
I already have 3 other small point contracts at OKW and just need more points to be able to stay two weeks a year when I retire in a few years.
Hugs Mel

Ah then I would request a credit limit increase, even if it’s only temporary.
Maybe sent them a secure message and ask if it’s possible.
Two weeks per year at a dvc resort sounds like a beautiful retirement. Good for you!

 

[jen7233]

I am trying to figure out if it is possible to pre pay money onto a credit card to raise the limit for a purchase?
Has anyone ever done this?
I am interested in maximizing the points I would earn on this card.
Hugs Mel

No I've never done that. I would just call the company and see if they'll raise your limit for purchase.

Interesting, my credit score went back up to what it used to be a couple months ago. I had cancelled some credit cards, think I have mentioned it on here. Anyway, I had cancelled them because I didn't use or want them, and the score dropped. Now today some maybe 8 weeks later I think it is, my score is back up.