Debt Dumpers - 2018

[imbatman]

...belly crawling in here today...

That CC debt that was paid off earlier this year? We are having to charge some vehicle repairs because two of our vehicles have decided that now would be a good time to break. Also, the automatic gate openers broke Saturday. I'm hoping to YouTube that repair. DH's brother dropped a surprise visit (he lives in Tokyo) for their grandma's 90th and sprung a trip on the DH. We agreed to try to spend as little as possible, but his brother is a not a budget minded dude.

I have to remember the positives: 1. I know there is debt and it isn't hidden. 2. When DD's car stalled on the freeway, she was able to exit and coast to a parking lot. She was safe and never in danger. And the towing fee went to a friend who owns his own business--I'll think of it as supporting his business. 3. When DH's truck's alternator died, it was on the way home and he had enough battery power to get home. 4. The gate openers are a luxury. I hope I can fix them, but if I can't, it is what it is. We have had 15 years of use out of them. 5. DH's brother lives half a world away. Money is money. Being able to see family like this is more important than money.

So, that CC ticker will be back soon. And that's okay.

 

[pblack]

Hello all! I'm back from our week long cruise to Mexico and happy to report we mostly stuck to our budget. We ended up doing a shore excursion in Puerto Vallarta, which caused us to spend a little more than I initially wanted, but we had a great time so no complaints! Just finished getting caught up with everyone's posts and i'm glad to see that everyone is still chugging along. After we get paid this Friday i'll be glad to see where we are at with our debt dumping efforts. This paycheck will have my step-up raise on it, so i'm anxious to see what my checks will be now.

On the downside of things, we went to do laundry yesterday and our dryer drum is cracked (). Our dryer is only 5 months old so luckily it's still under warranty. I'm currently just waiting to hear back from Samsung on when they can send someone out. Luckily my in-laws only live 5 minutes from us so we were able to take our clean wet clothes over to their house and use their dryer. No idea how this even happened since it was working fine right before we left.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

That's so great! I love hearing success stories. Unfortunately, while my oldest son is a math savant, and has a photographic memory, he is severely behind in reading and writing...at. 2nd grade level as a high school freshman. He won't be able to even get a regular diploma because he requires curriculum modifications in two core subjects, English and History. Our youngest son struggles quite a lot with academics. We are going to plan for some type of vocational training and hope for the best. At least we won't be dealing with college costs...that will be helpful.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

I can't remember if I mentioned this, but DD is walking now. She took a few steps right before turning 10 months. Now she walks a few feet before she stumbles, but she is getting better all the time. She is so determined and it is so fun to see her adventurous little spirit.

Went for DD's followup audiology appointment and her ear infections are back. You would never know she had terrible infections in both ears because she is so happy all the time. They have recommended tubes. And since she has been so congested since January, they decided to check her adenoids too. Poor baby had to have a camera put up her nose while I held her down. I felt so bad. They said they are enlarged and recommended that those be removed at the same time. I have had both tubes and adenoid removal surgery when I was a kid, so I know it isn't that bad and will probably be super short surgery. And these are meant to stop the constant ear infections and help her congestion, so I know there will be positive benefits, but man do I feel anxious about her having to undergo anesthesia. Because she is so little, they will keep her overnight for observation which eases my mind a bit. The surgery is scheduled for a few days after her first birthday. I plan to take family care leave for two or three days so that I can be there for her surgery and take care of her afterwards. And insurance will cover 100% of the costs, so no money concerns. Just anxious.

We take our Northern Michigan trip this weekend and are all very excited. I hope the weather won't be too hot or rainy so that we can get in some good biking. We bought some snacks and sandwich fixings, plus some baby friendly things. The plan is to have breakfast at the hotel, lunch from what we bring and then only eat dinner out to keep expenses to a minimum.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

Plus, we have now officially started planning our WDW October 2019 trip. It is oh so far away still, but exciting to look forward to

We are planning an Oct. 2019 WDW trip too for DD's second birthday! I have never been there that time of year, so super excited. I want to get tickets for Halloween at MK for sure.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

I can't remember if I mentioned this, but DD is walking now. She took a few steps right before turning 10 months. Now she walks a few feet before she stumbles, but she is getting better all the time. She is so determined and it is so fun to see her adventurous little spirit.


Went for DD's followup audiology appointment and her ear infections are back. You would never know she had terrible infections in both ears because she is so happy all the time. They have recommended tubes. And since she has been so congested since January, they decided to check her adenoids too. Poor baby had to have a camera put up her nose while I held her down. I felt so bad. They said they are enlarged and recommended that those be removed at the same time. I have had both tubes and adenoid removal surgery when I was a kid, so I know it isn't that bad and will probably be super short surgery. And these are meant to stop the constant ear infections and help her congestion, so I know there will be positive benefits, but man do I feel anxious about her having to undergo anesthesia. Because she is so little, they will keep her overnight for observation which eases my mind a bit. The surgery is scheduled for a few days after her first birthday. I plan to take family care leave for two or three days so that I can be there for her surgery and take care of her afterwards. And insurance will cover 100% of the costs, so no money concerns. Just anxious.

We take our Northern Michigan trip this weekend and are all very excited. I hope the weather won't be too hot or rainy so that we can get in some good biking. We bought some snacks and sandwich fixings, plus some baby friendly things. The plan is to have breakfast at the hotel, lunch from what we bring and then only eat dinner out to keep expenses to a minimum.

My ds18 got tubes in his ears when he was 2.5. It was the best thing we ever did and I only regret that I waited so long to take him to an ENT. He had 8 ear infections by then and was miserable each time. The antibiotics would give him diarrhea though I tried to push yogurt and put acidophilus in his drinks. His little butt would be raw. Having all that fluid in his ears created hearing loss and caused speech delays. It was almost an instant improvement and we were blown away to see he had made progress in his speech in just a couple days post op.

We found a great pediatric ENT at Children's Hosp of Philadelphia who was fantastic. His OR cap even had Mickey ears which had tubes in them. He said the tubes were sized for an elephant. lol
It literally took 20 mins. but yes, I cried to hand him over to them. The dr said to insert them in an adult, they can do it quickly in the office but for little ones, it's best to have anesthesia. Ds didn't need adenoid surgery though.


The best part is that after that if he got an infection, the fluid could drain right out instead of building up pressure and causing him pain. Sometimes we didn't know he had an infection except to see a spot on his pillow or smell something funky in his ear. Then we could use antibiotic drops instead of oral ones with GI upset.
Also with tubes there was no pressure issues when flying on a plane which was an unexpected perk.

Hang in there Mommy; it's a non stop rollercoaster ride.

 

[amalone1013]

Ugh. The raise I've been waiting on for months now, that I thought would go through this last paycheck, is just being submitted. For 1% less than what I was told. And this is all coming about because I was underpaid when I was hired in. Basically our old manager was underpaying everyone in the department to overpay someone who had ~5 years with the company and no schooling, but had an interesting relationship with her. So the new management is trying to correct some of this, but the HR manager wouldn't approve the amount they asked for me because then she would have to advocate for it with corporate, which apparently she has no interest in doing (I've seen other things that indicate this too, where she tries to pass off anything difficult). Process is the raise must be approved locally and then by corporate.

At this point, I'm just counting down the days until my anniversary and my employer match for my 401k becomes vested, which is around $11k. Checking my account every day... start the job hunt... 17 days to go...

 

[crazycatstacy]

Anyone have any good suggestions for the best place to get rental cars? We are staying off property in March and getting a car is the last thing we have left to do. My husband and I were going to rent the smallest car we could but now my mom and her husband are not renting one but instead just hopping in with us, so with four adults and at least 4 pieces of full size luggage we will need something bigger. Also, has anyone rented a car at MCO and then had to take a shuttle to the car? Is it worth the reduced price to do so or does it eat up a ton of time?

 

[Dentam]

At this point, I'm just counting down the days until my anniversary and my employer match for my 401k becomes vested, which is around $11k. Checking my account every day... start the job hunt... 17 days to go...

Yeah, you need a new job asap. This one sounds terrible, especially with the crazy hours and being underpaid. Let the countdown begin!!

 

[amalone1013]

Yeah, you need a new job asap. This one sounds terrible, especially with the crazy hours and being underpaid. Let the countdown begin!!

It's so frustrating, because it shouldn't be a bad job at all. It should be easy, some overtime but not crazy, etc. But no, it's run terribly in my department, they do crap like this... like they've hired new people in at a higher rate than me, instead of continuing to underpay. I understand that logically, but it doesn't make it easier emotionally. And they were like, we're going to do this % for the off-cycle one and this % at normal raise time next spring to bring you to the amount... soooo you want me to be paid less than the new person for 9 months... I swear, if I hadn't been within the 3 months of being vested, I would have walked out then. And now, we're going to do 1% less than we said and try to do what we can in the spring.

Bye Felicia!
(and I never use that phrase )

I think part of the issue is also timing for me - it's a huge worldwide company and our location has been in this area for years, but they just pushed an early retirement package at the beginning of the year and cut a bunch of high salary people, so it's not in my favor that they are trying to cut costs dramatically when I am trying to get a raise, piddly as it may be overall. Hopefully job hunting will go well; so far the only interest I've gotten was from something that pays $15k less than my current underpaid base salary Current job is just off I-70, like I stare at the side of it from my window, so hey maybe I'll get out of here before that construction ramps up and I can avoid most of that nonsense!

 

[Dentam]

I hope you have good luck finding another job and a higher paying one! My field is underpaid as well and I work for a non-profit. It is tough here with the crazy rent increases and the lack of increases in pay to help with the cost of living. It can definitely be frustrating!

 

[DisneyMandC]

Anyone have any good suggestions for the best place to get rental cars? We are staying off property in March and getting a car is the last thing we have left to do. My husband and I were going to rent the smallest car we could but now my mom and her husband are not renting one but instead just hopping in with us, so with four adults and at least 4 pieces of full size luggage we will need something bigger. Also, has anyone rented a car at MCO and then had to take a shuttle to the car? Is it worth the reduced price to do so or does it eat up a ton of time?

Are you or anyone in your family Costco members? I think they are pretty good on rental rates.

Alternatively, have you looked into Uber/Lyft for your stay? You would probably need the more expensive SUV option for to and from MCO, but I'm wondering if you might come out ahead by the time you pay for a rental car and for theme park parking on your trip. I guess it depends on how far off property your staying and whether you're taking breaks during the day, but there are Uber estimators online that you can use to figure out how much it would be to Uber back and forth to the parks.

 

[4kids4karen]

Small win. I just sent the check to pay off DH SUV 21-months early. I say small win because my lease is up in January, and at that time we will purchase a new vehicle for me, so we will still have an auto loan. Sometime between Jan-March, I will be looking to purchase my two teen a car to share. Jan, one teen will be 17 and the other 16 in March. Right now they both just have permits, but looking to get the their driver's licenses after the new year.

I have been snowballing and putting the most money towards joint accounts so it helps both of our credit scores. The SUV was financed in both our names, so I will be looking for an update; although, DH score is in the mid 800's and mine the mid 700's. Early 2018, I did a consolidation in my name only of some of mine and DH accounts, so that put him higher than me. LOL. We will probably purchase the next vehicle in his name only.

 

[crazycatstacy]

Are you or anyone in your family Costco members? I think they are pretty good on rental rates.

Alternatively, have you looked into Uber/Lyft for your stay? You would probably need the more expensive SUV option for to and from MCO, but I'm wondering if you might come out ahead by the time you pay for a rental car and for theme park parking on your trip. I guess it depends on how far off property your staying and whether you're taking breaks during the day, but there are Uber estimators online that you can use to figure out how much it would be to Uber back and forth to the parks.

Thanks. We are not Costco members- we don't have one here. My husband and I have annual passes so we will be good for parking; I have thought about Ubering but my mom is a little old school and would never be able to figure it out and then I will feel responsible for her. There are 21 people total so if my husband and I rent a car we can come and go as we please and my mom can ride with us or someone else depending on what their schedule is.

 

[fifthdimensiondweller]

but people just keep having babies and it feels like we're buying for a thousand kids this year!

Agh yes! I feel like my list for kids keeps growing! We've already got five weddings lined up over the next two years too and I'm sure babies will follow quickly so I don't anticipate it slowing down any time soon.

Doing ok here. My mom is visiting so we've been going out a lot, but she earns gift cards through her employer reward program and has been paying for a lot which helps. My aunt called me yesterday and mentioned my cousin is proposing to his girlfriend Friday! I'm sure she'll say yes since they've been talking about getting married for awhile, so I'm very excited for him.

He and his family were very good to DH and I when we got engaged and they're excellent to DS (he's actually his godfather), so I'd like to get them a nice Engagement gift. It might have to wait until October just because of the cruise and everything, but I'll have to get some ideas from his sister.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Anyone have any good suggestions for the best place to get rental cars? We are staying off property in March and getting a car is the last thing we have left to do. My husband and I were going to rent the smallest car we could but now my mom and her husband are not renting one but instead just hopping in with us, so with four adults and at least 4 pieces of full size luggage we will need something bigger. Also, has anyone rented a car at MCO and then had to take a shuttle to the car? Is it worth the reduced price to do so or does it eat up a ton of time?

Personally, I prefer to avoid shuttles unless necessary. Just another opportunity for one of us to leave something behind.
We recently joined Costco and their rental car discount codes are better than BJ’s. Yay!
If you don’t belong to either, just look on www.mousesavers.com
It has a wealth of information.

 

[Tygerlilly]

Ugh. The raise I've been waiting on for months now, that I thought would go through this last paycheck, is just being submitted. For 1% less than what I was told. And this is all coming about because I was underpaid when I was hired in. Basically our old manager was underpaying everyone in the department to overpay someone who had ~5 years with the company and no schooling, but had an interesting relationship with her. So the new management is trying to correct some of this, but the HR manager wouldn't approve the amount they asked for me because then she would have to advocate for it with corporate, which apparently she has no interest in doing (I've seen other things that indicate this too, where she tries to pass off anything difficult). Process is the raise must be approved locally and then by corporate.

At this point, I'm just counting down the days until my anniversary and my employer match for my 401k becomes vested, which is around $11k. Checking my account every day... start the job hunt... 17 days to go...

I honestly don't know how companies can get away with just not doing what they say. We were told our bonus was supposed to be on the check we just got. Apparently that changed and now it's on the next one, but they never told us about it, just left a small note on the napkin dispensers on the lunch room tables.

I'd look for another job too, but this one has a guaranteed schedule and the pay is higher than anywhere else I've looked. So I'm kinda stuck. Fingers crossed the ideal position lands in your lap.

 

[DisneyMandC]

Apparently that changed and now it's on the next one, but they never told us about it, just left a small note on the napkin dispensers on the lunch room tables.

LOL I'm sorry to laugh, but that's just downright absurd!!

 

[Tygerlilly]

LOL I'm sorry to laugh, but that's just downright absurd!!

Seriously. It's not like we don't have a start up meeting every morning before we start working where they supposedly tell us important information. It put us in a little bit of a bind, but I suppose it could have been worse.

 

[StacyStrong]

LOL I'm sorry to laugh, but that's just downright absurd!!

Lol.

I also laughed. It's like someone left a note saying to clean out the community microwave or something