Debt Dumpers - 2019

I wanted to give a basement update. We had the final inspection right before we left for Toronto and so now everything is official and to code, so we wouldn't have any issues if we went to sell the house. I will pay the last big installment to the builder tomorrow, though we still have a smaller contract for the wet bar and kitchen/wet bar backsplashes still outstanding.

We broke down and hired painters to finish the painting. DH and I primed and painted the ceiling plus painted one room, then we got really stalled and just felt like things were taking too long. The painters came while we were on vacation last week and painted all of the walls. DH and I are working in the evenings this week to fill nail holes in the trim, then the painters will come back and finish all of the trim work.

After that, we can finally have the carpet installed and when the basement countertop is finished, the builder will come back and finish the backsplash on the wet bar. The only things remaining will be for DH and me to install the fitness room rubber flooring and install the closet organizations.

It has definitely been a longer and more expensive process than I had anticipated, but the basement is looking very nice now that it is getting so close to completion. It will be such an amazing family space for us in the coming years, so I think it is worth the investment. It definitely looks like any other part of the house rather than an afterthought.
 
I wanted to give a basement update. We had the final inspection right before we left for Toronto and so now everything is official and to code, so we wouldn't have any issues if we went to sell the house. I will pay the last big installment to the builder tomorrow, though we still have a smaller contract for the wet bar and kitchen/wet bar backsplashes still outstanding.

We broke down and hired painters to finish the painting. DH and I primed and painted the ceiling plus painted one room, then we got really stalled and just felt like things were taking too long. The painters came while we were on vacation last week and painted all of the walls. DH and I are working in the evenings this week to fill nail holes in the trim, then the painters will come back and finish all of the trim work.

After that, we can finally have the carpet installed and when the basement countertop is finished, the builder will come back and finish the backsplash on the wet bar. The only things remaining will be for DH and me to install the fitness room rubber flooring and install the closet organizations.

It has definitely been a longer and more expensive process than I had anticipated, but the basement is looking very nice now that it is getting so close to completion. It will be such an amazing family space for us in the coming years, so I think it is worth the investment. It definitely looks like any other part of the house rather than an afterthought.
That's great, sounds like soon you'll have a nice extra space to use in your house.
 
Just FYI, the boardwalk does share transportation. I stayed in April.

Buuuut the transportation was never bad.
Ah, maybe I am probably not remembering correctly then, or maybe the buses were too full to go pick up at the other hotels. My apologies.

Had my interview today, and it went extremely well! I sent them a follow-up thank you email, and in return they asked me for my list of references! I don't want to count my chickens before they hatch, but I feel very good about my chances!
 
I feel slightly nauseous. I just bought a new annual pass certificate through Sams Club today because of the price increases. I was going to buy a new one in February 2020, so this is VERY early, but it's a $250ish savings. I won't get into debt from it, but I will be pulling from my savings. I will have to pay myself back.
 
Last edited:


I decided about two weeks ago that I wanted a more compact umbrella stroller that is lightweight and can fit into overhead bins on airplanes since we have several trips coming up this year. I did a ton of research and settled on the Zoe XLC:

https://www.zoestrollers.com/p/zoe-xlc
DH said that I could get the stroller if I could find the money for it, so I listed a bunch of items on Facebook and sold quite a few. I also sold a book on Amazon and used my end of academic year work appreciation gift ($25 Target gift card) to pay for groceries and then added the grocery money to the stroller fund. I had accumulated just over $100 before we left for Toronto. Last Friday I checked the website and I was able to snag one of the discounted returns and apply a 10% coupon code as well. That allowed me to add the rain cover and carry strap as well for a total of $189. I was just $87 short. Then yesterday I got a class action lawsuit payout for $83! I took the remaining $4 out of the trailer fund and plan to repay it once I sell some more stuff.

Someone is hopefully coming tomorrow to purchase a printer for $70 and then I plan to list our old umbrella stroller for $35, so we should still be continuing to make progress on the trailer fund while cleaning out things that we don't need.
 
Really enjoying our time in Toronto! Weather is comfortable in the 70s. I’m getting $1.34 CAD for 1USD so this is a very budget friendly vacation.


we did a week in b.c. last september and it with the exchange rate it was SO budget friendly. between the exchange rate and getting 3x points on travel/restaurant points on my (no foreign exchange fee) credit card it was quite the bargain. have to say though-the grocery store prices were startling-it made me feel bad about complaining about what i pay at home.
 


I decided about two weeks ago that I wanted a more compact umbrella stroller that is lightweight and can fit into overhead bins on airplanes since we have several trips coming up this year. I did a ton of research and settled on the Zoe XLC:

https://www.zoestrollers.com/p/zoe-xlc
DH said that I could get the stroller if I could find the money for it, so I listed a bunch of items on Facebook and sold quite a few. I also sold a book on Amazon and used my end of academic year work appreciation gift ($25 Target gift card) to pay for groceries and then added the grocery money to the stroller fund. I had accumulated just over $100 before we left for Toronto. Last Friday I checked the website and I was able to snag one of the discounted returns and apply a 10% coupon code as well. That allowed me to add the rain cover and carry strap as well for a total of $189. I was just $87 short. Then yesterday I got a class action lawsuit payout for $83! I took the remaining $4 out of the trailer fund and plan to repay it once I sell some more stuff.

Someone is hopefully coming tomorrow to purchase a printer for $70 and then I plan to list our old umbrella stroller for $35, so we should still be continuing to make progress on the trailer fund while cleaning out things that we don't need.


GAAH-when did umbrella strollers get so expensive???? i remember them being so much less when my kids were little. granted the youngest is now 22 but even so, that's spendy. kids be expensive.
 
GAAH-when did umbrella strollers get so expensive???? i remember them being so much less when my kids were little. granted the youngest is now 22 but even so, that's spendy. kids be expensive.
Depends on the strollers. There are still plenty of $20 ones.
 
GAAH-when did umbrella strollers get so expensive???? i remember them being so much less when my kids were little. granted the youngest is now 22 but even so, that's spendy. kids be expensive.
Depends on the strollers. There are still plenty of $20 ones.

Our current umbrella stroller is the Chicco Liteway. It normally costs $99, but I got it on clearance for $35. There are very, very cheap umbrella strollers you can buy, but I want certain features, especially at Disney. I want it to fully recline for nap time and I want a large sunshade as well. The Chicco Liteway is a good stroller and we have generally liked using it over the past year or so, but it is pretty cumbersome to fit it into the car with lots of other luggage because it doesn't fold very small. And it is much heavier than this new one that I ordered, which will be much better for travel.
 
Just booked our dining reservations for our December Disney trip. DH requested that we try some new places, so here is my list.

Dinner at Spice Road Table, Epcot
Dinner at Topolino's Terrace, Riveria Resort
Chip 'n' Dale's Harvest Feast Dinner at Garden Grill, Epcot
Breakfast at Kona Cafe, Polynesian Resort (this isn't new, I just really need tonga toast)
Lunch at Morimoto Asia, Disney Springs
 
Just booked our dining reservations for our December Disney trip. DH requested that we try some new places, so here is my list.

Dinner at Spice Road Table, Epcot
Dinner at Topolino's Terrace, Riveria Resort
Chip 'n' Dale's Harvest Feast Dinner at Garden Grill, Epcot
Breakfast at Kona Cafe, Polynesian Resort (this isn't new, I just really need tonga toast)
Lunch at Morimoto Asia, Disney Springs

We are doing lunch at Morimoto Asia too when we are there in December. I am so excited to having Peking Duck!
 
Really enjoying our time in Toronto! Weather is comfortable in the 70s. I’m getting $1.34 CAD for 1USD so this is a very budget friendly vacation.
we did a week in b.c. last september and it with the exchange rate it was SO budget friendly. between the exchange rate and getting 3x points on travel/restaurant points on my (no foreign exchange fee) credit card it was quite the bargain. have to say though-the grocery store prices were startling-it made me feel bad about complaining about what i pay at home.

Ugg try being on the other end of it and wanting to travel to Disney 😥 we've cut back our US travel so much, well and tbh I don't like supporting Trump.

GAAH-when did umbrella strollers get so expensive???? i remember them being so much less when my kids were little. granted the youngest is now 22 but even so, that's spendy. kids be expensive.

My DD is 2.5, well 3 in Sept and we've actually only had one stroller - a Bob I bought second hand...we never did get an umbrella and I suppose we won't now. I borrowed one for our Alaskan cruise when she was 11 months, but that's about it
 
Tomorrow, CC #1 is paid off!!!

Next week is CC #2.

Quick question: If CC #1 has rewards (cash back), should we use it (for groceries, etc.) and pay it off as we go or just switch to paying only cash until it's all paid off?

I say if you have the restraint to only use it for the things you know you will pay off, than do it. I'm a fan of earning rewards for money I know that i'm going to spend anyway. Plus I like the security a credit card gives me over a debit card or cash.
 
Tomorrow, CC #1 is paid off!!!

Next week is CC #2.

Quick question: If CC #1 has rewards (cash back), should we use it (for groceries, etc.) and pay it off as we go or just switch to paying only cash until it's all paid off?


the card i have with the best rewards i tend to use in place of my debit card for groceries and other monthly household expenses (not for gas b/c around us it's a 5 cent up charge to use a credit card so i save by using debit-with the exception of propane so when i fill my tank once or twice a year i benefit from the 'fuel' rewards then). i let the rewards build up and if there's a month my household expenses go over my budget i'll use the rewards to make up the shortfall OR (fingers crossed) i let them build up (esp. when travel occurs b/c it's the highest reward level) and earmark them for a specific purpose (with what i'm earning right now plus the travel we have planned through the end of 2019 i should have enough to cover the bulk of december's household expenses (groceries/toiletries/cleaning products...).

just make sure to pay in full each month so you don't end up carrying a balance (i periodically look at mine and transfer the amount from checking during the month they are incurred).
 
Just booked our dining reservations for our December Disney trip. DH requested that we try some new places, so here is my list.

Dinner at Spice Road Table, Epcot
Dinner at Topolino's Terrace, Riveria Resort
Chip 'n' Dale's Harvest Feast Dinner at Garden Grill, Epcot
Breakfast at Kona Cafe, Polynesian Resort (this isn't new, I just really need tonga toast)
Lunch at Morimoto Asia, Disney Springs
The Chip 'n' Dale's looks fun. I saw the characters when we were heading to Soarin'. The Kona Café is on my list to try, maybe next time. Breakfast is hard for us to get to, nobody is motivated to get moving in the morning.
Tomorrow, CC #1 is paid off!!!

Next week is CC #2.

Quick question: If CC #1 has rewards (cash back), should we use it (for groceries, etc.) and pay it off as we go or just switch to paying only cash until it's all paid off?
Do you plan on keeping either one after paying off or are you going to no credit cards?
 
I would switch to using the card for all expenses (food, gas, general dining out, every day costs) that I know I will have enough to pay off in full at the end of the month.

I am in the UK so I have set the repayment to being the full balance by direct debit each month. That way I don't have to think about it when it comes to payment time (and I will never be late) but before I use it I think if this is something I need to defer for a little while - in which case I use another.

I have sticky labels on the cards reminding me what the repayment set up is - whether it is full or partial - so I never forget.

I don't know if you can do a similar thing as I don't know how repayment works in the US.
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!










Top