Debt Dumpers 2024

[DisneyMandC]

My best friend had to serve on a grand jury last year and, as she explained it, it is quite a bit different than a regular jury. Apparently, it is possible to get excused for specific dates. You can't just, on a whim, skip a day, but if you have something preplanned, they will work with you.

Oh good! I suggested he write to them and explain we have plans already paid for and then offer to serve different days.

Criminal lawyer here. Yes, he will not be needed EVERY day for that as grand jury is very different than a jury trial. I would be shocked if he had any issue in getting off a couple days for that.

 

[goofytinkerbell]

1

 

[barkley]

That's disappointing... Things are similar where I am, in that they can just tell you that you'll be doing it, and it takes as long as it takes. You also don't get paid, but that does mean if it would cause financial hardship then you can fight to get out of it. For example, I'm a single income who is in the lowest tax bracket, so I probably wouldn't have too much of an issue. But they could say 'too bad' and make me do it anyway.

i had a friend who was sole owner/operator of a trades buisness. he BEGGED the courts to excuse him from the case he was called for jury duty on-it had been projected to run at least 4 months. explained that it would spell financial ruin for his company/family. court would not excuse him, he ended up being selected for the jury, trial ran 6 MONTHS and it was only by virtue of working after trial each day until late at night (for the customers who would allow it) and weekends that he able to very narrowly avoid bankruptcy (his health was shot though).

 

[Bellex917]

Update to our two months post debt payoff:

We paid off our last debt in May, so about two months ago. I had definitely hoped to be aggressively saving, but we should get to that in September.

In those two months we had unexpected large car repairs, took a vacation (that we paid for with no debt), booked flights and MNSSHP tickets for my 40th, and a few other large expenses. We were able to cash flow them, and I knew they were coming, but I'm sad to not be seeing our savings grow quickly. That should happen in September though and then onward since our big expenses will continue through August (car repairs the mechanic suggested and another weekend away coming up).

I worry it's "lifestyle creep" so to speak, but we are still investing, still saving, just not as rapidly as I had hoped. Summer is notoriously our biggest "spend season" with camps, the kids going places, back to school shopping, etc.

I look forward to life's expenses HOPEFULLY returning to normal in September and hitting those savings goals.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Update to our two months post debt payoff:

We paid off our last debt in May, so about two months ago. I had definitely hoped to be aggressively saving, but we should get to that in September.

In those two months we had unexpected large car repairs, took a vacation (that we paid for with no debt), booked flights and MNSSHP tickets for my 40th, and a few other large expenses. We were able to cash flow them, and I knew they were coming, but I'm sad to not be seeing our savings grow quickly. That should happen in September though and then onward since our big expenses will continue through August (car repairs the mechanic suggested and another weekend away coming up).

I worry it's "lifestyle creep" so to speak, but we are still investing, still saving, just not as rapidly as I had hoped. Summer is notoriously our biggest "spend season" with camps, the kids going places, back to school shopping, etc.

I look forward to life's expenses HOPEFULLY returning to normal in September and hitting those savings goals.

Hang in there. It will come. Stick to the plan that got your debt paid off and eventually savings will steadily climb.

We first paid off our cc's in 2015. Then ds started college so that added a $15k Parent Plus loan and he needed so much dorm stuff. Then we paid off dh's truck, then the PP loan. Then a tree fell on our house causing a crazy amount of damage which insurance covered (BIL is a contractor and did the work.) So we figured while he is there, might as well close in our screened-in back porch which was rarely used and basically just a big pollen collector. So that added a home equity loan.
Eventually, despite some splurge vacations, we paid EVERYTHING off and were able to cash flow and start really saving.

Then covid hit and since my father was so high-risk and needed so much help after my mom died, (I couldn't just avoid him.) I stopped travelling completely, so afraid that I might give him covid. That is what stopped all spending and gave me time to realize that if I started attacking our mortgage with the same plan that had been working, we could make that gone in just 14 months, instead of the 8 years making minimum payments. So we did. Unless there is some massive catastrophic loss, NOTHING will make me incur more debt.

Sometimes it's hard to resist rewarding yourself after working so diligently to achieve a goal. In my experience, I have learned to just do the splurge, then jump right back in the saddle. Don't fall off the wagon completely. I make the saving goal a new "debt" to pay down. So when dh knew he'd be needing a new truck within the next year or 2, I set a goal to save $30k to either buy used or just have a large down payment. When that was done, set another savings goal, and so on.

Right now, our savings goal is for a British Isles cruise next year for our 30th anniversary.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

i had a friend who was sole owner/operator of a trades buisness. he BEGGED the courts to excuse him from the case he was called for jury duty on-it had been projected to run at least 4 months. explained that it would spell financial ruin for his company/family. court would not excuse him, he ended up being selected for the jury, trial ran 6 MONTHS and it was only by virtue of working after trial each day until late at night (for the customers who would allow it) and weekends that he able to very narrowly avoid bankruptcy (his health was shot though).

That is horrible. Dh will still get paid but I don't want to lose money on the trips we paid for already and I'm really looking forward to those vacations. I'm also mad that I had to tell him that I am surprising him with a short trip for our anniversary. I didn't give him any details except the dates to request to be excused.

Criminal lawyer here. Yes, he will not be needed EVERY day for that as grand jury is very different than a jury trial. I would be shocked if he had any issue in getting off a couple days for that.

I hope so.

That's disappointing... Things are similar where I am, in that they can just tell you that you'll be doing it, and it takes as long as it takes. You also don't get paid, but that does mean if it would cause financial hardship then you can fight to get out of it. For example, I'm a single income who is in the lowest tax bracket, so I probably wouldn't have too much of an issue. But they could say 'too bad' and make me do it anyway.

Yes they do that here but it seems only honest people respond. I just served 1 day in January and while waiting in line to get through security, I chatted with a young lady who said her boyfriend just throws the postcard/summons away and acts like he never got it. No repercussions ever.
Dh would never do that.

 

[Bellex917]

Hang in there. It will come. Stick to the plan that got your debt paid off and eventually savings will steadily climb.

We first paid off our cc's in 2015. Then ds started college so that added a $15k Parent Plus loan and he needed so much dorm stuff. Then we paid off dh's truck, then the PP loan. Then a tree fell on our house causing a crazy amount of damage which insurance covered (BIL is a contractor and did the work.) So we figured while he is there, might as well close in our screened-in back porch which was rarely used and basically just a big pollen collector. So that added a home equity loan.
Eventually, despite some splurge vacations, we paid EVERYTHING off and were able to cash flow and start really saving.

Then covid hit and since my father was so high-risk and needed so much help after my mom died, (I couldn't just avoid him.) I stopped travelling completely, so afraid that I might give him covid. That is what stopped all spending and gave me time to realize that if I started attacking our mortgage with the same plan that had been working, we could make that gone in just 14 months, instead of the 8 years making minimum payments. So we did. Unless there is some massive catastrophic loss, NOTHING will make me incur more debt.

Sometimes it's hard to resist rewarding yourself after working so diligently to achieve a goal. In my experience, I have learned to just do the splurge, then jump right back in the saddle. Don't fall off the wagon completely. I make the saving goal a new "debt" to pay down. So when dh knew he'd be needing a new truck within the next year or 2, I set a goal to save $30k to either buy used or just have a large down payment. When that was done, set another savings goal, and so on.

Right now, our savings goal is for a British Isles cruise next year for our 30th anniversary.

Thank you for sharing! I definitely won't fall off- even with these big expenses I'm still hyper focused. I have savings trackers, I'm ready to tackle all of these savings goals! I knew summer would be expensive, we had some known big things (son needing braces, an oral surgery, we did a week in VA, we have a long weekend coming up away, etc.) but the car repair definitely just added to the fun lol! I'm thankful we could cashflow all of this and I look forward to September when we should be able to start really saving at much higher levels.

 

[huggybuff]

Hi guys, I've returned from vacation. Time to be accountable!

Week 30

2024 Financial Goals

1. Pay off my credit cards and car loan in 2 years by using the debt avalanche. Still paying down my Q Card. Thankfully 3 check August is right around the corner so I can pay it off and stop talking about it.

2. Increase my monthly payments to my husband for household expenses by $800 a month beginning in May and open a joint checking account where we will each contribute monthly. We figured giving me until May to sock some extra cash into my checking would be a good idea since my personal loan is now paid off and that was sucking $1000 off the top of my paycheck once a month. COMPLETED - Loving using our new credit card for all of the expenses we can. We've already gotten the 60K point bonus after a month and a half.


3. Set aside $285 per month from January-June to cover the cost of our hotel for our anniversary trip in July to Monterey. COMPLETED - It was a very relaxing trip. Beautiful scenery and solid food.

4. Begin paying for our 2025 spring break cruise to Mexico in March. Payments will be $450 a month from March-December. Paid up through August already. (4/8)

5. Continue using the YNAB app and website to track my money daily. I'm still tracking my money the old fashioned way with a register but I really like the budgeting aspect of YNAB and am getting more and more used to it. I don't think I'm going to renew YNAB when my subscription year ends. I feel like I've learned enough from it and have a solid idea of where my money is going and what I need to pay and when.


2024 Personal Goals

1. Finish deep cleaning and organizing my kitchen. My husband is basically the Swedish Chef so he makes quite a mess when he cooks. I appreciate the fact that he does all of the cooking but it's a lot to keep on top of TBH. I need to do a better job and put in more effort. I will track this weekly. I'm doing marginally better in this area. If only my husband would stop cooking for a week I could catch up much more easily I've also purchased a self help workbook that is supposed to help with decluttering. We'll see. (7/52)

2. Once I feel like my kitchen is back under control I'll transition to organizing my clothes that are in boxes in our bedroom. I will tackle this at least one of the days of my weekend. Still waiting to start this.

3. Reorganize and deep clean my bathroom. I have too much on the countertop and need to make use of the cabinets in a more organized manner. Snoozed.

4. By July I'd like to be at the point I can begin to tackle my boxes that are still unpacked in the garage. I had a storage unit for years and now they're just sitting untouched since we moved into the house 3 years ago. Snoozed.

5. In August I'd like to make my stepson's room into a workout room. He's a senior in high school this year and he'll be starting college next fall. He's only staying over 1 or 2 nights a week at most at this point since he lives with his mom so I don't feel I'll be booting him out or anything. I am at my highest weight ever and I honestly don't even know what that is since I'm scared to get on the scale. I can have all of the DVDs and online workouts in the world but they do no good if you don't use them. I think having a space set aside will really help me out. My stepson starts college in mid-September and my husband mentioned making the room over the other day. So, soonish.

6. Get my passport at some point this year to be ready for the cruise in 2025. Aiming for September for this goal.

7. I came up with a new goal. Get back to baking on a weekly basis. This will begin when my kitchen is 'done'. JK, I know a kitchen is never truly caught up on. Snoozed until I cross #1 off of my list.


I hope everyone has a lovely weekend!

 

[dpswift]

I am selling my car to DD2 and she paid off the loan yesterday, so that is a savings of $300 to $400 a month. As of now we are saving $200 a month from dropping Verizon but I know DH really wants a television streaming service so the savings will most likely go down. Our mortgage will be paid off in 2 months so we can really start buckling down on Credit cards.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

I am selling my car to DD2 and she paid off the loan yesterday, so that is a savings of $300 to $400 a month. As of now we are saving $200 a month from dropping Verizon but I know DH really wants a television streaming service so the savings will most likely go down. Our mortgage will be paid off in 2 months so we can really start buckling down on Credit cards.

Greatest feeling ever. Well, almost.

 

[pblack]

I am selling my car to DD2 and she paid off the loan yesterday, so that is a savings of $300 to $400 a month. As of now we are saving $200 a month from dropping Verizon but I know DH really wants a television streaming service so the savings will most likely go down. Our mortgage will be paid off in 2 months so we can really start buckling down on Credit cards.

We love youtube tv!! Been using it for a few years now. We had tried out hulu live and I think one other, but youtube tv has been the best.

 

[trenty]

I don't think I'm going to renew YNAB when my subscription year ends. I feel like I've learned enough from it and have a solid idea of where my money is going and what I need to pay and when.

I encourage you to find a free budgeting app to use. I know where every penny goes and still use EveryDollar every day, many years after becoming debt-free. It also helps easily "reassign" dollars if you should happen to overspend in one area.

 

[barkley]

I am selling my car to DD2 and she paid off the loan yesterday, so that is a savings of $300 to $400 a month. As of now we are saving $200 a month from dropping Verizon but I know DH really wants a television streaming service so the savings will most likely go down. Our mortgage will be paid off in 2 months so we can really start buckling down on Credit cards.

congrats on approaching the mortgage payoff-it's a wonderful feeling when you make that last payment (and remember to call the lender to get a payoff amount for the day you plan to do it b/c it likely won't be the same as your traditional monthly payment). if you don't have it already you might want to see how much an umbrella insurance policy would run you-it's not terrible (we pay a few hundred per year for a million in coverage) and will protect your home.

 

[newski_mom]

I encourage you to find a free budgeting app to use. I know where every penny goes and still use EveryDollar every day, many years after becoming debt-free. It also helps easily "reassign" dollars if you should happen to overspend in one area.

I would agree - I used to use Mint (was a free app / website). They recently pulled the plug on it and I switched over to Fidelity Full view (also free). It's so nice to see everything in one place and it's just easy to know exactly where your money goes. I no longer really use it for budgeting, but it's because I'm older. DH and I make more now, our kids are grown and we haven't had live-style creep. I still use it monthly to know where everything's coming from and where it's going. It also makes it easier to know what we'll need in retirement since I know what we spend now.

Anyway, just wanted to throw that out there as someone who others might think doesn't really "need" to watch it as much, but it's very empowering to do it anyway (IMO).

 

[Tygerlilly]

So I've collaborated with a local toddler Playhouse a few times now with my sensory kit business. I love the place. It's adorable and absolutely something I'd have come up with had I the money to invest in it.
Anyway, one of the girls is moving out of state and the owner asked on her fb if anyone wanted a part time job. Pay isn't fantastic, but the kids can come with me. I was like this would be awesome for some extra fun money and I can bring the kids! We made it official today! I plan to use everything I make to pay for any of our fun stuff so all my husband's pay can go towards bills and debt.

 

[princesscinderella]

We love youtube tv!! Been using it for a few years now. We had tried out hulu live and I think one other, but youtube tv has been the best.

I agree YouTube TV is far superior to Hulu live. Our Hulu live was always glitching out and we were forced to watch ads that were inserted by sponsors even when fast forwarding through commercials on an already recorded show. You could not skip them and I paid extra for ad free. We tried it for a few months and it was just so annoying we made the switch. The interface and ease of use for You tube live is also so much better.

 

[Tygerlilly]

I agree YouTube TV is far superior to Hulu live. Our Hulu live was always glitching out and we were forced to watch ads that were inserted by sponsors even when fast forwarding through commercials on an already recorded show. You could not skip them and I paid extra for ad free. We tried it for a few months and it was just so annoying we made the switch. The interface and ease of use for You tube live is also so much better.

Agree with this 100%. We had the same experiences and switched to YouTube TV and love it!

 

[dpswift]

Agree with this 100%. We had the same experiences and switched to YouTube TV and love it!

Wow everywhere I have asked YouTube comes up superior. Even my father likes it. The only thing that has held me back was the price. I will have to discuss it with DH tonight as he is the one missing live tv

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Wow everywhere I have asked YouTube comes up superior. Even my father likes it. The only thing that has held me back was the price. I will have to discuss it with DH tonight as he is the one missing live tv

How much is it? I’ve wanted to drop our Verizon Fios for years but dh likes having a variety of news channels. Which news channels can you see with it?

 

[princesscinderella]

How much is it? I’ve wanted to drop our Verizon Fios for years but dh likes having a variety of news channels. Which news channels can you see with it?

You get all your local news channels without an antenna along with most traditional cable channels. You have DVR like recording ability where it’s saved on the cloud for 6 months if you set up something to be saved. The only channel that’s not on there that I miss is the history channel, but a lot of the shows are on hulu which we get with the Disney bundle. Our cable bill with max and internet with comcast was $260. Not including the Disney plus and Netflix subscriptions. I pay $80 for you tube with the extra for more users, and now $60 for internet fiber with AT&T so it was a big savings for me to make the switch. All the other additional subscriptions costs still don’t add up to the $260 I was paying before cutting the cord.