Debt Dumpers 2024

[Tygerlilly]

I just got the best phone call ever.

Last year P!nk was coming to our town in concert. She's been my favorite singer since her first song released 24 years ago. My best friend and I got tickets for the show...and then the tour got canceled. Fast forward to this year, she's finally back on Friday and my casino host here just called and asked me if I wanted box seats to the concert! So we are going to sell the tickets we bought and now we have amazing seats FOR FREE!! It's literally a dream come true.

Plus I went to go get lunch for us today with my food credit and won $300 off freeplay, so even better!

 

[pblack]

I just got the best phone call ever.

Last year P!nk was coming to our town in concert. She's been my favorite singer since her first song released 24 years ago. My best friend and I got tickets for the show...and then the tour got canceled. Fast forward to this year, she's finally back on Friday and my casino host here just called and asked me if I wanted box seats to the concert! So we are going to sell the tickets we bought and now we have amazing seats FOR FREE!! It's literally a dream come true.

Plus I went to go get lunch for us today with my food credit and won $300 off freeplay, so even better!

Congrats!! That's awesome on both counts!

 

[goofytinkerbell]

1

 

[pblack]

Been pretty quiet around here lately. Just wanted to see how everyone's doing as we approach the end of the year.

 

[Tygerlilly]

Had a little Christmas market event today that I set up at to sell the sensory kits. I think I made about $150? I think I sold more than I thought I would, but not as many as I expected to. Still happy with it and now I have quite a bit to take to my booth in the artesian market down town.

I'm running (very loose term there) a half marathon on Sunday, so tomorrow I'm heading to the expo to pick up my bib and look for a new runners belt to hold my phone, keys, and ID while I run. I'm severely undertrained for this, so who knows how it's going to go, but I'm going to try my best.

 

[Gr8t Fan]

Just got back from a trip to WDW and now getting decorated for the holidays. Other than splurging on food, holidays are pretty low key around here, which we love. Gives us all a chance to relax and enjoy each other's company.

We had an issue with our elderly dog while we were at WDW and she was at the pet-sitter, but she seems to be doing much better now that we're home. So grateful she's feeling better (and that it didn't disrupt the entire vacation budget as we had the money set aside in our emergency fund).

Cold weather and snow are settling in here, so we're preparing to hunker down and hibernate as much as possible until Spring.

Happy Holidays everyone!

 

[barkley]

it's wet and soggy here but we don't have to go anywhere for the the next week or so (fingers crossed) so we can deal with it. I think our tree will go up today. dh has always been very anti any holiday decor pre Thanksgiving but we bought a new tree about a month ago and I told him I would'nt toss the old one until we were sure the new one worked (this one is pre-lit) so between next week being our garbage pickup and the thought of having to face black Friday crowds to do an exchange if there's an issue with the new one he decided to go ahead and get it put up (i'll hold off on decorating it till Thanksgiving day while everything is cooking).

went to get the turkey yesterday so that's the last food item we need for this week. going to eat our way through some frozen items to make room for all the anticipated leftovers (got a 22 pound bird b/c I LOVE turkey).

physical Christmas shopping is pretty much done but i've got 4 returns to do before the holiday so at some point we'll hit those stores and I may see something that catches my eye. I'll likely do the Christmas cards this week (sticker shock on stamp costs-i have not bought any for a couple of years ).

 

[piglet1979]

We are plugging along here. I am so thankful that I have great insurance. Once we hit our out of pocket, we pay nothing. DD has been really sick this year and have had several appointment and tests this year. We did confirm she has POTS as well as Hypogammaglobulinemia (basic term she has low antibodies). She is still getting a lot of tests done to see how bad the low antibodies are. This does explain why she is always so sick. We have only known this for about a month so it is all so knew but depending on how these next tests come back will depend on how we move forward. She might need to be on antibody replacement therapy for the rest of her life. So it has been a bit stressful here. I am already worried for the 1st of the year when the out of pocket starts over. It is looking like DD with get tubes and not sure what else.

 

[Bellex917]

Well, my goal for 2024 had been to get out of debt and we did. I had hoped to get a jump start on my goal for 2025 which was to double our savings. Unfortunately, my husband is in the tech world and was laid off 2 weeks ago so all plans are on hold. We are now in "emergency mode" and have cut back on everything. However, the pros:

- We have zero debt, so way less bills.
- With unemployment and my salary we are ok for the next six months and can hopefully get through this without touching our savings at all (except if anything big comes up, which could happen).
- He has a very in demand career so hopefully he will find something in the new year (I don't expect much to happen between now and the NY, I feel like companies aren't majorly hiring, but he is trying and working on his skills).

Getting debt free and having a nice emergency fund has turned this into a much less stressful experience. So while it sucks, nobody is panicking. That is the benefit of truly keeping on this "debt dumper" journey.

 

[Tygerlilly]

My biggest personal goal has been completed. I wanted to run a half marathon before I turned 40 (I turned 39 in October). I was actually on pace to beat my expected time until around mile 9 when I slid on some leaves on a hill and twisted my knee. I gimped for a couple more miles and ended up finishing the last 2 miles in a limping walk, but I finished! And now I'm looking for a redemption run in the spring. And you better believe I'll be back to Route 66 next year to get my revenge.

 

[WDW_fan_in_TX]

We just got back this weekend too. Late flight on Friday night and then just relaxed both Saturday and Sunday with only trip out of the house to go to church and get lunch.

Just got back from a trip to WDW and now getting decorated for the holidays. Other than splurging on food, holidays are pretty low key around here, which we love. Gives us all a chance to relax and enjoy each other's company.

We had an issue with our elderly dog while we were at WDW and she was at the pet-sitter, but she seems to be doing much better now that we're home. So grateful she's feeling better (and that it didn't disrupt the entire vacation budget as we had the money set aside in our emergency fund).

Cold weather and snow are settling in here, so we're preparing to hunker down and hibernate as much as possible until Spring.

Happy Holidays everyone!

 

[Tygerlilly]

Hubby finally got his extra discount code to use so I can finish Christmas shopping next weekend. It's an extra 15% on top of the normal 10% on one transaction. I've been waiting for it to buy the more expensive items (I already got the stocking stuffers and some smaller things) because 25% off is a deal too good to pass up. You better believe I'm adding some groceries to that cart too.

As soon as I'm done getting the last of Christmas paid for, I'm going to be going fully into saving for our fall trip next year. I turn 40 and our oldest daughter turns 10 and we decided to do it up big for the big milestones. Hubby will take two weeks off (8 days) which gives us 17 days total of vacation time. We're going to do 3 days at Disneyland, 2 at Universal, a couple days exploring the area there, followed by a few days in San Diego. We're about 21 hours away driving from each location. Theoretically we can do it in one overnight stop, but I'm planning 2 stops, because kids. We've never done a west trip before (aside from me and hubby flying to Vegas), so we're super excited to do that instead of going to Orlando like we originally planned.

 

[disney-inspired]

Hubby finally got his extra discount code to use so I can finish Christmas shopping next weekend. It's an extra 15% on top of the normal 10% on one transaction. I've been waiting for it to buy the more expensive items (I already got the stocking stuffers and some smaller things) because 25% off is a deal too good to pass up. You better believe I'm adding some groceries to that cart too.

As soon as I'm done getting the last of Christmas paid for, I'm going to be going fully into saving for our fall trip next year. I turn 40 and our oldest daughter turns 10 and we decided to do it up big for the big milestones. Hubby will take two weeks off (8 days) which gives us 17 days total of vacation time. We're going to do 3 days at Disneyland, 2 at Universal, a couple days exploring the area there, followed by a few days in San Diego. We're about 21 hours away driving from each location. Theoretically we can do it in one overnight stop, but I'm planning 2 stops, because kids. We've never done a west trip before (aside from me and hubby flying to Vegas), so we're super excited to do that instead of going to Orlando like we originally planned.

but next year Epic universe opens!
We're going in Sept

 

[pblack]

DH and I just booked our first cruise on Royal Caribbean for January (instead of going to an AI in Puerto Vallarta in february). Since we're new to Royal (but not cruising in general) figured I'd see if anyone here has been on Royal and could share some tips i may not know about. Or if anyone has some tips about Navigator of the Seas that would be awesome too.

 

[Tygerlilly]

but next year Epic universe opens!
We're going in Sept

I know, I know. That and the homeschool group discounts were the main reason we wanted to do Orlando in the fall, but we think the kids would enjoy DL more at the ages they are now. Plus we want to hit the zoo in San Diego.

Middle daughter turns 10 in April of 2027, so we'll probably do a spring trip to Orlando then (thinking bookend a cruise with Disney for 4 days, a 5 day cruise, then a few days at Universal) for her big event. And hopefully by then the opening insanity of it will have calmed down and all the new fun renovations at DW will be complete.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

DH and I just booked our first cruise on Royal Caribbean for January (instead of going to an AI in Puerto Vallarta in february). Since we're new to Royal (but not cruising in general) figured I'd see if anyone here has been on Royal and could share some tips i may not know about. Or if anyone has some tips about Navigator of the Seas that would be awesome too.

We have sailed RC twice but I think I'm too biased to give my opinion. Once we sailed on DCL, all the rest were disappointing.

 

[huggybuff]

Hi all! It's been a minute so I thought I'd do an update.

Week 48

2024 Financial Goals

1. Pay off my credit cards and car loan in 2 years by using the debt avalanche. I've essentially snoozed this goal for the rest of the year. I'm currently paying just the minimums and adding zero debt to my balances. I'm down to $8400 total in CC debt. (Not counting in my monthly credit card usage on the CSP which is being paid off monthly.)

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

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

4. Begin paying for our 2025 spring break cruise to Mexico in March. Payments will be $450 a month from March-December. I'm making the final payment on this cruise in two weeks! (7/8) I say 'this' cruise because I put a deposit down on our June 2026 vacation already. That deposit and an early Christmas present of a Litter Robot to my husband has stalled out my debt dumping goal. Bad, I know. But January is a 3 check month and I'm determined to hit it hard at that time.

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. My budgeting app use has dwindled I'm afraid to say. Another New Year goal is to get back to that.


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. So my personal goal attainment has sucked this year. However, I'm finishing 2024 out strong and am going to check this off the list before the year is over. Edited to add: I'm using the Shmoody app and I find it's actually helping me out.

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. We've about finished getting this room together. The TV just needs to be mounted on the wall. I'm starting a half hour program as soon as the room is free...my father in-law is staying with us for a few days. My stepson may be over this weekend, but after that I'm getting down to business.

6. Get my passport at some point this year to be ready for the cruise in 2025. I've got an appointment set for mid-December to get this done. I heard the normal turnaround time is about 2 months right now.

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 Happy Thanksgiving if you're celebrating!

 

[pblack]

We have sailed RC twice but I think I'm too biased to give my opinion. Once we sailed on DCL, all the rest were disappointing.

I really wanna do DCL, but their prices . I just can't justify it lol. It will happen eventually though. I really wanna go on the treasure because of the haunted mansion bar.

 

[Tygerlilly]

I really wanna do DCL, but their prices . I just can't justify it lol. It will happen eventually though. I really wanna go on the treasure because of the haunted mansion bar.

DCL is a bucket list item for us too, but trying to do it for 5 of us was like $10k for 5 nights and I just can't pull the trigger on that one.
I'm also annoyed that I can't book 5 people on RC website to play around with prices.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

I really wanna do DCL, but their prices . I just can't justify it lol. It will happen eventually though. I really wanna go on the treasure because of the haunted mansion bar.

It’s pricey and honestly I booked our first Disney cruise in Oct 2005, for a Feb 2007 sailing on the Magic, genuinely thinking it would be a once in a lifetime event. Our kids, now 24 and almost 28, were only 6 and 9.
Once you’re onboard, you can book up to 2 future cabin “placeholders” as they call them, for $250 each which is later applied to the deposit once you book an actual sailing. It gives you a 10% discount off your future cruise. (Off the pretax amount). The 2nd cabin can be shared with friends/family but they must be on same future cruise as you.
Our TA gives us an onboard credit, usually $100, and Mickey-shaped flowers or bottle of wine as a TY for booking. She is in TX and we’re in NJ but it still works out just fine. Not that a TA is needed but the perks are nice. We’ve been using her since 2008 and she’s like an old friend.

I never, EVER leave the ship without securing my discount for a future cruise because I refuse to pay full price. Placeholders expire after 24 months and prior to that, they are 100% refundable.

The Haunted Mansion bar does look so cool!!

May I make a suggestion? Try a 5-night cruise on the Dream or Fantasy during an off-peak time, find out for yourself if DCL is worth it for you, and book a placeholder for a cruise on the Treasure. The newer ships are the priciest so the discount will help a lot.

I have yet to sail on the Wish because I’ve read so many times that the layout is terrible and designed by someone who’s never even been on a cruise. It’s a lot more expensive during holidays and summer, whenever schools are closed.

The Magic was our first and she still holds a very special place in our hearts, even all these years later. We just sailed on her last week and had a lovely time and will sail her agin in April. That said, if you’re accustomed to newer ships, you might find the Magic or Wonder to be small and old.
Then again, how old is Disneyland Park? It is still well loved because Disney is good with maintaining it. Same with DCL.
Older ships carry almost half the passengers which is a huge plus for us. Less competition for seats in the WD Theater and on the beach at Castaway Cay.

Sorry this is so long. Omg, I could talk about DCL all day and night. I created a monster when I first sent my niece and her family on one and now she is addicted too.

Are you in Cali? I think the Wonder sails from San Diego sometimes. Maybe not needing to fly would help with costs. It’s a big state so maybe not.