Debt Dumpers 2025

[Nettlelondon]

To be clear, the religious / church bits don't bother me - it's just completely alien to the general experience of life here.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

I didn't follow DR fully when getting out of debt bc I wasn't willing to take my Efund down to 1k while we were getting out of debt. We didn't have a ton at the time, but we had two kids/a mortgage, and my husband is in tech, so we knew his job was always risky (and he has been laid off so we know we need it). We did the avalanche method bc we were fully locked in and didn't need the motivation, but even with all these strays and being Dave-ish, I still credit him for us being where we are. I listened to his podcasts and watched his show constantly for motivation. I truly think for most people he can be the real answer if they're willing to listen.

Dh was in industrial maintenance/construction half of his life and a lot of lay offs would be seasonal or dependent on the economy. I think I mentioned before how he was laid off 2 weeks after we bought our house. In that case, you have to tweak the advice to make it work for you. We're not all in the same boat.
Dh was all about having fun in his 20s and early 30s. He was 33 when we started dating and he had nothing saved for retiredment.
I was the one to push him to get that started but he'll always be way behind on that. He's 9 years older than me, saves twice as much as I do and I still have twice as much. So when DR talked about stopping retirement saving, well maybe that's great advice for a 30 year old to do for 6 months but no way would that work for us.

 

[barkley]

I'll probably get a honeybaked ham to bring to my grandma's house.

it kills me to pay the price but I get SO MUCH bang for the buck when I get a honeybaked ham. we get one for Christmas and get many meals out of it (my personal favorite is to make eggs benedict). I get one larger than we need and freeze portions for future meals. all the small scraps, the portion at the end of the ham that does not get spiral cut and the ham bone are bagged up for split pea soup (just made a double batch last week that we ate off of for a couple of days, sent the oldest home with 2 quart containers to freeze and we've got 2 quarts in our freezer as well). I just wish they sold up here the non jarred cranberry sauce we used to be able to buy at their northern california locations.

We didn't get rid of cable

we did'nt either. our thought process was that we needed some form of entertainment, some means to decompress. we felt that if we had something relatively inexpensive it would keep us from feeling so 'deprived' that we would be driven to choosing 'just one little spurge on something fun' which we knew would ultimatly cost more than multiple months of our cable bill. even today when I eye our budget when the notifications of increases in our streaming packages arrive I consider that even if we watch just one new release vs. seeing it in the theater that we've saved $ (it costs more than the $25.99 i'll be paying come 11/1 for my Disney plus/Hulu/Netflix bundle than 2 adult tickets at our local movie theaters ).

 

[Nettlelondon]

When we first got married we were pretty broke. Thankfully we lived pretty close to both sets of parents so for a couple of years we would somehow contrive to eat at each set of parents, accidentally, at least once a week, sometimes twice. Everyone knew what was going on, but no one ever mentioned it. We didn't actually have any debt, other than our mortgage, but we were very close to it. I got very good at creating meals from the yellow stickered, end of day reduced foods at the local supermarket and our slow cooker was a lifesaver.

But we managed to have a holiday every year and a couple of cheap weekends away. Holidays were our safety valve. We were very good at spotting ways to holiday for less. For example we used to visit France (only a very short ferry ride away for us) staying with a company that had ready erected tents throughout the country so that we could self cater easily. They used to run an offer where you could select a region and they would choose your site. This was about half the price of selecting your site. It might be that you had to move once during your holiday but they were never very far apart and were all really good quality sites so it wasn't a huge saving. We also used to holiday outside the school holiday period which made it a lot cheaper too. Without those breaks we would have gone insane, I am sure.

DH worked for a bank at the time and he got a role in a new centre that was overwhelmed with work during the set up phase. As a result they offered overtime for Saturday mornings 8 to 12 which was paid at such a lucrative rate that it was about 25% of his normal week's pay. Those mornings made a huge difference to our finances!

Whilst following DR to the letter might get the debts done quickest it doesn't work if you can't stick to it, so adjustments have to be made.

And I agree with ruadisneyfan2 - cancelling retirement savings, particularly if you have employer matching, is a huge step with implications for a very, very long time. You shouldn't lose the roof over your head now at the expense of your future, but it really should be just about the last thing to remove from the budget if at all possible.

 

[Tygerlilly]

I'm growing a little concerned for our local community. Most of the people around here are paycheck to 3 days before paycheck and rely on SNAP benefits to get groceries. Every day it gets closer to the 1st with no government solutions I worry for how many people will go hungry until a resolution happens.

I've been scouring YouTube, Facebook, IG and good old cookbooks and referencing the weekly ads and am going to try and make a weekly post in our local group with "A week of meals for $X.00". Will they be the healthiest meals? No. Will they fill the bellies of those who definitely don't really have the funds to make meals happen? Yes.

Our food pantries are already struggling and I just don't know how they're going to manage the influx that's sure to come.

 

[Bellex917]

I'm growing a little concerned for our local community. Most of the people around here are paycheck to 3 days before paycheck and rely on SNAP benefits to get groceries. Every day it gets closer to the 1st with no government solutions I worry for how many people will go hungry until a resolution happens.

I've been scouring YouTube, Facebook, IG and good old cookbooks and referencing the weekly ads and am going to try and make a weekly post in our local group with "A week of meals for $X.00". Will they be the healthiest meals? No. Will they fill the bellies of those who definitely don't really have the funds to make meals happen? Yes.

Our food pantries are already struggling and I just don't know how they're going to manage the influx that's sure to come.

Completely agree. I might do a large donation to our local pantry... I can't imagine how this will go.

 

[pblack]

I'm growing a little concerned for our local community. Most of the people around here are paycheck to 3 days before paycheck and rely on SNAP benefits to get groceries. Every day it gets closer to the 1st with no government solutions I worry for how many people will go hungry until a resolution happens.

I've been scouring YouTube, Facebook, IG and good old cookbooks and referencing the weekly ads and am going to try and make a weekly post in our local group with "A week of meals for $X.00". Will they be the healthiest meals? No. Will they fill the bellies of those who definitely don't really have the funds to make meals happen? Yes.

Our food pantries are already struggling and I just don't know how they're going to manage the influx that's sure to come.

I'd also recommend checking out Dollar Tree Dinners (tiktok, youtube, facebook). Rebecca does some amazing things with very little money.

 

[barkley]

I'm growing a little concerned for our local community. Most of the people around here are paycheck to 3 days before paycheck and rely on SNAP benefits to get groceries. Every day it gets closer to the 1st with no government solutions I worry for how many people will go hungry until a resolution happens.

I've been scouring YouTube, Facebook, IG and good old cookbooks and referencing the weekly ads and am going to try and make a weekly post in our local group with "A week of meals for $X.00". Will they be the healthiest meals? No. Will they fill the bellies of those who definitely don't really have the funds to make meals happen? Yes.

Our food pantries are already struggling and I just don't know how they're going to manage the influx that's sure to come.

one of the dshs offices I worked in had it's own food pantry and the striking thing I saw (and learned from) was how so many people had absolutely no knowledge of how to cook certain things that could help them immensely (and were frequently donated). offers of dry beans or non microwavable rice and you got a blank stare or 'but I don't own a crockpot and a rice cooker' we had to explain that it was entirely possible and not difficult to cook both beans and rice on a stovetop so my suggestion is to be as BASIC as possible when giving instructions (literally explain what it means to soak beans overnight, how to cook a pot of rice).

you might also want to turn people on to the Yummly website b/c you can enter the ingredients you have on hand (or what you've been given at the food bank) and it will come up with recipies using them.

 

[Nettlelondon]

During COVID the foodbanks in the UK were obviously under pressure, which has continued due to the higher levels of inflation we have seen since - particularly for food & electricity/domestic gas.

One of the things that came out was how many people were struggling with cooking on the basis of either the high cost of electricity or not having the equipment. Several were running classes on how to turn the staples they were likely to get from the food bank into tasty meals using a crockpot and then sending them home with a basic crock pot. It was a fantastic scheme and really helped a lot of people.

And there were also a lot of videos appearing on how to prepare food just using an electric kettle - something no home is without here.

When I was a vaccination volunteer one of the venues was a church that ran a no questions asked foodbank. Many here require a referral from a doctor, social worker or similar and have restrictions on the frequency of visits which can be a challenge. The foodbank at the church also does deliveries for those who can't get out with the vicar stuffing a huge rucksack with as much as she could and setting off with an IKEA blue bag in each hand to do her rounds.

Thankfully Government shutdowns aren't something we have here but I imagine they really create chaos - the consequences go way beyond the obvious and have real impacts on those in the worst positions in normal times.

 

[huggybuff]

Hey guys, just a quick sprint by to report that I paid off another credit card this month. It was my Ally (soon to change to Merrick Bank) card. I'm not closing this one at this time since it doesn't charge an annual fee or any monthly fees. Another one to put on ice, so to speak. Next up is my second Credit One Bank card. I've already scheduled the November payment to come out on 11/7 and I'll pay the remainder in December. Now that one I am definitely canceling since it's a terrible company that charges monthly fees.

 

[pblack]

Hey guys, just a quick sprint by to report that I paid off another credit card this month. It was my Ally (soon to change to Merrick Bank) card. I'm not closing this one at this time since it doesn't charge an annual fee or any monthly fees. Another one to put on ice, so to speak. Next up is my second Credit One Bank card. I've already scheduled the November payment to come out on 11/7 and I'll pay the remainder in December. Now that one I am definitely canceling since it's a terrible company that charges monthly fees.

 

[LadybugsMum]

Sometimes it sucks to be a responsible adult. I'm most likely going to cancel my solo trip to WDW in Feb. I'm still doing some budgeting for Jan and Feb to see if it's possible, but I'm getting stressed with it; so it may just be better to cancel. It's just hard when I don't get any down time as a solo parent.

 

[WDW_fan_in_TX]

Ugh. So much for the EF.

Woke up this morning to the upstairs toilet leaking and water coming dripping through the light fixture in the downstairs bathroom. Looks like a cracked tank, but there's water all over the floor. The nice thing is I'm an inside salesman at a plumbing supply house, so I can basically get a brand new one at cost. Will just have to call a plumber probably to put it in.

Then I finally get ready and get the water to the house turned off. Get in the car, leave the neighborhood, get on the freeway and my check engine light comes on. Car is vibrating/bouncing all over the place, something is clicking in the engine and it's having trouble getting up to speed. I make it about halfway to work, then I decided to turn around and take it back home. Our mechanic is at the end of the alley, so I dropped it off there. They're going to hopefully check it out today. Said it could be the spark plugs, could be fuel pump related. So we shall see.

And it's terrible timing to boot. We're supposed to divide and conquer this weekend with DW going to the wedding of our church parents' daughter about an hour north of where we live. I was scheduled to go home (2-1/2 east of here) on Saturday for my nephew's 1-year birthday party. So now, we're not sure what to do. We don't want to make either one of our families mad.

And DW is mad at the situation asking why bad stuff happens to us when we don't need it to happen. She said if we didn't have anything planned, nothing would've happened. But since we had plans, things had to happen. And it sucks right now, she said. Plus, bad stuff only ever happens to us. So she is really, really down in the dump today.

Anyway, so much for having an EF. It's about to be gone I'm afraid.

We did talk of canceling our Disney trip in 2-1/2 weeks. I called Southwest Airlines, and we'd lose that money if we don't fly by Dec. 4th. So since we got half price rooms through my niece's DCP discount, and those rooms are paid off, and we're going to lose our money for flights, we decided to just take the trip. We don't have park tickets, but there's lots and lots of things to do without going to the parks. So we're going to make the most of it and get away for a few days since we'd be losing like $1k if we don't go.

Depending on what the mechanic says, we might wait until after Disney to fix the car. We would just have to use the 1 car we have.

 

[DisneyHardin]

Woke up this morning to the upstairs toilet leaking and water coming dripping through the light fixture in the downstairs bathroom. Looks like a cracked tank, but there's water all over the floor. The nice thing is I'm an inside salesman at a plumbing supply house, so I can basically get a brand new one at cost. Will just have to call a plumber probably to put it in.

I thought you all were renters. Why are you paying for the repairs instead of your landlord?

 

[WDW_fan_in_TX]

I thought you all were renters. Why are you paying for the repairs instead of your landlord?

We are renters. But I get the items at cost. And I'd rather call some guy that's local on Facebook group that's going to charge $100 to put it in over having my rent go up $100/month. Not sure it will, but I don't to take a chance. It's a couple, not a company. So I'm afraid they're going to raise our rent if we have to use them.

 

[firefly_ris]

We are renters. But I get the items at cost. And I'd rather call some guy that's local on Facebook group that's going to charge $100 to put it in over having my rent go up $100/month. Not sure it will, but I don't to take a chance. It's a couple, not a company. So I'm afraid they're going to raise our rent if we have to use them.

Are you not on an annual lease? How would your rent just start going up before lease renewal? Is this more of a "handshake" type lease?

I understand you want it fixed but you wouldn't catch me paying for material improvements on something I don't own and have no equity in. I'd call the landlord and say "hey, I can get you these materials at cost if you want" and that's it.

 

[WDW_fan_in_TX]

No. We pay monthly. Our lease runs through Sept. 2026 as we just resigned a couple of months ago. But we're on a monthly payment term. I don't want him to come back in September and say oh I have to raise your rent $100 a month because y'all are too much trouble. That's what we're afraid of.

Are you not on an annual lease? How would your rent just start going up before lease renewal? Is this more of a "handshake" type lease?

I understand you want it fixed but you wouldn't catch me paying for material improvements on something I don't own and have no equity in. I'd call the landlord and say "hey, I can get you these materials at cost if you want" and that's it.

 

[firefly_ris]

No. We pay monthly. Our lease runs through Sept. 2026 as we just resigned a couple of months ago. But we're on a monthly payment term. I don't want him to come back in September and say oh I have to raise your rent $100 a month because y'all are too much trouble. That's what we're afraid of.

Right, but you signed a lease term that isn't up until next year. Perhaps Texas is different but here you cannot randomly change the terms of the lease whenever you feel like it. Source -- husband and I were landlords on our personal property for several years. It was illegal for us to just approach a tenant mid-lease term and jack up rent.

 

[ThereYouSeeHer]

Woke up this morning to the upstairs toilet leaking and water coming dripping through the light fixture in the downstairs bathroom. Looks like a cracked tank, but there's water all over the floor.

We are renters. But I get the items at cost. And I'd rather call some guy that's local on Facebook group that's going to charge $100 to put it in over having my rent go up $100/month. Not sure it will, but I don't to take a chance. It's a couple, not a company. So I'm afraid they're going to raise our rent if we have to use them.

FYI. Renters are generally required to report water events to the landlord. If water causes mold somewhere (i.e., between floors, under carpet, etc.), and you didn't tell them about a leak at all or even not quickly enough, you could be liable for it. Also, you don't want water mixing with wiring and causing an electrical short or fire. You can still offer to fix the toilet, but a documented notification to the landlord would let them know before any issues arise that they can consider you liable for.

Also, please make sure you have renters insurance that covers both personal property and liability.

 

[WDW_fan_in_TX]

Thank you for this info. I did call the landlord, and he is going to come fix it. I just hate to do that cause we can't afford for our rent to go up when we resign next September. That said, we do not have renter's insurance. It's something DW and I have talked about looking into. I just have no idea what kind of value we have in there or where to start. I already pay $450/month for car insurance. I can't afford another $400/month insurance payment.

FYI. Renters are generally required to report water events to the landlord. If water causes mold somewhere (i.e., between floors, under carpet, etc.), and you didn't tell them about a leak at all or even not quickly enough, you could be liable for it. Also, you don't want water mixing with wiring and causing an electrical short or fire. You can still offer to fix the toilet, but a documented notification to the landlord would let them know before any issues arise that they can consider you liable for.

Also, please make sure you have renters insurance that covers both personal property and liability.