Debt Dumpers 2026

[focusondisney]

We had to put our puppy down.

I’m sorry, that’s really hard.

 

[afan]

It's early in 2026, and I checked this board for 2025 and learned some tips, and mostly, motivation! I think I'm going to try to check in here at least once a month with some personal goals this year.
I am not struggling financially, but there are definitely areas that I want to do better in, and not be so wasteful and just be more conscientious with my spending and work more towards saving instead of spending every penny.

1) One of my biggest pitfalls is Amazon shopping! It is so easy. I tend to order so many things. I also return a ton of stuff. I'm that person going into the UPS store every week or so with a dozen packages to return. While I do a pretty good job at returning what I don't want to keep, I know I am not perfect. I am trying to think of ways to curb the spontaneous buying. When that Amazon bill comes at the end of the month, I can cover it, but I'm shocked at how high it is... and wonder, what did I even get??
How can I improve this? I am thinking of setting a budget or tracker system. Every time I want to place an order, I should go right to my tracker and mark it down. That may help me refrain from unnecessary buying and seeing how it adds up each month. The problem is... I do buy stuff that I really need sometimes. So when that happens, I feel sort of justified in buying all the "other stuff" too. I need to think about this!

2) I also just have too much excess. Clothes is a big issue. I want to sell some things. Ebay used to be great but it's harder now, and hardly any return. FB marketplace is only OK; it's not that active by me for just general women's clothes. During football season, my weekends are dedicated to that. But in a couple weeks that will end, and I want to make a plan to spend a couple hours every weekend at least trying to list some things on Ebay and see if I can even make a few dollars.

I hope to update on these goals each month!

Add things to your cart and don't buy them until you have more than a couple things you need. I often do this because I try not to ship just one item, esp if it's small, but sometimes I end up not ordering it because I don't actually need it.

I also never use the buy now 1 click button. I have subscriptions for things I regularly order so I'm not ordering and adding more.

I think the other thing to look at is why are you buying this stuff. Do you browse Amazon when you are bored or do you see ads somewhere that prompt it?

 

[barkley]

running some errands today-set up Walmart curbside to curb impulse buys (only going in for some produce/dairy products) so ideally no more grocery trips till february. was planning on hitting up a local restaurant for some to-go b/c when I bought some gift cards in December (I buy them when they have them on sale in anticipation of my youngest's birthday in February) they had a bonus deal so it will be zero out of pocket but now we will be going to 3 restaurants (thankfully all in the same mall parking lot) b/c I got emails reminding me that I have deals about to expire next week at both honey baked ham and red robin. when I ordered our ham for Christmas I signed up for honey baked's new rewards program and between the sign-up bonus and my purchase I've got enough to get a large chef's salad and a couple of small side salads, and when we went to red robins a couple months ago (first time in YEARS) it was not great but when I did the customer satisfaction survey they apologized and loaded my rewards with a $30 credit which is enough with a few dollars paid to get 2 wrap meals. so no need to plan lunches for dh and I for the next few days

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

1) One of my biggest pitfalls is Amazon shopping! It is so easy. I tend to order so many things. I also return a ton of stuff. I'm that person going into the UPS store every week or so with a dozen packages to return. While I do a pretty good job at returning what I don't want to keep, I know I am not perfect. I am trying to think of ways to curb the spontaneous buying. When that Amazon bill comes at the end of the month, I can cover it, but I'm shocked at how high it is... and wonder, what did I even get??
How can I improve this? I am thinking of setting a budget or tracker system. Every time I want to place an order, I should go right to my tracker and mark it down. That may help me refrain from unnecessary buying and seeing how it adds up each month. The problem is... I do buy stuff that I really need sometimes. So when that happens, I feel sort of justified in buying all the "other stuff" too. I need to think about this!

What are you buying from Amazon? Clothes, knick knacks, cleaning supplies or storage ideas, decor? Sometimes people buy stuff to solve a problem (like a storage container) only to create a new problem (bulk meaning size or excuse to buy more since now it's more organized).

On my Amazon account I have a decent amount of lists I keep mostly so I don't forget a product or an idea of something but by doing so at least for me it's also easy to kinda forget about the items until I think of them later so instead of impulse buying it's more of a careful drawn out thing.

IMO though I think you need to work more on the impulse to buy something, tracking your purchases would be great if you were just looking at where your money is going so you can understand that but if you're trying to reduce the volume of what you buy it would be more working on how much and how often you're purchasing. Sit on some items for a while, mull over if you really need it, etc. I often employ this when out shopping there are times where I've found a clothing item and though hmm I'd like that but not at that price and I sit on it and sorta use the "well if it's there when I come back that might be my sign" but it's important to know that when I come back is usually a month or more later. If the item wasn't there or my size is no longer there welp it wasn't meant to be (this is for when I'm not wanting to pay the price something is and I don't really actually honestly truly need it especially at that price).

 

[Tygerlilly]

So so sorry to hear this. I'm sure this has been emotionally wracking for your children as well.

Not to sound cold but does your local SPCA offer any kind of 30 day health "warranty"? I know you said pneumonia but at the dog's age it almost sounded like Parvo but guessing he tested negative for that. I'm just wondering if the SPCA has any kind of 30 day insurance or something. I know most don't but there are a few out there I think. If so maybe some kind of reimbursement or replacement is possible....?

I did stop in to the spca on my way back from the vet since I had to drive past it to get home. She was really nice (I had been updating them the whole week). She offered to waive the fee on a new puppy when we found one. I had zero intentions of bringing one home but something told me to go look at the 2 they had. My kids were sad, obviously, but they understood that we couldn't help Pickle anymore and that we had to put her down and were already asking if we could get another one, so I told them I'd look.

And then this little lady chose me. Came barreling thru the outside into her pen, tripped over and into the water dish, and then came out and sat down in front of me and cocked her head to the side like "so when we going home?".

 

[disney-inspired]

We had to put our puppy down. Over $500 between the two vet appointments. Plus hubby had to take today off unpaid since the appointment to put her down was after he would have gone in and I couldn't take the kids with me (they have a 2 person limit on who can go in the room because the office is so small).

I'm a little stressed about money, but we've decided I'm going to do my deliveries in the bigger city all weekend. Having the option to deliver from 4 different stores instead of fighting for 1 seems like it will be worth it. We'll see how much I can earn over the weekend.

I am SO SORRY about your dog. That is such a hard thing to do.

 

[afan]

I did stop in to the spca on my way back from the vet since I had to drive past it to get home. She was really nice (I had been updating them the whole week). She offered to waive the fee on a new puppy when we found one. I had zero intentions of bringing one home but something told me to go look at the 2 they had. My kids were sad, obviously, but they understood that we couldn't help Pickle anymore and that we had to put her down and were already asking if we could get another one, so I told them I'd look.

And then this little lady chose me. Came barreling thru the outside into her pen, tripped over and into the water dish, and then came out and sat down in front of me and cocked her head to the side like "so when we going home?".

Omg that face! And that she chose you is great. I saw a thing on the news a couple weeks ago about a shelter that let's the dogs pick their people. They had a room that all the adopters sat in and they'd let the dogs in one at a time and they'd go past people and jump on their person. It was the cutest thing and a great idea. They know, dogs are smarter than a lot of people give them credit for.

 

[princesscinderella]

I did stop in to the spca on my way back from the vet since I had to drive past it to get home. She was really nice (I had been updating them the whole week). She offered to waive the fee on a new puppy when we found one. I had zero intentions of bringing one home but something told me to go look at the 2 they had. My kids were sad, obviously, but they understood that we couldn't help Pickle anymore and that we had to put her down and were already asking if we could get another one, so I told them I'd look.

And then this little lady chose me. Came barreling thru the outside into her pen, tripped over and into the water dish, and then came out and sat down in front of me and cocked her head to the side like "so when we going home?".

She’s such a cutie I love her big ears, you will have to let us know what the kids name her. So sorry you had to put Pickle down, but it sounds like it was for the best. I got a very sick puppy once with parvo and it was very touch and go for a few days but he luckily pulled through, the trauma of it though made his skittish of strangers.

 

[mmbrad02]

1) One of my biggest pitfalls is Amazon shopping! It is so easy. I tend to order so many things. I also return a ton of stuff. I'm that person going into the UPS store every week or so with a dozen packages to return. While I do a pretty good job at returning what I don't want to keep, I know I am not perfect. I am trying to think of ways to curb the spontaneous buying. When that Amazon bill comes at the end of the month, I can cover it, but I'm shocked at how high it is... and wonder, what did I even get??
How can I improve this? I am thinking of setting a budget or tracker system. Every time I want to place an order, I should go right to my tracker and mark it down. That may help me refrain from unnecessary buying and seeing how it adds up each month. The problem is... I do buy stuff that I really need sometimes. So when that happens, I feel sort of justified in buying all the "other stuff" too. I need to think about this!

I hit this in spurts and the thing I do to help curb my mindless ordering is I delete all my credit cards on file. Then when I get ready to order something, I know for me, I have to really want it to go get my credit card and enter the information in. Now, often times they will slowly make their way back on there and be readily available, and I'm usually good for a while, but when push comes to shove, that is the method that helps me

 

[LadybugsMum]

Well, I don't know how well did on the interview with the client. It was more technical than I was expecting. Hopefully, I didn't flub it too much. I hate how I'm now coming up with good answers to some of the questions after the interview is over.

I did have another former colleague reach out about a job at his current company. It would actually be a higher level job title, but doing much the same as our previous employer. So, I'm going to send him my CV.

 

[mmbrad02]

My FIL had triple bypass surgery in his early 80’s. (He would be 94 if still alive, but did not die from his heart.)
When I walked in his room that night I was expecting him to be knocked out still. Nope. He was sitting up in bed sipping water through a straw. He was a little giddy and couldn’t answer the doctor’s questions such as what year is it and who is our president. They said that was from the anesthesia.
His recovery was amazing. Nurses that I’ve worked with say it’s almost instant cure , of course some post op pain, but their heart finally gets the blood flow and oxygen it needs.
I hope your father does as well.

Oh my goodness this was so encouraging! I would love to have a similar outcome! My dad is 75, decent health. He stays active on the farm, goes regularly to estate sales, etc. But he does have Type 2 diabetes, doesn't have the best diet, and some other smaller things going on.

The surgeon outlined a 3-4 bypass, a 4 hour surgery, 1-2 days in ICU, 1 week in stepdown, 30 days to drive, and 3 months to normal. I honestly do hope they keep him a full week in the hospital - with my moms dementia issues, it will just help to get dad into a good routine, meds regulated, watch the incision, etc before he is discharged. Plus my mom does little to no housekeeping these days so my sister and I are hoping to do some good scrubbing during that time. Mom gets very defensive and hateful when we offer to help her, or simply says she will do it later (we know she wont), so if she can sit with dad at the hospital, we can do work to get the house more prepared for him to come home.

I have thought about FMLA but haven't pursued it. We do offer it at my work so worse case I will seek that out. For now I have 45 days of PTO (I can carry 20 over so ideally 25 to easily work with). I will go for his surgery and probably take two PTO days then - the day of and the day after. That's a Tuesday and Wednesday. Assuming it goes well, I will return to work that Thursday and Friday. My husband and I will go to my parents house that Friday night and we, along with my sister and her husband, will put a lot of elbow grease into the house on Saturday, and I will visit with dad at the hospital on Sunday.

I will return back home, and then my sister and I are basically planning a two week rotation of staying at my parents 24/7. Probably 3 nights at a time. We are hopeful that 3 weeks post surgery (1 week in the hospital, plus 2 weeks after) that he and mom will be in a good routine to start staying by themselves. And possibly sooner on the days my sister is staying, as she lives like 1/2 mile from them. For me, when I go, they are stuck with me for a few days. My BIL can take time off also to visit and do things they need, and my sister can go by in the evenings after those 3 weeks are up.

But all this is just a loose outline, we need some sort of plan but we know it will have to be flexible till we know more details.

 

[Tygerlilly]

Omg that face! And that she chose you is great. I saw a thing on the news a couple weeks ago about a shelter that let's the dogs pick their people. They had a room that all the adopters sat in and they'd let the dogs in one at a time and they'd go past people and jump on their person. It was the cutest thing and a great idea. They know, dogs are smarter than a lot of people give them credit for.

I saw that video and actually sent it to our SPCA! I bawled like a baby watching it.

She’s such a cutie I love her big ears, you will have to let us know what the kids name her. So sorry you had to put Pickle down, but it sounds like it was for the best. I got a very sick puppy once with parvo and it was very touch and go for a few days but he luckily pulled through, the trauma of it though made his skittish of strangers.

They named her Boomer after Daddy's favorite football team.
They very much think she contracted Distemper at some point and coupled with being compromised from surgery it went downhill quickly.

 

[IAmAHiddenMickey]

I also return a ton of stuff. I'm that person going into the UPS store every week or so with a dozen packages to return.

We're going to see an increase in the policing of returns by merchants. Several people on the AmazonPrime reddit have gotten notices that their returns are under scrutiny by Amazon and could lead to account closure. It's not just Amazon, Home Depot tightened their return policy too.

The click click and it's ordered is intentional to reduce friction so you don't think about the purchase. I add things to my cart as I see them, and then when I check out I review everything to make sure I really want to buy it. You can always save it for later in your cart so it's there but not part of that order.

 

[Jsharp13]

Add things to your cart and don't buy them until you have more than a couple things you need. I often do this because I try not to ship just one item, esp if it's small, but sometimes I end up not ordering it because I don't actually need it.

I also never use the buy now 1 click button. I have subscriptions for things I regularly order so I'm not ordering and adding more.

I think the other thing to look at is why are you buying this stuff. Do you browse Amazon when you are bored or do you see ads somewhere that prompt it?

What are you buying from Amazon? Clothes, knick knacks, cleaning supplies or storage ideas, decor? Sometimes people buy stuff to solve a problem (like a storage container) only to create a new problem (bulk meaning size or excuse to buy more since now it's more organized).

On my Amazon account I have a decent amount of lists I keep mostly so I don't forget a product or an idea of something but by doing so at least for me it's also easy to kinda forget about the items until I think of them later so instead of impulse buying it's more of a careful drawn out thing.

IMO though I think you need to work more on the impulse to buy something, tracking your purchases would be great if you were just looking at where your money is going so you can understand that but if you're trying to reduce the volume of what you buy it would be more working on how much and how often you're purchasing. Sit on some items for a while, mull over if you really need it, etc. I often employ this when out shopping there are times where I've found a clothing item and though hmm I'd like that but not at that price and I sit on it and sorta use the "well if it's there when I come back that might be my sign" but it's important to know that when I come back is usually a month or more later. If the item wasn't there or my size is no longer there welp it wasn't meant to be (this is for when I'm not wanting to pay the price something is and I don't really actually honestly truly need it especially at that price).

Thanks for these good ideas and ways to assess and think about things. It is a combination of "needs", then browsing, then seeing something I like, and finding 3-4 options to "try out at home"... Some of that contributes to increasing the bill, and much of it contributes to tons of returns. I know I have a shopping habit, and I can afford it, but that doesn't mean I should spend every spare cent on stuff.
I do have the "lists" but they have become huge and overwhelming and I barely even look at them anymore. Maybe I should pare them down to useful things I need to keep track of, blow all the rest out, and then use them as intended: stick an item on a list and if I REALLY REALLY need/want, go and purchase later.

I have a teenager too, and want to teach him better habits than I learned growing up. I am trying to teach that there is a difference between "want" and "need". I try to employ that method of holding off on purchases and and if you can't stop thinking about it, then go and get it. But most of the time, the impulse passes.

It will be an all-encompassing goal for this year for sure.