Debt Dumpers 2026

[disney-inspired]

well some good thing about this storm, i haven't spent anything since Friday lol

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

At the end of this month, my car insurance discount from taking a defensive driving course is going to expire.
I just signed up for another one. It's all online and only costs $12.50 for the Geico one. The discount isn't huge but it's good for 3 years so it definitely pays for itself. Not all states allow it for insurance discounts. Some states allow it if court-ordered or to reduce points from past tickets issued.
IIRC, there is a page on the website that shows what each state allows.

https://www.drivesafe.com/insurance-reduction/

 

[Tygerlilly]

Well, we survived most of the storm. Ended up with about 9" of snow. Didn't lose power. Everything seemed to be going well...

Until tonight when I walked into the laundry room and heard water. It is an add on and all the plumbing runs in the walls. Asked kids if they flushed a toilet lately and it was draining from that. Nope. Went down to the garage (it's under the house) and peeked up into the crawlspace under the laundry add on and sure enough, water coming from a pipe. Called the hubs at work and he came home and got the hot water switched off so it stopped. Guess we'll be fixing that in the morning.

 

[mmbrad02]

well some good thing about this storm, i haven't spent anything since Friday lol

I was proud of my lack of online shopping during the whole thing, I'm bad to fall prey to some Amazon "needs" or just random browsing. But I've held off! I almost placed an order with Comfrt, I think mainly because it's so cold outside and their hoodies and blankets do look so cozy. Has anyone ever had any of their products, and thoughts?

We did pay $110 on Monday to have our driveway cleared with a Skid Steer - it was that or not get out for days or weeks; the ice had packed our driveway down so much and then we live off of a main highway and the snow plows had stacked the heavy stuff up at the end of our driveway. There was no way DH and I could shovel it. DH was actually able to get his truck out but not easily; there was no way for my car to get over it.

Otherwise that was our spending. I do feel like a trip to the grocery is in order; after staying home so many days consecutively, we are either out of most of our go to foods, or just tired of what is left

 

[pblack]

I almost placed an order with Comfrt, I think mainly because it's so cold outside and their hoodies and blankets do look so cozy. Has anyone ever had any of their products, and thoughts?

I've not used any of their products, but my nephew was gifted a sweat set by them and it looked super comfy. My BIL said it feels super comfy also and that my nephew loved it.

 

[barkley]

I was proud of my lack of online shopping during the whole thing, I'm bad to fall prey to some Amazon "needs" or just random browsing. But I've held off! I almost placed an order with Comfrt, I think mainly because it's so cold outside and their hoodies and blankets do look so cozy. Has anyone ever had any of their products, and thoughts?

I'm not familiar with that brand but I bought a pair of these off Amazon on Black Friday and they are AWSOME. amazing light weight feeling but nice and warm-the Sherpa lining is SO soft. I snagged a gray pair on Black Friday and found myself wearing them out on errands so frequently I just ordered the pink the other day.

 

[Nettlelondon]

I recently bought some faux fur lined leggings. They are heaven - so cosy.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

That's very strange. Today is the first day since Thursday that I've run our dishwasher and washer and dryer just because of the extreme cold I try and limit if I can when we get the negative temps (so long as it doesn't go on and on like the Deep Freeze of February 2022).

A quick but AI search shows it's possible it could be one or I guess more of the following: "reverse hoses, a faulty cold water inlet valve/solenoid, a stuck temperature selector or a clogged inlet screens, meaning the machine can't get cold water even when selected. Start by checking the hose connections at the back of the machine; if that's not it, inspect the cold water inlet valve for clogs or failure, or a broken temperature switch, which are common culprits"

If you're not the normal fix-it yourself type person I'd say that repairman might be the best bet. We've dealt with our dryer multiple times taking it apart but have had to call the repairman once before. Ironically it was a good idea as he told us of an appliance store that was a specialty parts place that allowed us to get parts, it was one that didn't show up on Google and he was like it is mostly used by repair people.

Dh is very handy with home construction projects and could change hoses but the washer has the flat panel kind of controls and I'd rather have a professional just fix it rather than having dh guessing and buying a bunch of parts by trial and error and waiting several days for each one. Between me and ds, our washer gets used almost every day.
If they can't fix it, I'd still buy another one just like it. It's a Speed Queen and lasted probably 12 years now. They're made in the US too.

 

[Nettlelondon]

Dh is very handy with home construction projects and could change hoses but the washer has the flat panel kind of controls and I'd rather have a professional just fix it rather than having dh guessing and buying a bunch of parts by trial and error and waiting several days for each one. Between me and ds, our washer gets used almost every day.
If they can't fix it, I'd still buy another one just like it. It's a Speed Queen and lasted probably 12 years now. They're made in the US too.

Life is always a balance between cost & convenience really - and I agree, fixing it yourself might be straightforward, but it might not be (and will probably cost twice as much to fix the "fixes") so just get the professionals in. And everything has a lifespan, frustrating as that might be.

 

[DisneyHardin]

We had to pay a plumber $300 yesterday to fix the bathtub faucet - that wasn't quite in the budget. I knew what was wrong with it, but couldn't get it apart to fix it. The plumber just about couldn't get it apart either, but after lot of banging, he got the handle off and could replace the cartridge inside. We also paid $140 the day before to have our driveway shoveled. It has been an expensive week considering I've pretty much been housebound since Saturday

 

[MattB2G]

We had to pay a plumber $300 yesterday to fix the bathtub faucet - that wasn't quite in the budget. I knew what was wrong with it, but couldn't get it apart to fix it. The plumber just about couldn't get it apart either, but after lot of banging, he got the handle off and could replace the cartridge inside. We also paid $140 the day before to have our driveway shoveled. It has been an expensive week considering I've pretty much been housebound since Saturday

I feel it is always good to hire a plumber to handle "old" fixtures because you need know what might happen when you start opening up/taken apart plumbing fixtures. While I can handle a lot of normal plumbing issues, plumber always know "exactly" how to fix an issue and have all the right tools. By the time you get done going to Home Depot and buying the right tools and fixtures your usually end up at the same price and/or higher price. I have a whole barn full of tools but there is almost always a specialty tool for a lot of plumbing fixtures you need to deal with them.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Dh is very handy with home construction projects and could change hoses but the washer has the flat panel kind of controls and I'd rather have a professional just fix it rather than having dh guessing and buying a bunch of parts by trial and error and waiting several days for each one. Between me and ds, our washer gets used almost every day.
If they can't fix it, I'd still buy another one just like it. It's a Speed Queen and lasted probably 12 years now. They're made in the US too.

Ours is an Electrolux and it's been going since 2014 (they were in our possession in 2013 but not used until 2014).

Like I said it depends on the issue, because that one is one that can have a good amount of potential issues that's why I'd go with a professional. A word here though is that not all issues can a professional "just fix it". They too have to sometimes guess and wait for parts to get in, they don't always have every part for every machine for every issue with them in their work vehicle. When we had our dryer looked at the repair person couldn't pinpoint the exact cause but gave the suggestion of what we could do which was replacing a belt, a belt he did not have with him and one he couldn't get for several weeks.

Google in incredibly good source nowadays especially YouTube, it's all in your comfort level and if the potential issue is a bit too much without background knowledge into the exact thing you're trying to work on.

And increasingly these days it's basically "just buy a new one it'll be cheaper in the end". When our microwave was making a noise at 11 months in we called in our warranty on it (the house warranty as it was a new build house at that point) and the repair person at that time couldn't get it to make the noise it was but said it sounded like the magnetron in which case the cost for the part alone was very close to a new one and he just recommended buying a new one if it goes out, and it did go out not super super long after.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I have a whole barn full of tools but there is almost always a specialty tool for a lot of plumbing fixtures you need to deal with them.

I feel like that's us but with wrenches and sockets lol.

When we replaced my radiator on my car there's a more specialized socket wrench that can get down into the middle to get a particular bolt. My husband bought a pneumatic wrench when he was replacing the brake pads on his car. My car however is a 2002 and can still be worked on for things.

But we have places like Harbor Freight (who has an amazing warranty policy) and Menards and whatnot where you're not breaking the bank to get stuff.

My husband designed (with a backup help via two companies that specialize in sprinkler systems via online submissions of the project) and installed our sprinkler system several years back. He rented a trencher and got the pipes and the sprinkler heads from Menards but I was glad that in my city it's required to get a permit and thus get a licensed plumber to do the final step of attaching the system to the water for the backflow system; that is beyond the scope of the knowledge he had.

Depending on the issue with plumbing it may require a permit here in my city. They say normal repairs don't but "if any concealed trap, drain pipe, water, soil, waste or vent pipe becomes defective and it becomes necessary to remove and replace the same with new material, such work shall be considered as new work and a permit shall be obtained and inspection made as provided in this code."

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I don't remember when it happened but it was when our furnace was still under warranty and our heat was kicking off suddenly. My husband tried to replace some fuses and it would start but then not long after kick off a get blowing the fuse and there was a disconnect between what the thermostat information was getting and what the HVAC system was getting.

We got in to the company the builder had for the warranty and they came out and did the same thing we did replacing the fuses. Told us to call them back if it happens again. It did after a few hours and we called them the next day. They came out and replaced fuses and the motherboard. Said if it happens again to call them back. A few hours later it does the same thing so they come out for a 3rd time. They spent more time digging, they themselves were using their phones to look up possible issues and they ended up saying let's try this.

So they went to where the wiring in the basement (which is unfinished) where the thermostat is hooked up and they loosed the wiring giving it more slack. The diagnosis was a pinched wiring from when it was installed and over a bit of time as the house moved and adjusted with the seasons.

Luckily we only had to pay for 1 $100 service call since it was under warranty but it took them 3 different times of dealing with it to figure it out. A pinch wiring was not something we would have even known to look for and I don't think it was a common thing for the company to encounter either, it seemed to stump them why their normal go-to's weren't working.

 

[barkley]

Life is always a balance between cost & convenience really - and I agree, fixing it yourself might be straightforward, but it might not be (and will probably cost twice as much to fix the "fixes") so just get the professionals in. And everything has a lifespan, frustrating as that might be.

we used to have a handyman who was great at a variety of trades so he was our go-go for repairs-he was very forthcoming that he made less money on identical repair issues for us than he did for others b/c both dh and I never tried to do it ourselves first.

 

[Nettlelondon]

In the UK most tax is deducted from people's monthly pay and that is the end of it but for some, mainly higher earners or those with a variety of income sources annual filing of "self assessment tax returns" are due and payments of top up taxes. For the tax year 6th April 2024 to 5th April 2025 (a long story as to why we have such bizarre tax periods) the deadline for filing and payment is this coming Saturday.

I need to file 3 returns, one for my mother, one for my husband and mine (no joint filing here). I had got mum's to 95% done in July last year but had forgotten to hit the final button so got that sorted today and her payment has gone off. It was a bit more than she expected but that was mainly because she had forgotten about one of her bank accounts!

I can't finish DHs until tomorrow as I need some information from bank accounts in his name only that I can't access but I did mine and discovered the amount due was a lot lower than I was mentally expecting. I think I have mentally blanked out most of 2023 & 2024 due to my cancer treatment so have forgotten what was going on financially, I just remember hospital appointments, scans, support groups and the like!

And yes, I know I could do it before the deadline, and every year I swear I will but I never actually manage to do so.

Maybe I will try harder in 2026!

 

[disney-inspired]

I already filed my taxes - I used FreetaxUSA so only had to pay to file CA return as I was a partial resident last year.
I knew I was going to owe on my federal taxes as I asked them to withhold too little (messed up my W4). My CA refund will cover the most of it so only have pay something like an additional $30 out of pocket.
I prefer to have no refund and get most of my money in real-time so that's fine with me. Usually I have to pay my car registration in January but since I moved and registered in Texas, that's good until Nov 2026 and my car insurance reup isn't until October 2026.

Main goal is still to get rid of credit card debt but I'm flying back to CA in May for my sister's college graduation so will be cash flowing that - hoping to get dates solidified soon.

My parents and younger sister are coming out here for 2.5 weeks. My dad was trying to get his neighbor's son to watch our dog but I'm not super confident in this guy - hardly know him as an adult - and his mom needs care so don't want to burden her either.
I did book with a previous sitter on the Rover app as back up. They allow cancellations up until 24 hours before scheduled drop off date. That will cost $1130 but we're going to split that 3 ways - dad, myself, younger sister. I booked it on my no interest CC but hope to get confirmation to keep it or to cancel it soon. My reasoning is they have watched the dog twice before and someone is always home with him - he's older now and gets more anxious about being alone - and they walk him twice a day which he loves no doubt. I have full trust they will care for my dog well.
My dad tried to suggest they bring the dog but he is TERRIBLE about travel and my sister has too many young kids who don't know how to be around a dog - so my younger sister and I killed that idea VERY quickly.

Speaking of dogs, I've had the thought to adopt a very tiny breed for company but I'm not fully committed to the idea yet so have taken ZERO action on it (which shows great restraint for me lol). I might just volunteer at a shelter or rescue for the puppy cuddles. I think I'd be more apt to do it if I lived on the first floor - easy in/out for the potty training time.

Other than that, just here chugging along with work - taking some half days to help my sister while my BIL is out of town for a work trip.
I want to go to FL to visit my friend and maybe do a short WDW trip but she's super busy with work right now so it isn't in the cards yet. Maybe for spring or summer.

 

[Sheree]

I was proud of my lack of online shopping during the whole thing, I'm bad to fall prey to some Amazon "needs" or just random browsing. But I've held off! I almost placed an order with Comfrt, I think mainly because it's so cold outside and their hoodies and blankets do look so cozy. Has anyone ever had any of their products, and thoughts?

We did pay $110 on Monday to have our driveway cleared with a Skid Steer - it was that or not get out for days or weeks; the ice had packed our driveway down so much and then we live off of a main highway and the snow plows had stacked the heavy stuff up at the end of our driveway. There was no way DH and I could shovel it. DH was actually able to get his truck out but not easily; there was no way for my car to get over it.

Otherwise that was our spending. I do feel like a trip to the grocery is in order; after staying home so many days consecutively, we are either out of most of our go to foods, or just tired of what is left

I just got the comfrt airplane hoodie and a pair of straight leg sweatpants. super cozy and comfy, runs big

 

[barkley]

I already filed my taxes - I used FreetaxUSA so only had to pay to file CA return as I was a partial resident last year.
I knew I was going to owe on my federal taxes as I asked them to withhold too little (messed up my W4). My CA refund will cover the most of it so only have pay something like an additional $30 out of pocket.
I prefer to have no refund and get most of my money in real-time so that's fine with me. Usually I have to pay my car registration in January but since I moved and registered in Texas, that's good until Nov 2026 and my car insurance reup isn't until October 2026.

when we left California it was SO NICE to hit that first year when we no longer had to do state income taxes, likewise it was a VERY pleasant surprise to see how much less expensive car registration was in the state we moved to.

I might just volunteer at a shelter or rescue for the puppy cuddles.

I don't know if they do it for the puppies but the shelters around here have volunteer positions that work in 'kitten socialization'-it basicly means cuddling and playing with the kittens to make them more appealing for adoption.