Debt Dumpers 2026

[pblack]

I've sold things on Mercari and have had decent luck depending on the item(s). I tried Ebay, but just didn't really understand the whole process. To me, Mercari is pretty straightforward.

I decided to apply for a new credit card with 15 months at 0% to fund our backyard projects this year. I had been debating just doing a balance transfer, but decided that it would be easiest to have a credit card that I can just charge too in case unexpected things come up. This card will mainly be for: replacing our patio cover, grill gazebo or just a regular gazebo as we're undecided, and finishing up our bar top. My plan is to have whatever we end up charging to it paid off by the end of the 15 months. I also opted to do a cash back credit card so that way I can also apply the cash back we earn to help pay off our purchases.

We've also decided we're going to Cabo in June for 3 days. This will be our first time trying out an all inclusive (outside of day trips on a cruise). I've booked our flights with a combo of SW points and cash and we just need to pay for our resort still. We had planned on booking a cruise in November, but something kept me from booking it, and come to find out our friends 40th birthday party will be the day we were supposed to get back and we wouldn't get back in time for it. While I knew they were planning a party, I thought it would be the weekend after we get back. So i'm glad I hadn't actually booked the cruise yet and we're rethinking if we want to try and move our vacation to a different time frame, or do something different.

We're currently getting hit with a bunch of rainy winter storms and while I know we need the rain, it's definitely amped up my seasonal depression again. I really want to make more progress on our backyard projects, but the rain is putting a damper on that.

 

[Bellex917]

I get it-we had to have an electrician out this month and there's some further issues but I don't want/need to deal with them until the weather is nicer. it also grates on me to have to pull from our 'savings'. it's a mental thing-in my mind it's 'savings' and supposed to be 'saved'. one thing that's helped me deal with it over the years has been taking a set dollar amount each month and putting it into a separate designated bank account we call 'the reserve' and just letting it build up and roll over, not pulling from it except for repairs. mentally it just sits with me better.

Similarly, I have an account called "House EFund" and to me I know that one is meant for house repairs... but I STILL feel sad LOL. I'll do it, but it bothers me lol!

 

[Tygerlilly]

In true typical fashion, the check seems to be MIA in the mail. Tracking showed it was scheduled to be delivered on Wednesday. Since 12am on the 17th there's been zero movement on tracking other than "in transit to next location". So that's super fun. Trying to figure out how long we need to wait before we have to go thru the whole ordeal of getting a new one made and sent out.

 

[WDW_fan_in_TX]

In true typical fashion, the check seems to be MIA in the mail. Tracking showed it was scheduled to be delivered on Wednesday. Since 12am on the 17th there's been zero movement on tracking other than "in transit to next location". So that's super fun. Trying to figure out how long we need to wait before we have to go thru the whole ordeal of getting a new one made and sent out.

Welcome to my world of selling baseball cards. I’ve had stuff sit in transit for 2-3 weeks before showing up. I’ve had stuff completely disappear off the map before showing out of the blue 6 months later. USPS is so frustratingly unreliable. Yet they’re begging for money and raising their rates routinely,

 

[barkley]

In true typical fashion, the check seems to be MIA in the mail. Tracking showed it was scheduled to be delivered on Wednesday. Since 12am on the 17th there's been zero movement on tracking other than "in transit to next location". So that's super fun. Trying to figure out how long we need to wait before we have to go thru the whole ordeal of getting a new one made and sent out.

frustrating! I get it, it's happened to me (sending and receiving) far too many times and the USPS is no help in resolution. if it doesn't arrive in the next couple of days could the issuer do a stop payment on it and then just do an ACH to your account?

 

[Tygerlilly]

frustrating! I get it, it's happened to me (sending and receiving) far too many times and the USPS is no help in resolution. if it doesn't arrive in the next couple of days could the issuer do a stop payment on it and then just do an ACH to your account?

I'm going to have my SIL ask the lawyer that exact question if I don't see any movement on it tomorrow, because by then it will have been a week since it was mailed out.

 

[Tygerlilly]

Well, still no movement on tracking but it showed up today! It was about half of what we were expecting to get (we never got an actual number from her, so we were guessing off of the sale price). Just means we need to reconfigure what we want to do with it now.

As of this moment, we plan to do a massive grocery shopping trip, finish fixing up the truck, new tires and oil change on the yukon, and paying a month ahead on everything we can. The rest will go to savings while we sort out how to proceed with it

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

We finally can actually see the grass in our yard but tonight we are expecting a blizzard with up to 20" of snow. I've really had enough of winter.

 

[princesscinderella]

We finally can actually see the grass in our yard but tonight we are expecting a blizzard with up to 20" of snow. I've really had enough of winter.

Yikes!!!

 

[Sheree]

We finally can actually see the grass in our yard but tonight we are expecting a blizzard with up to 20" of snow. I've really had enough of winter.

us too! we're in the 18-24" section and the shore is in 24-30"
and while the state announced all state offices close, county govt hasn't.

 

[focusondisney]

We finally can actually see the grass in our yard but tonight we are expecting a blizzard with up to 20" of snow. I've really had enough of winter.

Sorry for everyone in this storm, but thankful we’re not getting hit this time. Western NY has had enough of this winter too. Stay safe!

 

[Willow Ufgood]

We finally can actually see the grass in our yard but tonight we are expecting a blizzard with up to 20" of snow. I've really had enough of winter.

We're in a similar situation. There are still some pockets of snow in the yard and the pile that the township so graciously pile in front of my house is only 3 feet high now. Blizzard warning is in effect with anywhere between 8" to 20" expected, depending on which weather forecast we check. I'm pulling out old DVDs in case our cable goes out.

 

[mmbrad02]

Well, I did a thing this weekend - we purchased airline tickets for June to go to Disneyland! This has has been a long time bucket list item for me, but airline tickets from KY to LAX or John Wayne were always steep so it was on the list for a time when we could do a big vacation and see as much of Cali as we could. However, Allegiant now does a route from Cincy to John Wayne Airport at a much more economical rate - so my wheels have been turning a bit; then Dad got sick and I kinda tried to forget about it. But honestly with his surgery looming, the weather, etc I just needed something to look forward to. So we booked a Sunday-Thursday trip. The airline cost is completely covered with credit card miles. I haven't booked a hotel or purchased tickets yet, but we have a vacation savings earmarked for those. I'm super excited and a little nervous about arranging a trip that is completely new to me! If anyone is a Disneyland/Anaheim expert, please toss out anything we need to know Here is what we do know so far:

We arrive on a Sunday afternoon around 2:30pm
We depart on a Thursday afternoon around 3:30pm
We most likely will not rent a car but am potentially open to a 1 day rental on arrival day. We will Uber from the airport to Hotel and back.
Most likely staying at a Good Neighbor hotel - anyone have one they love?
We really want to see the Pacific Ocean, as none of us. Considering a trip to 1000 Step Beach on arrival afternoon. Hence the 1 day car rental idea. But wondering if for ease and convenience if we should just stick to Ubers.
And while I would love to cram in so much more of the west coast, ultimately I want to see Disney! So we will do park days Monday-Wednesday for sure. Was debating a fourth day ticket, either for arrival day (if we didn't do the beach) or departure day (till time to go to the airport).

And in other news, when you take one plunge, it seems like 5000 other things happen. DH had to replace his truck battery Sunday; that was a $220 expense that, while isn't as bad as some, wasn't something I was planning on. Such is life I suppose.

 

[barkley]

Well, I did a thing this weekend - we purchased airline tickets for June to go to Disneyland! This has has been a long time bucket list item for me, but airline tickets from KY to LAX or John Wayne were always steep so it was on the list for a time when we could do a big vacation and see as much of Cali as we could. However, Allegiant now does a route from Cincy to John Wayne Airport at a much more economical rate - so my wheels have been turning a bit; then Dad got sick and I kinda tried to forget about it. But honestly with his surgery looming, the weather, etc I just needed something to look forward to. So we booked a Sunday-Thursday trip. The airline cost is completely covered with credit card miles. I haven't booked a hotel or purchased tickets yet, but we have a vacation savings earmarked for those. I'm super excited and a little nervous about arranging a trip that is completely new to me! If anyone is a Disneyland/Anaheim expert, please toss out anything we need to know Here is what we do know so far:

We arrive on a Sunday afternoon around 2:30pm
We depart on a Thursday afternoon around 3:30pm
We most likely will not rent a car but am potentially open to a 1 day rental on arrival day. We will Uber from the airport to Hotel and back.
Most likely staying at a Good Neighbor hotel - anyone have one they love?
We really want to see the Pacific Ocean, as none of us. Considering a trip to 1000 Step Beach on arrival afternoon. Hence the 1 day car rental idea. But wondering if for ease and convenience if we should just stick to Ubers.
And while I would love to cram in so much more of the west coast, ultimately I want to see Disney! So we will do park days Monday-Wednesday for sure. Was debating a fourth day ticket, either for arrival day (if we didn't do the beach) or departure day (till time to go to the airport).

And in other news, when you take one plunge, it seems like 5000 other things happen. DH had to replace his truck battery Sunday; that was a $220 expense that, while isn't as bad as some, wasn't something I was planning on. Such is life I suppose.

on doing Disney your arrival or departure date-remember that for departure you need to arrive at John Wayne about 2 hours early and there's travel time so at minimum figure in the Uber by 1 p.m.
on arrival I've had it take close to an hour to get my luggage and out of the airport so figure w/an Uber at the ready you would arrive at a near to Disney hotel by what? 5'ish? if it's a Sunday arrival check to see if it's a Grad Night b/c the parks could be overly crowded in which case it might not be worth the cost of an extra day's ticket, w/ a Thursday departure if you wanted to do a half day you have to plan on getting up EARLY to get out of the room (make sure the hotel will hold the luggage for you) and catch a ride to the park (if you wanted to get there by an 8 a.m. opening to be able to do 4'ish hours before you Uber back to the hotel to get the luggage to then Uber to the airport).

 

[pblack]

Well, I did a thing this weekend - we purchased airline tickets for June to go to Disneyland! This has has been a long time bucket list item for me, but airline tickets from KY to LAX or John Wayne were always steep so it was on the list for a time when we could do a big vacation and see as much of Cali as we could. However, Allegiant now does a route from Cincy to John Wayne Airport at a much more economical rate - so my wheels have been turning a bit; then Dad got sick and I kinda tried to forget about it. But honestly with his surgery looming, the weather, etc I just needed something to look forward to. So we booked a Sunday-Thursday trip. The airline cost is completely covered with credit card miles. I haven't booked a hotel or purchased tickets yet, but we have a vacation savings earmarked for those. I'm super excited and a little nervous about arranging a trip that is completely new to me! If anyone is a Disneyland/Anaheim expert, please toss out anything we need to know Here is what we do know so far:

We arrive on a Sunday afternoon around 2:30pm
We depart on a Thursday afternoon around 3:30pm
We most likely will not rent a car but am potentially open to a 1 day rental on arrival day. We will Uber from the airport to Hotel and back.
Most likely staying at a Good Neighbor hotel - anyone have one they love?
We really want to see the Pacific Ocean, as none of us. Considering a trip to 1000 Step Beach on arrival afternoon. Hence the 1 day car rental idea. But wondering if for ease and convenience if we should just stick to Ubers.
And while I would love to cram in so much more of the west coast, ultimately I want to see Disney! So we will do park days Monday-Wednesday for sure. Was debating a fourth day ticket, either for arrival day (if we didn't do the beach) or departure day (till time to go to the airport).

And in other news, when you take one plunge, it seems like 5000 other things happen. DH had to replace his truck battery Sunday; that was a $220 expense that, while isn't as bad as some, wasn't something I was planning on. Such is life I suppose.

There are tons of hotels/motels along Harbor blvd that are a short walk to the parks, but they can also get kind of pricey (especially for what they are) because they are so close to the parks. Some of my favorites include:

Tropicana Inn and Suites - no breakfast, does have a small convenience store on site, next door to a Panera and McDonalds, super quick walk to the entrance gates.

Best Westen Plus Anaheim Inn - does offer free breakfast and was decent the last time we stayed, next door to Denny's, super quick walk to the entrance gates.

Hotel Indigo Anaheim - No breakfast, but does have onsite restaurant, across the street from a Starbucks and Blaze Pizza, on the 3 opposite corners you'll find a Walgreens, CVS, and 7-11 (water bottles are cheaper here than at Walgreens or CVS), about a 10ish minute walk to the entrance gates depending on if you catch the lights/crosswalks.

Sheraton Park Hotel - No breakfast, but has onsite restaurant(s), quick walk to CVS/Walgreens/CVS and these would be on your way to the park if you were to walk, about a 15-20ish min walk depending on how quick you walk and if you catch the lights. Plus side of this walk is you don't have to cross over Harbor, it's basically a straight shot down Harbor to get to the park gates.

Hyatt Regency Orange County - No breakfast, has on site resturants and an onsite Starbucks. This hotel is the furthest from the parks out of my list, but they do offer a shuttle service (it was $6/day per person last time I used it) and it only services this hotel so you won't have any other stops to worry about. On the opposite corner of this hotel you'll find a target and there's also a few restaurants on another corner (Outback, Red Robin, Joe's Crabshack). Honestly this is probably my favorite out of the list just because the shuttle makes it so easy and the Target is super convenient for anything you need.

I've never been to 1000 step beach so I can't comment on that, but if price is at all a concern, i'd definitely look into doing the 1 day rental over Uber. Uber/Lyft will probably end up costing you a pretty penny to go there and back. Hop onto one of those apps and check on the pricing of it vs a rental. With you arriving so "late" in the afternoon on arrival day and having to adjust to the time difference, I don't think i'd recommend adding an extra day to your tickets for arrival day. You'd be better off taking it easy, visiting the beach, grabbing dinner, and calling it an early night to be rested for your park days. If the price difference isn't all that much for a 3 vs 4 day, and you guys don't mind being up early to take advantage of the time you'll have, then i'd say it probably wouldn't hurt to have a 4th day for your departure day. I'm pretty positive all the hotels I listed above will hold your luggage. Another option would be to go into Downtown Disney on arrival or departure day, grab a leisurely meal, and peruse the shops. Our Downtown Disney is nothing like Disney Springs though and you definitely don't need a lot of time for it.

John Wayne is an easy airport and a much better option than LAX. You guys shouldn't have any issues with getting through security or finding your gates. The whole terminal is just one long terminal and you can use any of the security entrances as you can access all the gates from any entrance. If you have other questions let me know and I'll do my best to answer them. (California native and i've been to Disneyland more times than I could tell you.) The Disneyland forum on this board is also super helpful and I know there's a bunch of "first timer" threads.

 

[barkley]

Panera and McDonalds,

Starbucks and Blaze Pizza

Outback, Red Robin, Joe's Crabshack

if you will be planning to save $$$ by going to any of the off-site places then consider signing up online to any free memberships they offer. this may get you a free appetizer, dessert or something else on your first visit (time sign-up no more than 1 week out b/c sometimes those initial offers are only good for a week). paneras sells discount gift cards on a frequent basis so you can save up to 20%, Joe's crab shack is part of landry's so you can buy discount gift cards at Costco (20% savings).


pbblack-i've not been to disneyland in years but is the embassy suites near the park still one of the 'good neighbors'? we stayed there a couple of times when we went and it worked out well b/c they bundled in a shuttle pass to the parks as well as including their cook to order breakfasts (which are NICE and you can order extra to stash in your mini fridge for a late night snack ) and evening free cocktails (sodas for the kids). they were also pretty nice about letting us do a free late checkout so if we didn't fly out early we could stay in the room until 1 or 2.

 

[pblack]

pbblack-i've not been to disneyland in years but is the embassy suites near the park still one of the 'good neighbors'? we stayed there a couple of times when we went and it worked out well b/c they bundled in a shuttle pass to the parks as well as including their cook to order breakfasts (which are NICE and you can order extra to stash in your mini fridge for a late night snack ) and evening free cocktails (sodas for the kids). they were also pretty nice about letting us do a free late checkout so if we didn't fly out early we could stay in the room until 1 or 2.

I'm not sure if they're one of the good neighbors or not, i've never stayed at the Embassy Suites. But looking at the hotel website, i'll definitely keep it in my options for the next time we go to the parks. I'm honestly not sure what being a "good neighbor hotel" even means, because I don't think it actually gives you or the hotel any perks or discounts. I could be wrong on that though. Maybe it gives you perks if you book through the Disneyland website? For us, i've always found better deals going through the hotel websites and not booking through Disney.

 

[barkley]

I'm not sure if they're one of the good neighbors or not, i've never stayed at the Embassy Suites. But looking at the hotel website, i'll definitely keep it in my options for the next time we go to the parks. I'm honestly not sure what being a "good neighbor hotel" even means, because I don't think it actually gives you or the hotel any perks or discounts. I could be wrong on that though. Maybe it gives you perks if you book through the Disneyland website? For us, i've always found better deals going through the hotel websites and not booking through Disney.

I like going through the hotel as well-and calling it DIRECTLY vs. the toll free number (the local staff knows what the best offers are). when we lived in California our default hotel was always embassy suites b/c if we were flying out of SFO we could book the night before, have cocktails that night and breakfast before we left, leave the car in their secure lot for up to 14 days and use their free shuttle to/from the airport. the cost of the room was less than parking if we were going to be gone for 5 days or more (and no hassle of driving to the airport). if we had an early return they threw in free breakfast that morning as well