Debt Dumpers 2026

[mmbrad02]

I know March isn't quite over but here is an update:

Financial Goals:

Goal 1– Pay off Small credit card bill – Goal achieved.

Replacement Goal – Payoff newer Same as Cash CC with a balance of $2,470.52. Our regularly monthly payments will achieve pay off during same as cash period, but I would like to pay it off sooner if possible.

Goal 2 – Pay on HELOC down/off – We are paying pretty aggressively on this but we still have a ways to go. Beginning of 2026 the balance was $15K. Current balance is $11,536. This includes payments with extra for January, February, and March as well as additional amount paid from our tax return. Next short term goal now is to see it get below $10K.

Goal 3 – Furniture Credit Card Same as Cash – Goal achieved

Replacement Goal – This isn’t exactly apples to apples in comparison, but we are trying to pay aggressively on our new car loan. It’s financed for 6 years but we certainly do not want to have the loan that long. We financed $32,775.00 on January 12. Current balance is $31,815.07 with April’s payment already scheduled with an additional $206 towards the principle. The goal is to pay at least that much each month extra, but we shall see how life goes. Next short term goal now is to get the balance below $30K.



Other Goals:

Teaching my daughter to make better financial decisions – Between my dad’s surgery and it being my fiscal year end at work (I’m an accountant) and just life in general, this has really been pushed to the backburner. She is not a bad kid but everyone can use good financial direction, even starting young. She does see our every day life and how we don’t tend to buy things on a whim and we discuss the cost of such quite often, so for now hopefully all that is sinking in

Lowering monthly CC Expense – Dumb luck was on our side in February and our bill was about $1K lower than normal. But March was back to what our ‘normal’ has been. I can’t complain -I have put zero effort into this. We don’t carry a balance but less spending in general means more money that could be paying toward our debt above.

Ebay Sales – I had a goal of having 200 items listed all the time. I’ve consistently kept this, sitting at about 220 right now. Sales in January and February were pretty slow in terms of volume but overall the $$ is about the same as March. I’m not going to make a life on this but the profits go to funding my travels so it’s motivating. My average profit is about $250 a month.

Now to stay on task for April...

 

[Tygerlilly]

I'm volunteering at the state gymnastics meet for the uper levels today for 10 hours. Last time I just got food here. This time I packed myself a little bag with some fruit, granola bars, cheese sticks, tuna pouches, and other little snacks. Sure beats the heck out of concession stand food all day and much healthier. Not saying I won't cave and partake in some nachos around 4pm (gotta support our club right? ), but spending $3 is better than $23.

I'm also starting to plan ahead for our road trip next weekend. We only have Saturday to drive the 12ish hours to my in-laws city where we rented a house. I'm planning to pack sammiches and snacks to take in a cooler and I think I'm going to throw whatever we have that may go bad while we're gone in there too. Just hope we make it up there before the grocery store closes so I can sneak out and buy a cake for DD to have for breakfast on Sunday morning (we're doing her birthday stuff in the morning before going to in-laws for Easter stuff).

 

[WDW_fan_in_TX]

End of March Update.
Overall, I feel it was not a good month financially or physically. We did get our taxes done, so that was the good news. But we spent way too much money (as you'll see below). And I wasn't active at all. So without further adieu, here's the summary for March:

Financial
- Stop the late fees!
Stopped in January. No new late fees.
- Keep adding to my newly created Fidelity retirement plan!
Nothing added this month. Wanted to focus on EF and paying down debt.
- Building our EF to $2k!
We built it to $1100 thanks to our tax return. We decided to stop at that point for now and focus on paying down debt.
- Set up sinking funds!
Haven't started this. But need to because we've got oil changes coming up and different things for the car.
- Not Good Moments!
We spent way too much money. As I said, we got our tax return, and we paid off both CCs and put money into saving to reach the $1k EF. We also went over budget on gas-tolls and groceries. I think it's just because of higher prices. Like it used to take $32 to fill up each tank. Now it's $52.

Personal
- Continue to meal plan!
We meal planned just about every week this past month. I went from eating out breakfast 5 days a week to just once and bringing breakfast the rest of the week. Same with lunches. Went from 4-5 per week to just once (the work meal I have to eat out).
- Eat out less!
Did not do well on this. We had a friend come up for her birthday, and DW wanted to take her out for her birthday. So that was a $200 meal. Just overall spent too much on bigger meals.
- Step, step, step!
Went over 300 minutes in February. Went over 400 minutes in March (and planning on walking tonight too).
- Attend more card shows and buy to flip.
Did ok here. Mainly because I didn't spend as much. Went to 2 show, and I walked out without even buying a single card. But I did make money this month, about 15%.
- Read the Bible completely through!
Nothing new here.

Home
- Purge items not used!
Selling household items has slowed tremendously. Got several things on Marketplace, and they haven't had a hit in over a month. Listing a bunch of stuff on eBay. Not one got even a look or watch. Very frustrating. But I have started selling off my Disney pins. They were just sitting on a board in the corner, so I've decided to sell some of those (made $250 in just one week).
- Get the green thumb going!
Worked quite a bit in the yard. Worked on the mower (new air filter, spark plug, blades). Got the yard looking nice. But still need to trim back some bushes.
- Just do what we can!
Everything above.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

End of March Update.
Overall, I feel it was not a good month financially or physically. We did get our taxes done, so that was the good news. But we spent way too much money (as you'll see below). And I wasn't active at all. So without further adieu, here's the summary for March:

Financial
- Stop the late fees!
Stopped in January. No new late fees.
- Keep adding to my newly created Fidelity retirement plan!
Nothing added this month. Wanted to focus on EF and paying down debt.
- Building our EF to $2k!
We built it to $1100 thanks to our tax return. We decided to stop at that point for now and focus on paying down debt.
- Set up sinking funds!
Haven't started this. But need to because we've got oil changes coming up and different things for the car.
- Not Good Moments!
We spent way too much money. As I said, we got our tax return, and we paid off both CCs and put money into saving to reach the $1k EF. We also went over budget on gas-tolls and groceries. I think it's just because of higher prices. Like it used to take $32 to fill up each tank. Now it's $52.

Personal
- Continue to meal plan!
We meal planned just about every week this past month. I went from eating out breakfast 5 days a week to just once and bringing breakfast the rest of the week. Same with lunches. Went from 4-5 per week to just once (the work meal I have to eat out).
- Eat out less!
Did not do well on this. We had a friend come up for her birthday, and DW wanted to take her out for her birthday. So that was a $200 meal. Just overall spent too much on bigger meals.
- Step, step, step!
Went over 300 minutes in February. Went over 400 minutes in March (and planning on walking tonight too).

Things like oil changes that are not in your monthly bills, I would siphon off from the snowball. Ultimately, every expense you have takes away from what you can apply to debt.

When I first started paying down debt, I was only about 2 months into it and excited to see some progress but then came my mom's 70th birthday. We ended up celebrating it in a private room within a restaurant nearby. It wasn't a huge group but still several hundred dollars from each sibling. My grandmother (dad's mom) was still alive then and offered to go in on it too, which helped. I had to take it from my EF because there was no way I'd not be part of it. So then after that I had to replenish the EF before I could start back on debt paydown.

In hindsight, I'm so glad we did it for her.

 

[Nettlelondon]

I'm volunteering at the state gymnastics meet for the uper levels today for 10 hours. Last time I just got food here. This time I packed myself a little bag with some fruit, granola bars, cheese sticks, tuna pouches, and other little snacks. Sure beats the heck out of concession stand food all day and much healthier. Not saying I won't cave and partake in some nachos around 4pm (gotta support our club right? ), but spending $3 is better than $23.

I'm also starting to plan ahead for our road trip next weekend. We only have Saturday to drive the 12ish hours to my in-laws city where we rented a house. I'm planning to pack sammiches and snacks to take in a cooler and I think I'm going to throw whatever we have that may go bad while we're gone in there too. Just hope we make it up there before the grocery store closes so I can sneak out and buy a cake for DD to have for breakfast on Sunday morning (we're doing her birthday stuff in the morning before going to in-laws for Easter stuff).

And if it is anything like any of the times I have volunteered at events like that, it is really useful to be in control of your own snacks as any plans for meal breaks etc frequently go out of the window - so having things you can eat as and when you need to can make the day go much more smoothly! A bit like a day at Disney. When we visited with our then 8 year old nephew there was a rule that anyone could tell anyone, adult or child, that they thought someone in the group needed a snack or a drink if they showed any signs of getting grumpy. It worked really well.

A bit like flying, particularly long haul, it's always good to have something you can eat to cover the situation when the food has run out, or is just completely inedible in the way that only airline food can be. Or the meal service is not when you want to eat. Just make sure you check the food rules at your destination if travelling internationally and eat or dump accordingly.

 

[royeheat]

End of March Update.
Overall, I feel it was not a good month financially or physically. We did get our taxes done, so that was the good news. But we spent way too much money (as you'll see below). And I wasn't active at all. So without further adieu, here's the summary for March:

Financial
- Stop the late fees!
Stopped in January. No new late fees.
- Keep adding to my newly created Fidelity retirement plan!
Nothing added this month. Wanted to focus on EF and paying down debt.
- Building our EF to $2k!
We built it to $1100 thanks to our tax return. We decided to stop at that point for now and focus on paying down debt.
- Set up sinking funds!
Haven't started this. But need to because we've got oil changes coming up and different things for the car.
- Not Good Moments!
We spent way too much money. As I said, we got our tax return, and we paid off both CCs and put money into saving to reach the $1k EF. We also went over budget on gas-tolls and groceries. I think it's just because of higher prices. Like it used to take $32 to fill up each tank. Now it's $52.

Personal
- Continue to meal plan!
We meal planned just about every week this past month. I went from eating out breakfast 5 days a week to just once and bringing breakfast the rest of the week. Same with lunches. Went from 4-5 per week to just once (the work meal I have to eat out).
- Eat out less!
Did not do well on this. We had a friend come up for her birthday, and DW wanted to take her out for her birthday. So that was a $200 meal. Just overall spent too much on bigger meals.
- Step, step, step!
Went over 300 minutes in February. Went over 400 minutes in March (and planning on walking tonight too).
- Attend more card shows and buy to flip.
Did ok here. Mainly because I didn't spend as much. Went to 2 show, and I walked out without even buying a single card. But I did make money this month, about 15%.
- Read the Bible completely through!
Nothing new here.

Home
- Purge items not used!
Selling household items has slowed tremendously. Got several things on Marketplace, and they haven't had a hit in over a month. Listing a bunch of stuff on eBay. Not one got even a look or watch. Very frustrating. But I have started selling off my Disney pins. They were just sitting on a board in the corner, so I've decided to sell some of those (made $250 in just one week).
- Get the green thumb going!
Worked quite a bit in the yard. Worked on the mower (new air filter, spark plug, blades). Got the yard looking nice. But still need to trim back some bushes.
- Just do what we can!
Everything above.

Question to thinks about: What are you going to do differently this month to cut down on groceries and other expenses you stated you went overboard on?
You are making progress but a suggestion would be the next time to have a dinner at home and inviting friends over to eat, costing probably $60-100 and leftovers for a few days.

 

[Willow Ufgood]

End of March Update.
Overall, I feel it was not a good month financially or physically. We did get our taxes done, so that was the good news. But we spent way too much money (as you'll see below). And I wasn't active at all. So without further adieu, here's the summary for March:

Financial
- Stop the late fees!
Stopped in January. No new late fees.
- Keep adding to my newly created Fidelity retirement plan!
Nothing added this month. Wanted to focus on EF and paying down debt.
- Building our EF to $2k!
We built it to $1100 thanks to our tax return. We decided to stop at that point for now and focus on paying down debt.
- Set up sinking funds!
Haven't started this. But need to because we've got oil changes coming up and different things for the car.
- Not Good Moments!
We spent way too much money. As I said, we got our tax return, and we paid off both CCs and put money into saving to reach the $1k EF. We also went over budget on gas-tolls and groceries. I think it's just because of higher prices. Like it used to take $32 to fill up each tank. Now it's $52.

Personal
- Continue to meal plan!
We meal planned just about every week this past month. I went from eating out breakfast 5 days a week to just once and bringing breakfast the rest of the week. Same with lunches. Went from 4-5 per week to just once (the work meal I have to eat out).
- Eat out less!
Did not do well on this. We had a friend come up for her birthday, and DW wanted to take her out for her birthday. So that was a $200 meal. Just overall spent too much on bigger meals.
- Step, step, step!
Went over 300 minutes in February. Went over 400 minutes in March (and planning on walking tonight too).
- Attend more card shows and buy to flip.
Did ok here. Mainly because I didn't spend as much. Went to 2 show, and I walked out without even buying a single card. But I did make money this month, about 15%.
- Read the Bible completely through!
Nothing new here.

Home
- Purge items not used!
Selling household items has slowed tremendously. Got several things on Marketplace, and they haven't had a hit in over a month. Listing a bunch of stuff on eBay. Not one got even a look or watch. Very frustrating. But I have started selling off my Disney pins. They were just sitting on a board in the corner, so I've decided to sell some of those (made $250 in just one week).
- Get the green thumb going!
Worked quite a bit in the yard. Worked on the mower (new air filter, spark plug, blades). Got the yard looking nice. But still need to trim back some bushes.
- Just do what we can!
Everything above.

Overall, it sounds like you had a pretty good month. A few unanticipated spends but that happens to everyone.

For the first time, our weekly grocery bill was over $200! Ouch! Didn't see that coming until the checkout. I don't ever expect grocery prices to come down so we'll have to make some changes to our list, cut out waste some more (we tend to toss some leafy greens due to wilting every week) and make the switch to generic/store brand items. Keeping on budget means always having to make adjustments. You either cut back on the grocery bill or you cut back elsewhere to cover the higher cost of food.

The same goes for gas prices. They won't come down until things settle down in the Middle East. Until then, we all have to choose between driving less or cutting back elsewhere. We're fortunate that we don't do a lot of driving. So a 20-cent increase in gas prices doesn't hit us as hard as some people.

Things to think about:
When people need to tighten their belts, they tend to cut out luxury spending. You'll probably see a downturn in interest in collectibles and your profit margin may narrow or even disappear. Buying cards to resell on eBay might need to take a backseat for a while.

Also in the eBay vein, the USPS announced a "temporary" increase in package shipping. If you use them, you might want to consider other methods for shipping your goods that do sell. Take a look at Pirate Ship for discounted rates on UPS and USPS.

 

[WDW_fan_in_TX]

Question to thinks about: What are you going to do differently this month to cut down on groceries and other expenses you stated you went overboard on?
You are making progress but a suggestion would be the next time to have a dinner at home and inviting friends over to eat, costing probably $60-100 and leftovers for a few days.

Yes, we've started doing dinners at someone else house. Like yesterday, we had lunch at the preacher's hourse and had a baby shower for his son and daughter in law who are in our Sunday school class. And last weekend we met and had a cookout. Much cheaper. Only about $25 to buy the food to cook and bring. Versus $40 eating dinner out.

But that one weekend with DW's best friend was a little different. It was her birthday weekend, and she drove up from our old hometown to spend the weekend with us. It's not a typical thing. That's the first time in 4 years she's been up here to see us. So, her and DW went and got matching tatoos and then we all went to dinner. I wasn't expecting to pay the friend's part, but when the waitress asked how to split the check, DW said it's all on one. And it was at Saltgrass, so not cheap. But that's what the friend wanted for her birthday dinner.

That said, I think RUADF said it best. That unexpected and unplanned type of stuff should come out of the EF. Then work to replenish the EF as quickly as possibly. So I'll keep that in mind if that happens again.

 

[WDW_fan_in_TX]

Overall, it sounds like you had a pretty good month. A few unanticipated spends but that happens to everyone.

For the first time, our weekly grocery bill was over $200! Ouch! Didn't see that coming until the checkout. I don't ever expect grocery prices to come down so we'll have to make some changes to our list, cut out waste some more (we tend to toss some leafy greens due to wilting every week) and make the switch to generic/store brand items. Keeping on budget means always having to make adjustments. You either cut back on the grocery bill or you cut back elsewhere to cover the higher cost of food.

The same goes for gas prices. They won't come down until things settle down in the Middle East. Until then, we all have to choose between driving less or cutting back elsewhere. We're fortunate that we don't do a lot of driving. So a 20-cent increase in gas prices doesn't hit us as hard as some people.

Things to think about:
When people need to tighten their belts, they tend to cut out luxury spending. You'll probably see a downturn in interest in collectibles and your profit margin may narrow or even disappear. Buying cards to resell on eBay might need to take a backseat for a while.

Also in the eBay vein, the USPS announced a "temporary" increase in package shipping. If you use them, you might want to consider other methods for shipping your goods that do sell. Take a look at Pirate Ship for discounted rates on UPS and USPS.

We did for the most part. Gas-tolls and groceries went higher than normal. So I adjusted the budget for this upcoming month, and that means we should be good to go.

As far as the sports card market, the market is absolutely booming, more than ever. People are not taking a backseat. Every show I go to is packed shoulder to shoulder with people buying, selling and trading. The card market is very strong, speaking from the experiences of what I see. The people that have the money to spend in it are younger and aren't caring about retirement or the future. They want to buy cards. And here's my year-to-date numbers as proof:

January: Spent $154 on cards. Sold those cards for $389. Profit of $235 after all fees and shipping.
February: Spent $232 on cards. Sold those cards for $515. Profit of $283 after all fees and shipping.
March: Spent $345 on cards. Sold those cards for $524. Profit of $179 after all fees and shipping.

Total for the firs quarter of 2026: Spent $731 on cards. Sold for $1428. Profit of $697 after all fees and shipping.

I say all those numbers to show the sports card market is super strong, the strongest it has probably ever been.

 

[Tygerlilly]

Let the kids loose in dollar tree with a $10 budget for road trip snacks. we each grabbed a new coloring/puzzle book to do and our snacks and I'm actually impressed that we only spent $43 for the 5 of us to get snacks and the books. Comparing what we would have spent if we all got snacks at the gas station, the savings is crazy (last time we stopped for snacks on an impromptu trip it was $35 on just snacks and drinks ).

I got my menu planned: mini sammiches to use the ham and turkey we already have opened here, applesauce pouches, chips we already have opened here, cheese sticks, yogurt tubes. A lot of things to eat that we already have here that just needed eaten because they'll have gone bad by the time we get back home. Doubling down on not wasting food and also not buying anything extra. I just need the slider buns and some pickles, everything else I already have here.

 

[WDW_fan_in_TX]

Let the kids loose in dollar tree with a $10 budget for road trip snacks. we each grabbed a new coloring/puzzle book to do and our snacks and I'm actually impressed that we only spent $43 for the 5 of us to get snacks and the books. Comparing what we would have spent if we all got snacks at the gas station, the savings is crazy (last time we stopped for snacks on an impromptu trip it was $35 on just snacks and drinks ).

I got my menu planned: mini sammiches to use the ham and turkey we already have opened here, applesauce pouches, chips we already have opened here, cheese sticks, yogurt tubes. A lot of things to eat that we already have here that just needed eaten because they'll have gone bad by the time we get back home. Doubling down on not wasting food and also not buying anything extra. I just need the slider buns and some pickles, everything else I already have here.

We like doing some shopping at Dollar Tree. Like at Christmas we fill our OCC shoeboxes there. We sometimes will buy housewares, greeting cards and odds and ends. About the only thing we don't buy there is the food.