SAHM Help!

[AvaLovesMickey]

(I removed the link to one of my blogs, sorry I was not trying to advertise it). I clicked on your post because I was just writing a post about taking a vacation while in debt. We are in debt (due to student loans, so I do view that differently than other debt) and I am out of a job and feel guilt. However, I HAVE cut out all of the "extras" because I would rather minimize my bad debt.

 

[princessbride6205]

I understand feeling like you don't want to be cooped up in the house all the time. I moved to MN several years ago and find the winters difficult to bear. Finding other SAHMs or free playgroups is going to be your best bet. Yes, there are free activities around, but (at least in our area) those kinds of things are only once or twice a month. The Children's Museum in St Paul is free the 3rd Sunday of each month (parking though is $3-4).
Perhaps you could invest in some inexpensive things to make indoor play at home more fun. Kids indoor bowling, a small trampoline, beanbag toss game, parachute, etc. You may be able to find these free on Craigslist or make your own in some cases. You could also do indoor picnics at your house, library and mall playgrounds as PPs have said.

Also, I wouldn't feel guilty - most of the things you are doing is for the kids - it's not like the jumpy house place is really for you, in the same way bowling is your DH's thing. But to get a handle on your budget, I would figure out how much all these extras cost and challenge yourself to cut those. Maybe this month you just track all the spending, then next month cut 25% of the fun budget, and keep going till you have a few fun things, but really frugal. Check out the "No Buy" thread on this forum - everyone is really supportive and it's great to track your spending.

 

[MickeyMomOfThree]

YES!!!! Join us over on No Buy. You may be stunned how much you are spending if yo usee it all on paper. Plus, it becomes a bit of a game with yourself. A money saving game!

 

[MamaJessie]

I totally understand where you are coming from. We just made the decision last week to postpone our trip because we wouldn't have fun stressing about money while on vacation.

I have always been the one in charge of money and bill paying. When DH got laid off I tried to juggle it all and make things go smoothly without worrying him. When my mom died the burden seemed heavier but I kept on. Then about two months ago I cracked. I could not take any more of feeling like it was my fault as bill payer if there wasn't enough money for anything. I wigged out, gave him all the info and said "Have at it!!!!!"

We were supposed to be a team and I was trying to do it alone. If I didn't get all sad because of my mom dying I probably would have kept doing it. I have never felt such relief as I did when DH started dealing with the finances. There was no other way for him to understand exactly how tight a financial situation it was. Then his "just one CD, let's just add netflix" type mentality was in check and he realized we needed to buckle down first, pay off debt and THEN "just one CD, let's just add netflix"

That being said I really do believe you only live once. Because literally, you only live once. You have been doing a great job eliminating debt apparently if you are done with one major cc and the store cards. If you feel you can afford to do it and pay the bills when you come home, then you ought to. If you are able to push it off though, why not? When are you planning on going? How luxurious is the trip? Could you cut back on some of the expenses you already paid for and use the money you would get back for airfare/souvenirs?

I don't really spend any money during the week. We only have one car which makes it harder for me to spend money even if I wanted to
There are so many fun things you can do to make your days home fun. If you want any ideas feel free to PM me. I already wrote a novel and I could go on and on and on

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

OT-Do you own RCI? I have wondered about buying RCI and the ability to trade points for DVC.

I own several timeshares (bought CHEAP on Ebay) that trade through RCI.

 

[Mrs. Charming]

I own several timeshares (bought CHEAP on Ebay) that trade through RCI.

Hang on a sec...can you buy DVC on ebay? Or timeshares?? How does that work? Sorry, crazy concept to me, but then again I know little about timeshares.

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

Hang on a sec...can you buy DVC on ebay? Or timeshares?? How does that work? Sorry, crazy concept to me, but then again I know little about timeshares.

No, but you can buy cheapo timeshares on Ebay (I'm talking like free plus closing costs or a few hundred bucks) and then deposit them into your RCI account. You can then use the "trade point units" assigned to your trade to get DVC. If you want to read up on it, there is lots of info on www.tug2.com . Timeshare trading in general is great IMHO. I love me some Marriott trades!!

When DVC went to RCI, they basically removed all incentive for me to ever buy another DVC point. My cheapo timeshare gets me 2 DVC trade weeks a year for under $1000 in fees. Seriously, why would I want to pay thousands more in MFs to own DVC? As soon as DH gives me the green light I'm selling our DVC points. I'm sick of paying the MFs when I can trade in so much more cheaply. I make sure to buy timeshares that also trade well in II in case DVC ever goes back to using them as their trade company.

Sometimes I can even trade for weeks that I can't book as an owner I emailed DVC about that years ago but the person who called me back was less-than-helpful. Let me put it to you this way...when the random mom at gymnastics is telling me how she just used her Grandma's timeshare to trade into OKW for a family vacation via RCI, you have to wonder what the powers-that-be at DVC were thinking. The inventory was much more limited with II, I'm sure because it's a smaller system and trade matches weren't as easy. Grandma will let her use the timeshare trade every year apparently, so for the cost of the MFs, $179 RCI fee and $95 Disney trade-in fee, she has a week at OKW or another DVC resort every year. Seriously...crazy.

 

[Mrs. Charming]

No, but you can buy cheapo timeshares on Ebay (I'm talking like free plus closing costs or a few hundred bucks) and then deposit them into your RCI account. You can then use the "trade point units" assigned to your trade to get DVC. If you want to read up on it, there is lots of info on www.tug2.com . Timeshare trading in general is great IMHO. I love me some Marriott trades!!

When DVC went to RCI, they basically removed all incentive for me to ever buy another DVC point. My cheapo timeshare gets me 2 DVC trade weeks a year for under $1000 in fees. Seriously, why would I want to pay thousands more in MFs to own DVC? As soon as DH gives me the green light I'm selling our DVC points. I'm sick of paying the MFs when I can trade in so much more cheaply. I make sure to buy timeshares that also trade well in II in case DVC ever goes back to using them as their trade company.

Sometimes I can even trade for weeks that I can't book as an owner I emailed DVC about that years ago but the person who called me back was less-than-helpful. Let me put it to you this way...when the random mom at gymnastics is telling me how she just used her Grandma's timeshare to trade into OKW for a family vacation via RCI, you know that DVC made a dumb move. The inventory was much more limited with II, I'm sure because it's a smaller system and trade matches weren't as easy. Grandma will let her use the timeshare trade every year apparently, so for the cost of the MFs, $179 RCI fee and $95 Disney trade-in fee, she has a week at OKW or another DVC resort every year. Seriously...crazy.

Wow. I need to look into this. Thanks!!