Debt Dumpers - 2018

[ruadisneyfan2]

Just when I'm going to look at this new job/pay cut... other things happen. DH's parents' car is on it's last leg, and we had this loose idea that when the end came, maybe they would buy DH's car and he would get something else... like a truck he's been wanting for a long time. Well, the end has come about 6 months earlier than we were expecting. In 6 months we would have easily had my car paid off, but now we'd be dipping into that money for a down payment. I'm still going to find out more about this other job, but now it makes me anxious to continue two car payments as we figure out if we're moving, renting, or buying, and to take a pay cut...


I'm just tired of feeling like I'm always working, and scheduling is always in crisis... like this weekend, they told us we were down, now they want to work... people made plans, we've had theatre tickets for months so I don't want to work OT, someone is out of town, and then I need to take a day off by Sunday or I'll break the rules, because I came in last Sunday. But if I don't take a weekend day off, I have to use PTO


I feel like that's the point I'm at now. And we have decisions to make on moving vs rent/buy in our current area, but I feel like I never have time to sit with DH and figure it out.

It's hard enough to gauge for 1 household how long something might last and be able to make plans around that. Having your plans involve 2 households makes for double trouble. jmho. Is there some reason you want them to buy your dh's car?
Other than they would know who they're buying from and trade in isn't a great deal.

When ds21 was a teenager, I was hoping my parents would be ready to get rid of my mom's Explorer by the time he turned 17 so I could buy it from them. I'd pay them more than a trade in deal would get them and at least I'd know the vehicle was well cared for. Not only did they not want to sell it 4 yrs ago, I probably couldn't get them to part with it now either for ds17.
I gave up on that idea and can't plan around other people plans. I have to just make my own plans. I can only dealing with Murphy in one house.

 

[jen7233]

Yes you can.. and if you have the CSR, you can redeem them for 50 percent more value. Our $900 tickets cost around 58,000 UR..

That's cool, I had no idea.

Just when I'm going to look at this new job/pay cut... other things happen. DH's parents' car is on it's last leg, and we had this loose idea that when the end came, maybe they would buy DH's car and he would get something else... like a truck he's been wanting for a long time. Well, the end has come about 6 months earlier than we were expecting. In 6 months we would have easily had my car paid off, but now we'd be dipping into that money for a down payment. I'm still going to find out more about this other job, but now it makes me anxious to continue two car payments as we figure out if we're moving, renting, or buying, and to take a pay cut.

Were you moving to a different state? Sorry I can't recall. I know the frustration of things going totally opposite with money that one gets set in the mind because life just goes in an opposite direction, I've been dealing a lot with this lately.

Well-the irony of ironies, my check engine light went on. My car has to go into the shop to get looked at. My emergency fund is of course non-existent at the moment as mentioned in my other posts. So, we'll see what happens. If it's major as in around 2k, I'm going to be getting another car sooner rather than later and try to find good financing. Hopefully it's minor.

In light of everything, my whole financial picture has had or will be having a makeover. I already moved away from my down to the penny budgeting, figuring this is too in the weeds and serves no purpose when life throws curveballs. I need to think simplicity and big picture. I'm not going to worry about the occasional Starbucks, that's the absolute least of my problems. Mine is big picture stuff. No more helping out, this is a huge department for me, and also to expect the major expense item to blow up and it need replacing-the big stuff. I know braces are coming on next year for one of my kids. So, I'm going into mass pile up the cash mode, focusing back to racking up an emergency fund. I put a hiatus on anything non-retirement savings or earmarking anything, I'm just going to get up the emergency fund but make it larger this time. I'm thinking going up to 20k, and more is better.

 

[Aurora_Australis]

Ugh, braces! Top of our to do list when we move is to get a consult for DD9, she will likely need a plate pre-braces. Not looking forward to the expense of that one.

Otherwise, just trucking along, we're starting the move process today, I'm driving myself, kids and dogs up to inlaws. Reading through fine print of my company's move policy, looks like they would have paid for us to stay in a hotel for a couple of nights and then car and food expenses on our way to the new place. So we might all come back here next month and take advantage of that to see friends and some new babies, was originally just sending DH back to crash at a friend's place and supervise the move. Everyone has been sick though so we haven't been able to do our round of goodbyes before we go today.

 

[jen7233]

Yes, have to look into the braces for mine soon he's 11.

 

[Dentam]

First evening without internet last night. Hmm. Not a fan so far! Debating getting it again since it will go down to $45/month with their offer and I will be saving $55/month by changing my pet insurance company. If I am able to stick to my budget, I will still be able to throw $500/month toward debt dumping. That's with a really tight budget though, so I'm not expecting to be able to meet that goal every month.

 

[Gr8t Fan]

First evening without internet last night. Hmm. Not a fan so far! Debating getting it again since it will go down to $45/month with their offer and I will be saving $55/month by changing my pet insurance company. If I am able to stick to my budget, I will still be able to throw $500/month toward debt dumping. That's with a really tight budget though, so I'm not expecting to be able to meet that goal every month.

Not sure we could ever go without internet at our house, so I feel your pain.

 

[Eureka]

Yes, have to look into the braces for mine soon he's 11.

DS17 is already done with braces and needs his wisdom teeth out this summer. A few years ago, we were told that Ds15 would need braces but they have not mentioned it again, so as long as they don’t, I am happy to not have to pay for or schedule checkups for another set! Lol.

 

[Eureka]

Not sure we could ever go without internet at our house, so I feel your pain.

I know we couldn’t!

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

DS17 is already done with braces and needs his wisdom teeth out this summer. A few years ago, we were told that Ds15 would need braces but they have not mentioned it again, so as long as they don’t, I am happy to not have to pay for or schedule checkups for another set! Lol.

So glad to be done with braces! Ds17 gets his wisdom teeth out in June. If we don't, they'll start pressing on his beautiful alignment & wreck it. We did the same for ds21 the summer after he graduated HS. I think it's better to get it over with now while I have good medical & dental insurance. I think it was a $30 copay for the consult and that's it. Who knows what kind of insurance they'll have down the road, possibly with high oop costs, so this is one less item that might crop up for them.

Ds21 was in 10th grade when I started noticing his relatively straight teeth looking not as straight as before. I didn't want to draw attention to his flaws but when it was time for younger ds to get his braces, our older son asked if he could find out about them too. I didn't mind. I like them to have self-confidence with a beautiful smile.
So of course the orthodontist told him he could either get them then or wait until he's an adult and then pay for it himself. He was hoping it would only be for a few months since his teeth weren't very crooked but he had a very deep bite (top teeth in front completely covered bottom ones) so they had more work to do but still all done in 2 yrs.
They both got braces the same day. Financially tough but at least we could schedule both appointments together and get it over with. Our younger ds needed an extra year but he rarely followed instructions very well and neglected to wear his rubber bands.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Ugh, braces! Top of our to do list when we move is to get a consult for DD9, she will likely need a plate pre-braces. Not looking forward to the expense of that one.

Otherwise, just trucking along, we're starting the move process today, I'm driving myself, kids and dogs up to inlaws. Reading through fine print of my company's move policy, looks like they would have paid for us to stay in a hotel for a couple of nights and then car and food expenses on our way to the new place. So we might all come back here next month and take advantage of that to see friends and some new babies, was originally just sending DH back to crash at a friend's place and supervise the move. Everyone has been sick though so we haven't been able to do our round of goodbyes before we go today.

Good luck with your moving!

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

First evening without internet last night. Hmm. Not a fan so far! Debating getting it again since it will go down to $45/month with their offer and I will be saving $55/month by changing my pet insurance company. If I am able to stick to my budget, I will still be able to throw $500/month toward debt dumping. That's with a really tight budget though, so I'm not expecting to be able to meet that goal every month.

In our house it ranks near the top of the list with food. There would be Revolutionary War II if I cut them off.

Besides that, how do you like your new place?

 

[Eureka]

I'm so sorry. When I was working shiftwork, DH and I used to joke that we were ships passing in the night. I'd get off at 6 a.m., we'd see each other to 30 minutes, then he'd leave and I'd get the kids to school. I'd be up to get them off of the bus and make dinner. We kissed as he came home and I left for work. It's rough. We got to emailing each other to make decisions. We still do a lot of back and forth on texts. Granted, it's not face to face, but it helps make the time you have together more about you being together.

Almost had a massive budget "oops" this week. DH "forgot" to tell me he'd scheduled the state taxes to be taken out. Hurray for the baby cash bumper I'd built!

Been there done that too. When our kids were little, DH worked M-F days and I was a librarian and worked M-Thur 1:30-10pm, Friday off and all day Saturday. We did it to minimize the time spent in daycare (20 hrs/week vs 40) but it was hard to keep it up for very long. We did it for three head before I ended up quitting (long story there) and stayed home/freelanced. Hang in there.

 

[Eureka]

So glad to be done with braces! Ds17 gets his wisdom teeth out in June. If we don't, they'll start pressing on his beautiful alignment & wreck it. We did the same for ds21 the summer after he graduated HS. I think it's better to get it over with now while I have good medical & dental insurance. I think it was a $30 copay for the consult and that's it. Who knows what kind of insurance they'll have down the road, possibly with high oop costs, so this is one less item that might crop up for them.

Ds21 was in 10th grade when I started noticing his relatively straight teeth looking not as straight as before. I didn't want to draw attention to his flaws but when it was time for younger ds to get his braces, our older son asked if he could find out about them too. I didn't mind. I like them to have self-confidence with a beautiful smile.
So of course the orthodontist told him he could either get them then or wait until he's an adult and then pay for it himself. He was hoping it would only be for a few months since his teeth weren't very crooked but he had a very deep bite (top teeth in front completely covered bottom ones) so they had more work to do but still all done in 2 yrs.
They both got braces the same day. Financially tough but at least we could schedule both appointments together and get it over with. Our younger ds needed an extra year but he rarely followed instructions very well and neglected to wear his rubber bands.

We were lucky with DS17, it was an easy fix according to the ortho, he was in braces for 13 months (got them off not long after he turned 14 I think) and it cost “only” $3500.

 

[Alexle2007]

Yes, have to look into the braces for mine soon he's 11.

My DS just turned 11 and his dentist kept telling us to get him to the ortho since he has an overbite (like me.) So we put money into our FSA for them this year and, of course, says he still needs to lose 12 baby teeth and have his jaw grown. So no braces for him for other couple of years. So I went on and got them since we had already put the money away. As an adult, I can say they are great weight loss tool.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

My DS just turned 11 and his dentist kept telling us to get him to the ortho since he has an overbite (like me.) So we put money into our FSA for them this year and, of course, says he still needs to lose 12 baby teeth and have his jaw grown. So no braces for him for other couple of years. So I went on and got them since we had already put the money away. As an adult, I can say they are great weight loss tool.

I got braces after I got my first job. I did a terrible job wearing my retainer as a kid, plus I had peg laterals that were supposed to get veneers but that never happened. So my teeth shifted again and I hated how it looked. I got the clear braces (not the same as invisalign), but you could still see the wires/bands, so they weren't invisible. It was a little awkward as an adult and took almost 2 years, but I was glad that I did it again. Back then, you could put $6k into an FSA, so I paid for the braces and veneers in one single payment upfront. Glad I did that because originally they said it would take only one year, but it took 2 because my mouth didn't react as they had thought. I didn't pay any more than my original payment.

 

[Dentam]

In our house it ranks near the top of the list with food. There would be Revolutionary War II if I cut them off.

Besides that, how do you like your new place?

I did better last night - watched a movie from my dvd collection then read some of my book. I'm going to try to go without it until the fall and plan to get it hooked up again then to get me through the winter months. Plus I'll want to watch the new season of Stranger Things on Netflix!

I just got the keys to my place this morning and will be moving in this weekend. They did some improvements like fresh paint and a new bathroom medicine cabinet, plus they already have the new fence up in the backyard to divide the two units (it's a duplex) which is awesome. She said she's excited to see what I do with the yard space. She also said they would be interested in hiring me to look at a couple of their other properties and give them some plant suggestions and maybe help with planting those! I'm a horticulturist, if I hadn't mentioned that before. So, I'm excited about the opportunity to do that and offset some of my increased expenses with this new place.

 

[Alexle2007]

I got braces after I got my first job. I did a terrible job wearing my retainer as a kid, plus I had peg laterals that were supposed to get veneers but that never happened. So my teeth shifted again and I hated how it looked. I got the clear braces (not the same as invisalign), but you could still see the wires/bands, so they weren't invisible. It was a little awkward as an adult and took almost 2 years, but I was glad that I did it again. Back then, you could put $6k into an FSA, so I paid for the braces and veneers in one single payment upfront. Glad I did that because originally they said it would take only one year, but it took 2 because my mouth didn't react as they had thought. I didn't pay any more than my original payment.

I went with the clear brackets and wires also instead of Invisalign). The ortho said it would be less time with the traditional braces than Invisalign but still 18-22 months. DS was there when I got them on and he asked why I didn't have colored brackets? Um, because I am 47 and not a teenager So I'm sure he will be sporting colors when it's his turn.

 

[imbatman]

Having a hugfest with my budget. We have had about $600 in unexpected costs this month...so far. And guess what? We've been able to pay for them. No charging, no "Holy crap, no buying groceries or gas!" And while I want to chip away and pay an extra hundred dollars to the CC debt we have left, I also need to plan ahead for the vacation. DH is still doing such an amazing job, picking up extra hours at work. We went over the numbers together last week. It's nice to be on the same page and look toward the future!

Four years and 8 months until we are debt free...including our mortgage!

 

[Ngwira]

No debt dumping news but I did book our November trip to the world today. Dates are November 5th to the 10th which is considered “Jersey week” since NJ schools are normally closed for the teachers convention and many NJ residents go to Disney that week. Used JetBlue points for flights and my travel agent booked us at Port Orleans French Quarter for $180 a night. Annual passes, so no ticket costs. Decided to hold off on buying MVMCP tickets until August so we can use our AP discounts.

 

[Tygerlilly]

Well, kind of a fail this week and I'm pretty frustrated. DF decided to take a random day off, which means he will be short 10 hours on his check right before vacation. I told him since he took the extra day and didn't have the time to cover it, he had to renew his loan (that I was 2 payments away from paying off) and when he got his bonus next month, I was taking all of it and putting it all towards that, instead of him getting his fun money from it. When he renewed, he got $400 back, so I took that and paid a few things that will be due next check when his will be short.

On any plus side, I can start the count down that in 5 months, several big payment things will be paid off and I can start killing off all these small ones quickly.