Debt Dumpers - 2019

[jen7233]

I realize I didn't post any November budget updates or personal finance thoughts. October didn't end as expected as I helped eldest with a deposit to get into an apartment, so I pulled from short term savings I had allocated and was building up towards some things coming up next year.

November seems to be nothing significant except for Thanksgiving which will be minimal on expense. Also, I began Christmas shopping using some of the Target codes, I had a 25% off texting "toy" to Target, and also used a 10% off Veteran's day code military discount that is verified through SheerID. I've asked the younger two to give me their Christmas wish list by Thanksgiving, so maybe we can see what's available Black Friday. I know some sales go earlier, but they are at an age where they are essentially not very interested in toys, so not sure what they'll come up with, they don't even know.

Went back to using the EveryDollar app this month and will try to be diligent this month and next on utilizing the app.

My other goal to fund Vanguard Roth IRAs early in 2020 I'm still working on and probably able to do, shifting some emergency fund down to 1k from Prime MM into Roth, and restart that up again. I can close out the year accomplishing two of the things I really wanted to do this year, which was a will and getting DH term life insurance, done and done.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

@DisneyMandC

YNAB just launched a getting started video course that might be helpful in easing into new YNAB.

 

[barkley]

I'm giving the HVAC people until noon to call before I call and just absolutely lose my mind on them. I've been dealing with them for 6 weeks and they still haven't solved the problem, but because they're the ones that installed the new heat pump, I have to deal with them because of the warranty.

if it's a manufacturer's warranty and you're having problems w/ one of their authorized install/repair or sales companies you might consider calling the manufacturer. we had an issue with a bad install of a major appliance at one point and i kept getting the runaround from the place that we bought it from/installed it (entailed gas lines and such). i called the manufacturer and they set up another of their authorized folks to come out and fix the issue. they worked out the new person's payment internally.

 

[imbatman]

Wow, that stinks. What do people do who have electric cars?

Cry. And the latest? The state government may step in and take over the utilities. Please, no. I feel like I'm in a horrible history lesson...

Guys, I'm really ready to scream "uncle." Our heat pump still isn't fixed so I have no heat. My 97 year old grandma fell and broke her hip this weekend and had to have surgery. Something is wrong with my back. And then yesterday I pulled up to a stop sign and my car's engine just shut off.

I'm over it.
...
Grandma actually did really well in surgery, but is now dealing with recovery, which can be tough. She does not do well on painkillers at all and deals with some delirium as well as severe nausea. So our options are basically let her be in pain but not totally out of it and sick, or she can be extremely sick but not in pain.

The mechanic called this morning and said my car had a bad purge valve, which he said is fairly common. $240 to fix it. I'm giving the HVAC people until noon to call before I call and just absolutely lose my mind on them. I've been dealing with them for 6 weeks and they still haven't solved the problem, but because they're the ones that installed the new heat pump, I have to deal with them because of the warranty.

Glad your Grandma is doing well. And I'm so sorry you had a bad week. Mine was last week, too. I don't want to list all of them, but I get it--I cried every day. Today, I chatted with God on the way to work and asked for a better week, please. Not sure what's in store, but I'm hoping that your mechanic makes short work of it, that Grandma's recovery goes smoothly, and that the HVAC people get their act together. Ain't no one happy when a mama has to call down the thunder!

 

[DisneyMandC]

if it's a manufacturer's warranty and you're having problems w/ one of their authorized install/repair or sales companies you might consider calling the manufacturer. we had an issue with a bad install of a major appliance at one point and i kept getting the runaround from the place that we bought it from/installed it (entailed gas lines and such). i called the manufacturer and they set up another of their authorized folks to come out and fix the issue. they worked out the new person's payment internally.

They claim now we need new lines run from the heat pump into the house and that will solve the problem. They admitted that they never should have installed the new heat pump without checking those lines and that we probably didn't need the new heat pump in the first place. Really comforting. That is good to know on calling the manufacturer though, I may do that if this doesn't solve it. I'm letting them put the new lines in this week because I have to have something done before it drops to a high of 47 this Friday. Just so unbelievably frustrated.

Since they've admitted now that I didn't need the new heat pump in the first place, I'm thinking about calling them again and asking for at least a partial refund on the $1250 I spent on drains and duct work being redone. I know there were some issues with our drain lines, but I wouldn't have spent that money except they said I had to to get the new heat pump.

 

[DisneyMandC]

Glad your Grandma is doing well. And I'm so sorry you had a bad week. Mine was last week, too. I don't want to list all of them, but I get it--I cried every day. Today, I chatted with God on the way to work and asked for a better week, please. Not sure what's in store, but I'm hoping that your mechanic makes short work of it, that Grandma's recovery goes smoothly, and that the HVAC people get their act together. Ain't no one happy when a mama has to call down the thunder!

Thank you, I appreciate it! The mechanic called this morning and said the purge valve was bad in my car. $240 to fix that, but I trust him and know he's not yanking me around. At least it was an easy fix (it's already done) and not TOO much money.

 

[imbatman]

They claim now we need new lines run from the heat pump into the house and that will solve the problem. They admitted that they never should have installed the new heat pump without checking those lines and that we probably didn't need the new heat pump in the first place. Really comforting. That is good to know on calling the manufacturer though, I may do that if this doesn't solve it. I'm letting them put the new lines in this week because I have to have something done before it drops to a high of 47 this Friday. Just so unbelievably frustrated.

Since they've admitted now that I didn't need the new heat pump in the first place, I'm thinking about calling them again and asking for at least a partial refund on the $1250 I spent on drains and duct work being redone. I know there were some issues with our drain lines, but I wouldn't have spent that money except they said I had to to get the new heat pump.

It'd be worth a call! Did you deal with the owner before?

 

[DisneyMandC]

It'd be worth a call! Did you deal with the owner before?

No, it's a fairly large company that is actually headquartered in NC, so every time I call to talk to the office, I'm talking to someone there. They sent a "supervisor" out on Friday though and he was the one who admitted all that. One of the employees at the office said they were going to call me back this afternoon to schedule so I'll ask her then about a refund. Even a little back would go a long way in making me not absolutely hate them at this point.

 

[imbatman]

No, it's a fairly large company that is actually headquartered in NC, so every time I call to talk to the office, I'm talking to someone there. They sent a "supervisor" out on Friday though and he was the one who admitted all that. One of the employees at the office said they were going to call me back this afternoon to schedule so I'll ask her then about a refund. Even a little back would go a long way in making me not absolutely hate them at this point.

You can also let them know that it will reflect the review you will leave on Yelp and the BBB, since it was their error.

 

[pblack]

Officially back in the office after my work trip/fun trip. DH and I got home on Saturday at about 5pm and I'm really glad we decided to come home Saturday and not Sunday like we usually do. Yesterday was spent doing a million loads of laundry, running some errands, and taking down the Halloween decorations and slowly putting up the Christmas decorations. I don't really care about Thanksgiving, so I essentially skip over that holiday lol. Totaled the numbers from our trip and DH and I spent about $640 on food/souvenirs/gas and we also have to pay off the rest of the hotel stay. I had everything budgeted though, so all these costs are covered.

We did end up taking on some new CC debt though as we ended up buying the new sectional we looked at at RC Willey. The new sectional will be delivered this Saturday and i'm very excited to get it in the house and be able to figure out what else we need to update the living room. We also purchased a new DVD/blu ray shelf from Best Buy that should hopefully work better than the one we have currently. In total our new CC debt is $2184. We have until January 2021 to pay it off with 0% interest and i'm pretty confident we'll be able to pay it off before then.

@DisneyMandC sending good vibes your way! I hope that all goes well with your heater issues and grandma's recovery.

 

[imbatman]

THIS IS NOT A DRILL THIS IS NOT A DRILL
MICKEY WAFFLE IRON IN STOCK
https://www.shopdisney.com/mickey-mouse-90th-anniversary-double-flip-waffle-maker-1485772

Remember this bad boy? I bought it. And we LOVE it. Use it nearly every week. Was a good thing to blow my budget on!

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Guys, I'm really ready to scream "uncle." Our heat pump still isn't fixed so I have no heat. My 97 year old grandma fell and broke her hip this weekend and had to have surgery. Something is wrong with my back. And then yesterday I pulled up to a stop sign and my car's engine just shut off.

I'm over it.

I hope things are getting better for you and your grandmother.

Each of these things separately make life difficult but all at once is enough to make you lose it. Can you take some time off work or work from home to get caught up? I only suggest this because I can never do my job from home and half of my stress when life gets stormy is that I can't really make personal calls from work either. I get up at 5:30am and get home at 5:30 pm which leaves very little time to deal with what I need to do. This is when I delegate to dh.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Remember this bad boy? I bought it. And we LOVE it. Use it nearly every week. Was a good thing to blow my budget on!

Aw, that is so adorable but my son bought me the less expensive one for Mother's Day a few years ago so I'd feel guilty if he felt like his wasn't good enough. That reminds me, I need to use it more often.

 

[crazycatstacy]

So my daughter that just got married last year at this time has found out her husband has been talking to numerous other women the whole time. She struggles with anxiety and depression normally and this has sent her over the edge. We are traveling to Wisconsin the weekend before Thanksgiving and gathering her and her things to move her back to our hometown. Budget is stretched but what do you do. I am so ready for Disney

 

[jen7233]

So my daughter that just got married last year at this time has found out her husband has been talking to numerous other women the whole time. She struggles with anxiety and depression normally and this has sent her over the edge. We are traveling to Wisconsin the weekend before Thanksgiving and gathering her and her things to move her back to our hometown. Budget is stretched but what do you do. I am so ready for Disney

Sorry about your daughter. That must be devastating for her. Exactly, what can you do when things just happen.

 

[imbatman]

So my daughter that just got married last year at this time has found out her husband has been talking to numerous other women the whole time. She struggles with anxiety and depression normally and this has sent her over the edge. We are traveling to Wisconsin the weekend before Thanksgiving and gathering her and her things to move her back to our hometown. Budget is stretched but what do you do. I am so ready for Disney

Praying for your safe travels and for your daughter's healing.

 

[Scoobie]

So my daughter that just got married last year at this time has found out her husband has been talking to numerous other women the whole time. She struggles with anxiety and depression normally and this has sent her over the edge. We are traveling to Wisconsin the weekend before Thanksgiving and gathering her and her things to move her back to our hometown. Budget is stretched but what do you do. I am so ready for Disney

Will be praying for you and your family, thankfully she has you to rally around her and include her in all of the holiday goings on so she won't be alone. Time, rest, and the love of her family will see her through.

 

[crazycatstacy]

thank you everyone for your support. I appreciate it. On a positive note, we have been good about not eating out and staying on budget for our food!

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

So my daughter that just got married last year at this time has found out her husband has been talking to numerous other women the whole time. She struggles with anxiety and depression normally and this has sent her over the edge. We are traveling to Wisconsin the weekend before Thanksgiving and gathering her and her things to move her back to our hometown. Budget is stretched but what do you do. I am so ready for Disney

Wait, when you say talking to other women, do you mean something else? I am being naive? My hubby talks to all kind of friends, old & new, male & female, neighbors & FB. Yet I never have had a reason to suspect anything else. I tease him that it seems like his every day mission in life is my happiness.

 

[Carol_]

Wait, when you say talking to other women, do you mean something else? I am being naive? My hubby talks to all kind of friends, old & new, male & female, neighbors & FB. Yet I never have had a reason to suspect anything else. I tease him that it seems like his every day mission in life is my happiness.

I think it’s a euphemism for “He’s not been a loyal devoted husband.” which can be taken any way you can imagine because the point is that the poster is sad that their daughter is sad. This is where we express empathy while recognizing that none of us will ever know the whole story.