Debt Dumpers - 2019

[DisneyMandC]

Well, finished March really strong... starting April with a $380 car repair bill I got pulled over on Friday and the officer told me both of my brake lights were out (no ticket, I knew him). I just replaced one light about 2 months ago and they are constantly going out so I just drove it straight to my mechanic and told him there must be something wrong with it since the bulbs are constantly blowing. They replaced the wiring harness(?) so hopefully that will take care of it. I trust him and have used him forever so I just told him to do whatever he needed to do. He then said that they had to jump my car twice when trying to start it and that my battery probably needed to be replaced. I asked how old it was and he said 6 years old... so original to the car I guess I got my money's worth out of it considering I've got 117k miles on it! Since I was only 100 miles away from needing an oil change, I told him to just go ahead and do that too. Phew... I had budget some extra money to my horse fund last month but I'll probably move some of that to the car repair fund. Still can't complain about the car. I've put 70k miles on it since I bought it and I've had to do very little to it that's outside the realm of normal maintenance.

Other than that, spending in March was pretty good. I did take advantage of the three paycheck month to buy a little extra in some categories. I picked up some Disney GCs for our September trip using a number of different credit card offers and discounts. Ended up paying $520.56 for $650 worth of GCs- a solid 20% savings! I was pleased with that. After my next round of credit card points comes through, I should just need a few hundred more to have the entire trip paid off!

 

[barkley]

I trust him and have used him forever so I just told him to do whatever he needed to do

it's a godsend to have a mechanic like this. same thing w/ours. i appreciate that he keeps an eye on the car even when i bring it in for minor stuff so that we can catch repairs before they cause a breakdown on the side of the road-or if he's already pulling something apart asking if i want to go ahead and do something that will need doing a few months down the line so i can save on labor by bundling the repair.

hated paying out what we did in march on cars but both ours and dd's are all road safe and good to go (peace of mind is priceless).


on a savings basis-despite the tsunami of unexpected expenses this month we did manage to put about $250 into the 'rollover' account i set up. it's strictly what's leftover from the household budget (groceries, entertainment, gas....). not too bad-in the 3 months since i started it i've got a little over $800 in it, and judging from the tallies i've been keeping on each months spending (listing every spending) while we don't go overboard on eating out (a few hundred a month at most unless there's a bday dinner) we could definitely cut back or make some better choices (papa murphy's $10 tuesday much better than $30 at taco bell for less food).

 

[Dentam]

Doing really well so far this year (knock on wood)! I will have my first cc paid off after my next paycheck (figured out a way to make that my "extra" paycheck rather than waiting until May) and the second one should be paid off in July.

I also purchased my airfare for Paris this weekend using a cc that gives me rewards which I use to get gift cards for Target. I'll get reimbursed from my work for the airfare but I get the points - woohoo! I'm also registered for the conference now. Now to get the other trip details figured out - need to book our stay at the DL Paris hotel in the next couple of weeks. They have a 35% off special going on if you book through the UK site before April 24th!

 

[RamblingMad]

march officaly became a TSUNAMI!!!! one freaking day left in the month, and yesterday brought an issue w/our septic system..................to the tune of $2500-$3000 before all is said and done. oh well, this is why we have emergency funds.

c'mon april-bring some less expensive times.

I hate homeownership. It’s always something.

 

[MN_Andi]

End of the month reflections:

My Financial Goals for 2019:

• Have $5000 in my savings account: I added $300 to my savings account, bringing the balance to $2100.
• Have under $28,000 in student loans: My student loans are now at $33,363.74. A net of about $250 down, with interest accrual. I did not pay any extra this month on my loans due to the cost of contacts/eye exam and renewing my tabs ($174 ), but it is a newer car. It still hurts though!
• Save $2,000 for vacation in November to California/Disneyland: Still have only paid about $225, parents owe me $450, soon to be closer to $500, because I am signing my mom and I up for the 5k at the MN State Fair tomorrow. She has to work, and it sells out fast. I have it set up the next few months to start setting money aside for the vacation.

This month was more of a catch-up month for me, so nothing extra towards my student loans or anything like that. The job interview I had went really well. I felt like I left it all out there, and there wasn't anything I regret saying or not saying. It is all up to them. I'll hear back this week. Hopefully it will be good news, if not, I'll just keep trying. It certainly is a confidence booster getting all the way up to the final interview in a field I don't have any experience in!

Looking into April, the only "different" expenses are the 5k I'm signing up for, and it is my parent's anniversary this month, so I'll have to get them something. Otherwise, I plan on setting aside $200 for my vacation, and I also want to have my student loans under $33k at the end of the month, so I'll have to pay at least an extra $100-$150 due to interest on top of my normal payment.

I hope everyone has a great April! A quarter of the year has gone by so far, which I think is so crazy.

 

[pblack]

In case anyone else was anxiously awaiting Avengers Endgame tickets, they went on sale this morning. By the time I looked at 6:20 AM PST most the tickets were gone for the showtime I wanted, but I still managed to get decent seats. May the odds be ever in your favor.

 

[RamblingMad]

Crazy April. Just got my tax bill. I hate taxes.

 

[StacyStrong]

In case anyone else was anxiously awaiting Avengers Endgame tickets, they went on sale this morning. By the time I looked at 6:20 AM PST most the tickets were gone for the showtime I wanted, but I still managed to get decent seats. May the odds be ever in your favor.

I got the last 3 tickets together for the showing we wanted !!

ETA - My March credit card hasn't reset yet so my March credit card bill is going to be basically higher than it's ever been. I will be able to pay it in full, but danngggg I'm over it!!!! March was a VERY expensive month for me!! No debt addition, but my slush fund definitely took a hit (still able to contribute to savings)

 

[barkley]

In case anyone else was anxiously awaiting Avengers Endgame tickets, they went on sale this morning. By the time I looked at 6:20 AM PST most the tickets were gone for the showtime I wanted, but I still managed to get decent seats. May the odds be ever in your favor.

thanks for posting this. we want to see it at the local casino's dine in movie theater-i would much rather pay $15 and get a full meal (really good quality food) delivered to my seat vs. standing in a long concession line and spending more for a small popcorn and drink. given that unlike our big amc they don't charge for parking-it's a much more budget friendly option.

i'm gunna have dh get the tickets!!!!!!

 

[jen7233]

thanks for posting this. we want to see it at the local casino's dine in movie theater-i would much rather pay $15 and get a full meal (really good quality food) delivered to my seat vs. standing in a long concession line and spending more for a small popcorn and drink. given that unlike our big amc they don't charge for parking-it's a much more budget friendly option.

Now, $15 for the movie and a meal that sounds like a great deal! We don't go to the theater too often, haven't been since the Nutcracker in the fall, probably hold out to catch a few summer movies. I want to see Lion King in theaters this summer!

 

[pblack]

I agree with @jen7233 if that $15 is for dinner and a movie, that's a steal! This was the most i've spent on movie tickets in I couldn't tell you how long. It cost me $27

 

[barkley]

I agree with @jen7233 if that $15 is for dinner and a movie, that's a steal! This was the most i've spent on movie tickets in I couldn't tell you how long. It cost me $27

it's not $15 for both. movie (depending on the day/time) can be between $6 (all showings all day on tuesdays) and $12 (adult ticket for evening show). for FOOD a full entree meal runs about $15 (3 brisket or portabello or pulled pork or cheese burger sliders and a side, fish and chips w/side, steak quesadillas....LARGE SERVINGS so easily shareable) . so i can go there and get an entree plus a bottomless soda ($3.25) for less than a meager trip to traditional concessions.

just scored my tickets-b/c i got them for 3:45 weekend showing i got matinee prices of 3 adults for $28.

 

[pblack]

it's not $15 for both. movie (depending on the day/time) can be between $6 (all showings all day on tuesdays) and $12 (adult ticket for evening show). for FOOD a full entree meal runs about $15 (3 brisket or portabello or pulled pork or cheese burger sliders and a side, fish and chips w/side, steak quesadillas....LARGE SERVINGS so easily shareable) . so i can go there and get an entree plus a bottomless soda ($3.25) for less than a meager trip to traditional concessions.

just scored my tickets-b/c i got them for 3:45 weekend showing i got matinee prices of 3 adults for $28.

Ahh gotcha. We have a few of those locations here too where you can purchase a full on meal, including alcoholic beverages, to eat/drink while you're watching a movie. We've been to the one closest to us, but we haven't eaten an actual meal there. Mainly because we don't get there early enough and we both like to be able to see our food while we eat lol. Totally jealous of the price you paid though.

ETA: I bought tickets for the Thursday opening night. So I paid full price plus an upcharge for the giant screen/dolby sound.

 

[RamblingMad]

Check out Costco for discounted movie tickets.

 

[barkley]

Check out Costco for discounted movie tickets.

the issue i've found with theirs is they are for a ticket vs. a dollar value and at the theaters that we can use them at (regal and amc) there are cheaper showings than the cheapest costco ticket.

 

[amalone1013]

I've been buying Atom gift cards at Costco, they're usually about 30% off. They work with all of the theaters in my area.

 

[RamblingMad]

the issue i've found with theirs is they are for a ticket vs. a dollar value and at the theaters that we can use them at (regal and amc) there are cheaper showings than the cheapest costco ticket.

It depends where you live. Regal is half off by me.

 

[grumpy28]

My family of 5 went to see Dumbo this wknd and it was $53 before snacks! Ugh. And Disney has sooo many movies coming out this year that we want to see( Penguins, Aladdin, Lion King, Toy Story, Maleficient 2, Frozen 2, ect...). I definitely need to find a way to save on tix. I will look into Costco. Also sometimes Newegg puts Regal GCs 20% off.

 

[pblack]

My family of 5 went to see Dumbo this wknd and it was $53 before snacks! Ugh. And Disney has sooo many movies coming out this year that we want to see( Penguins, Aladdin, Lion King, Toy Story, Maleficient 2, Frozen 2, ect...). I definitely need to find a way to save on tix. I will look into Costco. Also sometimes Newegg puts Regal GCs 20% off.

In my area most theaters do $5 Tuesday's. It's usually good for all movies, even new releases, at any time on Tuesday. Maybe something like this is offered near you? It obviously doesn't help if you want to see it the weekend it comes out, but if you can wait a few days it definitely saves money.

 

[grumpy28]

In my area most theaters do $5 Tuesday's. It's usually good for all movies, even new releases, at any time on Tuesday. Maybe something like this is offered near you? It obviously doesn't help if you want to see it the weekend it comes out, but if you can wait a few days it definitely saves money.

I don't think we have that nearby, but I will double check. Thanks for the tip!