Debt Dumpers - 2018

[Ngwira]

I am SOOOOOO jealous of the Carlos Cake, although I would prefer to eat 10 lobster tails instead!

We usually get Walmart cake but decided to splurge since we aren’t doing a party. Cake was $45... but it’s rainbow cake with a fondant icing. Looks so good. Can’t wait to taste it on Saturday.

 

[DLgal]

I would think you could take the detergent back and they'll give you store credit. Sorry about all the car issues.

It worked! They were able to give me store credit, but I had to take slightly less than I paid, since they will only give you the lowest current sale price. It was close enough, though.

 

[DLgal]

If they do, ask for their prescriptions and then buy them at Zenni.com. DH and I really didn't need to be shelling out several hundred on glasses this year, but I was able to get a complete pair, lenses and frames, for $12, and so was he. Bought them in Feb and so far both pairs have held up wonderfully, definitely can't complain. As far as the detergent, at the very least with a photo id they should do a store credit, I think. You might lose out a few bucks since I think they give you the cheapest price it's been in six months or something, but much better than being out for the whole bottle!

I have had TERRIBLE luck with Zenni. I am over them. I have ordered 4 pairs of glasses. Only 2 were the correct Rx the first time, and are fine as backups. One pair came with no Rx in one lens, so I sent them back and the replacement took 6 weeks to arrive, and them the frames were SO loose they fall off my son's face. I tried everything to tighten them to no avail. Zenni would not take them back because they were not "defective." So, they got tossed in the trash. The other fail was a pair that were transitions lenses that darkened and then never went back to clear. The lenses turned yellow, after about one month. Zenni said they would replace the lenses but Id have to pay the shipping both ways and again, would be without glasses for 6 weeks. No thanks. Each pair was close to $60 because my kids NEED transitions and anti scratch and anti reflective coatings. I'm not wasting my money there anymore. The quality of the frames is horrendous. The frames we paid $250 for from the optometrist 4 years ago have held up beautifully (they are Ray Bans) and we swap out the lenses as needed for about $150 per year.

I just found out the new vision plans don't start until 1/1/18 so if they need new prescriptions this year, I'll just go to Costco or something. Only one child will need new frames as he has almost outgrown the pair he has now.

 

[pblack]

It worked! They were able to give me store credit, but I had to take slightly less than I paid, since they will only give you the lowest current sale price. It was close enough, though.

Glad it worked out for you! Even if you took a couple dollar hit, it's better than being out all of what you paid for it.

 

[Aurora_Australis]

We are doing the same thing for our DD's 12 and 9...we allowed them to invite one friend each and we are taking them to dinner at Bertucci's. Both DD's also got a $100 gift card to Justice and a unicorn cake from Carlos' bake shop. I found a Groupon to a local arcade which we plan to use this weekend.

Decided we weren't going the party route. Too much money!

We'll do the same with DD9 for her 10th birthday in a couple of months. Bowling and dinner with 2 or 3 friends. I'll make the cake though, I love decorating them! DD5 though, we'd not long moved and wanted to have a few of her kinder class to get to know them and ended up with 12 kids, including her cousins. But we just booked a party room at a new McDonald's that had opened up down the road and considering we were in the process of moving in and I had no prep or cleaning up to do and they ran all the games, best $200 ever spent. We will likely have a picnic for her next one as standard practice at their school is to invite the whole class I first year of school. We ended up with 17 kids for our older girl and that was the last time we had a party at home


Got one car rego and insurance out of the way with funds we had on hand, other is due in a week and I am still waiting on reimbursement from work. Chased it up with payroll and about $850 should be in this week but the other $1200 will go in my pay as an allowance so will be taxed and it wasn't in this week's pay and we are about to go into a payroll freeze while the whole department switches to a new payroll system so it won't be in the next one either, I bet.

We have some big discretionary expenses coming up, tickets for our Japan trip next year and a deck, so I don't want to pull money out of those categories if I can avoid it. We can buy tickets from November and as it is a school holiday time for us, I want to get them the minute they come out so I can use reward points + pay.

The deck, we had a couple of guys round to quote and looks like we can save about $1000 if DH does the excavation work and he is keen for that on his days off. We might split the cost into deck and footings for a roof frame and then get the roof done at a later date after we have saved some more.

 

[imbatman]

I'm already in financial planning mode for DD's graduation in May. I figure if she and I can find the decor she wants, I can buy decorations here and there waaaaay ahead of time. Then we can look at a relaxed menu. Hopefully. I LOVE, love, love my MIL, but she can get over the top and too "helpful."

DH racked up the OT last paycheck. We are going to Olive Garden to celebrate. Counterproductive? Nah. Being grateful that he's still on board with me.

 

[fifthdimensiondweller]

I have had TERRIBLE luck with Zenni.

No way! That's terrible. All of our pairs were great, I wonder if we just got lucky!


We are doing ok, but this month is tiiiiiiight. With the move, we somehow made a slip up somewhere in our budget to the tune of $400 . Luckily, we were able to pull from savings and a tiny bit of cc rewards and cover it, but we are kicking ourselves! We missed our budget meeting that week, and if we hadn't we would have caught it! It's especially annoying because I'd been buying some things that really could have waited, but since I thought I had $400 more than I did I was being especially liberal.

But it's fixed, and we head to an out of state wedding in a few days. I was able to purchase a few gifts off their registry and only spend about $30 OOP all said and done. I wish I could have done more, but I think it's a nice gift, and we are traveling 2 days to be there, so I feel good about it. It's just a tough time to have to buy a wedding gift with the move and our cruise coming up!

I have been saving a lot of my personal "fun money" each month out of our budget since March, and I have about $240 to spend on our trip, plus $250 in Disney gift cards I've accumulated from my mom and DH for birthdays and Christmas over the last year and a half. It kinda was boring not getting much then, but I'm really happy now that I've banked all of this money so I can buy a nice DCL Dooney and Bourke purse and still have some leftover to splurge on a spa treatment or some souvenirs at the Character Warehouse when we're down there. It's only a 3 night cruise and 1 day in Orlando, but I really want to be able to go all out for those three days! It's really encouraging for me because I'm not so great at saving, so I think this has been a good lesson for me that saving pays off!

We still need an entertainment center and end tables for the new place. Our bedroom set came, but a part on the dresser was defective so we are waiting on that part to finish building it. It feels so nice and cozy in here now! It's the first time we've have furniture we picked!

 

[Dentam]

Not too much of an update here. Just got back from a conference in CA. Sonoma County which is an expensive area but luckily it will all be reimbursed by my work and I'll get the cc rewards on top of that since I had to charge it all and then turn in receipts. Turned those in as soon as I got back yesterday morning and they're being processed now.

Other than that, I'm counting down the days until my trip to WDW! It was going to be my first solo trip, but my dad called and said he might join me after all (he's had a standing invitation since I booked it last October). We had a great time on our trip during this same week last year so I hope he can come along!

 

[Eureka]

I'm also in purge mode. DS17 had a ton of stuff he'd outgrown and DS15 doesn't want it so I need to start a donation bag. DS15 tried on his hoodies and half of them are too small so he wants to use some of his summer paychecks to buy a new Patriots one. I'll have to show him the joy of ordering online, lol. The outgrown ones are for Boston sports teams so I usually try to Ebay those in the fall. Bought him spikes and running shoes and DS17 running shoes and came in just under the $200 mark....then the cross country store opened and DS15 is new to the team so wants the warmups and they both need the shirt....going to order those this weekend, plus I'll need to pay for the special lunch and dinners they do all season which will be $50x2....senior dues will be coming soon...it never ends. We also got our prorated car insurance bill from adding the new car in late June, and dropping the van. $700! It should drop to $500ish in Sept., but ouch!

Then DS17 said his work thought he couldn't work anymore this summer and he has no shifts this week or next. He's going to try to get some but no guarantees. It's not so much about the money right now as that they messed up and I feel bad for him. But we did decide to start having him pay for gas so it would be nice for him to have a few more shifts before school starts because he'll only be able to work Sundays then.

DH and I are taking a night away in Annapolis next weekend for our anniversary. Tickets to live music have been bought but we also want to take a cruise around the harbor and need to pay for the hotel and a few meals. And we've been having internet issues (they have cancelled one appt saying it came back on when it never fully resolved and just yesterday came out and said they fixed it but it still was spotty and are coming again Saturday, at which point they NEED TO FIX IT!) so we're most likely going to go over on our phone data this month. I might just up our plan =5 more GB for $20/mo. DH tends to use his phone as a hotspot a lot when he's out at lunch during the week so we're always getting the 75% and 90% data used alerts. I'm feeling overwhelmed (with bills and keeping track of life) right now.

 

[Jason_V]

Tomorrow is pay day and I'm looking forward to it. Sure, the money is nice, but payday means I get to do a budget tonight. When I put my required spending on paper and have a budget, I always get a high of sorts. This check is going to be tight since money is going to a number of things I know about (house bills, a flight for a friend, CC pay off and some savings for a Fall trip). But at least I'll have everything cleared, allowing me to throw whatever money I can at the mortgage/IRA's going forward.

A positive and negative to the new job is I get paid the same amount every two weeks...but there is no opportunity for OT. I've found other ways to make a bit of money here and there, mostly through surveys and other apps on my phone. Every little bit helps and that cash will go right to the mortgage. It's at $63k right now and hoping to have it down around $50k by the end of the year.

 

[amalone1013]

Tomorrow is pay day and I'm looking forward to it. Sure, the money is nice, but payday means I get to do a budget tonight.

This is why I look forward to pay day!

 

[disney-inspired]

I can't believe we are 2/3 done with 2018. Time has flown by and I'm thankful because this debt free journey is grueling.

I will be consumer debt free by the end of this year and in 2019 I'll be focusing on my student loans.
I honestly feel like I'm not even living a life - I wake up, go to work, drive home in terrible traffic (2hrs) eat dinner, exercise and go to bed.

I'm on a super strict budget and often too tired from commuting that I do nothing on the weekends.

I know this is only a temporary stage in my life but it sure feels like it will never end.
Our January 2019 trip will be CELEBRATION of making it through the halfway mark.

 

[Tygerlilly]

Has anyone stayed at Pop recently? Thinking of trying to sneak in a 2 night, 3 day trip for mine/DD birthday before she turns 3. I can get a package with qs dining at pop with 3 day tickets for $1400. Trying to decide if we'll be comfortable there.

 

[Eureka]

Has anyone stayed at Pop recently? Thinking of trying to sneak in a 2 night, 3 day trip for mine/DD birthday before she turns 3. I can get a package with qs dining at pop with 3 day tickets for $1400. Trying to decide if we'll be comfortable there.

We stayed there in 2013 when my kids were 12 and 10. It's kind of tight but we were not in the room much. We have only ever stayed at values because we'd rather spend our money on food but I admit it was easier and felt more spacious when they were 7 and 5!

 

[dina444444]

Has anyone stayed at Pop recently? Thinking of trying to sneak in a 2 night, 3 day trip for mine/DD birthday before she turns 3. I can get a package with qs dining at pop with 3 day tickets for $1400. Trying to decide if we'll be comfortable there.

I stayed there about a year ago in a un-refurbished room. The refurbished rooms looks really nice though and I have heard good things from those that have stayed in them. The rooms now have one queen bed and one queen Murphy bed. All of the values except Art are getting this refurb now. Pop is just about done and they are about 20-25% in on movies which will be followed by music and sports.

 

[krysenchips]

Has anyone stayed at Pop recently? Thinking of trying to sneak in a 2 night, 3 day trip for mine/DD birthday before she turns 3. I can get a package with qs dining at pop with 3 day tickets for $1400. Trying to decide if we'll be comfortable there.

I was just there in May. It was just me and my best friend, but we had plenty of room, both beds were super comfortable and there was tons of storage. The refurbished rooms are really nice.

 

[Tygerlilly]

I can't believe we are 2/3 done with 2018. Time has flown by and I'm thankful because this debt free journey is grueling.

I will be consumer debt free by the end of this year and in 2019 I'll be focusing on my student loans.
I honestly feel like I'm not even living a life - I wake up, go to work, drive home in terrible traffic (2hrs) eat dinner, exercise and go to bed.

I'm on a super strict budget and often too tired from commuting that I do nothing on the weekends.

I know this is only a temporary stage in my life but it sure feels like it will never end.
Our January 2019 trip will be CELEBRATION of making it through the halfway mark.

I feel the same way, which is why I'm trying to work in a quick trip this fall. We cancelled our big spring trip so I think this smaller one will be just the break we need to keep on track. But lately, it's been all work, drive home, lunch/dinner, clean up and spend an hour or so with the kids, sleep and then do it all again the next day.

 

[imbatman]

I can't believe we are 2/3 done with 2018. Time has flown by and I'm thankful because this debt free journey is grueling.

I will be consumer debt free by the end of this year and in 2019 I'll be focusing on my student loans.
I honestly feel like I'm not even living a life - I wake up, go to work, drive home in terrible traffic (2hrs) eat dinner, exercise and go to bed.

I'm on a super strict budget and often too tired from commuting that I do nothing on the weekends.

I know this is only a temporary stage in my life but it sure feels like it will never end.
Our January 2019 trip will be CELEBRATION of making it through the halfway mark.

You know what you need? A banana dance to help you celebrate this bleak time: You're doing a heck of a job @disney-inspired . Keep it up. I look at my snowball (just about an hour ago) and know I'll be where you are next year. Hopefully, by the end of 2019, we will only have the house and student loans. And really, the house is our main focus. We won't default on DH's student loans, but we are paying for an almost degree for a field he never went into. So ridiculous of us. Wish I could go back and slap ourselves.

Also, 2/3's done means closer to Christmas! And I'm not saying that for the presents. I LOVE seeing the lights go up. And I'm "one of those" who puts mine up early. For me, this year, it's a bonus that my Dad is still with us.

Yesterday, I don't know why, but I called Magical Express to make sure my work trip flights were there for next month. Well thank goodness I did! They weren't and we would've been looking at an $80 cab ride!

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

We have DD's birthday plans all set! My parents will be coming on her birthday and we will have a smash cake for her. Then we are going to a Halloween themed event for little kids at Greenfield Village on Saturday. The event has a hayride, an Alice in Wonderland themed dinner buffet with a cookie decorating activity, a Halloween sing-a-long and a costume parade all before sunset. And then on Sunday we will all be going to the Toledo Zoo to see all of the animals, which I know DD will love. I am pretty excited for all of the fun family activities we will do instead of a party. With no family close by, it seems silly to just invite our friends for a kids birthday party.

 

[Dentam]

Has anyone stayed at Pop recently? Thinking of trying to sneak in a 2 night, 3 day trip for mine/DD birthday before she turns 3. I can get a package with qs dining at pop with 3 day tickets for $1400. Trying to decide if we'll be comfortable there.

We stayed there last year during Labor Day week in a refurbished room. Beds were comfortable and the rooms were nice! We prefer moderates or deluxe hotels, but I thought Pop was nice overall. We did have to wait quite awhile for buses a couple of times though.