Debt Dumpers - 2018

[DisneyMandC]

Well Michael hit us Thursday night and we've been without power ever since then. We finally got it back today around noon. We have a generator to run our fridge, but other than that we had nothing, including water since we have a well. We were able to grill some, but had to eat out for several meals as there's only so much you can grill! We didn't do too bad spending wise, but I'm really ready to wash some dishes and cook a meal in our oven (I don't think I've ever said those words before). Fortunately we had no damage other than one dead tree down, which isn't a big deal.

I finally got our Universal tickets booked for next month. The only thing left to pay for will be hotel for one night on our way down ($60), gas (~$150), food, and souvenirs. I don't expect to get too much in the way of souvenirs from Disney. I'd like a MVMCP pin and something from Toy Story Land. Other than that, I doubt we'll be buying much. We have one table service meal scheduled for Mama Melrose. We usually split meals at Disney now, so we'll probably continue that trend. I don't know what I'm going to get myself into at Universal though... I'm a total Harry Potter geek and am probably going to be tempted to buy a lot. I've heard about how you can use the wands in the park. I don't know if I want to shell out that much for it... but I might be too tempted. We'll see.

My office got an email today from our boss saying that there's a (very small) grant program that's made some money available for us for student loan repayment. It's open to A LOT of people, so it's probably a total shot in the dark at even getting anything, but I've already put my application together. I would LOVE to get some money to further pay down my Perkins loan, which I'm down to less than $3500 on. Even if they only gave me enough for one monthly payment, I would appreciate it!

 

[pblack]

Well Michael hit us Thursday night and we've been without power ever since then. We finally got it back today around noon. We have a generator to run our fridge, but other than that we had nothing, including water since we have a well. We were able to grill some, but had to eat out for several meals as there's only so much you can grill! We didn't do too bad spending wise, but I'm really ready to wash some dishes and cook a meal in our oven (I don't think I've ever said those words before). Fortunately we had no damage other than one dead tree down, which isn't a big deal.

I finally got our Universal tickets booked for next month. The only thing left to pay for will be hotel for one night on our way down ($60), gas (~$150), food, and souvenirs. I don't expect to get too much in the way of souvenirs from Disney. I'd like a MVMCP pin and something from Toy Story Land. Other than that, I doubt we'll be buying much. We have one table service meal scheduled for Mama Melrose. We usually split meals at Disney now, so we'll probably continue that trend. I don't know what I'm going to get myself into at Universal though... I'm a total Harry Potter geek and am probably going to be tempted to buy a lot. I've heard about how you can use the wands in the park. I don't know if I want to shell out that much for it... but I might be too tempted. We'll see.

My office got an email today from our boss saying that there's a (very small) grant program that's made some money available for us for student loan repayment. It's open to A LOT of people, so it's probably a total shot in the dark at even getting anything, but I've already put my application together. I would LOVE to get some money to further pay down my Perkins loan, which I'm down to less than $3500 on. Even if they only gave me enough for one monthly payment, I would appreciate it!

Glad to hear that Michael didn't hit you guys to hard!

 

[StacyStrong]

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[StacyStrong]

Well Michael hit us Thursday night and we've been without power ever since then. We finally got it back today around noon. We have a generator to run our fridge, but other than that we had nothing, including water since we have a well. We were able to grill some, but had to eat out for several meals as there's only so much you can grill! We didn't do too bad spending wise, but I'm really ready to wash some dishes and cook a meal in our oven (I don't think I've ever said those words before). Fortunately we had no damage other than one dead tree down, which isn't a big deal.

I finally got our Universal tickets booked for next month. The only thing left to pay for will be hotel for one night on our way down ($60), gas (~$150), food, and souvenirs. I don't expect to get too much in the way of souvenirs from Disney. I'd like a MVMCP pin and something from Toy Story Land. Other than that, I doubt we'll be buying much. We have one table service meal scheduled for Mama Melrose. We usually split meals at Disney now, so we'll probably continue that trend. I don't know what I'm going to get myself into at Universal though... I'm a total Harry Potter geek and am probably going to be tempted to buy a lot. I've heard about how you can use the wands in the park. I don't know if I want to shell out that much for it... but I might be too tempted. We'll see.

My office got an email today from our boss saying that there's a (very small) grant program that's made some money available for us for student loan repayment. It's open to A LOT of people, so it's probably a total shot in the dark at even getting anything, but I've already put my application together. I would LOVE to get some money to further pay down my Perkins loan, which I'm down to less than $3500 on. Even if they only gave me enough for one monthly payment, I would appreciate it!

Have you been to universal? I love it. I got a Ravenclaw pullover sweater and a wand on my last trip and I don't regret them at all!! I wear the sweater SO much.

 

[DisneyMandC]

Have you been to universal? I love it. I got a Ravenclaw pullover sweater and a wand on my last trip and I don't regret them at all!! I wear the sweater SO much.

I haven't been in 10 years! They were actually building WWOHP the last time I went. That's why it's going to be extra hard for me not to buy anything lol.

 

[Alexle2007]

Well Michael hit us Thursday night and we've been without power ever since then. We finally got it back today around noon. We have a generator to run our fridge, but other than that we had nothing, including water since we have a well. We were able to grill some, but had to eat out for several meals as there's only so much you can grill! We didn't do too bad spending wise, but I'm really ready to wash some dishes and cook a meal in our oven (I don't think I've ever said those words before). Fortunately we had no damage other than one dead tree down, which isn't a big deal.

I finally got our Universal tickets booked for next month. The only thing left to pay for will be hotel for one night on our way down ($60), gas (~$150), food, and souvenirs. I don't expect to get too much in the way of souvenirs from Disney. I'd like a MVMCP pin and something from Toy Story Land. Other than that, I doubt we'll be buying much. We have one table service meal scheduled for Mama Melrose. We usually split meals at Disney now, so we'll probably continue that trend. I don't know what I'm going to get myself into at Universal though... I'm a total Harry Potter geek and am probably going to be tempted to buy a lot. I've heard about how you can use the wands in the park. I don't know if I want to shell out that much for it... but I might be too tempted. We'll see.

My office got an email today from our boss saying that there's a (very small) grant program that's made some money available for us for student loan repayment. It's open to A LOT of people, so it's probably a total shot in the dark at even getting anything, but I've already put my application together. I would LOVE to get some money to further pay down my Perkins loan, which I'm down to less than $3500 on. Even if they only gave me enough for one monthly payment, I would appreciate it!

I would definitely go for the wand! It brings the Wizarding World to life even more! DS has 2 of them and DH and I enjoy using them also. Plus you can re-use them on future visits.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

Sitting in the surgical waiting room for DD to wake up from recovery. She got tubes and adenoids removed. Doctor said it all went well. He mentioned that her adenoids were very enlarged and she had fluid behind both eardrums, though no active infection. We are so hopeful that these procedures will address her chronic cough and congestion.

Also, we went to see the trailer on Saturday. It is in pretty much like new condition. And they are throwing in a couple thousand dollars worth of necessary accessories as well. So we have decided to move forward with the purchase. I got approved for a loan with USAA and we are working now to get it finalized. And because we don’t have a car to pull it yet, my friend’s husband will be taking it to the storage facility for us once the sale is complete.

I am so excited and have been thinking about what we want to do to make this trailer our own. I plan to sew matching quilts for each bed as well as throw pillows for the dinette/sofa. And also to sew a shower curtain. Plan to find a few other decorative touches to make it feel like our place.

 

[Tygerlilly]

Sitting in the surgical waiting room for DD to wake up from recovery. She got tubes and adenoids removed. Doctor said it all went well. He mentioned that her adenoids were very enlarged and she had fluid behind both eardrums, though no active infection. We are so hopeful that these procedures will address her chronic cough and congestion.

Also, we went to see the trailer on Saturday. It is in pretty much like new condition. And they are throwing in a couple thousand dollars worth of necessary accessories as well. So we have decided to move forward with the purchase. I got approved for a loan with USAA and we are working now to get it finalized. And because we don’t have a car to pull it yet, my friend’s husband will be taking it to the storage facility for us once the sale is complete.

I am so excited and have been thinking about what we want to do to make this trailer our own. I plan to sew matching quilts for each bed as well as throw pillows for the dinette/sofa. And also to sew a shower curtain. Plan to find a few other decorative touches to make it feel like our place.

Hope this solves all her issues. My cousin had the same problems, had the same surgeries, and has been doing MUCH better.

Also, congrats on the new camper! We can't wait to go looking for one next year!

 

[DisneyMandC]

Sitting in the surgical waiting room for DD to wake up from recovery. She got tubes and adenoids removed. Doctor said it all went well. He mentioned that her adenoids were very enlarged and she had fluid behind both eardrums, though no active infection. We are so hopeful that these procedures will address her chronic cough and congestion.

Also, we went to see the trailer on Saturday. It is in pretty much like new condition. And they are throwing in a couple thousand dollars worth of necessary accessories as well. So we have decided to move forward with the purchase. I got approved for a loan with USAA and we are working now to get it finalized. And because we don’t have a car to pull it yet, my friend’s husband will be taking it to the storage facility for us once the sale is complete.

I am so excited and have been thinking about what we want to do to make this trailer our own. I plan to sew matching quilts for each bed as well as throw pillows for the dinette/sofa. And also to sew a shower curtain. Plan to find a few other decorative touches to make it feel like our place.

Glad your DD's surgery went well! Hope she continues to have a smooth recovery.

 

[aml3679]

Well, we were debt free. We moved from NH to Florida one year ago. We sold a home in NH and paid cash for a 1972 mobile home in a 55+ park for $72,000. We put almost $30,000 renovating it:

$10,000 new floors
$3,000 painting
$3,000 glazing our counters, appliances, tubs, and sinks
$4500 new driveway
$1400 screened area in back for my husband (he calls it his man cave)
$5,000 furniture, rugs, pictures, lamps, etc...

After only 6 months, we found out our vapor barrier was torn - keeps moisture from seeping into the home.

Now, $25,000 home improvement loan to fix the floors

$7,500 new vapor barrier
$7,500 replace all subfloors

Plus, my husband bought a new car - we returned his lease - my car is paid off in full.

So:

$25,000 home improvement loan
$15,000 new car
$5,000 credit card debt

So, we are $45,000 in debt. Unfortunately, I have not worked much this year. Over the next year we plan on paying off our debt so that we can start saving for retirement which is only 5 years away.

 

[jen7233]

Well Michael hit us Thursday night and we've been without power ever since then.

So many people went without power from Michael, it was so powerful even going up into the mid Atlantic states, crazy! Hope all is better.

itting in the surgical waiting room for DD to wake up from recovery. She got tubes and adenoids removed. Doctor said it all went well. He mentioned that her adenoids were very enlarged and she had fluid behind both eardrums, though no active infection. We are so hopeful that these procedures will address her chronic cough and congestion.

Also, we went to see the trailer on Saturday. It is in pretty much like new condition. And they are throwing in a couple thousand dollars worth of necessary accessories as well. So we have decided to move forward with the purchase. I got approved for a loan with USAA and we are working now to get it finalized. And because we don’t have a car to pull it yet, my friend’s husband will be taking it to the storage facility for us once the sale is complete.

We never went through ear tubes, but from friends and family it seems like this helps kids that are often ill with ear infections and such. Hope she's better. Yeah on your new trailer! May you have some fun adventures!

So, we are $45,000 in debt. Unfortunately, I have not worked much this year. Over the next year we plan on paying off our debt so that we can start saving for retirement which is only 5 years away.

It happens, it's impossible to predict when things hit and some things, it's more than one thing at a time! Homes, cars, medical, life. One of the things with homes that scares me are sudden repair costs. The rental we are in now, I couldn't imagine what it's going to take to fix this thing to get it up to code to sell when the landlord finally does, which we think they may put on the market after us. We were told they had it on the market before we rented, then pulled it off. They've been doing the work themselves over the years rather than get contractors, and it's evident in the state of things. They had to redo the deck, it was a disaster and now the patio is splitting. We swear there are rooms that seem to be slanted inside like the kitchen and one bedroom for sure is, you can roll a marble from the wall, lol. Sounds like your dedicated to getting the debt down for retirement years. With some focus that's absolutely possible.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

I got a quote back from the first builder. They want $98k to finish our basement and that didn't even include installing a wet bar! We aren't asking for anything crazy either. Just a single bathroom with nothing fancy plus regular paint/trim/carpet finish on the other rooms. Obviously, this is an insane quote and we won't be going with them. I had another builder come on Wednesday and they said they will probably have numbers to me by Monday. They are a newer company, so I am hopeful that they will be more reasonable. Otherwise, I just don't know what we are going to do.

 

[bababear_50]

The Murphy Repair man (mechanic) came to visit
I kind of knew my car needed some maintenance repairs but wow oh wow,,total bill for 4 new tires and rims,rear brakes,spark plugs ,etc etc etc,,
just over 1,800.00. Now to be fair other than a new battery and front brakes I haven't really done anything other than oil changes.
I am hoping to keep it on the road for another 5 years while my (new car) fund has time to grow. Thank goodness for emergency fund savings but now I need to rebuild that fund. I am going to review my Christmas fund and see if there is any wiggle room to move over a bit of money to the emergency fund.
Hugs
Mel

 

[bababear_50]

I got a quote back from the first builder. They want $98k to finish our basement and that didn't even include installing a wet bar! We aren't asking for anything crazy either. Just a single bathroom with nothing fancy plus regular paint/trim/carpet finish on the other rooms. Obviously, this is an insane quote and we won't be going with them. I had another builder come on Wednesday and they said they will probably have numbers to me by Monday. They are a newer company, so I am hopeful that they will be more reasonable. Otherwise, I just don't know what we are going to do.

Jen
that quote sounds crazy,,I hope your new quote comes in a lot less.
I know I live in a different Country but I remember my brother finishing his basement and he did a lot....... enclosed stairway,framing,doors,insulation,
new ceiling,pot lights,bedroom,games room,huge washroom with a large walk in shower,ceramic tile floor,and carpeting for under $50K.
I am keeping my fingers crossed for you.

PS
I hope your little bundle of JOY is feeling better after her surgery,,my middle son had similar surgery at Sick Kids Hospital when he was 14 months old and it made the world of difference is his hearing and we had 90% less ear infections.

Hugs
Mel

 

[jen7233]

I got a quote back from the first builder. They want $98k to finish our basement and that didn't even include installing a wet bar! We aren't asking for anything crazy either. Just a single bathroom with nothing fancy plus regular paint/trim/carpet finish on the other rooms. Obviously, this is an insane quote and we won't be going with them. I had another builder come on Wednesday and they said they will probably have numbers to me by Monday. They are a newer company, so I am hopeful that they will be more reasonable. Otherwise, I just don't know what we are going to do.

Hope you get better quotes. Maybe there may be some allowance of price negotiation with the new company?

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

Jen
that quote sounds crazy,,I hope your new quote comes in a lot less.
I know I live in a different Country but I remember my brother finishing his basement and he did a lot....... enclosed stairway,framing,doors,insulation,
new ceiling,pot lights,bedroom,games room,huge washroom with a large walk in shower,ceramic tile floor,and carpeting for under $50K.
I am keeping my fingers crossed for you.

PS
I hope your little bundle of JOY is feeling better after her surgery,,my middle son had similar surgery at Sick Kids Hospital when he was 14 months old and it made the world of difference is his hearing and we had 90% less ear infections.

Hugs
Mel

Hope you get better quotes. Maybe there may be some allowance of price negotiation with the new company?

The thing that I find so very crazy is that this quote doesn't even include the doors, door hardware or bathroom fixtures because we already bought all of that ourselves! It is just so far and away from what I imagined that I can't imagine the other company coming in so high. But honestly, we don't want to spend over $60k, so I am really hopeful that the quote will be way less. Just have to wait and see.

And DD has been doing pretty well, though today she has been running a fever, which is normal after surgery and she has been understandably a bit on the fussy side. But still playful and with an overall sunny disposition. Hoping that in the next few weeks we will see an improvement in the cough/congestion. I think the hearing may already be much improved because she seems so much more talkative in the past few days than she has ever been.

 

[jen7233]

I joined a gym last week, which came with a few free personal trainer sessions. I did one training session with a trainer for free just to see how it is, and I had no idea it was that pricey when I got the costs of what it would be to sign up with one. But, the more months you sign up for, the monthly payment for the trainer decreases. The most basic amount or shortest timeframe was $65 a session for three months. Unfortunately I can’t do this in addition to our family gym membership cost, but I could imagine how motivating it could be to have a personal trainer.

Continuing to save for next year's Disney trip. I’m hoping Target will have some Disney gift cards go on sale and that I’m paying attention. I think it was last year it was a one day sale in December? I don’t have a wholesale club membership anywhere. Plan to buy park tickets in January, set aside the hotel costs in savings and pay it right after the stay since it’s reserv d on a card, and use gift cards for in the park or Disney restaurants.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

I joined a gym last week, which came with a few free personal trainer sessions. I did one training session with a trainer for free just to see how it is, and I had no idea it was that pricey when I got the costs of what it would be to sign up with one. But, the more months you sign up for, the monthly payment for the trainer decreases. The most basic amount or shortest timeframe was $65 a session for three months. Unfortunately I can’t do this in addition to our family gym membership cost, but I could imagine how motivating it could be to have a personal trainer.

Continuing to save for next year's Disney trip. I’m hoping Target will have some Disney gift cards go on sale and that I’m paying attention. I think it was last year it was a one day sale in December? I don’t have a wholesale club membership anywhere. Plan to buy park tickets in January, set aside the hotel costs in savings and pay it right after the stay since it’s reserv d on a card, and use gift cards for in the park or Disney restaurants.

I am pretty sure that Target didn't have Disney gift cards on sale last year, but the year before last or even 2 years before. So not sure if that kind of deal will pop up again. For the past several years they have offered Target gift cards at a 10% discount, which people used to use to buy Disney gift cards. You can no longer buy a Disney gift card with a Target gift card though, so this might not be a great solution for you. I personally shop at Target a lot, so when I get free Target gift cards from Swagbucks, I just subtract that amount from my grocery budget to purchase the Disney gift card and then use the Target gift card to pay for household goods, etc. Since the money would have been spent anyways, I don't see it as a big deal. But if you don't generally shop at Target, then it wouldn't make sense.

We just went to Sam's Club and bought $1300 in Disney gift cards and then I purchased our DVC Gold Annual passes for our next two trips. I got a Sam's Club membership from Groupon for $35. The Disney gift cards were 9.6% off at Sam's Club, plus I used DH's Freedom card. The category for this quarter is warehouse club's, so that will give us another 7.5% back in travel rewards. Total of about 17% discount, which is probably the best you can get right now. There is also an app that might give additional cash back (maybe 1%), but I didn't bother with this recent purchase. I might try it out when we max out the quarter on DH's second Freedom card though.

 

[jen7233]

I am pretty sure that Target didn't have Disney gift cards on sale last year, but the year before last or even 2 years before. So not sure if that kind of deal will pop up again. For the past several years they have offered Target gift cards at a 10% discount, which people used to use to buy Disney gift cards. You can no longer buy a Disney gift card with a Target gift card though, so this might not be a great solution for you. I personally shop at Target a lot, so when I get free Target gift cards from Swagbucks, I just subtract that amount from my grocery budget to purchase the Disney gift card and then use the Target gift card to pay for household goods, etc. Since the money would have been spent anyways, I don't see it as a big deal. But if you don't generally shop at Target, then it wouldn't make sense.

We just went to Sam's Club and bought $1300 in Disney gift cards and then I purchased our DVC Gold Annual passes for our next two trips. I got a Sam's Club membership from Groupon for $35. The Disney gift cards were 9.6% off at Sam's Club, plus I used DH's Freedom card. The category for this quarter is warehouse club's, so that will give us another 7.5% back in travel rewards. Total of about 17% discount, which is probably the best you can get right now. There is also an app that might give additional cash back (maybe 1%), but I didn't bother with this recent purchase. I might try it out when we max out the quarter on DH's second Freedom card though.

I plan to use my Target Red debit card to purchase Disney cards. I figure that's 5% I can save in the parks. If I see a good wholesale membership deal I may try it. We used to shop Costco a lot when kids were younger and loved it, then we moved away from the Sam's and Costco clubs for some years and I forgot about shopping in them, and got used to no access. Our last place before moving here the Target was a 45 minute drive, lol. Costco an hour and a half. Now that we are back near shopping I should check the wholesale clubs out again.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

I plan to use my Target Red debit card to purchase Disney cards. I figure that's 5% I can save in the parks. If I see a good wholesale membership deal I may try it. We used to shop Costco a lot when kids were younger and loved it, then we moved away from the Sam's and Costco clubs for some years and I forgot about shopping in them, and got used to no access. Our last place before moving here the Target was a 45 minute drive, lol. Costco an hour and a half. Now that we are back near shopping I should check the wholesale clubs out again.

We also have a Costco membership and prefer it for our regular shopping over Sam's Club. But Costco doesn't sell Disney gift cards. I think you can purchase cards from BJs online without a membership, though you might want to double check that on the Gift Card thread. But not sure that the discount is better than Target's 5% unless you also have a Freedom card this quarter.