Debt Dumpers - 2018

[Tygerlilly]

But I now have an appointment on Friday morning to tour the other daycare that will have an opening starting in June. It is a Montessori daycare, which I know will probably be quite different from where DD is currently.

We have looked into a Montessori school for both girls. For them to go 2x a week is roughly $500 a month, but I love that they embrace learning through play at such young ages and aren't super structured. We have a few things to pay down before we can afford it, but it's something we are definitely considering for fall to get our 2.5 year old ready for preschool next year.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

DH made sure to say something this morning when he dropped DD off to daycare. I really am hoping that they work out their problems because this daycare is by far the most convenient option for us.

But I now have an appointment on Friday morning to tour the other daycare that will have an opening starting in June. It is a Montessori daycare, which I know will probably be quite different from where DD is currently.

My parents are getting into town tomorrow. On Friday, they are going to help me with DD's nursery. I have been working on moving all of my sewing stuff down to the basement. Man do I have a ton of stuff. I really need to go through it and eliminate some things. When The Container Store was having their Elfa sale, I ordered a closet for DD's room. The boxes should all be here tomorrow and my dad said that we can work on putting it up. I am also hoping that we have time to get the crib put together too. Everything else is just moving furniture from other parts of the house into the nursery, like the rocking chair that is currently in our master bedroom and the changing table that is out in the hall. Hoping that we might get everything done and DD can start sleeping there now that the extra insulation is in the attic.

Trust your gut instincts! If they are telling you to take your baby and run, do it. I'm not trying to make you feel guilty but sometimes what best for your baby has to take precedence over convenience.
When I had baby #2, our first was 3.25 yrs old. He attended a home day care since age 4 months with a lady who was in her early 50's and started her day care when her grown son began kindergarten and there was no after school child care programs and K was only half day which in our town really means 9-11:30.
In NJ, a licensed home day care can't have more than 5 children at a time, or 3 infants. So when our 2nd was born, and she had no openings, we had to choose to either move them both somewhere else, or use 2 different day cares until she had a opening. Ds was so attached to her; she was like a 3rd grandmother. She was such a wonderful lady and I knew ds wouldn't be happy to leave her and he only had 1.5 years left until kindergarten anyway so we suffered through using 2 day cares. Yes, it sucked having to leave extra early and rushing from one place to another then to the train in a different town all within 30 min span. She never did have any new openings but by then our younger one was very attached to his day care provider and I wouldn't have moved him either. In fact, her kids were close in age to ours and they all became good friends for a long time. She was beyond awesome. Her husband once asked me to bring a toothbrush to keep there because they would never put their own kids down for a nap after lunch without brushing their teeth first so how could they do that with someone else's kids?
Looking back, I have no regrets. I miss seeing & chatting with them every morning and I still to this day have peace of mind knowing that if they couldn't be home with me, they were in the next best place I could find for them.
I know I keep saying this but peace of mind is priceless!!!

 

[Eureka]

We have looked into a Montessori school for both girls. For them to go 2x a week is roughly $500 a month, but I love that they embrace learning through play at such young ages and aren't super structured. We have a few things to pay down before we can afford it, but it's something we are definitely considering for fall to get our 2.5 year old ready for preschool next year.

DS17 went to a Montessori preschool for a year. We were not unhappy with it, but I think it depends on the personality of the kid. He was reading very early (before 5) so that worked well, but he even to this day is kind of a loner and when the philosophy is child-led, it sometimes was not great for him to go into corner and read without a teacher encouraging him to join in as in a "normal" school. Plus it's not cheap! Back when he went, it was $500/month just for him (5 half days)!

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

$500 still was not so bad up here. We paid $130/week for ds21 and $150/week for ds17.
Close to $1200/mo.
And that was considered cheap. Some day care centers wanted $160-200/week.
Of course it varies all over the country, just like salaries and house pricing.

 

[LMA712014]

We have looked into a Montessori school for both girls. For them to go 2x a week is roughly $500 a month, but I love that they embrace learning through play at such young ages and aren't super structured. We have a few things to pay down before we can afford it, but it's something we are definitely considering for fall to get our 2.5 year old ready for preschool next year.

I love the Montessori concept! A lot of their concepts and ideas make frequent appearances on my Pinterest homeschooling boards!

SO! A local man is purchasing my Trailblazer AND enclosed trailer - and for only a couple grand we will be able to purchase the new to us car that we fell in LOVE with! It’s loaded and has enough room for all the car seats we will need come new baby’s arrival in June Thankful to the big guy upstairs for teaching us patience and His timing - because it’s all fallen into place perfectly and no more stressing about being cooped up at home without a car to fit us all! Haha.

I also started a budget notebook today and went through online bank statements - and I was embarrassed to find a few automatic payments for accounts that were used for my prior business that I didn’t even realize we were still paying for. They’re not huge savings, but are saving us roughly $40 a month so in a year it adds up!

Paid off a credit card today as well thanks to our federal return, bringing credit card debt down to just under $6800. I’ve been listing random things on eBay and if I sell the remainder of my LuLaRoe inventory (I was a consultant for 3 years and got done last fall), it should be nearly enough to zero out our cards!

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

I am actually a bit reticent of Montessori programs. My bestie's son was in Montessori preschool and she loved it for him. But then once he transitioned into public school, he has struggled quite a bit because it is very structured compared to his preschool experience. He has been in public school for 2.5 years now and is in second grade. He is still having a lot of issues with the class structure and focus. He sort of just takes his pretty little time to do tasks, with no sense of any urgency, even in testing situations or timed activities. And if he isn't interested, she said then he just doesn't engage. He seems to still be stuck in this self-led sort of mode and hasn't adapted well.

Where we live, we pay $232 per week for full time infant care. The Montessori is 3 miles away and it actually costs a little less ($15 I think) than our current daycare. The 3 daycares affiliated with the University actually costs $432 per week! And the daycare centers closer to the University often cost in that range and some are even more expensive than that.

And spots for daycare and preschool are very competitive. When I was going to the mom's group during maternity leave, people talked about how you needed to start looking at preschools now (when baby was just 2 months old)! I actually already put a $50 deposit on a preschool spot for DD at one of the most popular preschools in town because I wanted to make sure we had something reserved. The preschool looks amazing with lots of cool activities, a gym with a mini climbing wall and a nice outdoor area for the kids to play. But I think it is insane that I could even reserve a spot for 2020 now! I think the university environment means that lots of families have a very high emphasis on quality education for their children. I know that I care a lot about it.

And as far as my gut, I actually like our current daycare and my gut is telling me to keep her there. I guess that is why I feel so frustrated. DD always seems happy when I pick her up. She seems to like the people taking care of her and they seem to love her. When they formed new "primary caregiver groups" after the staff transition, the actually all wanted DD to be in their group. They have a weekly curriculum with stories, songs and activities that seem really great and developmentally appropriate. It is just this transition in lead teacher has caused some kinks that haven't gotten worked out yet. I would have thought things would have calmed down by now.

 

[Alexle2007]

But I now have an appointment on Friday morning to tour the other daycare that will have an opening starting in June. It is a Montessori daycare, which I know will probably be quite different from where DD is currently.

My DS10 went to a Montessori school when he was 3 and 4 year old years. It was the BEST decision ever! (I wish we would have done it sooner and we should have kept him there for his elementary school years.) He is a math whiz and Montessori really helped in that area since the kids learn at their own pace. He went into kindergarten able to do 3 digit addition and basic multiplication. (He actually ended up being moved up to 1st grade in our public school.) His school was totally out of our way from our home and work but it was definitely worth it. The teachers were amazing and just the learning environment was awesome.

 

[Tygerlilly]

A lot of the reason we are looking into the Montessori school is that I'm pretty positive I will be homeschooling the girls for at least the first few years and they offer a co-op for home school children. The public districts here are so big and honestly, I've heard nothing but bad stories of kids being bullied so bad lately (to the point several parents have pulled their kids out of school because they were threatening suicide, or worse, actually tried). I know it can happen anywhere, but I feel like the upper administration isn't handling this the way they should. And since we plan on moving and finding our permanent home in the next 5 years, I'm okay with handling home school up until then and then letting the girls decide when that time comes what they want to do education wise. Plus I'm not going to pretend how amazing it will be to be able to travel and vacation whenever we want and not be restricted by school holidays.

 

[LMA712014]

A lot of the reason we are looking into the Montessori school is that I'm pretty positive I will be homeschooling the girls for at least the first few years and they offer a co-op for home school children. The public districts here are so big and honestly, I've heard nothing but bad stories of kids being bullied so bad lately (to the point several parents have pulled their kids out of school because they were threatening suicide, or worse, actually tried). I know it can happen anywhere, but I feel like the upper administration isn't handling this the way they should. And since we plan on moving and finding our permanent home in the next 5 years, I'm okay with handling home school up until then and then letting the girls decide when that time comes what they want to do education wise. Plus I'm not going to pretend how amazing it will be to be able to travel and vacation whenever we want and not be restricted by school holidays.

We’re intending to homeschool too for many similar reasons (and our local school departments aren’t -that- strong, and I like the idea of making sure our kids are well rounded in academics and real life skills (dying breed in public education).

And of course the flexibility!

 

[imbatman]

Just chiming in here about school. We have our kids enrolled in charter schools that are half school campus, half home school. They teach math, science, and English onsite. However, we can choose to have any of those taught at home. It has really opened up our schedules, as the kids only are on campus two days a week. The older is actually taking college classes to count both as high school and college credits, and will graduate HS with a transferable AA degree.

 

[Tygerlilly]

Just chiming in here about school. We have our kids enrolled in charter schools that are half school campus, half home school. They teach math, science, and English onsite. However, we can choose to have any of those taught at home. It has really opened up our schedules, as the kids only are on campus two days a week. The older is actually taking college classes to count both as high school and college credits, and will graduate HS with a transferable AA degree.

I absolutely love that idea. Going 2x a week for the core classes and the rest at home is actually pretty ideal. I graduated pretty high in my class, but that was 14 years ago and once they get older, I know for sure I'd rather someone else handle the math part of their education. lol. So happy for your older one who is getting an incredible advantage in life by doing this!

 

[JacknSally]

I didn't think about it at the time, but when we payed off our car note, it closed that line of credit - so I found out yesterday that my credit score fell when we eliminated that debt, since our remaining credit card balances are so high. Kicking myself for not thinking about that before, but it is what it is now.

Was able to put $1000 toward CC1 this week, and it's a 3-payday month for us, so I'm hoping we'll have that one paid off by the end of the month. It has a few small recurring monthly charges that bill to it, so its monthly payments are never truly gone, but it's a big help!

Still no progress on the car for DH, but he's using his mom's car right now, so we've got a little less pressure on that front for the time being. Spent $150 on a couple of parts that should get it running again, and once we do, the plan is to sell it right away. He's spending tomorrow replacing those parts so we'll see how it goes! Whatever he gets for it will go toward a replacement. His mom is also wanting to sell her car (the one we're borrowing right now) and his parents told us that they're hoping to get $1500 out of it, so if we're able to sell it for them for more than that, we can keep whatever we make over $1500. DH thinks we can get $2500-$3000 out of it, so that would be a huge help. Between selling the truck and his mom's car, hopefully we'll be able to find a replacement for him without having to dip into any of our monthly income.

We're going to New Orleans next month for a long weekend getaway. DH is from Nola and has family there, and we'll be staying with them so lodging is covered. We're going for JazzFest and have the ticket amount saved up in our "Fun Stuff" savings account, so we're down to just saving up for gas and food. I'm really looking forward to it. I went once for a couple of days in 2008 on a work trip (I was a personal assistant and my boss had a meeting there so I drove him down there and back but didn't have to attend the meeting) but I was 19 and knew absolutely nothing about the area and was on my own so I just wandered around the French Quarter a bit. It'll be fun to see DH's favorite places.

I work front desk at a hotel right now, and the hotel has been under renovation since last fall. The owner came in last week and apparently thought the renovation should be farther along than it is, and he kind of flipped. Told the construction crew (and anyone else who was around to hear) that if the renovation wasn't done by the end of March that he'd sell the property and we'd all be out jobs. I wasn't there to hear it firsthand, but when I found out I asked a couple of managers what the situation was. One manager said he's 90% sure it was just the owner blowing off steam and that nothing's going to happen, but he didn't blame us if we looked for something else just in case. The other manager said nothing at all is going to happen and not to worry, he's not going to sell and even if he did it wouldn't happen overnight, but the survey scores regarding the hotel staff are all fantastic so there's zero reason for him to punish us in this. Neither chat helped me sleep any easier, haha. So I guess I'll be looking for something else, just in case...? Ugh. Really hoping nothing comes of it. Wednesday they signed me up for a training class next month for a special role I have, and it cost them $400, so I'd like to think they wouldn't have done that 4 days after the owner's threat to sell if they thought there were any real merit to it.

2018 Debt Goals:
1) Pay off my car note ($2,552 remaining - will hopefully have that done by the end of March) - March 9 Update: Paid off at the end of February! $0 remaining
2) Pay off Credit Card #1 ($2,400) - March 9 Update: $1500 remaining
3) Pay off Credit Card #2 ($5,000)
4) Pay down Credit Card #3 to at least 75% of its current balance (Current Balance: $9,000)

 

[AmyAnne]

I didn't think about it at the time, but when we payed off our car note, it closed that line of credit - so I found out yesterday that my credit score fell when we eliminated that debt, since our remaining credit card balances are so high. Kicking myself for not thinking about that before, but it is what it is now.

I am actually thinking about keeping a super small amount of my student loan for just this reason. Right now there's about $2000 left to totally pay it off. It's pre-paid through 2025 so I'm thinking I will pay almost all of the rest of it over the next few months and leave something like $50 remaining. Anyone know if I can just leave a $50 balance sitting there for the next six years?

 

[imbatman]

I didn't think about it at the time, but when we payed off our car note, it closed that line of credit - so I found out yesterday that my credit score fell when we eliminated that debt, since our remaining credit card balances are so high. Kicking myself for not thinking about that before, but it is what it is now.

This got me thinking about my plans. Will be done paying off CC #1 in three weeks!

Then, working on CC #2, then car, then house, and finally the student loan. Is this the correct way in order not to hurt my credit?

 

[JacknSally]

This got me thinking about my plans. Will be done paying off CC #1 in three weeks!

Then, working on CC #2, then car, then house, and finally the student loan. Is this the correct way in order not to hurt my credit?

As long as you aren't closing your CC's when you pay them off, yes. It's all about the utilization ratio. You want your balances to go down while your available credit stays the same (or increases). When I paid off my car note, it was like closing a credit card, so my available credit actually decreased, which made my percentage of used credit go up, lowering my credit score.

We didn't consider the credit score when we decided to pay the car off first. We just wanted that note to be gone because once it was, we didn't have to worry about its balance going back up at any point. We were afraid if we paid off a CC first, then we'd end up using it for something, and we'd be right back at having to pay that CC off plus the car and everything else. I just never thought about how it factored into our overall numbers.

All-in-all my credit only took a 12 point hit, so not horrible, and I am glad to have that weight off our shoulders altogether, so I'll take it.

 

[JacknSally]

I am actually thinking about keeping a super small amount of my student loan for just this reason. Right now there's about $2000 left to totally pay it off. It's pre-paid through 2025 so I'm thinking I will pay almost all of the rest of it over the next few months and leave something like $50 remaining. Anyone know if I can just leave a $50 balance sitting there for the next six years?

I'm assuming your student loans earn interest, so it wouldn't just be a $50 balance sitting there - it would earning interest the whole time and you'd have to pay that back, too. Just something to think about!

 

[imbatman]

#1 - New CC debt $3472.98 -- According to my snowball chart, I'll have this paid off in June. But I'm going to throw anything I can at it to try and pay it off by April.
#2 - Main CC debt $18,509.99 -- Without a doubt, this hurts the most to post.

Found my old post. Here's my update as of 5 minutes ago:
#1 - New CC debt $701.14 (scheduled to be paid 3/21/18!)
#2 - Main CC debt $17,435.39

I can't WAIT to see that second number start rolling down.

If you are lurking and thinking you can't do this, you CAN. It's hard. It's time consuming, but you can start small. Just start.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Jmho but I’d pay off those car and student loans in a hot second. Screw the credit score. It will recover!
More important, you will have freed up those payments for something else and further reduce your debt. That is a GOOD THING!

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

I returned to work on Tuesday, only 4 hours per day to start, and did ok with it. By Thursday and Friday I was pretty wiped out when leaving work so I was grateful to be able to rest in the afternoon. I have 4 weeks of this schedule so I hope that gradually easing back in makes it possible to keep going with FT.
I hired ds17 to be my housecleaning service. If I'm going to pay someone $80, it might as well be family. He's done it all twice so far and does a GREAT job, better than when he was little and I had a service for years. He even scrubbed out the electric tea kettle. It's kind of weird that I end up paying him to clean his room but prior to being "hired" he was a total slob leaving clothes & dirty dishes laying around his room and that has lessened a LOT.
Before I got sick I really didn't mind it so much but with the fatigue I was having a hard time keeping up with it even when I wasn't working. If I can just get through work and rest when I'm not there, things will all work out.

Still doing good with socking away $10k for my next car; I'm just over halfway there. My next several paychecks will be crappy so we may backslide a bit but still not bad considering all we've been through lately. All we can do is just keep swimming!!

 

[jen7233]

@Ruadisney that is cool about the housecleaning 17 year old...I am going to keep this in mind! I am also continuing to sock away for my next car. I'm about $3500 right now. My current car has a KBB value currently is 6000- 8000 trade in value, or 8000- 11000 for private party. I suspect it to be worth a few thousand less by the time I'm totally ready to change it out (timeframe countdown under two years) I intend to roll this with whatever I've got saved up when it's time!