Debt Dumpers - 2019

[Jen and Ashwin]

Do you have a probe thermometer for food? Should probably check the temp of your milk, at least. It needs to stay below 40 at all times or it should be tossed. 4 hours, even in a closed fridge, would likely push the temp up beyond 40.

Thanks. I checked and it is still below 40 degrees. I will have DH do a taste test when he gets home as well (I hate milk).

 

[DLgal]

Thanks. I checked and it is still below 40 degrees. I will have DH do a taste test when he gets home as well (I hate milk).

It should be fine then. Whew!

 

[Eureka]

@Eureka Hopefully things will pick up from here.

Thanks, it’s just been a very frustrating start to the year.

 

[MegWheels]

Does anyone have any good tips for getting a new iPhone? I have Verizon Wireless and I just found out they changed how they do their upgrades...I need a new phone and it looks like I'll be paying $500-$800! Any ideas?

 

[dina444444]

Does anyone have any good tips for getting a new iPhone? I have Verizon Wireless and I just found out they changed how they do their upgrades...I need a new phone and it looks like I'll be paying $500-$800! Any ideas?

Your going to likely pay for your phone one way or another if you want a newer iPhone on any of the major carriers. You can either sign up for your carriers lease program, apples own lease program, or pay for your phone in full upfront. All carriers did away with the subsidized two year contracts about 3 years ago.

 

[Shughart]

I'm so sorry for your loss @PhoenixStrength, so soon after your other cousin

 

[OhMari]

Does anyone have any good tips for getting a new iPhone? I have Verizon Wireless and I just found out they changed how they do their upgrades...I need a new phone and it looks like I'll be paying $500-$800! Any ideas?

Switch carriers. U.s,Cellular will give you a free phone for switching over

 

[Birdie dog]

Does anyone have any good tips for getting a new iPhone? I have Verizon Wireless and I just found out they changed how they do their upgrades...I need a new phone and it looks like I'll be paying $500-$800! Any ideas?

I just had this discussion with my husband. We have Verizon for two adults and two (grown) kids on the plan. My husband and I got new phones which will be paid off in June. Right now our cell bill is $350. I will not ever pay this much again. From now on, I'll buy a phone from eBay from a legit store and buy last years model. I currently have an iPhone 7 plus, I can buy one on eBay and add a warranty for 250-300.

 

[Birdie dog]

February has been a challenge thus far. I've still stayed away from shopping and spending and I'm still focused on paying down debt, but every time I turn around, there's a new issue. This week I have to pay for my car repairs. It was a hit and run, so I only have to pay $200 but if the person who hit me had stopped, I would be paying nothing. My DH's birthday is in Feb and I've informed him that his gift will be a combo Valentines and Birthday (he was drooling over $250 boots). I then sold something from a collection I have for $250, so I won't be out of money for that. But, my BFFs birthday is also this month and I just got a termite yearly bill for $300. Ugh.

I ended up typing my information in for taxes. I'm paying the feds $1400 more this year. The weird thing is that my state taxes have gone from an $11 dollar payment last year to $1600 this year. So, that'll make up the difference. I am rejoicing that I won't have to take money from savings.

I feel like if I can make it through February, I'll be in good shape. I have a few things I'd like to buy before our trip in May and usually, they'd be bought by now. But, I'm staying strong and not spending anything I can't pay for immediately.

 

[jen7233]

Does anyone have any good tips for getting a new iPhone? I have Verizon Wireless and I just found out they changed how they do their upgrades...I need a new phone and it looks like I'll be paying $500-$800! Any ideas?

Carrier change, buy a refurbished phone (choose carefully if doing so), check with Apple website (I don't know if they finance or if this is the route you even are looking at). Does Verizon not do monthly installments for purchasing a new one even if you aren't eligible to upgrade? Just some ideas, you probably figured out where to get another phone by this time.

 

[DisneyMandC]

Does anyone have any good tips for getting a new iPhone? I have Verizon Wireless and I just found out they changed how they do their upgrades...I need a new phone and it looks like I'll be paying $500-$800! Any ideas?

I just call and tell them I want to know what kind of discounts they can offer me on a new phone. The first guy I talked to at AT&T told me he could offer me an iPhone 8 for $800 in monthly payments... which is just buying the phone outright lol. I told him I would just cancel my AT&T service and go back to Verizon then. They escalated me to another customer service rep who gave me a new iPhone 8 for $250.

 

[potterfanatic]

Does anyone have any good tips for getting a new iPhone?

I just got an email from verizon with a promo code for $150 off select phones using SMART150

 

[Ngwira]

Done with taxes this year! We are getting back $416 from federal and $751 from state! We will take it! I doubled my 401 k contributions for next year and maxed out our FSA dependent care deduction and medical to account for DHs $10,000 raise for this year, so we should be alright next year as well.
DH withholds at a single rate and claims zero which helps.
Also,We paid taxes on more than 2k of bank bonuses and don’t think I’ll be playing that game this year to account for the higher income.
Glad to be done.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

I just call and tell them I want to know what kind of discounts they can offer me on a new phone. The first guy I talked to at AT&T told me he could offer me an iPhone 8 for $800 in monthly payments... which is just buying the phone outright lol. I told him I would just cancel my AT&T service and go back to Verizon then. They escalated me to another customer service rep who gave me a new iPhone 8 for $250.

Wow, that's amazing. We have ATT also and still paying for dh and ds18's phones. Finally paid off ds22's in Dec. For the kids it's part of their Christmas gifts or I'd make them pay their own.
I will try this tactic for my next phone some day. I have a 6s but it's good enough.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Done with taxes this year! We are getting back $416 from federal and $751 from state! We will take it! I doubled my 401 k contributions for next year and maxed out our FSA dependent care deduction and medical to account for DHs $10,000 raise for this year, so we should be alright next year as well.
DH withholds at a single rate and claims zero which helps.
Also,We paid taxes on more than 2k of bank bonuses and don’t think I’ll be playing that game this year to account for the higher income.
Glad to be done.

Yeah, me too. I need a break from it anyway. We had almost $5000 in bonuses. Quite handy when the $ comes in though.

 

[Ngwira]

Yeah, me too. I need a break from it anyway. We had almost $5000 in bonuses. Quite handy when the $ comes in though.

Yeah but not fun when your refund dwindles lol

 

[DisneyMandC]

Wow, that's amazing. We have ATT also and still paying for dh and ds18's phones. Finally paid off ds22's in Dec. For the kids it's part of their Christmas gifts or I'd make them pay their own.
I will try this tactic for my next phone some day. I have a 6s but it's good enough.

Yeah I got the impression that the rep wasn’t supposed to offer me a deal THAT good, because I didn’t take it immediately and requested he save that offer to my account and then took screenshots of the conversation (I was chatting with him on the website). When I called about a week later to go ahead and get the phone, the new rep seemed floored that I’d been offered that and tried to tell me that wasn’t possible and she didn’t see that offer on my account. It was only when I told her I had screenshots of the offer that she “magically” found it.

Either way though, it always pays to just call and ask. Every time my Directv or internet bill goes up, I just call and say I don’t want to pay that much and see what they offer.

 

[Jaime4004]

Happy debt dumping day. Filed taxes last week money and refund back in my account yesterday. It was enough to pay off car loan #1. Now I can put that payment towards car #2 monthly and that one will be paid in about 10 months.

 

[barkley]

Every time my Directv or internet bill goes up, I just call and say I don’t want to pay that much and see what they offer.

same here. i'm waiting to call on the new directtv increases of this month though-i figure i'll call right after game of thrones runs it's final episode b/c they will have droves of customers dropping hbo (rep at the local at&t store told me they have already gotten training in how to try and retain customers when the show stops running b/c they anticipate a mass exodus of customers).

 

[wvjules]

I have been reading this thread for a long time. Time for a question.

If you have two cards with similar balances that you want to pay off, do you pay minimum on one and a extra on the other. Or do you pay extra on both?

Example:

Card A: $2,000 balance: Payments: $500, $500, $500, $500
Card B: $2,000 balance: Payments: $35, $35, $35, $35, $500, $500, $500, $400

or

Card A: $250,$250,$250,$250,$250,$250,$250,$250
Card B: $250,$250,$250,$250,$250,$250,$250,$250

I like the idea of focusing on one card at a time. Which is what I have been doing. What are your thoughts?