Debt Dumpers - 2018

[KSR0330]

Hello all! I haven't posted since the Debt Dumpers 2017 thread, but am making progress in getting rid of my debt. I've paid off 1 out of 3 of my student loans (fairly low balances on the remaining 2), and 1 out of 3 of my credit cards. My final 2 cc's have 0% interest until mid 2019, and my goal is to have them paid off by then (high balances ). I know Ramsey would say to pay off the lower balances first (the student loans), but I would rather have that debt than that awful cc debt!

My spending habits have definitely changed and now I really hate spending any money! That's a great feeling!

 

[bababear_50]

Well, we charged $1300 in plane tickets to go see my mil next month. She broke her hip this summer and is doing well but it will be a while until she can drive again and she’s getting a little cabin fever, even though we have family that is taking her where she needs to go. The kids start school in a couple weeks and have sports and are finishing up their summer jobs so don’t want to go right now. We were going to go see her a couple weeks ago but postponed when she was in rehab. She’s home now so we’ll go when the kids have a three day weekend, but quick trip so we’re flying.

Don’t regret any of it but we were trying to not put anything on the card since this is DS17’s senior year and it will be an expensive one, esp with trying to figure out what college costs are going to be. He’ll get a lot of money from several schools bc he has high grades and scores but until we know where he is going, won’t know how far the 529 will stretch. We will probably also have to adjust what we’re putting into retirement when he starts college too. Not to not put in, but to not max out for a few years.

We won’t even get into how hard a time I am having with this emotionally already....where did the years go??

Ah Hon Hugs to you.
Aug is such an emotional time for me. It's during this month that I miss my mom the most,,she used to just listen to me and then hug me and tell me everything will be ok,,,and yah know what it was ok. It didn't take away the stress but it sure made me feel better. Planning for retirement and also paying for kids education can be a delicate dance. So I just wanted to tell you the best is yet to come and you will be ok. Hugs to you.
Mel

 

[bababear_50]

Last day of work before our Disney trip. Bags are mostly packed and gift cards are purchased. August is a 3 pay check month for me so I have some extra money to really enjoy our trip. I’m budgeting about $1500 for food for our 8 day trip. We have 8 table service ADRs, so it will be tight but we tend to eat less when it’s so hot. I scored a Saturday night ADR at ‘Ohana and a new experience is at Teppen Edo.

Have an awesome Holiday!
Hugs Mel

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

We won’t even get into how hard a time I am having with this emotionally already....where did the years go??

DH got all emotional the other day because he thought about when DD would eventually go off to college and move away. He said to her, "Always be my little peanut, even when you grow up." She isn't even 1 yet, but I totally get his emotions. The days are long and the years are short. These past 10 months have just flown by and DD has grown so much in such a short time. It is hard to comprehend it all.

 

[Eureka]

Ah Hon Hugs to you.
Aug is such an emotional time for me. It's during this month that I miss my mom the most,,she used to just listen to me and then hug me and tell me everything will be ok,,,and yah know what it was ok. It didn't take away the stress but it sure made me feel better. Planning for retirement and also paying for kids education can be a delicate dance. So I just wanted to tell you the best is yet to come and you will be ok. Hugs to you.
Mel

DH and I went away for a night this weekend for our anniversary and left them alone overnight which is a very new thing to me. We talked about the kids of course and how they only just recently (well, you know what I mean) started being so much fun to hang out with and now they're going away soon. I know you are right and it will be fine and they will still want to see us when they're in college but everything we know is going to change and I am not ready for that.

DH got all emotional the other day because he thought about when DD would eventually go off to college and move away. He said to her, "Always be my little peanut, even when you grow up." She isn't even 1 yet, but I totally get his emotions. The days are long and the years are short. These past 10 months have just flown by and DD has grown so much in such a short time. It is hard to comprehend it all.

Yeah, it's hard to believe how quickly the time will fly. I literally feel like it was just yesterday when my kids were babies and now they are 15 and 17. It's still stressful now but in different ways, and much easier than it was back then. Savor it all because before you know it, you will be crying at the thought of college too .

 

[Jason_V]

I just got accepted for a legit side hustle...I'm stoked. It's not going to make me a ton of money, but an extra $200 a month or so going right to the mortgage will help me feel like I'm making progress. Work on my schedule type thing I can do anywhere. Pay starts fairly low, but I'm just starting. Making extra cash as I'm having Sunday coffee for a few hours works for me...or when I'm bored as crap at home.

 

[FQLover]

I am boo-hoo-ing right along with you. My DD17 just started her senior year and I am SO sad at the fact that I only have one more year with her living at home. It won't be the same, ever. I am single and she is my only--just the two of us and we are very close. Just reading your posts, Eureka and Jen, brought little tears to my eyes. I am going to have to get a grip somehow.

 

[Tygerlilly]

DH got all emotional the other day because he thought about when DD would eventually go off to college and move away. He said to her, "Always be my little peanut, even when you grow up." She isn't even 1 yet, but I totally get his emotions. The days are long and the years are short. These past 10 months have just flown by and DD has grown so much in such a short time. It is hard to comprehend it all.

I found myself bawling my eyes out one day a few weeks ago after searching Pinterest for ideas for their big girl room, which led down a rabbit hole into dorm room stuff. So I got all emotional thinking of them growing up and leaving.

 

[jackers]

It's bittersweet when they leave the nest. You miss them, but there is this whole new level of love and pride for getting them to adulthood and seeing them become their own independent selves. I've loved seeing DS22 become his own man. DS13... well, he might be my failure to launch child. *Sigh*

 

[Tygerlilly]

With one kid almost potty trained and the other one following her lead and being very interested, I sold my cloth diapers. They aren't expensive brands, and I was more interested in just helping someone out, so all 30 of them plus all the extra inserts, wet bags, and liners will be going to their new home this weekend and the $100 I made off them will be going towards some much needed groceries this week!

The bonus we were all told (multiple times) we were getting this check got pushed back to next check. The timing is awful. I missed a day of work when DD2 landed herself in the er and didn't have enough time to cover it, so I'm short 10 hours on my check. The bonus was supposed to cover that plus give me some extra wiggle room. So now instead of having a little extra this check, we are behind. I can't wait for the next couple months to pass so I can be free of some of these payments!

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

I have been feeling really stressed lately. Things with the basement project aren't going all that well. I am having a terrible time finding contractors. Not a single person has gotten back to me with an estimate for the framing and drywall. Work has also felt stressful lately. Just so many projects happening all at the same time is making it hard to keep things straight and make all of my deadlines. After mid-September, things should hopefully calm down a bit more.

And then there has been a bit of resource stress. Our house just isn't getting clean. And I had a dream of hiring someone to come once or twice a month to ease the load, but that doesn't seem financially possible without making bit cuts from somewhere else. DH and I sat down and really talked it out. We decided that we needed more accountability and so we made up a cleaning/chores schedule with tasks assigned to each of us. We tried to be reasonable, not making our expectations too lofty because at this point, almost anything will be an improvement over what we are doing now. We downloaded an app that DH has dubbed, "YNAB for cleaning." It cost $8, which is a lot less than the $350 per month I was quoted for a bi-weekly cleaning service. I am hoping that it will give us the extra push that we need to get things under control and reduce my stress levels.

 

[amalone1013]

With one kid almost potty trained and the other one following her lead and being very interested, I sold my cloth diapers. They aren't expensive brands, and I was more interested in just helping someone out, so all 30 of them plus all the extra inserts, wet bags, and liners will be going to their new home this weekend and the $100 I made off them will be going towards some much needed groceries this week!

The bonus we were all told (multiple times) we were getting this check got pushed back to next check. The timing is awful. I missed a day of work when DD2 landed herself in the er and didn't have enough time to cover it, so I'm short 10 hours on my check. The bonus was supposed to cover that plus give me some extra wiggle room. So now instead of having a little extra this check, we are behind. I can't wait for the next couple months to pass so I can be free of some of these payments!

You reminded me I took some photos of things to post to my FB selling group

Hope your bonus comes next check! That is frustrating... I've had that happen. I'm also impatiently awaiting a raise that I thought was going to come on this check, but apparently not

 

[Eureka]

I have been feeling really stressed lately. Things with the basement project aren't going all that well. I am having a terrible time finding contractors. Not a single person has gotten back to me with an estimate for the framing and drywall. Work has also felt stressful lately. Just so many projects happening all at the same time is making it hard to keep things straight and make all of my deadlines. After mid-September, things should hopefully calm down a bit more.

And then there has been a bit of resource stress. Our house just isn't getting clean. And I had a dream of hiring someone to come once or twice a month to ease the load, but that doesn't seem financially possible without making bit cuts from somewhere else. DH and I sat down and really talked it out. We decided that we needed more accountability and so we made up a cleaning/chores schedule with tasks assigned to each of us. We tried to be reasonable, not making our expectations too lofty because at this point, almost anything will be an improvement over what we are doing now. We downloaded an app that DH has dubbed, "YNAB for cleaning." It cost $8, which is a lot less than the $350 per month I was quoted for a bi-weekly cleaning service. I am hoping that it will give us the extra push that we need to get things under control and reduce my stress levels.

I hear what you're saying about cleaning the house but it will all fall into place and if you guys are too busy to deal with it all, it's (imo) not a huge deal either. Better to spend time hanging out with DD and doing family things than running around cleaning the house. That said, I would love to have someone come in and clean once in a while but DH doesn't want to spend the money on it. Our house is never as clean as I'd like it to be but so be it.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

I hear what you're saying about cleaning the house but it will all fall into place and if you guys are too busy to deal with it all, it's (imo) not a huge deal either. Better to spend time hanging out with DD and doing family things than running around cleaning the house. That said, I would love to have someone come in and clean once in a while but DH doesn't want to spend the money on it. Our house is never as clean as I'd like it to be but so be it.

I am naturally a very neat person and get stressed out by a lot of clutter, but I have definitely altered my expectations quite a bit since DD was born since we just have a lot less time on our hands. And we do make an effort to spend most of our free time with DD. We go on walks every morning before work. We play with her and do activities on weekends, only doing house work or projects during her nap time (for the most part). I am not looking for the house to be super clean every single day, but rather to make sure that basic things happen on a semi-regular basis. I think we could be a little more effective with our time after DD sleeps at night. If I could even do 15 minutes of cleaning each night before bed or do some cleaning when I work from home and sitting on all those obligatory conference calls, it would make a huge difference. I think this app will help me be just a bit more accountable in that.

 

[Tygerlilly]

@Jen and Ashwin we kinda had the same thing happen after our second was born. We actually had a come to Jesus meeting with each other and had it all out. Things weren't getting done and we both just kind of expected the other to do it. We came up with a plan: since we alternate days off, we have to do one house related thing a day on our days off. Dishes in the sink, a load of laundry, changing. sheets, vacuuming, etc. I usually do my chore when they go to bed and before I do my school stuff.

 

[jen7233]

I have been feeling really stressed lately. Things with the basement project aren't going all that well. I am having a terrible time finding contractors. Not a single person has gotten back to me with an estimate for the framing and drywall. Work has also felt stressful lately. Just so many projects happening all at the same time is making it hard to keep things straight and make all of my deadlines. After mid-September, things should hopefully calm down a bit more.

And then there has been a bit of resource stress. Our house just isn't getting clean. And I had a dream of hiring someone to come once or twice a month to ease the load, but that doesn't seem financially possible without making bit cuts from somewhere else. DH and I sat down and really talked it out. We decided that we needed more accountability and so we made up a cleaning/chores schedule with tasks assigned to each of us. We tried to be reasonable, not making our expectations too lofty because at this point, almost anything will be an improvement over what we are doing now. We downloaded an app that DH has dubbed, "YNAB for cleaning." It cost $8, which is a lot less than the $350 per month I was quoted for a bi-weekly cleaning service. I am hoping that it will give us the extra push that we need to get things under control and reduce my stress levels.

It seems like a pain to find contractors to do work sometimes. We don't own right now, but I get that it's hard. For cleaning, I would just focus on what has to get done in order to keep the house functioning and sanitary. I keep priorities out of what really has to happen. For me, number one is a clean sink and counters every night, unless I have things drying or absolutely have to soak a pan overnight, I want it washed and away or in the dishwasher. I hate waking up to dirty dishes, it just throws me off and I don't feel like starting the morning off that way. That helped a lot when the kids were younger especially. Other priorities are keeping laundry going during the week/weekend as I could depending if working or not, and keeping the essentials stocked on hand (grocery shopping). I think your chore schedule is great, I used to have certain days of the week I'd do certain chores, i.e. bathroom cleaning day, mop/vacuum etc. Oh, and I think it's very natural when kids come into the picture, cleaning can be a little harder. Hang in there.

 

[DLgal]

It's bittersweet when they leave the nest. You miss them, but there is this whole new level of love and pride for getting them to adulthood and seeing them become their own independent selves. I've loved seeing DS22 become his own man. DS13... well, he might be my failure to launch child. *Sigh*

There is definitely a sadness in realizing your kids might have to live at home forever. That's us...with two autistic sons, it's questionable whether they will ever be fully independent.

I guess the bottom line is, whether they leave home and live as successful, independent adults or need life long support at home, it will lead to sadness either way. We just can't win. Although, if either or both of my sons ever reaches the point where they can fly the coop, it will be the happiest moment of my life.

 

[bababear_50]

My home renos are done,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Oh what an experience. New floors,walls,doors,crown moulding,a new Den with pocket sliding door,,all new light fixtures, and new paint..
I did my best to stay within the budget,,I went over about 2,500.00 dollars.
Now I know I paid a bit more but I went with a reputable home reno company that sub contracted the work out. Probably cost me 10% more doing it this way. But it got done properly and on time.
It was nice to have a main co-ordinator to address my concerns to,,especially when they tried to put in new doors on old frames and it looked just awful. And yes that white stuff (drywall dust--gets into everything)!!!I learned *DO NOT turn the air conditioning on during a Reno!!
My big over expense was deciding to remove all the stucco-popcorn ceiling and going with a smooth ceiling,,I am happy with the outcome--it looks great! I am so happy to have the carpet removed and replaced with flooring,,so much easier to keep clean.
I was really worried about tackling this project,,(I've heard so many negative Reno stories),, but I am so happy with the outcome.
Now it's time to start saving to replace the carpet in the bedrooms,,,but I am not planning on that till next year!
Hugs to all the Moms and Dads --Aug is a rough month to get through.
Hugs Mel

 

[DisneyMandC]

Hello all!! I'm back (with a new avatar) and it has officially been WAY too long since I checked in! DH and I have been crazy busy over the last month. We've traveled to four different states, including a trip to Disneyland, and have just been going nonstop. In between that, I've been crazy busy at work, and am about to get even busier. I'm trying to go back and catch up a little bit on what everyone has posted--I've read the last page or so.

Definitely need to tighten my belt over the next couple months- literally and financially. DH and I have been eating a ton with all of our travels since it's impossible for us to take food or cook in the places we've been going (mainly horse shows). We're now both dieting and will be cutting way, way back on eating out.

Other than that, we're chugging along. I think I sold a pair of horseback riding boots I don't like for $250 last night, which will be nice. A friend of mine took them home for her daughter to try last night so I'm just waiting to hear back. I picked up one of my horse braiding jobs tonight for an extra $40.

@Jen and Ashwin I completely understand what you're saying on cleaning. I actually just hired someone to clean our house this past week and come every two weeks. DH and I have both been insanely busy at work, and DH also picked up some side contract work from his old job. I will be working nights and weekends for at least the next six weeks trying to get everything done for my job. Fortunately, our house is extremely tiny so the cleaner, who we've known for a long time, doesn't charge us much at all. I'm also technically not supposed to be doing things like dusting and vacuuming since I have a severe dust mite allergy, so I'll chalk it up to being ordered by my allergist

 

[crazycatstacy]

My daughter gets in town tonight and leaves Sunday. Her bridal shower is Saturday- I think I have everything ready. Tomorrow we go and see the wedding venue (she and my husband have never been in it, my BFF and I toured and reserved it!). We will also do some wine tasting there and she won tickets to a local aerial park so we are doing that. Fingers crossed we can stay on our budget and don't get carried away with the fun of being together.