Debt Dumpers - 2019

[jen7233]

One of the few redeeming qualities of the DH's job is that the boss is a total Star Wars nut and rents out the entire theater. We get to see it twice on opening day!

What! Seriously, that's amazing.

 

[jen7233]

Started looking online a few days ago for styles similar to his, and Nike still makes them! Except they aren't cheap (paid almost $500 for the 3 pairs he's been wearing, but he really wears 'em out so we got our moneys worth I guess). Found 2 of the 3 colors, and both on sale!! Went to buy them, and my Rakuten (used to be ebates) popped up and said there were 2 coupons to apply, saved 15% more. They were already a good price, then saved $36 more. And 4% cash b

This sounds like my youngest with his clothes/shoes. He's quirky about clothing feel, texture, colors, and familiarity of certain ones.

 

[barkley]

So, realized DS 27 (special needs) was going to need new tennis shoes before the trip - so had to hurry and figure that out. He is super picky, has had the same 3 pair of Nike for 4 years since I can never get him to go shoe shopping. They are all super worn. Started looking online a few days ago for styles similar to his, and Nike still makes them! Except they aren't cheap (paid almost $500 for the 3 pairs he's been wearing, but he really wears 'em out so we got our moneys worth I guess). Found 2 of the 3 colors, and both on sale!! Went to buy them, and my Rakuten (used to be ebates) popped up and said there were 2 coupons to apply, saved 15% more. They were already a good price, then saved $36 more. And 4% cash back. Shoe shopping for him was never easier or cheaper!! And he's happy, that was the priority. And no one had to leave the house........

I did the same thing recently with my son. He is 17 and shoes have always been a nightmare shopping with him. So I looked at his old shoes and ordered the exact same pair. They come in the mail and he hated them! lol Oy. He said they did not fit the same. So returned them and he is still wearing his old pair. This was several months ago and he hasn't complained about the old pair anymore, but they definitely need replaced soon.

This sounds like my youngest with his clothes/shoes. He's quirky about clothing feel, texture, colors, and familiarity of certain ones.

these traits are on spot w/ my special needs son (22). for years the only shoes he wore were vans slip ons. fortunatly at the time we lived in proximity to or could plan to vacation once per year near a van's outlet so that helped offset the price esp. when his feet were growing so fast. so many cheap pairs of laced up tennies were wasted due to minimal wear b/c his gym classes would require them. when his feet stopped growing i invested in a good pair of winter shoes for him at cabellas b/c of the lifetime warranty. he's had those shoes for several years, loves them and they show little to no wear. i'm so glad he's aged out of doing school choir and other 'shows'-i had to buy more pairs of black pants, white dress shirts and black dress shoes that if i was lucky would last through 1 semester (and only every begrudgingly get worn for those school events).

 

[Scoobie]

He is super picky, has had the same 3 pair of Nike for 4 years since I can never get him to go shoe shopping

He corrected me today - it has been 6 years since we bought those shoes. I went back through some of our Disney trip pics, he's right!
Seriously? Lol, and he walks with purpose, you can really see the wear on the soles. At least it's in the same places on all 3 pairs, so his gait is good.

 

[Scoobie]

these traits are on spot w/ my special needs son (22). for years the only shoes he wore were vans slip ons. fortunatly at the time we lived in proximity to or could plan to vacation once per year near a van's outlet so that helped offset the price esp. when his feet were growing so fast. so many cheap pairs of laced up tennies were wasted due to minimal wear b/c his gym classes would require them. when his feet stopped growing i invested in a good pair of winter shoes for him at cabellas b/c of the lifetime warranty. he's had those shoes for several years, loves them and they show little to no wear. i'm so glad he's aged out of doing school choir and other 'shows'-i had to buy more pairs of black pants, white dress shirts and black dress shoes that if i was lucky would last through 1 semester (and only every begrudgingly get worn for those school events).

Aww, bless him!! Beau is the same, won't really wear anything but jeans, tees and tennis shoes unless its a wedding or he literally can't go in somewhere if he's wearing jeans (like a fancy dinner at DW). He owns a few dress clothes, but I picked them out since he couldn't care less - I ask him if he likes them, he responds, "do you?". If it's yes, he's like, "ok, we're done". If it's no, he just stands next to me ready to follow me to find something else. Only happens once in a few or more years, but I warned him he's not allowed to gain weight if he doesn't want to clothes shop - that works. Tried to take him to Cabela's and Rei, can't find anything he likes. Maybe because there are no Nike's there in the precise color he's looking for? Probably. At least he wears them until they are literally falling apart (aside from holes, I'm not standing for that). I only noticed the wear when I went to wash them, which he is also picky about - they do need to be nice and clean. Good.

 

[MegWheels]

So, I'm terrible with Swagbucks earning, and quite honestly am not giving any more effort to it, but just cashed out $50 in Regal Cinemas with Microsoft Rewards. Ready for Star Wars movie tickets! I think they go on sale Monday. The (third?) trailer is supposed to be released during Monday Night Football.

I LOVE Microsoft Rewards! I'm currently saving up Starbucks GCs for trips I have coming up next year. When I know the $6 drink I want at the airport is technically free, it definitely helps me enjoy it more!

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

The Christmas decor is my absolute favorite. My DH proposed during Christmas in front of the castle. You guys will have a blast!

Awww! Such a great picture! I also love the expressions on the faces of people around you.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Still plugging away at my car loan. It should be gone approx. Nov 7. yay!!


I've been hitting the bank bonuses really hard lately, not just for me but for dh and ds19 too. Bonuses in dh's name go to my car loan but ds19's bonuses go to his car loan. By the end of the year I will have earned $2525 in bank bonuses for ds19. That should put a good dent in his loan. It will get it down under $9000
It sucks that he even has a loan but instead of getting something less expensive, paid cash that we both saved, and being done, he HAD to have the cool car. The 2 seater convertible. Oh well, at least it's good on gas. He is realizing now that it's not very practical and having a real trunk and back seat offers a lot of convenient storage. Now he's realizing that he should have went to trade school first and then get the cool car once he's working FT in a higher paying job, like I suggested. Ahh kids... you try to guide them to make good decisions but sometimes they just have to figure out these things in life, just like we did.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

I just have to say how grateful I am that dh cooks every night. Seriously, I'd be eating a bowl of Frosted Mini Wheats for dinner if it weren't for him. ok maybe grilled cheese.
I'm half Italian so it's a mortal sin to have frozen lasagna or tomato sauce from a jar. Like I'd be shunned and thrown out of the will. lol

That is one thing I'm really good at so we make a huge pot of sauce and freeze it in about 5 Ziploc bags on the weekend and it's easy to pull out a bag and defrost on a weeknight. I taught dh how to make meatballs, lasagna and baked ziti so he does that every time I make a big batch of sauce. They also make for easy to microwave lunches to pack to work.

He enjoys cooking and hates paying bills/budgeting so he's quite content that we each have different skills.
We both admit we'd be so lost without each.

 

[jen7233]

Still plugging away at my car loan. It should be gone approx. Nov 7. yay!!


I've been hitting the bank bonuses really hard lately, not just for me but for dh and ds19 too. Bonuses in dh's name go to my car loan but ds19's bonuses go to his car loan. By the end of the year I will have earned $2525 in bank bonuses for ds19. That should put a good dent in his loan. It will get it down under $9000

That's great! You'll have that paid off rather quick!

I'm intrigued by your bank bonuses. Do you use DoC to find out about bonuses? Seems like many want direct deposit for checking accounts.

I LOVE Microsoft Rewards! I'm currently saving up Starbucks GCs for trips I have coming up next year. When I know the $6 drink I want at the airport is technically free, it definitely helps me enjoy it more!

Glad to see another pro-MR person here! I like that rewards site, it's pretty easy to earn. I HOPE it stays that way. They don't have a lot of gift card choices, but they have a few I find useful and that's good enough for me. Swagbucks seems to hard for me to earn. Waiting right now on one more shop activity in Swagbucks to clear and I can finally earn my coveted $25 Amazon gift card, lol. Sad, really, it just takes me WAY too long.

I got $105 from my consignment sale (this is after all the seller fees though), working on some more things next week. In the spring, I plan to do another sale as I have a big pile of kids' spring clothes that will sell better then.

 

[imbatman]

Glad to see another pro-MR person here! I like that rewards site, it's pretty easy to earn. I HOPE it stays that way. They don't have a lot of gift card choices, but they have a few I find useful and that's good enough for me. Swagbucks seems to hard for me to earn. Waiting right now on one more shop activity in Swagbucks to clear and I can finally earn my coveted $25 Amazon gift card, lol. Sad, really, it just takes me WAY too long.

**heads over to MR site to peruse what's going on...**

 

[pblack]

DH and I went to look at sofas/sectionals over the weekend as I've been really wanting to replace our sofa/loveseat/recliner. The spot on the sofa where I always sit has become rather uncomfortable and i'm honestly just ready for a change. We've had this set since we first moved in together 5.5 years ago. (Bought the whole set brand new for $500 from Ashley!) It's also a chocolate brown color and I really want a gray or slate color. We found a sectional at RC Willey that we really liked and it's really comfortable and I think we're going to end up getting it which will add to our now non-existent credit card debt. It's something we've been talking about for awhile and I know we'll have it for many years to come, but i'm still having a hard time knowing it'll add to our credit card debt. I know that we could put off the purchase and save up for it (which would probably be the smart thing to do), but I also know that once we pay off my DH's student loans (March or April) we will be able to pay off the sectional rather quickly. If we do end up buying it we also plan to sell our current sofa/loveseat/recliner which is all in good condition except for the one worn out spot I sit in, and I would put whatever we make from it towards paying off the sectional.

Anyways thanks for reading my inner monologue lol.

I also head to a work conference in Anaheim starting Sunday and then my DH will meet me down there on Wednesday. Then we will be checking into the Grand Californian for our first ever stay there! This will be our last Disneyland trip with our APs before they expire. I think it'll be interesting to be in the parks on Halloween.

 

[ronjohnathen]

Main goal for 2019 is to pay off our DVC loan and set aside $6-$12k in an emergency fund. I think the 2nd goal being more important.

 

[imbatman]

I also head to a work conference in Anaheim starting Sunday and then my DH will meet me down there on Wednesday.

That's what our trip next month is! DH's work conference wrapped into a 3-day DL/CA visit. He even has a countdown on his phone!

Main goal for 2019 is to pay off our DVC loan and set aside $6-$12k in an emergency fund. I think the 2nd goal being more important.

Those are ambitious plans for the last two months of the year!!! Have you already started?

 

[ronjohnathen]

That's what our trip next month is! DH's work conference wrapped into a 3-day DL/CA visit. He even has a countdown on his phone!

Those are ambitious plans for the last two months of the year!!! Have you already started?

Sorry I meant to add that I have, and close to the 2nd but I am tabling the DVC pay off to hopefully 2020!

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

That's great! You'll have that paid off rather quick!

I'm intrigued by your bank bonuses. Do you use DoC to find out about bonuses? Seems like many want direct deposit for checking accounts.

Yes I love DoC!
I know many people can’t be bothered with them but I find it to be a great, simple side hustle.
For each bank bonus listed, where it says something like “$500 direct deposit required” but that line is a link to a page that lists all the banks whose tranfers count as a real DD. Some bank’s computers really cant tell the difference.
So right now Wells Fargo has a $400 bonus if you DD $3k/month x3 months. WF computer will not recognize a push/transfer from Santander, so I just schedule a transfer. Then push it from WF back to savings. Rinse. Repeat.
The only bank that is really quite impossible to trigger without changing my real DD is Bank of America.

 

[jen7233]

Yes I love DoC!
I know many people can’t be bothered with them but I find it to be a great, simple side hustle.
For each bank bonus listed, where it says something like “$500 direct deposit required” but that line is a link to a page that lists all the banks whose tranfers count as a real DD. Some bank’s computers really cant tell the difference.
So right now Wells Fargo has a $400 bonus if you DD $3k/month x3 months. WF computer will not recognize a push/transfer from Santander, so I just schedule a transfer. Then push it from WF back to savings. Rinse. Repeat.
The only bank that is really quite impossible to trigger without changing my real DD is Bank of America.

It sounds like a good side hustle. I'd need the initial cash available to move around it seems, not sure if I'd make that DD amount. Do you just have to make sure you deposit that amount, or do you have to leave it in there three months?

DH and I went to look at sofas/sectionals over the weekend as I've been really wanting to replace our sofa/loveseat/recliner. The spot on the sofa where I always sit has become rather uncomfortable and i'm honestly just ready for a change. We've had this set since we first moved in together 5.5 years ago. (Bought the whole set brand new for $500 from Ashley!) It's also a chocolate brown color and I really want a gray or slate color. We found a sectional at RC Willey that we really liked and it's really comfortable and I think we're going to end up getting it which will add to our now non-existent credit card debt. It's something we've been talking about for awhile and I know we'll have it for many years to come, but i'm still having a hard time knowing it'll add to our credit card debt. I know that we could put off the purchase and save up for it (which would probably be the smart thing to do), but I also know that once we pay off my DH's student loans (March or April) we will be able to pay off the sectional rather quickly. If we do end up buying it we also plan to sell our current sofa/loveseat/recliner which is all in good condition except for the one worn out spot I sit in, and I would put whatever we make from it towards paying off the sectional.

Anyways thanks for reading my inner monologue lol.

I also head to a work conference in Anaheim starting Sunday and then my DH will meet me down there on Wednesday. Then we will be checking into the Grand Californian for our first ever stay there! This will be our last Disneyland trip with our APs before they expire. I think it'll be interesting to be in the parks on Halloween.

I bought our couch set last year and already want to replace it! I'm really disappointed in La-Z-Boy cloth couches now. We had a cloth couch from La-Z-Boy and a cloth recliner years ago and it survived two dogs, babies, years, never had to worry about animal odor on there, and only many years later needing replacement. This latest set though, not the case.

Very exciting about your DL trip and Halloween. I will probably have questions for all the DL experienced people one day if I venture out to CA and DL parks. Possibly 2021 now, maybe next year, just too soon to tell. In the meantime I'll probably start trying to earn Hilton or Marriott points, something I'll be looking into soon. I haven't been to Anaheim in so long, last time we went we were in the middle of moving across country anyway and stopped and stayed at what is now the Clementine Inn. It looks privately owned, well not part of any hotel chain which I guess won't help with earning points for it ahead of time. When we were there I think it was the Residence Inn, I recently tried to find it on the map and couldn't find it, but still remembered exactly where it was and looked it up and it changed to the Clementine.

 

[imbatman]

Yes I love DoC!
I know many people can’t be bothered with them but I find it to be a great, simple side hustle.
For each bank bonus listed, where it says something like “$500 direct deposit required” but that line is a link to a page that lists all the banks whose tranfers count as a real DD. Some bank’s computers really cant tell the difference.
So right now Wells Fargo has a $400 bonus if you DD $3k/month x3 months. WF computer will not recognize a push/transfer from Santander, so I just schedule a transfer. Then push it from WF back to savings. Rinse. Repeat.
The only bank that is really quite impossible to trigger without changing my real DD is Bank of America.

My dream: bank bonuses and CC churning. I'm getting there!!!

 

[barkley]

If we do end up buying it we also plan to sell our current sofa/loveseat/recliner which is all in good condition except for the one worn out spot I sit in,

here's a suggestion when buying the new one-if it's one that will have to ordered from the manufacturer and it won't be placed in your home in an area that may lead to sun fading, consider ordering a couple yards of the fabric the sectional is made from. you want to do this at the same time the sofa is ordered so that the fabric will be from the same bolt (there can be small color differences between bolts). hang on to that fabric and when the spot you sit in starts to wear you can have just the seat redone with the matching fabric. if that cushion is starting to sag it can be replaced as well. it may run a couple hundred dollars but much less than the cost of a new sectional (we did this with one of the big l shaped ones and got it to last over 10 years).

 

[pblack]

here's a suggestion when buying the new one-if it's one that will have to ordered from the manufacturer and it won't be placed in your home in an area that may lead to sun fading, consider ordering a couple yards of the fabric the sectional is made from. you want to do this at the same time the sofa is ordered so that the fabric will be from the same bolt (there can be small color differences between bolts). hang on to that fabric and when the spot you sit in starts to wear you can have just the seat redone with the matching fabric. if that cushion is starting to sag it can be replaced as well. it may run a couple hundred dollars but much less than the cost of a new sectional (we did this with one of the big l shaped ones and got it to last over 10 years).

That's a good tip. Thanks!