Debt Dumpers - 2019

[potterfanatic]

*Please don't talk to me about the ethics of this lol. I've considered the options carefully and I can promise you that my cost of forgiveness is MORE than made up for in the 8% interest I pay to the government, in addition to the pitiful salary the government pays me at my current job, plus all the overtime work I do without overtime pay.

Yes! This is the point of the program, to try to incentivize public service (at least that's what I think) good for you for figuring out what works for you.

If not, you guys will all know who I am because I'll be the named plaintiff on the class action lawsuit against the Dept of Education lol.

We'll be right there with you! We have 2 years left in the program and I keep expecting something to happen before we reach the two years. We had such a hard time getting them to accept his certification form, (It took 9 months and 4 re-evaluations. One time they denied it because they said he turned in a blank form without even his name on it. We were like, "Then how did you know to deny it or put it in his file?") that I feel like it's never going to happen.

 

[DisneyMandC]

We'll be right there with you! We have 2 years left in the program and I keep expecting something to happen before we reach the two years. We had such a hard time getting them to accept his certification form, (It took 9 months and 4 re-evaluations. One time they denied it because they said he turned in a blank form without even his name on it. We were like, "Then how did you know to deny it or put it in his file?") that I feel like it's never going to happen.

LOL, sounds about right. I've only ever had one issue with getting my work certified. My first job out of law school was for the local government I now work for. I worked there for a year, left and worked for state government for a year, and then came back and have worked at local government ever since then. Fed Loan Servicing could not possibly understand that I had worked for the same local government twice, during two different time periods. I finally had to have my supervisor write a letter to them explaining the very difficult process of working for the same place two different times I haven't had any problems since then though, and that was over two years ago. A lot of my coworkers were freaked out over the recent news articles about only 1% of people getting approved so far for PSLF, but it sounds like the vast majority of people had either never certified their employment or hadn't actually reached 120 payments and were just applying for forgiveness, so I haven't worried much about that. I've seen a couple stories on Reddit of people who were actually approved for forgiveness after following all the rules, which is comforting.

 

[potterfanatic]

1% of people getting approved so far for PSLF,

Yes, I saw that too! I can't even imagine thinking you've been paying into it for ten years and then seeing that you never consolidated under the correct plan. We have double and triple checked. My husband is also a lawyer, so I'm guessing a lot of the people that submitted maybe aren't as meticulous about knowing all the details as you guys are.

 

[DisneyMandC]

Yes, I saw that too! I can't even imagine thinking you've been paying into it for ten years and then seeing that you never consolidated under the correct plan. We have double and triple checked. My husband is also a lawyer, so I'm guessing a lot of the people that submitted maybe aren't as meticulous about knowing all the details as you guys are.

I randomly get panicked about it and google things to check and make sure I'm still doing it right, even though I started the PSLF paperwork even before my first loan payment was due haha. I think I'm in good shape though, and since all of my work has been for the government I don't think I should have any issues with them trying to cheat me out of it being an eligible employer. I'll be at 46 payments after my payment comes out next Tuesday.

 

[Deffenm]

DH and I sat down last night and did our budget for the rest of the year (as best as we could) and if everything goes as planned we will be debt free except for the house by end of year!! We plan to have house paid for by end of year in 2022. If we paid nothing extra on the house it will be paid for by April 2024! Of course in order for this to happen no more Disney after our March trip until 2022. DD graduates in 2022 and has asked for trip to Disney as her gift. It feels so good to know that by end of year we will have no credit card or car payments. The credit card will be paid off in April (currently at 0% until May) and my car that I bought brand new in Dec. 2017 will be paid for by Dec. of this year!

 

[crazycatstacy]

Still plugging along here. Husband has over time for his March 1 paycheck so hopefully can replenish the emergency fund (had to use some for his truck repair) and still pay a chunk on something. Transferred the balance of one credit card to another so hopefully that will make it go quicker as well. Disney in 32 days (but who's counting??). Trying to stay on budget and not think I need to buy all new clothes and extra stuff for the trip. Maria and Enzo's is having 40% off for passholders for lunch during the time we are there so we made a reservation. Excited to try it and really excited to get 40% off!

 

[jen7233]

Still plugging along here. Husband has over time for his March 1 paycheck so hopefully can replenish the emergency fund (had to use some for his truck repair) and still pay a chunk on something. Transferred the balance of one credit card to another so hopefully that will make it go quicker as well. Disney in 32 days (but who's counting??). Trying to stay on budget and not think I need to buy all new clothes and extra stuff for the trip. Maria and Enzo's is having 40% off for passholders for lunch during the time we are there so we made a reservation. Excited to try it and really excited to get 40% off!

I'm not going overboard either buying things for our Disney trip either. However, I do have to buy clothes next month for kids, that time of year to go through and see what still fits for upcoming spring/summer, and by the looks of things it's not much fits well anymore so need to do that. We went ahead and paid off our room which we were going to do later, but we have to meet minimum spend on DH's card. So, basically looking ahead to Disney the spend there will just be whatever dining, extras, transport to and from MCO, misc.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

Still plugging along here. Husband has over time for his March 1 paycheck so hopefully can replenish the emergency fund (had to use some for his truck repair) and still pay a chunk on something. Transferred the balance of one credit card to another so hopefully that will make it go quicker as well. Disney in 32 days (but who's counting??). Trying to stay on budget and not think I need to buy all new clothes and extra stuff for the trip. Maria and Enzo's is having 40% off for passholders for lunch during the time we are there so we made a reservation. Excited to try it and really excited to get 40% off!

What dates is this promotion and where did you see it? I assume you mean annual passholders? We go early March, so this might be a great place for us to try too.

 

[crazycatstacy]

What dates is this promotion and where did you see it? I assume you mean annual passholders? We go early March, so this might be a great place for us to try too.

I saw it on facebook and it was posted by wdwinfo.com. It says 40% off to annual passholders during lunch starting at 11:30 daily. Offer is valid from now (not sure what date now is) until May 31, 2019.

Their menu looks good and their prices seem reasonable to me without the discount so with the discount it is even better!

 

[amalone1013]

I saw it on facebook and it was posted by wdwinfo.com. It says 40% off to annual passholders during lunch starting at 11:30 daily. Offer is valid from now (not sure what date now is) until May 31, 2019.

Their menu looks good and their prices seem reasonable to me without the discount so with the discount it is even better!

I saw this the other day too, were trying to work out a weekend for flower and garden so I think we might try there with that discount

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

*Please don't talk to me about the ethics of this lol. I've considered the options carefully and I can promise you that my cost of forgiveness is MORE than made up for in the 8% interest I pay to the government, in addition to the pitiful salary the government pays me at my current job, plus all the overtime work I do without overtime pay.

You should not feel guilty at all. What you're doing is not immoral or illegal. Also I agree with pitiful salary with the government. Dh works for a county run utility and it was a huge pay cut but he did it for the benefit package which is not so good in his field and also to be able to be home on time almost every night. At his private industry job, he was often 2 hrs from home at the end of his shift and was always calling my mom to pick up the kids from day care and he'd be eating dinner alone at 8pm. (Dh is kind of old-fashioned and feels strongly that it's good for families to at least eat dinner together.)
He was also getting laid off a lot in cold weather or sent home without pay if that job was cancelled due to weather.

The sad thing is, people from the outside world look at their benefits only and think they should be whacked down to what the outside world gets but little do they know how pathetic the pay is. Grrr... Definitely a trade off.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

(Dh is kind of old-fashioned and feels strongly that it's good for families to at least eat dinner together.)

This might seem like an old fashioned idea, but it is actually strongly supported by research that eating dinner as a family has very positive outcomes for children's well being and their educational attainment. We always try to eat dinner as a family as well.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Can you keep a bank account active if you drop the insurance policies and are not military? From my understanding, the only people eligible for JUST banking are active/former military members. In order to extend membership to family members, an auto policy needs to be added, and those members who "earn" USAA membership via family must ALSO maintain auto policy coverage in order to have bank accounts with USAA.

I have USAA through my ex husband. We've been divorced 10 years now and for 10 years I only had a checking and savings account with them. I just got car insurance with them last week. My kids also have only checking accounts with them.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

This might seem like an old fashioned idea, but it is actually strongly supported by research that eating dinner as a family has very positive outcomes for children's well being and their educational attainment. We always try to eat dinner as a family as well.

It felt old fashioned at the time (early to mid 2000s) because most of my neighbors/coworkers with kids had them loaded with activities every evening and all weekend long, eating fast food in the car while going from one activity to another, doing homework at 9pm in elementary school. They had very little down time and it was becoming popular as if having down time leads kids into getting into trouble and experimenting with drugs as a teen. It just felt too rushed of a lifestyle with both of us working FT, but we were definitely the oddballs.
Our kids did Tai Kwon Do for several years but it doesn't have seasons and offers flexible classes. Like joining a gym, you pay monthly regardless of how often you attend. It gave them exercise but it was more like competing with oneself to improve and we didn't get the stink eye for going on vacation.

I'm not trying to criticize parents with kids busy in competitive sports; it just wasn't a good lifestyle for us.

 

[jen7233]

It felt old fashioned at the time (early to mid 2000s) because most of my neighbors/coworkers with kids had them loaded with activities every evening and all weekend long, eating fast food in the car while going from one activity to another, doing homework at 9pm in elementary school. They had very little down time and it was becoming popular as if having down time leads kids into getting into trouble and experimenting with drugs as a teen. It just felt too rushed of a lifestyle with both of us working FT, but we were definitely the oddballs.
Our kids did Tai Kwon Do for several years but it doesn't have seasons and offers flexible classes. Like joining a gym, you pay monthly regardless of how often you attend. It gave them exercise but it was more like competing with oneself to improve and we didn't get the stink eye for going on vacation.

I'm not trying to criticize parents with kids busy in competitive sports; it just wasn't a good lifestyle for us.

The overscheduling of multiple activities as young as elementary aged kids is still alive and well today. We still have kids in the ages of possible multiple activities, and I have known a lot of the kids they associate with or parents I've talked with from school that have many different things going on year round and through each week like scouts, piano, sports, horseback riding, gymnastics. I don't know how they do it, I certainly couldn't swing the cost and also just plain do not want to, don't see a necessity for it. But, since their why is not my business and since I don't pay their bills or control their spending, I can only say that must cost them a ton, and I rather be home most nights. Some parents do admit the cost and time and also some I know post it to Facebook with the pictures, and the captions or some quote from somewhere about experiences. For us, we keep it simple. We did TKD, we had a stint with piano while also doing a sport, and lately and looking forward it's just one sport per season per kid, music for one is now taken in school.

 

[DisneyMandC]

We still have kids in the ages of possible multiple activities, and I have known a lot of the kids they associate with or parents I've talked with from school that have many different things going on year round and through each week like scouts, piano, sports, horseback riding, gymnastics.

LOL this was totally me as a kid... it was all by choice though, I wanted to do it all. I did gymnastics for 2 years starting when I was 5, picked up ballet some time in there, dropped gymnastics, picked up horseback riding, then picked up piano... dropped ballet when I was 9, dropped piano when I was 12... but horseback riding is forever lol. I gave up all the activities to pursue horseback riding full time. My brother is 12 years older than me though, so I was kind of raised as an only child since he moved out at 18. My parents were self-employed which gave my mom flexibility in driving me around, but I can remember her answering business calls while driving me an hour and a half round trip for horseback riding lessons twice a week. She loves horses just as much as I do though, so it was definitely a big bonding activity for us.

 

[DCLfam]

The overscheduling of multiple activities as young as elementary aged kids is still alive and well today. We still have kids in the ages of possible multiple activities, and I have known a lot of the kids they associate with or parents I've talked with from school that have many different things going on year round and through each week like scouts, piano, sports, horseback riding, gymnastics. I don't know how they do it, I certainly couldn't swing the cost and also just plain do not want to, don't see a necessity for it. But, since their why is not my business and since I don't pay their bills or control their spending, I can only say that must cost them a ton, and I rather be home most nights. Some parents do admit the cost and time and also some I know post it to Facebook with the pictures, and the captions or some quote from somewhere about experiences. For us, we keep it simple. We did TKD, we had a stint with piano while also doing a sport, and lately and looking forward it's just one sport per season per kid, music for one is now taken in school.

I have a 12 year old that is not interested in sports so it makes it easier not to go down this path. Saying that I work in college athletics and my summer extra money jobs are covering all the tournaments that parents pay thousands of dollars to play in. If little Johnny is on the C team no he's not going to get an NCAA scholarship

 

[Tygerlilly]

I'm feeling insanely fortunate that we are in the position for me to homeschool the girls. I feel so strongly against elementary age kids coming home with hours of homework. The schools here have very limited recess. "Lunch" is 30 mins with no talking allowed. It's horrible.

 

[DisneyMandC]

I'm feeling insanely fortunate that we are in the position for me to homeschool the girls. I feel so strongly against elementary age kids coming home with hours of homework. The schools here have very limited recess. "Lunch" is 30 mins with no talking allowed. It's horrible.

No talking?! What?!

 

[Tygerlilly]

No talking?! What?!

Yeah, it's rough. Because the lunch period is so short, they enforce no talking so the kids will actually eat their meals instead of talking and not getting to finish. It's so overly structured. And all the moms in the local mom group I'm in are constantly talking about how bad the bullying is. Nobody does anything about it and there are 3rd graders talking about suicide from it. It's sickening to hear.