Debt Dumpers - 2019

Made it through prime day. Only bought a few things for our house and a new fitbit that I had the money set aside for already. I already know this month's budget will be a little over what I had hoped, but only by about $100-200 and I can make that up from other columns. Both my kids will be gone for periods of time, so I am taking advantage of that and taking the remaining kid out for shoes and whatever they need for BTS NOW. I was able to cover all but $75 of my daughter's expenses. My son at this point doesn't need any clothes, just needs two new pairs of shoes and I am debating taking him to get fitted for his own pair of spikes for XC. His coach always tells us not to, because their club has a whole rubbermaid full of them, but my son is #2 on his team, and I really think it's worth investing in a pair. I think it could help his performance. But they're not cheap obviously.

Our new budget set up is working really nicely. Our total CC debt now starts with an 11, which is down from last month! Next month is a bonus month for my husband, so we've got about 3k going towards our cards, so I am hoping that 11k will drop much further down.

The end of the year is going to be a very expensive time for us, so I am really really hoping to our CC debt as close to zero as possible. Next year will be all about getting braces paid for (for both kids), and building savings, and funding the 529s that we opened for them.

Also, today was weigh in day for me, and I am down 44.4 lbs. 5.6 more to go until I can open my new fitbit!
That's great! Enjoy the fitbit. I'd say buying the shoes for your son's sport is worthwhile.
Especially they would be tailor fit to his feet since you both select them!
 
Yeah we’ve pretty much given up on ever getting tickets to SDCC, too. We enjoy NYC as it’s an hour and a half train ride so other than train tickets and admission fees, we don’t have to spend much to attend. We’ve wised up and now go on Thursday since Saturday is super crowded. Wall to wall people but the cosplay is amazing on Saturday. Last year we lucked out and won the lottery to the Marvel and Funko POP booths. We were able to get a few exclusive figures and pops which was nice.

Emerald City is a good con. I know they had big names a few years ago, a few of the Avengers including Chris Evans aka Captain America and Tom Holland aka Spider-Man. Nice to see a fellow con fan in the house..:-):-):-)
We always got tickets to SDCC, but their value just wasn't there (and it's stressful trying to get them!). We get a 4 day ticket to ECCC, do our shopping the 1st day before they run out, then enjoy other aspects the rest of the time. Last one was in March, we got a pic with Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy), brought his wand with us that we had gotten at Uni Orlando (and our HP robes). He was so amazing - held the wand for our pic, too. Rupert Grint was there, too so we got one with him. We always get pics!
 
We always got tickets to SDCC, but their value just wasn't there (and it's stressful trying to get them!). We get a 4 day ticket to ECCC, do our shopping the 1st day before they run out, then enjoy other aspects the rest of the time. Last one was in March, we got a pic with Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy), brought his wand with us that we had gotten at Uni Orlando (and our HP robes). He was so amazing - held the wand for our pic, too. Rupert Grint was there, too so we got one with him. We always get pics!
Photo ops can be a great way to meet amazing actors. A few years ago, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth aka Thor and Tom Hiddleston aka Loki came to Philly Comic Con. We met all three but it wasn’t cheap. Having said that, no regrets and we have some amazing pictures. We also met Anthony Mackie aka Falcon, Sebastian Stan aka Bucky/Winter Soldier and Norman Reedus aka Darryl from TWD. So yeah, I get it. As you can see we are HUGE Marvel fans.

How do you get SDCC tickets? You probably could sell this knowledge for a few hundred bucks..lol. I have NYCC down to a science but SDCC continues to elude me lol.
 
We always got tickets to SDCC, but their value just wasn't there (and it's stressful trying to get them!). We get a 4 day ticket to ECCC, do our shopping the 1st day before they run out, then enjoy other aspects the rest of the time. Last one was in March, we got a pic with Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy), brought his wand with us that we had gotten at Uni Orlando (and our HP robes). He was so amazing - held the wand for our pic, too. Rupert Grint was there, too so we got one with him. We always get pics!
SDCC is this weekend. Looking forward to seeing all of the cosplay online or on the syfy channel.
 
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Photo ops can be a great way to meet amazing actors. A few years ago, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth aka Thor and Tom Hiddleston aka Loki came to Philly Comic Con. We met all three but it wasn’t cheap. Having said that, no regrets and we have some amazing pictures. We also met Anthony Mackie aka Falcon, Sebastian Stan aka Bucky/Winter Soldier and Norman Reedus aka Darryl from TWD. So yeah, I get it. As you can see we are HUGE Marvel fans.

How do you get SDCC tickets? You probably could sell this knowledge for a few hundred bucks..lol. I have NYCC down to a science but SDCC continues to elude me lol.
Aren't the photo ops the best? That is the main reason we go (DS got a pic with Norman Reedus, too!). Jason Momoa came in 2017 and his sold out fast, but we managed to get one. So did David Tennant, we must have a lot of whovians here!
Sometime after you register, you're sent an email with the date and time and a link to the ticket page. When the time comes, we would then have every computer, laptop, tablet and phone in the house hit the link the second the time came, and then - do nothing. We end up in a virtual queue (some of the devices don't) and don't refresh, and then watch and wait. Whichever device gets in first is the one that's buying the tickets. It's probably the same for every con that draws large crowds - we just happen to have several devices to work with.
 
Not too much to report here this week. I continue to overspend on college stuff even though I know we should wait to see her room, etc. It's kind of like when she was on the way or first born- I knew we needed some stuff but I bought everything! I am going to call the USAA tomorrow to find out about our car insurance with her in school and not taking the car.
We went to an indoor flea market yesterday- I didn't spend much but DD found some authentic Disney pins that were really cool so i bought them for her. We then went to the Clearwater Aquarium- home of Winter the dolphin. The kid stars (now all grown up!) were meeting for autographs and a picture. DD really wanted to go and we had never been there. I don't think the "aquarium" was worth the admission price but they are building a new building and you could tell everything was "temporary". DD was psyched to wait in line- we have a lot of practice with waiting- and it was free. DD did buy "A Dolphin Tale" and had them sign it.
We are heading up to Gainesville this week- at least I bought pretty much everything I wanted last trip so it shouldn't be as expensive!
I hope everyone has a great week!
 
Been a crazy few weeks, from wrapping everything up at my old job to begin adjusting to my new job. New job meant having to get some more professional clothing, going out to eat a lot with old coworkers and new ones, so any extra money I have has gone to that, but nothing is on the credit card. This month is a 3-paycheck month for me, and the last one will have my new paycheck on it, which is going to be fabulous. It'll be nice to be able to really start dumping into my student loans again, this month has been kind of a wash in a lot of regards. I'll hop right back onto the wagon in August!

I hope everyone has a great week! :)
 


The big prime day purchase here was a cabinet bed for our basement guest room. I have been tracking a few for a while and they were hovering between $1300-$1500. On prime day, I snagged a really nice one for $950 and I got another $87 cash back, so all in all, I think it was a really good deal. I also bought some things for DD for her birthday/Hanukkah, including an art desk for the basement playroom and a Minnie Mouse Cub Coat to give her at Ohana's on her birthday.

And in other news, our microwave died. The touch panel stopped responding because I think it got wet. This had happened before, but it always righted itself within a day or two. We waited a week and it still wasn't working, so DH and I watched a few YouTube videos and tried to fix it, but nothing worked. It was going to cost $225 for a new touch panel assembly, so we decided it wasn't worth the cost of fixing a 12-year-old microwave. We have a GE over the range and it is costing us $550 to have a new, very similar model installed. They will be out on Thursday, which will be nice because I am missing eating cream of wheat for breakfast each day.

And the basement is getting closer and closer to completion. They came over the weekend to install the wet bar countertop, so now the builder can come back and install the backsplash plus finish up with a few more things like installing some hardware on the doors and installing the wet bar faucet. DH and I worked over the weekend to prep a few things for the painter to come back and do final touchups to the walls. The carpet is set to be installed on August 16. I have been working through each room, dusting, sweeping, vacuuming and mopping everything so that it will be as clean as possible before the carpet goes in. Then once that is done, DD should be able to start using the playroom and we should be able to start clearing out the rest of the house. It will be 7 months almost to the day from when this project started, which is much longer than I anticipated, but really happy.
 
I've never posted here before, and I hesitate to do so now, but I have to ask! Do most of you use a zero-sum budgeting system when you plan for each month? I'm so impressed with how big the sums are that you put toward paying things off. My husband (DH?) lost his job about a year ago (two weeks before we got married, one week after we bought our first house) and he was the big bread winner in the house. Through various methods we have been able to stay afloat for a year. He is going back to school now and working part time, so things are really starting to look up and we are finally at a place to start paying off rather than piling on. Any advice on where to start? We don't have a ton of debt, but even the small amount we do have feels overwhelming at this point (CC interest is not my friend). Anyway, that was kind of a grand entrance into this world, but here I am. Hi!
 
I've never posted here before, and I hesitate to do so now, but I have to ask! Do most of you use a zero-sum budgeting system when you plan for each month? I'm so impressed with how big the sums are that you put toward paying things off. My husband (DH?) lost his job about a year ago (two weeks before we got married, one week after we bought our first house) and he was the big bread winner in the house. Through various methods we have been able to stay afloat for a year. He is going back to school now and working part time, so things are really starting to look up and we are finally at a place to start paying off rather than piling on. Any advice on where to start? We don't have a ton of debt, but even the small amount we do have feels overwhelming at this point (CC interest is not my friend). Anyway, that was kind of a grand entrance into this world, but here I am. Hi!

Most people who post here have two incomes and are able to put much larger amounts toward debt dumping. It can be a bit discouraging for those of us getting by on one income, especially while living in an expensive city. I keep a spreadsheet of all of my monthly bills and then my monthly cc payments. I use the snowball method which is focusing on paying off one cc (the one with the smallest balance in my case, but mine are all 0% interest cc's - if that wasn't the case, I'd focus on the one with the highest interest rate) and then I just do the best I can each month. Lately it's been tough with my dog needing a major surgery - thank god for pet insurance, but it has still cost me over $1,500. Just do the best you can and try not to get discouraged seeing the amounts that some are able to throw at their debt. We're all different with different life situations to deal with. I hope your husband's schooling goes well and that you'll be back fully on your feet again soon!
 
Welcome @McMealue18! We are a friendly bunch and you shouldn't hesitate to ask any questions!

Like Dentam I also keep a spreadsheet of all my monthly bills. After everything has been paid that needs to be paid and I see how much I have leftover, it goes either to savings or an extra payment to one of our student loans. My monthly bills are pretty much the same every month and even the variable ones (electric/gas) I have a pretty good guess as to what it'll be based on the season. We have an every day credit card(s) and those card(s) get paid off in full every month. This is always variable and is why I can never say how much leftover we'll have in a month. We also have a housemate whose rent is basically "extra" income for us, and we've used this over the past year to pay off our credit card debt and now we'll be using it to pay off our student loan debts.

I'm not sure if this is an option for you, but you could try and open up a new 0% credit card and balance transfer what you owe to the new card. This would at least save you interest in the long term. They usually charge a balance transfer fee of 3-5%, but you can also find cards offering a no charge transfer fee.
 
I'm not sure if this is an option for you, but you could try and open up a new 0% credit card and balance transfer what you owe to the new card. This would at least save you interest in the long term. They usually charge a balance transfer fee of 3-5%, but you can also find cards offering a no charge transfer fee.
THIS was my friendly option! I had to sit down and hash out the transfer fee, but I ended up saving just under $2k, so the $400ish fee was well worth it. If you get a couple of 0% offers, you can even call the companies and say, "Company A transfer fee will be $300. Can you beat that?" In some cases, that'll help.

Please ask away! I am here under a secret identity because I was so embarrassed of my debt. Little by little, even with missteps, I'm getting there. We are here to encourage and help!

Inheritance monies are still tied up in legal blah, blah, blah. Cousin has stopped answering my texts. I wish this would all get settled and just poof away. November's trip to DL is a go!!! I logged on Friday to check for flights. I forgot I have a United account and they're the only airline that flies out of our little town. My account was at 10,075 points. My one-way ticket? 10k and $6. YESSSSSSS
 
I've never posted here before, and I hesitate to do so now, but I have to ask! Do most of you use a zero-sum budgeting system when you plan for each month? I'm so impressed with how big the sums are that you put toward paying things off. My husband (DH?) lost his job about a year ago (two weeks before we got married, one week after we bought our first house) and he was the big bread winner in the house. Through various methods we have been able to stay afloat for a year. He is going back to school now and working part time, so things are really starting to look up and we are finally at a place to start paying off rather than piling on. Any advice on where to start? We don't have a ton of debt, but even the small amount we do have feels overwhelming at this point (CC interest is not my friend). Anyway, that was kind of a grand entrance into this world, but here I am. Hi!
When I am using a system, yes, I do the zero based budget system. It is very insightful to use if diligent and honest with it. Right now, I'm not using any method except front load bill paying and hold remainder. I am fairly aware where I spend and what seems to be too much in a certain category, and know when I'm going overboard. As a start, yes, I'd recommend that method and use an app or program for it, some here have particular ones, or, if good with Excel that can also work. Figure out all the outstanding debt and interest, you say you don't have a ton, is the debt all CC? If so, that would be the focus area to begin.
 
Heads up to BofA cardholders to advise them of what happened to me this month: BofA decided to switch my payments to "Auto Pay" based on past payments. This royally screwed my snowball and nearly shoved us $1200 in the hole. I've submitted an inquiry to try and reverse the $29 charge (it auto'd to the wrong bank account). Never have I ever authorized auto pay, so I flipped out when the DH called this morning after a notification came through.
 
Heads up to BofA cardholders to advise them of what happened to me this month: BofA decided to switch my payments to "Auto Pay" based on past payments. This royally screwed my snowball and nearly shoved us $1200 in the hole. I've submitted an inquiry to try and reverse the $29 charge (it auto'd to the wrong bank account). Never have I ever authorized auto pay, so I flipped out when the DH called this morning after a notification came through.
Wow that's crazy. I went to go look at mine, all looks fine.
Just switched from Port Orleans French Quarter to a Standard Room at Animal Kingdom for a whopping additional $78 total!! I'm so excited
That is a good price! AK is on my bucket list, one day.
 
Yeah we’ve pretty much given up on ever getting tickets to SDCC, too. We enjoy NYC as it’s an hour and a half train ride so other than train tickets and admission fees, we don’t have to spend much to attend. We’ve wised up and now go on Thursday since Saturday is super crowded. Wall to wall people but the cosplay is amazing on Saturday. Last year we lucked out and won the lottery to the Marvel and Funko POP booths. We were able to get a few exclusive figures and pops which was nice.

Emerald City is a good con. I know they had big names a few years ago, a few of the Avengers including Chris Evans aka Captain America and Tom Holland aka Spider-Man. Nice to see a fellow con fan in the house..:-):-):-)
We always got tickets to SDCC, but their value just wasn't there (and it's stressful trying to get them!). We get a 4 day ticket to ECCC, do our shopping the 1st day before they run out, then enjoy other aspects the rest of the time. Last one was in March, we got a pic with Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy), brought his wand with us that we had gotten at Uni Orlando (and our HP robes). He was so amazing - held the wand for our pic, too. Rupert Grint was there, too so we got one with him. We always get pics!
Photo ops can be a great way to meet amazing actors. A few years ago, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth aka Thor and Tom Hiddleston aka Loki came to Philly Comic Con. We met all three but it wasn’t cheap. Having said that, no regrets and we have some amazing pictures. We also met Anthony Mackie aka Falcon, Sebastian Stan aka Bucky/Winter Soldier and Norman Reedus aka Darryl from TWD. So yeah, I get it. As you can see we are HUGE Marvel fans.

How do you get SDCC tickets? You probably could sell this knowledge for a few hundred bucks..lol. I have NYCC down to a science but SDCC continues to elude me lol.
Aren't the photo ops the best? That is the main reason we go (DS got a pic with Norman Reedus, too!). Jason Momoa came in 2017 and his sold out fast, but we managed to get one. So did David Tennant, we must have a lot of whovians here!
Sometime after you register, you're sent an email with the date and time and a link to the ticket page. When the time comes, we would then have every computer, laptop, tablet and phone in the house hit the link the second the time came, and then - do nothing. We end up in a virtual queue (some of the devices don't) and don't refresh, and then watch and wait. Whichever device gets in first is the one that's buying the tickets. It's probably the same for every con that draws large crowds - we just happen to have several devices to work with.


Another con fan here! 🙋🏼‍♀️
Ours is Calgary- DH and I have actually been volunteering for years- we are part of the Guest Protective Services team so work directly with the guests- getting them to/from their hotels/panels/photo ops/signings- it’s been an amazing opportunity and I’ve worked with some amazing people- guests I have worked with include Stan Lee, Carrie Fisher, Peter Dinklage, Jason Mamoa, NPH, Elijah Wood, Jeff Goldblum, cast of Being Human, and many more - it’s an amazing time and experience for sure.
 
Another con fan here! 🙋🏼‍♀️
Ours is Calgary- DH and I have actually been volunteering for years- we are part of the Guest Protective Services team so work directly with the guests- getting them to/from their hotels/panels/photo ops/signings- it’s been an amazing opportunity and I’ve worked with some amazing people- guests I have worked with include Stan Lee, Carrie Fisher, Peter Dinklage, Jason Mamoa, NPH, Elijah Wood, Jeff Goldblum, cast of Being Human, and many more - it’s an amazing time and experience for sure.
Woah...what a cool job. Jealous! :flower1::flower1::flower1::flower1::flower1:
 
My husband has been working a ton of overtime and I struggle between thinking "working all the overtime" and "don't work too much so you burn out". He works overnight shifts and I work day shifts so our time is limited and we have decided it is best for him to work overtime rather than me getting a job that interferes with our limited time. He called me this morning when he got off work and said he was figuring it out and if he works X amount of overtime it is X amount a month and if he works Y it is Y. He said he thinks he has figured out what works best for him to not get burned out but to get the most return. Excited to make some progress!
 
My husband and I are thinking of getting the Target card to take advantage of the free $40.00 gift card (not sure if this is even what you get??)--Can you apply on line and how do they send you the $40.00 credit? We just happened to see this offer in this week's circular. Thanks in advance
 

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