Debt Dumpers 2020

[imbatman]

Hang in there everyone! Be safe! Some day this will be a distant memory.

Thank you. I cried reading this. It's been a terrible week at work and I still have one more day to go. Nightmares have kept sleep at bay and so there's that added bonus. Waiting for some medical results and having delays due to COVID. Yesterday when I got home, I crawled into bed and cried. Never have I ever...

Today I'm listening to ride line music while I work. I'm choosing to focus on joy and little things. DH and I plan on using the government funds to pay off one CC. The oldest kiddo will use hers to pay off her car. I think we will put the youngest's in her bank account. We were able to purchase a car for her before this happened. She wants to buy it from us, but first she'll need a job and that won't happen any time soon.

If any of you are struggling, feel free to shoot me a DM. I'm an extrovert, strong-willed woman, but I get the depth of despair. We can chat WDW hotels and rides and whatever.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Thank you. I cried reading this. It's been a terrible week at work and I still have one more day to go. Nightmares have kept sleep at bay and so there's that added bonus. Waiting for some medical results and having delays due to COVID. Yesterday when I got home, I crawled into bed and cried. Never have I ever...

Today I'm listening to ride line music while I work. I'm choosing to focus on joy and little things. DH and I plan on using the government funds to pay off one CC. The oldest kiddo will use hers to pay off her car. I think we will put the youngest's in her bank account. We were able to purchase a car for her before this happened. She wants to buy it from us, but first she'll need a job and that won't happen any time soon.

If any of you are struggling, feel free to shoot me a DM. I'm an extrovert, strong-willed woman, but I get the depth of despair. We can chat WDW hotels and rides and whatever.

Have you ever tried melatonin to help you sleep? 5 or 10 mg helps me sleep more soundly through hot flashes.
Without it, I wake up 10x. Hot then cold then hot then cold. Covers on, covers off, fan on, covers on, covers off, nightgown off, on and on.

 

[imbatman]

@ruadisneyfan2 that was just the other night, a one-time thing that I'm sure was due to stress. But nightmares about rattlesnakes are horrible. UGH.

DH uses it though!

 

[pblack]

I'm working from home until we're told otherwise. I cant even try to guess how long it will last. DH is still working, his boss will try and argue that they are an essential business if it comes down to mandates. They do soft water systems for home and business, and they have quite a few hospitals that they service. So on one hand I can understand them being essential, but on the other I'm like you're not essential for homes. Either way I'm gonna count it as a blessing that hes still working. My bff told me that her DH got let go this morning and shes a stay at home mom so they're really panicking about what this means for them.

We have a little bit of savings if DH was to be temporarily laid off and we could also pull from our cruise savings if need be. With us having paid off most of our debts and lowering our mortgage payment, I think we'd be mostly ok off of just my check - at least for our major bills. I think instead of putting extra to my student loan, I'm gonna just set that money aside for the time being. When all this stuff is over and if we havent had to touch it, I'll apply it all then.

Such stressful and uncertain times right now. Thinking of all of you. I think we all need something to smile about right now.

 

[jackers]

DH's work is doing a 6 day shutdown (ooh boy - that'll make a difference). But they are getting paid, which is nice and not something I would have expected. They are telling them it's because of "shifts in the market." I can't roll my eyes hard enough. He works the line manufacturing cars. I think it's very possible that he could get laid off this year if the economy continues to tank. We can easily live on my income, but having his income allows us to do a lot of "extras" (not necessarily trips, but allowing us to pay things off early, make extra mortgage payments, etc) so it would not be ideal but wouldn't break us.

I work for medical device manufacturer (our bread and butter is hospital beds) so business is currently booming, so I imagine my husband could get some temporary work for my company should a layoff happen sooner rather than later. I am not concerned for my job currently, but a huge boon now is going to result in some lean years for the company in the future so it all feels a little up in the air and therefore I am keeping our expenses to only the essentials. I have a negative balance on my credit card currently because we cancelled some trips and it will probably take at least a month, maybe more, before I have to make any payments on it. We are just going to keep saving as much as possible right now.

Just got notice from the school that DS14 will be eLearning through April, at a minimum. Yikes - I was not made for homeschooling.

 

[barkley]

I think instead of putting extra to my student loan, I'm gonna just set that money aside for the time being.

you might want to research/keep an eye on this before considering putting anything more towards your student loans other than what's currently required-

Senate Democrats: Cancel student loan payments and $10,000 in debt amid coronavirus

Senate Democrats today unveiled a student loan relief plan in response to the coronavirus, calling for immediate cancellation of monthly payments for the duration of the national emergency and the payment of at least $10,000 for all federal student loan borrowers.

The emergency plan was announced by Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Patty Murray (D-WA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) today.

The proposal asks Congress to authorize the Department of Education to make the monthly payments for all federal loans, tax-free for borrowers.

The proposal also calls for the suspension of interest capitalization, a minimum $10,000 debt relief payoff for all federal loan borrowers.

 

[pblack]

you might want to research/keep an eye on this before considering putting anything more towards your student loans other than what's currently required-

Senate Democrats: Cancel student loan payments and $10,000 in debt amid coronavirus

Senate Democrats today unveiled a student loan relief plan in response to the coronavirus, calling for immediate cancellation of monthly payments for the duration of the national emergency and the payment of at least $10,000 for all federal student loan borrowers.

The emergency plan was announced by Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Patty Murray (D-WA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) today.

The proposal asks Congress to authorize the Department of Education to make the monthly payments for all federal loans, tax-free for borrowers.

The proposal also calls for the suspension of interest capitalization, a minimum $10,000 debt relief payoff for all federal loan borrowers.

Thanks! I'll have to do some research into it. I'm currently paid ahead, since I paid $2500 to it last month. So even if this doesnt apply to me, I can skip a few payments if needed since I dont currently have a payment due. (My plan was to still keep paying so as not to accumulate so much interest, but with all that's going on I may take advantage of being paid ahead.)

 

[pblack]

CA has now issued a state wide shelter in place mandate.

 

[dina444444]

CA has now issued a state wide shelter in place mandate.

And it's through 4/19/20, but could be shortened or extended. I'm hoping to still be able to go on my early May WDW trip but we are already making backup plans for an extended 4th of July trip (originally we were just going for the 3 day weekend).

 

[barkley]

everyone take care.

those in my native california-keep the faith, breathe deep and stay strong, our thoughts/hopes/prayers are with you (to be entirely honest-it's the deliciously wonderful/light hearted/funny facebook posts from friends down there that are keeping our spirits up).

 

[imbatman]

Essential CA worker checking in this morning! It's supposed to be a gorgeous day, weather-wise, in northern CA. I've taken my multi-vitamins, chased them down with a gigantic cup of coffee, and have a hand sanitizer stationed just outside of my window in the lobby. It's strange to think that someday, kids will read about this as history. And I'll get to say: "There was that time, in '20, when we were all ordered to shelter in place. And we walked around barefoot, uphill, wherever we went..."

 

[StacyStrong]

I work from home regularly and my job should be impacted very minimally (maybe some more work even), so I am very fortunate.

However, I’m preparing myself mentally to make big changes to how I spend and save in order to help friends and family who are out of work or will be out of work - to the extent I can, of course.

 

[dayvewc]

Are you a little bit handy with some tools?
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Brondell-CleanSpa-Luxury-Handheld-Bidet-in-Silver-CSL-40/203927020
I just ordered 2 of these along with 2 of the hot/cold mixers sold separately. I thought dh would love this but hates cold water. It will be an early Father's Day gift. They have a 90 day return policy so I will hold onto them for a bit in case $ starts to become an issue.

I am not handy with tools at all. I'm of the "Can of WD-40 and roll of Duck Tape" tool box. If it moves and it's not supposed to, duck tape it. If it doesn't move and it's supposed to, WD-40 it. Past that, call a repairman.

We (our district) got an email from our superintendent yesterday that we will all keep our jobs and regular pay through all of this. So, we should consider ourselves blessed. The workload is different than teaching regular classes, but we are still working. The governor extended our school closures through April 17th yesterday afternoon, so that's 4 weeks (plus spring break week). They will reevaluate when it gets close to then as to whether we will start back on Monday April 20th or stay out longer.

I'm just hunkering down, and trying to find the elusive toilet paper. It's not available online anywhere. And with my respiratory issues, I haven't wanted to risk going into stores yet, but I'm going to have to try this afternoon. Wish me luck.

 

[crazycatstacy]

South Dakota here. Still working. Next week my office starts a week on/week off schedule so 50% of us work one week and then the other 50% the next . Husband works at the county jail so his work will continue. Schools are closed and grocery stores are sparse. It will be interesting to see how all this plays out!

 

[pblack]

This is how day 3 of quarantine is going.

We also have a new nephew! Born last night at about 12:30.

 

[Nettlelondon]

In the UK we have just upped our isolation level. I am really fortunate in that my DH works remotely much of the time anyway for a number of clients who are now also working remotely. In fact he has probably doubled his billable hours this week! Now the only concern is will they all be in business in time to pay him. Fortunately many of his clients clients are government or quasi-government bodies so they will probably be fine.

We are also fortunate that we have minimal debt, really just our mortgage that we are paying down pretty rapidly, but the whole situation is just a bit scary. How many of the small businesses that we love will be able to weather this storm?

But we can't do much about it, so we just have to look forward to better times and find imaginative ways to stay mentally strong during this situation.

Good luck everyone - I may not comment often but I follow this page constantly and feel I know something of most of you, and want the best for you all - financially and physically.

 

[Gr8t Fan]

Checking in from Chicago, Illinois. Our governor just held a news conference and issued a "stay at home" order that begins at 5 pm tomorrow. I've been working from home since Tuesday, although I did have to go into the office for a few matters yesterday. Not sure if working from home will be sustainable in the long term business-wise, but it seems to be working well so far.

Grocery stores were pretty bare at the beginning of the week, but have restocked since then. K-12 public schools are closed until April 20th, and all three college age daughters will be doing their coursework remotely through the end of the semester. Hoping to convince our eldest daughter to come home from Orlando because she's a server at a restaurant and all restaurants have been ordered to close to dine-in patrons, but I know she has obligations that may keep her there.

Also very fortunate that our monthly obligations are minimal, having paid off our mortgage several years ago. Feeling very blessed to have (almost all of) my family together under one roof and looking forward to a new normal when this all passes.

Hang in there everybody!

 

[WeatherLights]

What a week and no idea what's coming next week. I don't want to say what field of work I'm in on this board for privacy reasons but will share that it's an essential service (not health care). We're trying to reduce close-quartered contact as much as possible but certain functions are not currently able to be handled that way so I'm still sending people into these high risk situations and likely furthering spread of the virus. It's been gut wrenching having to make these decisions and not knowing the right thing to do. But we're getting to a place where the "new normal" is setting in and things were calmer today.

Disney is very far from my thoughts right now but I do still take comfort in these boards. Thank you all and I hope you and your families stay healthy!

 

[dayvewc]

SCORE!

Worries are over for a week or two at least.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

DH and I are both lucky that our jobs can be done remotely. I also don't anticipate any kind of loss of income. Though our daughter's daycare is still open, we decided last week to start keeping her home. We have decided to continue to pay tuition though because we want to support them. If our daycare went out of business, it would be devastating. Starting this week, they will be providing weekly activity packs to all of the kids that are home but still having tuition paid. I am grateful for some fun activities to keep DD entertained.

In order to make all of this work while still working full time, we have begun to stager our work schedules. I work from 6 am-noon and then DH works from noon-6 pm. I am also able to sneak in an hour or so while DD naps after her lunch, so I am basically working a full schedule still. Our university employer has also set up an 80 hour paid leave time bank for every employee to use if they are sick, need to quarantine, or for family care responsibilities. If I can't hit 40 hours per week, then I will just dip into some of the 80-hour bank each week to make up the time.

We have definitely gone over our regular grocery budget for the month. I don't think we have been excessive, but we have bought more than we would normally. We stocked up on meats, soups, rice, lentils, veggies to freeze, and other staples. I just want to minimize the number of times that we have to leave the house for anything.

The worst thing that has happened this week is that my boss's husband tested positive for COVID-19 and my boss had developed a low-grade fever. I haven't physically seen my boss in almost a month because we stopped in-person meetings at the end of February given the increase in domestic cases. So I am not personally concerned about contracting it via her. I am very concerned about them both though. My boss is in her mid-60s and her husband is a bit older. He has some pre-existing health conditions. Our temple has been holding services via live stream for the past two weeks. We watched the children's service with DD and she really likes seeing the Rabbi and hearing the familiar songs. Then after DD went to bed, DH and I watched the regular service and I had my boss and her husband's names added to the prayer for healing. We have a staff meeting tomorrow morning, so it will be interesting to see her on video cam if she is feeling up to it.