Debt Dumpers 2020

[ruadisneyfan2]

So one of my coworkers tested positive yesterday. She had very few symptoms and my not being much of an alarmist, I actually tried to convince her not to worry, that her scratchy throat and lack of ability to smell are both signs of allergies that I have all the time. Despite being March still, our trees have bloomed like it's May 1.
I feel bad now. So we have all been in close quarters with her since way before covid was something to worry about. She had no fever, no cough, no shortness of breath. Only a scratchy throat, lack of ability to smell, and her chest aches when she takes a deep breath.

I have been feeling run down & lethargic all day. Also quite a gurgley tummy with very little appetite. I had a bowl of cereal around noon. Maybe it's just my nerves are shot but it was enough that our employee health ordered a covid test for me and a few other coworkers. Some have fever. Some sore throat. If you've had an ENT scope of your sinuses, it isn't that bad. Kind of like putting a long handled mascara brush deep up your nose. Twirl for 15 seconds. Fun!
So I have to wear a mask and avoid all of my family as much as possible. I feel like I've been put in the dog house. lol Dh's coworker's test was negative. So one less worry there.

Today I should have been waking up in our Miami Marriott hotel room that overlooks Biscayne Bay and the Port of Miami, with our beloved Disney Magic docked and waiting for us. We would be sitting at dinner on the ship right now, as we slowly head out to sea.
Oh well, such is life right? One heck of a roller coaster ride. Hold on tight everyone. Take care and be safe!

 

[bababear_50]

ruadisneyfan2
Hi Hon
I am so sorry you are not feeling well,,remember it is still Flu season and alot of allergies are kicking in for people. Try to remain positive and those beautiful cruise vacations will be here for you in the not to distant future.
Lean on your family and give yourself all the care in the world Hon!
Rest & Dream!

I know I have been AWOL from this thread for almost 3/4 of a year but I do read all the posts here frequently ,,nothing in my yearly goals seemed achievable so I just felt lost along the way.
I have now achieved 2019 goals that I set and am ready to look at 2020,,I know 4 months late. It is difficult to sometimes make financial goals when adult children still requiring help are involved.
Right now I am super focused on keeping myself and family safe both financially and mentally.
To all those struggling please remember you are not alone.


Hugs to you
Mel

 

[pblack]

Good to hear from you again @bababear_50!

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

ruadisneyfan2
Hi Hon
I am so sorry you are not feeling well,,remember it is still Flu season and alot of allergies are kicking in for people. Try to remain positive and those beautiful cruise vacations will be here for you in the not to distant future.
Lean on your family and give yourself all the care in the world Hon!
Rest & Dream!

I know I have been AWOL from this thread for almost 3/4 of a year but I do read all the posts here frequently ,,nothing in my yearly goals seemed achievable so I just felt lost along the way.
I have now achieved 2019 goals that I set and am ready to look at 2020,,I know 4 months late. It is difficult to sometimes make financial goals when adult children still requiring help are involved.
Right now I am super focused on keeping myself and family safe both financially and mentally.
To all those struggling please remember you are not alone.


Hugs to you
Mel

Thank you for your kindness. We are all just muddling through this together right? Goals are simply a large to do list and sometimes you have to prioritize other things first. Family is one of those things and sometimes age has nothing to do with it. Shat happens and you gotta do what you gotta do.
Nice to hear from you. You always know just what to say to make things better.
Even when you feel lost you know you can always stop in and say hello; we don't bite.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Another coworker who was tested Monday, came back positive. There is only one tech out of maybe 12 of us who is able to go to work tomorrow. I can't imagine how that's all going to pan out.

 

[dayvewc]

Do you have a Target near you? Along with many stores, they are offering special hours for high-risk groups to be able to shop. With Target it's the first hour the store is open on Wednesdays.

Sadly, there is not a Target anywhere within at least an hours drive. I do have 2 Dollar Generals within 5 minutes, though. And a Family Dollar across the street from one of the DG.

I hope everyone is taking care of themselves. I am feeling lucky that I have a job. We've been told that everyone will keep their job with full pay, so that's one bit of stress I'm not having to deal with.

 

[DisneyMandC]

We're hanging in here. The governor is doing a press conference this afternoon with a "major announcement" which I expect might be full state lockdown. Our schools are already out the rest of the year. DH works for a national company and has been working from home, and I'm an essential employee so I'll still be working. Fortunately, I only have to go in one day a week right now and there are only 8 people in my 50-person office at that time. I'm extremely thankful to have had a boss who has taken this seriously from the very beginning!

In good news, it sounds like the student loan provisions of the stimulus package are going to really help me. With student loan payment suspended for 6 months AND it will still count towards PSLF, I will start paying my monthly payment into my high interest savings account at the end of every month. At the end of the six months, I will use that money to pay towards DH's student loan. I should have about $1600 in there by then.

Our original plan was to pay DH's student loan off with our tax refunds, which both of us have now gotten back, but obviously I want to beef up our savings as much as possible in case anything were to happen right now. I feel decently comfortable with where our savings are at, and will be putting my stimulus check in that as well (even though I know it's technically for stimulating the economy).

In the meantime, I have a two week trip to Japan scheduled for June which I'm pretty certain will be canceled It's not a done deal yet, but I'm not feeling confident about it. I'm still willing to go if things have calmed down by then and we're not quarantined going in or coming back, but I just find it likely to believe we're going to be in a good place by then for international travel. Fortunately, I have a very limited cash outlay of $150 in taxes for our flights right now. All of our hotels are on points and I expect that if the worst were to happen, I can get the airline to refund the miles I used to book as well. We'll see. I'm keeping our fingers crossed, but have braced myself for the worst.

 

[bababear_50]

Just checking in from Ontario Canada.
I have rebalanced my savings to have 6 months available for my house maintenance fees,car Ins.House Ins.(thanks tax refund).... I paid off my mortgage a couple years ago,,thank-God!

We are well stocked up on food essentials,,I did pick up a few extra things which put my grocery budget way up there. I picked up
Batteries
AM/FM transistor radio
First Aid Kit/ Crank flashlight
Stocked up on my Thyroid medication as I figured they (gov) was going to limit it to 1 month at a time.
Extra light bulbs
Bleach/wipes/J cloths,Soap,Laundry detergent,,etc.

I had my gallbladder out a month ago and kind of saw the way things in the Hospital/medical field were changing. I am so appreciative that they were able to move my surgery up 4-5 months.
I am almost able to eat a variety of foods,,, but I am sticking to low fat for another 1-2 months.

Our schools have been closed since March 13,,,(school employee here) it looks like we will be doing online instruction,,and continue to be paid. I kind of have a feeling that this maybe for the rest of the school year.(This is not official and just my gut feeling).

I rented out my DVC (David's DVC rental) for a March trip and am losing out because I refunded the renter,,but it felt like the right thing to do.

The BIG 2019 task/goal that had me stumped was making a WILL.
4 times I tried filling out the forms and backed down from having them processed,,I think it had a lot to do with me losing my brother at the time. Nothing like a Pandemic to kick my butt into gear!!!
Well I finally scanned and emailed the forms,,,Bingo...I have a Power of Attorney, Living Will and WILL at done and ready to be notarized.
I feel like I've made things much easier for my sons by doing this.

These are uncertain times but we can all make a big difference in being there to support each other.

Hugs
Mel

 

[imbatman]

I refunded the renter,,but it felt like the right thing to do

It wasn't me, but thank you for being the person who does the right thing. The world needs more of you. Hope your healing goes well and your online classes transition smoothly!

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

It wasn't me, but thank you for being the person who does the right thing. The world needs more of you. Hope your healing goes well and your online classes transition smoothly!

I agree 100%.

 

[Buzzsgramma]

I cannot tell you the people I know that have had major trouble because the parents left no will....just unreal!! My daughter in law for one....I could go on and on...You have done the best thing possible..Will..POA, Living Will,etc....

 

[Scoobie]

Well I finally scanned and emailed the forms,,,Bingo...I have a Power of Attorney, Living Will and WILL at done and ready to be notarized.

You can do that online? We have a will, but it really needs to be updated. Guess I need to move my bum on that as well! Also, kudos for "doing the right thing" and bless you for that! I have a rental that I am not getting refunded (oh well) so I just wanted you to know what a very special thing you have done.

 

[barkley]

I cannot tell you the people I know that have had major trouble because the parents left no will....just unreal!! My daughter in law for one....I could go on and on...You have done the best thing possible..Will..POA, Living Will,etc....

even with a will it can be major trouble if you don't go the extra step and leave a 'road map' of sorts for the person(s) dealing with it so they have the information on who/how to deal with certain things like-

pensions-who to contact and if someone is in line to collect future benefit (spouse/child/disabled adult child) or life insurance payout

life insurance policies (esp. the smaller ones through union or professional affiliations)

creditors (including periodic auto payments you have set up on cards/checking account) and service contracts

utilities you have deposits on file with...

we've talked on this thread how some of us have spouses who don't deal with the day to day finances and are unaware of all the nuances-think of how much harder it would be to not live within a household and then be expected to deal with all the operational and financial aspects with no clue on the day to day let alone decades long financial arrangements and obligations- a will or trust is the final destination that will be much more easily reached with that road map provided.

 

[pblack]

An end of March update:

2020 Financial Goals:

• Pay off remaining $2000 credit card debt from new sectional ..... We are down to $500 and this will be paid off as soon as our house-mate gives me his rent check...I can officially check this one as done!
• Pay off remaining ~$1625 of DH's student loans ........ Finished paying off on February 1st
• Save $1000 towards emergency fund ...... I have added $625 to my emergency fund. Almost to my goal!
• Increase retirement contributions for DH and myself ...... Have not done this yet, but will look into it when/if we both get raises. I know I will in August/Sept, but unsure if DH will.
• Decrease my student loan of ~$12,100 by a couple grand ..... So this one is tricky. I currently have $3290 set aside to pay towards my student loan (this was a combination of escrow refund/insurance refund/refi refund) but I don't want to pay it towards it just yet with the current state of the world. Once things go back to "normal" I'll move this out of my savings account and pay it towards my student loan. I did just pay $600 towards it today though which brings my balance down to ~$9000.
• Pay off ~$2000 due on our Nov 2020 cruise..done w/taxes ...... This money has been set aside to pay off our cruise. I won't pay for the balance until closer to final payment though. (Just in case something happens and they cancel our cruise. Fingers crossed that won't be the case.)
• Save up enough money to pay for WDW portion of Nov 2020 trip ...... Currently have ~$900 saved up (not including the tax refund). Booked our flight out there on points (in first class even!) and still need to book our return flight. Hoping that SW has something decent when they open up their calendar since AA doesn't have anything that I'm willing to shell out the money for. If we go with SW it will be booked on points, AA will either be points or a combo depending on the price.

So far I feel pretty good about my goals this year. We will probably take most (if not all) of the stimulus checks and apply it to my student loan. I've also told my DH that once we're able to travel and leave the house again I want to take an overnight trip to Reno. We haven't been in a few years and I'm itching to get away even if it's only overnight.

Hope everyone is doing well! Not just with their budgets, but mentally and spiritually as well. I know we're all anxious to go back to "normal." We just have to keep swimming to get there!

 

[StacyStrong]

I have my performance review today. It was hastily scheduled last night. Raises are usually effective April 1st.

I'm not quite so sure how it will go. My company was able to transition mostly to virtual (I was always virtual) and quickly developed a COVID pandemic response team. As part of their efforts, an additional time off policy was added for colleagues who need to it due to various virus issues. In my mind I knew that transitioning office colleagues to virtual and adding time off policies would be a huge expense so I have been interested to see whether raises would happen.

Well, they announced that merit increases are being delayed for colleagues over a certain salary level. I technically squeak in just under that salary cap, so I should still be raise eligible. With that said, I'm sure that the raise (if it happens) would be lower than it would otherwise me. They are also delaying contributions to our 401k account (not the per pay period contribution company match, but a yearly separate RAC contribution they make that is 2.5% of our eligible salaries). They say it'll still be paid, but when is TBD.

Overall, if I don't get a raise or it's lower than I'd normally hope, I'm still grateful to be working and that my company seems to be doing all it can to protect workers and keep everyone employed/healthy.

 

[StacyStrong]

Welp. No raise. I’m actually pretty irritated because she said it was decided before COVID. “We value all that you do and really appreciate all your work. If it were up to me...”. No. Clearly you don’t value that work.

whatever. Nothing I can do about it. It is what it is. I’m employed. I make a decent salary. I can work from home. I have an emergency fund and no credit card debt. Many I know are suddenly unemployed. I’ll be okay.

 

[pblack]

Welp. No raise. I’m actually pretty irritated because she said it was decided before COVID. “We value all that you do and really appreciate all your work. If it were up to me...”. No. Clearly you don’t value that work.

whatever. Nothing I can do about it. It is what it is. I’m employed. I make a decent salary. I can work from home. I have an emergency fund and no credit card debt. Many I know are suddenly unemployed. I’ll be okay.

You're still allowed to be frustrated/annoyed/sad about it though. Hoping your day gets better.

 

[bababear_50]

You can do that online? We have a will, but it really needs to be updated. Guess I need to move my bum on that as well! Also, kudos for "doing the right thing" and bless you for that! I have a rental that I am not getting refunded (oh well) so I just wanted you to know what a very special thing you have done.

Hi Hon
I am in Ontario Canada
I had a copy of a rough work booklet I got a couple of years ago from my lawyers,,but I think any lawyer's office could email you a copy. I scanned the sheets and sent to my lawyers via email.
They will have to be notarized.

Mel

 

[jackers]

March Update:

2020 Financial Goals:
Pay off my car (Goal: $12,800): $8800 paid. Payoff plan date is still June.

Max out 401K contributions – Done (essentially, based on my contributions it will be maxed out by end of year).

Begin contributing $50/paycheck to my HSA – Auto setup via payroll complete. The goal will be $1500 total by end of year (currently at $350) so I will plan a few extra non-payroll contributions throughout the year.

Contribute $2500 to DS14’s 529: $500 contributed YTD.

2020 Personal Goals:

Have a will drawn up - Not yet – wondering if this is something that can be done over the phone as I’d like to get it done sooner rather than later with the current state of the world. Maybe a bit morbid, but I lost a cousin last week to the virus and he left 2 teenagers orphaned (they lost their mother last year) and while it sounds like he had everything taken care of for them (an older half-sibling will be their guardian), it does make me have a greater sense of urgency to get this done. I have been documenting all of the financial stuff this week for DH as a “just in case”, so have at least started a few things.

Get back into running and lose enough weight to fit back into clothes that are in my closet: The world has brought this to a screeching halt. I have time to do it, and even bought a desktop that works with my treadmill so I could at least walk and work, but the motivation has been completely lost. I’m hoping to do better here in April.

Read more and spend less time on stupid iPad games: I’m in a book club with some women at work, so this is the best I am doing right now. Now would be the perfect time to up my game on this, but just haven't done it.

Vacation plans – This has completely turned into Nada at the moment. Which is depressing, but maybe we can manage something by the end of the year.

If the online calculators are correct, we should be getting a $2500ish stimulus check. I was debating about throwing some on the car payment so that I could potentially have it paid off next month, but then again does one month really matter? Not really. We really don’t know what is going to happen with my husband’s job (auto manufacturing) and while we can live on my pay comfortably enough and have a solid savings account, it might be better to just have that extra sitting in there as well for now. Not to mention, I am also not entirely clear on how this plays out on next year’s taxes.

Otherwise, everything else is ok-ish. I am an introvert, but I am despising the social distancing. All of my immediate family is healthy but I miss visiting with my parents and sisters and seeing my grandson. We love going out and finding new places to eat and are so bored with eating at home (despite the $ savings we are seeing there). But it is what it is and we are doing our part. This too shall pass, right?

 

[StacyStrong]

March Update:

2020 Financial Goals:
Pay off my car (Goal: $12,800): $8800 paid. Payoff plan date is still June.

Max out 401K contributions – Done (essentially, based on my contributions it will be maxed out by end of year).

Begin contributing $50/paycheck to my HSA – Auto setup via payroll complete. The goal will be $1500 total by end of year (currently at $350) so I will plan a few extra non-payroll contributions throughout the year.

Contribute $2500 to DS14’s 529: $500 contributed YTD.

2020 Personal Goals:

Have a will drawn up - Not yet – wondering if this is something that can be done over the phone as I’d like to get it done sooner rather than later with the current state of the world. Maybe a bit morbid, but I lost a cousin last week to the virus and he left 2 teenagers orphaned (they lost their mother last year) and while it sounds like he had everything taken care of for them (an older half-sibling will be their guardian), it does make me have a greater sense of urgency to get this done. I have been documenting all of the financial stuff this week for DH as a “just in case”, so have at least started a few things.

Get back into running and lose enough weight to fit back into clothes that are in my closet: The world has brought this to a screeching halt. I have time to do it, and even bought a desktop that works with my treadmill so I could at least walk and work, but the motivation has been completely lost. I’m hoping to do better here in April.

Read more and spend less time on stupid iPad games: I’m in a book club with some women at work, so this is the best I am doing right now. Now would be the perfect time to up my game on this, but just haven't done it.

Vacation plans – This has completely turned into Nada at the moment. Which is depressing, but maybe we can manage something by the end of the year.

If the online calculators are correct, we should be getting a $2500ish stimulus check. I was debating about throwing some on the car payment so that I could potentially have it paid off next month, but then again does one month really matter? Not really. We really don’t know what is going to happen with my husband’s job (auto manufacturing) and while we can live on my pay comfortably enough and have a solid savings account, it might be better to just have that extra sitting in there as well for now. Not to mention, I am also not entirely clear on how this plays out on next year’s taxes.

Otherwise, everything else is ok-ish. I am an introvert, but I am despising the social distancing. All of my immediate family is healthy but I miss visiting with my parents and sisters and seeing my grandson. We love going out and finding new places to eat and are so bored with eating at home (despite the $ savings we are seeing there). But it is what it is and we are doing our part. This too shall pass, right?

I’m sorry for your loss.