Debt Dumpers 2020

[jen7233]

@Eureka, yes sorry to hear about your loss. It's a lonely and hard time for those that have to see loved ones pass right now.

@DLgal, that's great he is coming back sooner, I can imagine wanting to wait to be really sure before telling the kids.

@Jen and Ashwin congrats on your ultrasound.

 

[wenrob]

Just plugging along here. I do a quick check in here once in a while while sitting at the home, I mean where else is there to go?! But I'm truly not reading all the way through on the board just a glance and skim. I'm zapped of all energy really. Grief is a strange thing, even if you knew it would eventually happen, you are never prepared for the full range of emotions or emotions that come up that you didn't think you'd have.

I'll say I'm so glad I had been saving an emergency fund and didn't do any large payoff on my car. I have about $5000 I have to pay towards final expenses/arrangements to the funeral home and cemetery, and that's on the cheap end of final arrangements with a cremation and internment. Final arrangements are expensive and every little thing can tack on more and more costs. There isn't any bank account towards that cost, well she had one but there isn't really anything there, let's just leave it at the fact that my sibling that was caring for her needs the little bit that was left in there. Don't want to go into those details, just way, way too complicated.

I was supposed to go to WDW in April, and even though it closed, if it were open and then my mom's passing, probably wouldn't have went anyway. Disney and Shades were awesome, got my money back what I think was fairly fast. I still have park tickets, but will *hopefully* get to use those later this year. Most refunds on life things in general are back, waiting on a UR points refund from cruise travel we were going to do later in summer and not doing now, and then, there is my SW refund disaster, essentially I'm holding on to July flights with no plan.

Hi. I’m just a lurker on this thread but your post about the cost of final expenses prompted me to post. First, I’m very sorry about your mom’s passing, that long goodbye doesn’t make the final goodbye any easier. My heart goes out to you. You mention cremation and I wonder if you have asked about having it done somewhere else. My BIL passed very suddenly in December and we were taken aback by least expensive option with the mortuary (Palm). My sister asked if we could do it somewhere else and still have him there (where my Dad is.) They said it’s actually quite common (but apparently don’t go out of their way to tell you) and it would be no problem. By doing this it also reduced the “care” costs and it saved us over $1800. The also have payment plans and will work with you. I would imagine especially right now they would be even more willing. Anyway, I don’t know if this helps but I felt the overwhelming need to let you know about this. Again, I’m very sorry for your loss.

 

[imbatman]

Grief is a strange thing

I agree with you. Hang in there and we are all here if you need to send a DM or just to vent.

I still have park tickets, but will *hopefully* get to use those later this year.

I hope you get some pixie dust and get to go.


And the big news on my front is that my DH received an email last night asking him to return to full-time work today! We both nearly cried because that'll free up so much more funds to pay things off. He had a come-to-Jesus moment about how fine we would be if there was no CC debt and is now aboard the debt dumping train.

Also, I'm picking up a baby rabbit today. I know it sounds silly, but I had a rabbit who I lost last year. I had no plans for another, but this little girl suddenly presented herself and I'm going to surprise my family this afternoon. Hopefully, this will also help my youngest, who has literally not left the house in 3 weeks.

 

[pblack]

for your DH @imbatman!

 

[Beachmom0317]

Just checking in to say hi to everyone. My two littles and I are on week 4 of quarantine. Hubby is a police officer so nothing has changed for us regarding his job status or income (I am stay at home mom). Obviously I worry about his safety and exposure but it is what it is. We have been plugging along on paying off his truck. The balance was around $15,000 in January but now it is close to $12,000. If we get the stimulus check we’ll put that towards the truck. The first few weeks of quarantine were awful (I’m a people person) but I feel like I’m finally getting a handle on things lol just have to keep going the course

 

[jen7233]

Hi. I’m just a lurker on this thread but your post about the cost of final expenses prompted me to post. First, I’m very sorry about your mom’s passing, that long goodbye doesn’t make the final goodbye any easier. My heart goes out to you. You mention cremation and I wonder if you have asked about having it done somewhere else. My BIL passed very suddenly in December and we were taken aback by least expensive option with the mortuary (Palm). My sister asked if we could do it somewhere else and still have him there (where my Dad is.) They said it’s actually quite common (but apparently don’t go out of their way to tell you) and it would be no problem. By doing this it also reduced the “care” costs and it saved us over $1800. The also have payment plans and will work with you. I would imagine especially right now they would be even more willing. Anyway, I don’t know if this helps but I felt the overwhelming need to let you know about this. Again, I’m very sorry for your loss.

Hi, no I didn't look into elsewhere. She lived in a small town and I just went ahead with the only funeral home in her town. I suppose I could have looked at some other options, one in the town with the hospital about 5 miles away, but didn't. Right now I'm working out what to do with final resting and the expenses vary there and final rest locations. It's a little problem that I am a couple hours away, and have the task of taking care of final arrangements because my sibling that is actually there basically can't manage this type of task of final arrangements. Too much to explain on the particulars, but sometimes making final arrangements is just a difficult process in some families and mine is one of those, not all come together and say let's do this and support each other. We've got various emotions, mental abilities, finances, etc., so, that all plays into how the process part of it goes, and then how each of us handles our loss.

 

[DisneyMandC]

Man, not being able to go anywhere or do anything for a month really saves some money lol. We're still hanging in there. DH hasn't even left our property in 17 days now. I haven't been to work in 11 days and am working full time from home, as is DH. I'm feeling very thankful that we're 1) healthy, 2) able to work from home, and 3) that I absolutely love being home. I would absolutely love to work from home full time. Right now, we're closed until April 26, but I expect that will get extended another 21 days. Our peak date isn't until April 20 here.

We really haven't done much in the way of online shopping or anything like that. I bought $250 worth of groceries this week, but we haven't been eating out at all either. The one exception was last night when our power went out right as DH was putting our dinner in the oven. It didn't come back on for three hours so in the meantime, I went out to get us takeout. We've bought a couple things on Amazon here and there, and I'm going to buy myself a new cross stitch pattern today, but mainly we're just staying home, working, and enjoying our garden.

Hope everyone is doing ok!

 

[dayvewc]

Taking a brief moment to check in.

In and amongst everything else going on, I filed my PSLF certification forms for another year and re-applied for my income based payment plan again. It'll take several week / months to hear back on the results, always does, but especially now. Really fun that as a teacher, my income is low enough that the income driven repayment is $0. If it will just stay that way long enough to qualify for the PSLF.

Other news, ( I lose track so forgive me if I repeat things) I heard back from the VA, and they granted me a rating on my hearing, and a deferment on my knee and shoulder. The backpay for my hearing was enough to payoff 4 debts. So, Woo-Hoo!!! Still working on getting medical records and trying to convince the VA that they need to grant me a rating on the other conditions.

Still employed, inundated with the first round of Alternative Method of Instruction work that came back to be graded, but blessed to still be receiving a guaranteed paycheck during these times.

Looking forward to when things start to return to normal, and really hoping that I can complete my summer trip to WDW.

Past that, just hanging in and still swimming along.

 

[pblack]

Congrats @dayvewc!! So excited for you that the VA finally approved some of your paperwork!!

 

[Beachmom0317]

Man, not being able to go anywhere or do anything for a month really saves some money lol. We're still hanging in there. DH hasn't even left our property in 17 days now. I haven't been to work in 11 days and am working full time from home, as is DH. I'm feeling very thankful that we're 1) healthy, 2) able to work from home, and 3) that I absolutely love being home. I would absolutely love to work from home full time. Right now, we're closed until April 26, but I expect that will get extended another 21 days. Our peak date isn't until April 20 here.

We really haven't done much in the way of online shopping or anything like that. I bought $250 worth of groceries this week, but we haven't been eating out at all either. The one exception was last night when our power went out right as DH was putting our dinner in the oven. It didn't come back on for three hours so in the meantime, I went out to get us takeout. We've bought a couple things on Amazon here and there, and I'm going to buy myself a new cross stitch pattern today, but mainly we're just staying home, working, and enjoying our garden.

Hope everyone is doing ok!

We’re in the same boat! Our income hasn’t changed since DH is essential personnel and I am a stay at home mom with two littles. We buy groceries for 2-3 weeks and haven’t been doing takeout at all or online shopping. We’ve had extra money to pay towards debt which has been nice. It’s been challenging to remain home with two little kids but the financial benefits help lessen the blow a little. Hoping this ends soon.

 

[bababear_50]

Checking in
Happy Easter
I spent the week rearranging some rooms to allow for home working/office space.
Being home I know is frustrating but I had a moment the other night that put things into perspective for me.

My Nana raised 4 kids in England during the war.
Ration cards,, no choices of what to buy. These were very small amounts for a family of 5.
Saying goodbye to husbands ,and other family members who you knew you might not ever see again.
Mom's/grandma's working long and hard hours in factories refitted for the war effort.
Regular air raids during the night,,sometimes sleeping all night and days in a shelter till the all clear was given.Getting from the house to the shelter had it's perils in the night with no lights allowed.
My mom carried her faithful gas mask to school each day,,and when teased about it color(blue) she would swing and hit at the bully.
Darkness in the house always,,never were curtains open,,never was light to the outside world allowed or planes/bombers could make your home a target.
Special occasions were marked by saving a months worth of baking ingredients to make someone a cake.
Hoping there was never a knock on the front door because that meant someone you loved was gone............

And today I am asked to stay home and social distance,,yeah I think I can do that.

Hugs

Mel

 

[FQLover]

Incredible story and reminder, @bababear_50 Thanks for sharing it with us!

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Checking in
Happy Easter
I spent the week rearranging some rooms to allow for home working/office space.
Being home I know is frustrating but I had a moment the other night that put things into perspective for me.

My Nana raised 4 kids in England during the war.
Ration cards,, no choices of what to buy. These were very small amounts for a family of 5.
Saying goodbye to husbands ,and other family members who you knew you might not ever see again.
Mom's/grandma's working long and hard hours in factories refitted for the war effort.
Regular air raids during the night,,sometimes sleeping all night and days in a shelter till the all clear was given.Getting from the house to the shelter had it's perils in the night with no lights allowed.
My mom carried her faithful gas mask to school each day,,and when teased about it color(blue) she would swing and hit at the bully.
Darkness in the house always,,never were curtains open,,never was light to the outside world allowed or planes/bombers could make your home a target.
Special occasions were marked by saving a months worth of baking ingredients to make someone a cake.
Hoping there was never a knock on the front door because that meant someone you loved was gone............

And today I am asked to stay home and social distance,,yeah I think I can do that.

Hugs

Mel

This is so true! We have so much to be grateful for. I am trying to find my copy of the Diary of Anne Frank. I know I had it but I think I may have donated it after one of my "clearing out the clutter" rounds, thinking I'd never have day after day at home. Compared to being stuck in 1 room with multiple adults with literally NOTHING to do and barely enough to eat, we have it made.
Even if you just consider that for Anne Frank it's not like Amazon was delivering her Tampax as needed.
Ugh! For all of them it must have been a hygiene nightmare; no way to flush.
And they spent YEARS in hiding.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Just plugging along here. I do a quick check in here once in a while while sitting at the home, I mean where else is there to go?! But I'm truly not reading all the way through on the board just a glance and skim. I'm zapped of all energy really. Grief is a strange thing, even if you knew it would eventually happen, you are never prepared for the full range of emotions or emotions that come up that you didn't think you'd have.

Jen, today is 11 months since my mom died and occasionally, simply out of habit, I still think for a second I should call her and tell her about some news in my life. I hadn't done that for a while lately until I was tested for covid then it hit me again. For a second, my brain said, "Wow you told everyone else about it, duh, call Mom!" She was always my first "go to" person for any news in my life.
Maybe this will never end. Maybe 50+ years of habits are impossible to undo.
I don't know.
All we can do is keep doing what we can, one day at a time.

 

[WeatherLights]

@jen7233 I'm so sorry that you lost your mom. And I do know how challenging it is to have family who are mentally unwell. I wish the best for you and hope you can find moments of peace.

Things are going okay right now in my household. But, of course, that can change on a dime. So much uncertainty. Spouse and I are both still working--a few days from home and a few days at our respective offices each week. Spending continues to be higher into April. My vacuum cleaner gave up this morning. Just flat out lost all power. It's 15 years old and hasn't cleaned super well for quite a while, so I did not feel compelled to try to fix it. I ordered a new one. Is that an acceptable purchase during a pandemic? I ordered it directly from the manufacturer, not though amazon, as I think amazon is prioritizing necessities? I usually have a house cleaner come once every two weeks but have not had her over for a month. We're still paying her so I hope she does a bang up job when she's finally able come back! And I think she'll be happy to have the new vacuum cleaner available

We're getting take-out Indian food tonight, which will cost about $80 because I ordered extra to have leftovers. I'm definitely loosening my usual frugal habits during this pandemic. Savings into retirement and HSA accounts continue as usual but we did not overpay as much as usual on our mortgage in March and probably won't again this month.

I completely forgot to buy anything special for easter dinner when I went on my weekly grocery run on Thursday and I'm not going out again to the store just for that, so tomorrow will probably be a brunch of canned corned beef hash (I love it but only eat it once or twice a year), eggs, and toast.

Happy Easter for those who celebrate and hope you have a lovely weekend to all!

 

[Scoobie]

I haven't been getting notifications!! So much has happened with all of you, trying to catch up. I can't figure out how to tag people. Jen7233, I am so sorry you lost your mom, esp. during an already stressful time. Try not to be too hard on yourself, you're doing everything you possibly can and that's what makes the difference. Big hugs!! Jen & Ashwin - huge congrats on your baby news! I used to sing Disney songs to my tummy when pregnant - eons ago. Eureka, rally sorry you have suffered a loss, hope you and your family are ok. Turned 50 this year, and my oldest is celebrating his bday on Mon. So not doing much for easter since we will be doing stuff the next day. We have not left the house for over a month, did get a couple grocery deliveries - spent way more than usual but have enough now. Dh is still working, just barely got him a couple masks to wear since he is immuno suppressed. The mill is letting people stay home that have "underlying conditions" (like Dh), but Dh hasn't told them he is one of them - so he is working more hours to cover people not there. At least he is barely around people. Happy Easter!!

 

[comicguy]

Things took a bit of a hit here money wise at home. Since I have been teaching from home, I told the wife I would be lucky if my laptop makes it through this. (currrently 5 years old) well last week it decided to crash twice and then started to sound like a jet engine taking off!! There was $700 (needed the processing for for 3D modeling sofware and a few other power hog programs). Then we decided to adopt a beagle, have not had a dog in over 8 years since my last beagle passed away) So we bought her crate, food, leash, dishes, treats, toys, etc.. for about $250 (she was free) but I do have to schedule a vet visit to get her established/looked at and then license her as well (she did not come with any papers or information) she was rescued out of a high kill shelter in South Carolina and then fostered by a family for the last two months in Boston. Sweet little girl, you can see she had been abused, she wants to trust me but is still very timid, but guess where she slept her first night (next to me on the bed!) Then Friday, I was was finishing puppy proofing the house before her Sat arrival the vacuum cleaner decided to crap out loud whinning, smoke coming from the motor (we did have this vacuum for the better part of 18 years!) so we decided to get a new one and I did a lot of online research and ended up buying a cordless dyson V10 for $400. So it has been an expensive 8 days! (with probably another 200-250 for a vet check and establishment)

 

[FQLover]

@comicguy Bless you and your wife for adopting her! Every dog deserves a safe and loving home.

 

[jen7233]

Thanks all for your support! Very meaningful.

Stimulus talk: I logged into our bank account this morning and even though a weekend, our stimulus is in there. Our bank usually doesn't post anything on a weekend and typically if it was something that went in or out on a Saturday or Sunday, I'd see it on Monday, so anyway stimulus is there, that was interesting to see. We filed taxes late too, well late compared to probably most on here? Our last name is in the latter half of the alphabet, so I don't think they did stimulus alphabetically? I wonder if they do it by region? We are on the east coast mid-atlantic region.

School talk: Is anyone feeling a little crazy? I have to log in again today to the school parent account, and get a handle on the kids' school for the week. The kids get mailed a packet, and then parents get emails on all the updates, plus Facebook posts, and then the district and school websites have info, I feel I'm in info overload and need to sort. A whole lot of info to dig through. I went through one of their school mailed packets on Friday with them, and just on the subject of math, I was like-nope I can't do this. Every question's math answer was "answers may vary". I looked at my kid and actually said - "In my day, math questions just had an answer, there was no "answers may vary! It was do page 95 questions 1-30! And everything just had a straight answer!" Yep, I just dated myself as if they already didn't think I was, now I'm doing those "in my day" quotes, oh boy.....But, it did become a good laugh as we worked through and then were laughing as we checked answers saying "answers may vary!" So, on a positive note of trying to not be overwhelmed in grasping the new switch in the school year, we got a good laugh anyway.

 

[pblack]

We havent received the stimulus checks yet. We filed fairly early, beginning/mid Feb. Maybe sometime this week.

Southwest canceled my planned flights for memorial day weekend, they also changed my backup flight plans for June. I ended up canceling the June flights and now we'll plan to go out to Texas in July, which was our original plan. Fingers crossed we'll be able to travel by July!