Debt Dumpers 2021

[Jen and Ashwin]

I've never had yucca root!

It is also called tapioca or cassava root. He makes it as a pan-fried type of dish with tumeric and black mustard seeds. It is common in the Indian state of Kerala, which is where his mom was born. I really love it. It is starchy, like a potato and is very similar once cooked up.

I know it's only .50, but all he had to do was type in our phone number into the machine and he could have saved it.

Another pet peeve, but at least at the grocery store, my husband is good about this because he has the key chain tag with him all the time. Since we order our groceries online and pick them up, I am able to see if any items in the cart have coupons. I love that feature!

But I agree - spending any money in an unplanned way when you are on a tight budget can be frustrating!

This is really what it is about. I specifically mentioned that the grocery budget was getting out of hand and we needed to reign it in. I want to figure out if we were just being really careless or if we really need to increase the budget going forward.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

• Find a life partner (without having to use duct-tape) Still looking Change, I’ve moved backwards. :-( I’d been talking to someone for a while, and we’ve decided to just be friends instead. Turns out long distance relationships are more difficult than ever, especially in a pandemic. We have patched up our relationship, and are going to try to continue it, the problem was just a rough patch and some rough days for the both of us, and some miscommunication. Fingers crossed.

Distance relationships can be hard, but they can work out in the end. My husband and I will be married for 6 years in August, and we dated remotely for our entire relationship, him in Canada and me in the US. It was easier once I moved from Texas to Michigan, and he got a passport so that he could make the 6-hour drive to visit me.

 

[dayvewc]

Distance relationships can be hard, but they can work out in the end. My husband and I will be married for 6 years in August, and we dated remotely for our entire relationship, him in Canada and me in the US. It was easier once I moved from Texas to Michigan, and he got a passport so that he could make the 6-hour drive to visit me.

I've done long distance relationships before. They've been 50/50 for me. This has been the lasted the longest without being able to meet. I think with the pandemic and no one being able to really travel helped with that. Now that travel is starting to loosen up a little, I think it is going to be a lot rougher until we figure out the next steps.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

I've done long distance relationships before. They've been 50/50 for me. This has been the lasted the longest without being able to meet. I think with the pandemic and no one being able to really travel helped with that. Now that travel is starting to loosen up a little, I think it is going to be a lot rougher until we figure out the next steps.

Nothing could be more awkward than the first time I met my husband in person I bet. He was 21, in college but still living at home with his parents. I am 5 years older than him, so I had just finished law school and took the bar exam a few months before. We talked for almost a year before I actually went to meet him in person.

Well, I flew to Toronto and stayed with his family, so I got to meet them all at once. And his dad planned a "vacation" to northern Ontario the very next day. We had to wake up at 3 am to drive north and catch a ferry to Sault St. Marie. I got sunburned on the ferry and his mom freaked out. They are Indian and don't really get sunburned. I looked like a lobster and I had to keep assuring her that I was going to be alright. Not at all stressful for a first date.

 

[Tygerlilly]

Officially paid of my student debt garnishment! I'll have $260 back in my paychecks now. I believe we are about $200 away from paying of one loan too, so fingers crossed, next paycheck that will be done as well. Looking forward to having a solid $600 back in our budget every month.

I'm very interested in seeing how this new monthly child tax credit is going to play out. With baby being born in July, it sounds like I can input his info and get his credit applied also or just wait and claim it all with taxes. I'm debating on if I'd rather have an extra $550 or $850 per month for 6 months or a larger tax return since we are now going to Disney in April (the lump sum would be nice to have right before we leave). On the other hand, we do have some home projects that I'd like to knock out while we're on leave and the $850 would knock those out pretty quick and easy.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

@ruadisneyfan2
"In the past we have also stayed at the Pelican Grand Beach Resort in Ft. Lauderdale. I think we paid around $250/nt around 2-3 years ago. Now it’s over $500/nt.
I don’t mind spending a good chunk on nice hotels but I don't like the feeling of being gouged.
Most of our other FL hotel stays have either been WDW-related or pre-cruise.
In SK we stayed at tropicalbreeze.com. It’s not luxurious but it is a short walk to either the ocean or SK village."

*****
Thanks for that info! I checked on the Pelican Grand the other day just to see what it was like after your message and that day, anyway, a room was going to for $849.00!! Holy crappola. No and no.

In Siesta we stayed at a very nice condo in a resort called Siesta Dunes and really loved it. We went in July so it is not the highest season nor highest cost for them. It is right on Crescent Beach and is just beautiful. Highly recommend. We stayed in Building 3, unit 306 or 307--can't remember without looking at them.

Thank you! I will check them out. There are not a lot of hotels in SK and of the many rentals, often they want it rented for a full week minimum. Dh is really not that into beach vacations so those don't work for us; 3-4 nights max is good. I will look into Siesta Dunes though. One of the Tropical Breeze units has its own pool. That was so tempting. It still is.

Rental cars are also very expensive which is what is helping me to keep myself in check. When I add it all up, even quick estimates in my head, it quickly exceeds $3k for a 3 night stay. That is even with free flights on SWA.

Also, I looked into sailing on Royal Caribbean out of Nassau since we are both vaccinated for covid. For July/August dates (I forget which one exactly) we could sail a 7 nt cruise to Cozumel and their private island in their largest balcony stateroom (non-suite) for ~$1800 including all taxes. This includes all meals too. So tempting. On DCL this would cost at least $4-5k.
The chance of not being able to return into the US worries me. False positives are not impossible and neither is mild/asymptomatic covid after vaccine so I really don't feel like getting into all of that and risking being stuck in Nassau. It is extremely low risk but still there.

 

[DisneyMandC]

My husband also does a bad job loading the dishwasher. I never had a broken or chipped dish in my life until he moved in. We decided a long time ago that I would load and he would unload. It has worked well and there is no resentment around it at all. I have found it best to have specific jobs assigned. Then I nag much less because he knows what he needs to do. Otherwise, he would just wait for me to tell him to do something rather than taking the initiative to do it, even when he saw that something needed to be done.

It's funny you say this. My female coworkers and I were discussing the division of emotional labor among our households and how many men will say "all you have to do is ask." No, the problem is that I have to ask! I will say I am extremely fortunate that DH and I rarely have this problem and we have a pretty good division of labor. But sometimes I'm like "why do I have to ask you to fill the dog's water bowl every time I walk by it? It's on the way to the bathroom and you can see that it's empty..." hahaha

 

[ciaoaloha31]

And total for car saga part 1 (includes the tires): $3532.29

Total for car saga part 1+ (towing car 3 miles to dealer for part 2): $110

fingers crossed part 2 is the ~$1100 (before tax) estimated by shop#1 plus slightly inflated because it's at the dealer

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

And total for car saga part 1 (includes the tires): $3532.29

Total for car saga part 1+ (towing car 3 miles to dealer for part 2): $110

fingers crossed part 2 is the ~$1100 (before tax) estimated by shop#1 plus slightly inflated because it's at the dealer

Well hopefully it is fixed at least.
Dh's truck is back in the shop for the 4th time now. First the check engine and traction stabilizer lights were on. Now just the traction light but in 3 visits they still can't get it fixed. The last 2 times, the light comes on before dh even leaves their parking lot. They are getting higher level mechanics involved now and they have stopped charging us to replace things that are clearly just guessing as to what the real fix will be.
Luckily, ds20 has 2 vehicles and can loan one to dh.

 

[tinkerbelletreasure]

You guys! We got our tax refunds today. We started 2021 with 11 credit cards. Between stimulus payments, tax refunds, and careful budgeting we are down to 2 now!! We will have those paid off before the end of the year even with 2 trips to Disney. I feel such a weight lifted!

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

It's funny you say this. My female coworkers and I were discussing the division of emotional labor among our households and how many men will say "all you have to do is ask." No, the problem is that I have to ask! I will say I am extremely fortunate that DH and I rarely have this problem and we have a pretty good division of labor. But sometimes I'm like "why do I have to ask you to fill the dog's water bowl every time I walk by it? It's on the way to the bathroom and you can see that it's empty..." hahaha

Yes, this is the thing that makes me the most upset. Why should I have to tell him something needs doing when he is just as capable of seeing it himself. I think it is a very cultural thing. He has gotten better about it over time and usually doesn't wait on me to tell him when something needs to be done, but there are still some things that could use improvement. Like seeing something out of place and not just putting it back, but rather me having to ask or do it myself. This especially makes me crazy when something sits by the stairs to go up or down, and he goes up or down but doesn't take the thing with him.

 

[ciaoaloha31]

Well hopefully it is fixed at least.
Dh's truck is back in the shop for the 4th time now. First the check engine and traction stabilizer lights were on. Now just the traction light but in 3 visits they still can't get it fixed. The last 2 times, the light comes on before dh even leaves their parking lot. They are getting higher level mechanics involved now and they have stopped charging us to replace things that are clearly just guessing as to what the real fix will be.
Luckily, ds20 has 2 vehicles and can loan one to dh.

I had a second car until December 2019 when I sold it and put that money into house down payment savings. My brother also had a second car through work but they asked for that to be returned until they can resume in person visits for his job. Right now I am fortunate that my dad is on a leave of absence to help my sister out with childcare for my 6 month old nephew and using his car. I drop him off at my sister's in the morning and my mom picks him up. At least I am not having to rent a car to get to/from work on top of the repairs.

I am putting the repairs on my 0% Amex to give myself a little more time before having to touch savings (and can apply the 1% cash back to the costs.) I should be able to completely cover Part 1 before the 0% runs out. Part 2 is going to touch savings no matter how I slice it. Time to start planning a garage sale and some ebay listings!

 

[jen7233]

It's funny you say this. My female coworkers and I were discussing the division of emotional labor among our households and how many men will say "all you have to do is ask." No, the problem is that I have to ask! I will say I am extremely fortunate that DH and I rarely have this problem and we have a pretty good division of labor. But sometimes I'm like "why do I have to ask you to fill the dog's water bowl every time I walk by it? It's on the way to the bathroom and you can see that it's empty..." hahaha

Ha, dog bowls and couples talking about dog bowl filling and cleaning, so it's a thing apparently! I like the dog's bowls cleaned nightly, hand-washed and put back out the water bowl, DH only if the dishwasher is gonna run and only the food one gets thrown in, or unless I specifically ask

 

[jen7233]

I'm very interested in seeing how this new monthly child tax credit is going to play out. With baby being born in July, it sounds like I can input his info and get his credit applied also or just wait and claim it all with taxes. I'm debating on if I'd rather have an extra $550 or $850 per month for 6 months or a larger tax return since we are now going to Disney in April (the lump sum would be nice to have right before we leave). On the other hand, we do have some home projects that I'd like to knock out while we're on leave and the $850 would knock those out pretty quick and easy.

Same, wondering how this credit will play out.

Also, I looked into sailing on Royal Caribbean out of Nassau since we are both vaccinated for covid. For July/August dates (I forget which one exactly) we could sail a 7 nt cruise to Cozumel and their private island in their largest balcony stateroom (non-suite) for ~$1800 including all taxes. This includes all meals too. So tempting. On DCL this would cost at least $4-5k.

I'd like to cruise, but I feel like I want to see it play out for a good year first and see how the trip reports read!

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Yes, this is the thing that makes me the most upset. Why should I have to tell him something needs doing when he is just as capable of seeing it himself. I think it is a very cultural thing. He has gotten better about it over time and usually doesn't wait on me to tell him when something needs to be done, but there are still some things that could use improvement. Like seeing something out of place and not just putting it back, but rather me having to ask or do it myself. This especially makes me crazy when something sits by the stairs to go up or down, and he goes up or down but doesn't take the thing with him.

I think men are just oblivious to the many details that women notice.

 

[pblack]

I think men are just oblivious to the many details that women notice.

"Honey, have you seen (insert pretty much anything here)? I can't find it anywhere." 2.2 seconds later I find it exactly where I told him it would be.

 

[afan]

"Honey, have you seen (insert pretty much anything here)? I can't find it anywhere." 2.2 seconds later I find it exactly where I told him it would.

Oohh that's so an old job where I had organized and labeled the office supply closet. If you could read and see you could find it. I'd still get the 'I couldn't find x' or 'where in there is it'. Had to start keeping the mechanical pencils at my desk because the engineers were also too lazy to grab the lead refills and would just get a new pencil. It was amazing how our consumption of mechanical pencils went waaaaaay down after that.

 

[pblack]

Oohh that's so an old job where I had organized and labeled the office supply closet. If you could read and see you could find it. I'd still get the 'I couldn't find x' or 'where in there is it'. Had to start keeping the mechanical pencils at my desk because the engineers were also too lazy to grab the lead refills and would just get a new pencil. It was amazing how our consumption of mechanical pencils went waaaaaay down after that.

I was tasked with organizing the supply area where I work a few years back and I moved the copy paper from one cabinet to another. I put a sign on the cabinet door that read PAPER in big letters on neon green paper so you couldn't miss it. I was still asked all the time where the paper was at. At one point someone asked me and so I walked over there and pointed to the neon green sign and they were just like "...oh."

 

[MissBritt]

My goal is to pay off that last little bit of consumer debt (technically his, but ours) in the first 6 months, and put increased funds to savings and IRA last 6 months. I have precise numbers in mind, just being mysterious.

Goal one of final debt payoff was completed early April. Working now on the rest.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

We've decided to skip the Panama Canal cruise for now. I didn't actually cancel it yet but we really want to be done with our mortgage. It will free up so much $ each month and I'd love to have that weight taken off my shoulders.
I say that now but it's possible I might change my mind again when it starts getting cold next fall. Part of our deposit is a $2000 Disney gift card so it's not like we'd get that refunded anyway. We bought it pre-covid at a discount from BJs.
Maybe we'll use it for a quickie cruise when that starts happening again.
This week I paid an extra $560 to our mortgage.