Debt Dumpers - 2017

[Eureka]

The baby shower was yesterday and it was great. It was a backyard BBQ at our house hosted by my friend and my mom. It was exactly what I had hoped for- a fun, casual co-ed get together with yummy food, great conversation and no silly games. We had a huge turnout and got lots of great gifts, which is so very appreciated. People seemed to have such a great time that it lasted longer than I thought, over 5 hours. And maybe most importantly, DH had an amazing time too. I am very happy that my only real request for the shower was that it be co-ed. It was genuinely lovely and so nice to celebrate baby's impending arrival with family and friends.

Later today we had our newborn care class, which was helpful. We practiced diapering, swaddling, holding the baby, etc. DH asked lots of questions. I feel like these classes are worth the time and money (though insurance covered the childbirth one) because it seems to make DH much more engaged. I have done lots of reading on my own, but he is less inclined to do that so the interactive classes benefit him much more.

We have started putting more of the baby items together too and getting our bedroom situated for baby's arrival. We found an amazing deal on a bassinet that I think will work even better than the one I had originally registered for because it is adjustable, has wheels and can be used up to a higher weigh limit.

We still have another shower at DH's office on Sept. 13 and after that we will start to purchase the rest of the immediately necessary items from our registry. The next month is going to be super busy between finishing up projects at work in anticipation of maternity leave, childbirth class and finishing prep for baby's arrival. It is hard to believe that it is just 47 more days until my due date!

I'm so glad you had fun. See...I told you there would be showers!

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

How exciting! Can't believe you're so close already!

The time really has gone by quickly!

I'm so glad you had fun. See...I told you there would be showers!

I was really surprised when DH's office offered to throw us a shower. But I guess they really love any excuse to host a celebration, or so DH says. They even asked about a theme and DH told them that we were having a Winnie the Pooh themed nursery, so I guess that will be the shower theme. His co-workers all seem really nice (some even came to the other shower on Saturday), so I am sure we will have a nice time.

 

[Imagineer5]

Hi all! IDK if you guys remember me LOL but I had DD#3 back in April then went a bit MIA (home for 3 months with 3 littles!). I am back at work now - when I returned we had gone off track a little bit (thanks to those 3 months unpaid, and many unexpected payments). Our "end date" moved from December 2019 to April 2020, which I wasn't happy about. Well this morning, DH accepted an offer for a new position which will be significantly closer to home, cutting down on his commute time (YAY) and it pays more. I also began a little side business in June and it is flourishing!

With DH's new position,
1. I could go down to 3 days per week, and our payoff date is September 2019.
2. I could work full time plus side job (which is a lot) and our payoff date is May 2019.
3. Or I could work 4 days per week (which is what I am currently doing and it's also a lot on a daily basis with work plus side job) plus my side job, and pay off is June 2019.

I am dying for more time home with my girls, so I feel like an extra couple months to pay off debt is worth it, but wanted to get your input since you aren't look at it from such a personal point of view <3

 

[Eureka]

Hi all! IDK if you guys remember me LOL but I had DD#3 back in April then went a bit MIA (home for 3 months with 3 littles!). I am back at work now - when I returned we had gone off track a little bit (thanks to those 3 months unpaid, and many unexpected payments). Our "end date" moved from December 2019 to April 2020, which I wasn't happy about. Well this morning, DH accepted an offer for a new position which will be significantly closer to home, cutting down on his commute time (YAY) and it pays more. I also began a little side business in June and it is flourishing!

With DH's new position,
1. I could go down to 3 days per week, and our payoff date is September 2019.
2. I could work full time plus side job (which is a lot) and our payoff date is May 2019.
3. Or I could work 4 days per week (which is what I am currently doing and it's also a lot on a daily basis with work plus side job) plus my side job, and pay off is June 2019.

I am dying for more time home with my girls, so I feel like an extra couple months to pay off debt is worth it, but wanted to get your input since you aren't look at it from such a personal point of view <3

Congrats! I would drop down to part time. I wasn't a great sahm in the sense that I needed more intellectual stimulation, but once I started freelancing it was great. My kids are teens now and I wish I could work part time. Your kids will only be small for a limited time. If you can do it and are ok with the slightly longer pay off date, I'd do it. Your dates are not even that different, it's a matter of just a few months.

 

[Imagineer5]

Congrats! I would drop down to part time. I wasn't a great sahm in the sense that I needed more intellectual simulation, but once I started freelancing it was great. My kids are teens now and I wish I could work part time. Your kids will only be small for a limited time. If you can do it and are ok with the slightly longer pay off date, I'd do it. Your dates are even that different, it's a matter of just a few months.

Thank you so much for the input! That's how I feel too - right now my oldest is starting Kindergarten next week, but I have a 21m old and 4m old and I'd love to have some extra time with them (and be home more for the oldest as well to help with homework and such <3) It isn't that much of a difference, as you said!

I have a celebratory trip planned for April 2020 when my youngest turns 3 (Disney Cruise!) so I feel like anytime before that is fine in terms of paying it all off LOL!

 

[fifthdimensiondweller]

I agree with pp @Imagineer5 , I'd go down to part time if you're ok with taking a few months longer. If we were talking years of difference that would be one thing, but the few extra months you'll get with your little ones would be so valuable- you can always make more money, but you can't get that time back!

 

[DisneyMandC]

I think we should finish up August pretty well budget-wise. I feel like our grocery bills were crazy high this month considering we were gone the first week of the month, but oh well. We did do better on eating out in general this month. Other than that we didn't have any unplanned expenses, other than DH's purchase of his brother's old Apple Watch We should be able to throw a lot of extra money to our horse show fund this month. We're still waiting on the winnings from our earlier horse show this month, so that will be a nice boost to the budget.

DH and I have been toying with the idea of getting me a new (to me) car at some point. I would really like to get a Prius, or some sort of hybrid. I do a lot of driving going to the barn out of state and to various horse shows, so gas is a big line item in our budget. I have a Hyundai Sonata currently, but honestly the gas mileage on it isn't that impressive. DH has the Santa Fe (SUV) and my car only does about 2-3 mpg better than that. We are considering trying to set some cash aside to see if we can find me a low mileage used Prius in the spring and sell my car before it gets 100k miles on it. I'm torn, because I do like to keep cars until they die, but I think I would get a lot of the money saving benefits out of owning a hybrid. I think I'll just have to see how the money shapes up though, because I am NOT interested in another car payment after we just paid DH's car off last December.

 

[Eureka]

Thank you so much for the input! That's how I feel too - right now my oldest is starting Kindergarten next week, but I have a 21m old and 4m old and I'd love to have some extra time with them (and be home more for the oldest as well to help with homework and such <3) It isn't that much of a difference, as you said!

I have a celebratory trip planned for April 2020 when my youngest turns 3 (Disney Cruise!) so I feel like anytime before that is fine in terms of paying it all off LOL!

Pardon the typos in my post. My keyboard was acting up.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

The carseat went on sale at Babies R Us. 25% off plus an extra 10% in rewards for purchasing off our registry. Total savings was $95! Too bad the extra base didn't go on sale too. Keeping my eye out for savings on the really big ticket items. Hoping that we will have quite a bit left in the baby fund once we have everything purchased. Then we can decide how to reallocate it for other big upcoming expenses, like DH's citizenship application or something else.

 

[Alexle2007]

Hi all! IDK if you guys remember me LOL but I had DD#3 back in April then went a bit MIA (home for 3 months with 3 littles!). I am back at work now - when I returned we had gone off track a little bit (thanks to those 3 months unpaid, and many unexpected payments). Our "end date" moved from December 2019 to April 2020, which I wasn't happy about. Well this morning, DH accepted an offer for a new position which will be significantly closer to home, cutting down on his commute time (YAY) and it pays more. I also began a little side business in June and it is flourishing!

With DH's new position,
1. I could go down to 3 days per week, and our payoff date is September 2019.
2. I could work full time plus side job (which is a lot) and our payoff date is May 2019.
3. Or I could work 4 days per week (which is what I am currently doing and it's also a lot on a daily basis with work plus side job) plus my side job, and pay off is June 2019.

I am dying for more time home with my girls, so I feel like an extra couple months to pay off debt is worth it, but wanted to get your input since you aren't look at it from such a personal point of view <3

I think you also need to look at the long term ramifications and not just the short-term when debt will be paid off. Will you still be contributing the same to retirement/401k? Your income will go down which impacts your Social Security numbers. Are you ok with that?

 

[Imagineer5]

I think you also need to look at the long term ramifications and not just the short-term when debt will be paid off. Will you still be contributing the same to retirement/401k? Your income will go down which impacts your Social Security numbers. Are you ok with that?

Yes because my goal is to stop working altogether <3 I want more time with my kids, period. We have pensions from both our jobs, 401k savings, and in the end either way I want to stop working. So my lower retirement savings isn't something I'm concerned with.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

Yes because my goal is to stop working altogether <3 I want more time with my kids, period. We have pensions from both our jobs, 401k savings, and in the end either way I want to stop working. So my lower retirement savings isn't something I'm concerned with.

Not being critical, just curious. What kind of pension do you have? You don't seem to be old enough and or have worked long enough to have a vested pension plan. Most employers require 20 years minimum. And as @Alexle2007 said, you may not be eligible for full social security benefits if you haven't worked for 10 full years making at least $5200 each year. Though this may not matter to you. Just things to consider.

 

[Imagineer5]

Not being critical, just curious. What kind of pension do you have? You don't seem to be old enough and or have worked long enough to have a vested pension plan. Most employers require 20 years minimum. And as @Alexle2007 said, you may not be eligible for full social security benefits if you haven't worked for 10 full years making at least $5200 each year. Though this may not matter to you. Just things to consider.

Pension was active once I hit 5 years of service. I've been working for the DoD for 11 years now.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

Pension was active once I hit 5 years of service. I've been working for the DoD for 11 years now.

That is very nice to have a pension after just 5 years. You don't look like you have been working for 11 years! You look so young in your profile picture.

 

[Imagineer5]

That is very nice to have a pension after just 5 years. You don't look like you have been working for 11 years! You look so young in your profile picture.

Thank you! My 35th birthday is right around the corner <3 I def feel old with 3 kids!

 

[OhMari]

The carseat went on sale at Babies R Us. 25% off plus an extra 10% in rewards for purchasing off our registry. Total savings was $95! Too bad the extra base didn't go on sale too. Keeping my eye out for savings on the really big ticket items. Hoping that we will have quite a bit left in the baby fund once we have everything purchased. Then we can decide how to reallocate it for other big upcoming expenses, like DH's citizenship application or something else.

Look around on Face book on the Buy Sell and Trade boards. Most times, people's carseats are expired, but they have extra bases. My dd needed a 2nd one and she just asked her friends on Facebook too, and many people had the extra bases.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

Look around on Face book on the Buy Sell and Trade boards. Most times, people's carseats are expired, but they have extra bases. My dd needed a 2nd one and she just asked her friends on Facebook too, and many people had the extra bases.

The carseat that we got is pretty new and uses a different base than other Chicco models, so I doubt many people would have extra bases. Also, just like the car seat, the bases expire or the integrity could be compromised if it has been in an accident. I am happy to buy many, many baby items used, but the car seats are bases I prefer to get brand new.

 

[Tygerlilly]

The baby shower was yesterday and it was great. It was a backyard BBQ at our house hosted by my friend and my mom. It was exactly what I had hoped for- a fun, casual co-ed get together with yummy food, great conversation and no silly games. We had a huge turnout and got lots of great gifts, which is so very appreciated. People seemed to have such a great time that it lasted longer than I thought, over 5 hours. And maybe most importantly, DH had an amazing time too. I am very happy that my only real request for the shower was that it be co-ed. It was genuinely lovely and so nice to celebrate baby's impending arrival with family and friends.

Later today we had our newborn care class, which was helpful. We practiced diapering, swaddling, holding the baby, etc. DH asked lots of questions. I feel like these classes are worth the time and money (though insurance covered the childbirth one) because it seems to make DH much more engaged. I have done lots of reading on my own, but he is less inclined to do that so the interactive classes benefit him much more.

We have started putting more of the baby items together too and getting our bedroom situated for baby's arrival. We found an amazing deal on a bassinet that I think will work even better than the one I had originally registered for because it is adjustable, has wheels and can be used up to a higher weigh limit.

We still have another shower at DH's office on Sept. 13 and after that we will start to purchase the rest of the immediately necessary items from our registry. The next month is going to be super busy between finishing up projects at work in anticipation of maternity leave, childbirth class and finishing prep for baby's arrival. It is hard to believe that it is just 47 more days until my due date!

First, October 27th is a fantastic day to have a baby. Just saying. Lol. It's about a week longer than you'd probably want to stay pregnant, but still a great day. Lol.

Second, I wish my mil would have done my shower as a co-ed bbq. It's what I would have loved, but it was definitely a girly thing instead. I'm not exactly girly, nor did I really know many of the people there (it was in Indiana with his family, some of whom I only met once before that). I'm grateful she wanted to throw it and appreciative of the gifts and thoughtfulness of it, it was just weirdly uncomfortable for me.

Third, I found babies r us has the best deals in September! I just got a 15% off coupon in the mail too, so maybe you'll also be getting one soon?

 

[fifthdimensiondweller]

Third, I found babies r us has the best deals in September! I just got a 15% off coupon in the mail too, so maybe you'll also be getting one soon?

I just got this too! It's just off one regular priced item but I think I'll use it to get our diaper pail- it's one of the only things we didn't get from our shower!

DH and I are sitting down this weekend to discuss our budget. After this month we'll have about $1500 in the emergency fund. We are going to look at our budget and decide where we want to be 1, 3, 5, 7, and 10 years from now. We are also going to decide what plan of attack we want to use with our student loans and when I'll be going back to work after baby. I'll probably be working about 25 hours a week at first and then working my way up, nights and weekends so I'm opposite of DH and can save on childcare. Kind of stinks but it won't be for long at all! I might end up back at an old employer- they have leadership position available now and I know they specifically need people nights and weekends- plus I'd be eligible for a 401k again after a certain amount of time! I've also seen several positions at local colleges managing their writing centers- right up my alley! After this budget weekend, I think DH and I are going to sit down on another weekend soon to discuss both of our short and long term career strategies- exciting and intimidating!

It's crazy to me that I've got everything planned for the first time in my life. I'm only in my early-mid twenties but it seems like all at once I needed to make a thousand major life decisions! I'm so thankful that I've had this group for support this year. Last year at this time I had cc debt, had no clue how I'd pay off our student loans, and no career strategy or significant savings- things have really turned around for us!

 

[amalone1013]

Hmm... I would argue the original due date is a great day, October 13th if I did the math right? I may be biased... that might be my birthday @Jen and Ashwin @Tygerlilly