Debt Dumpers 2020

[jen7233]

Found out this morning that our roommate tested positive for covid. He came home on Tuesday not feeling great (his coworker came into work sick and exposed everyone) and went and got tested on Wednesday. Because of this my DH stayed home Thursday and Friday. His boss asked him to stay home until we found out the results. Soo now we both have to get tested. Luckily I've been working from home since March so it doesn't really affect me, but I'm not sure how this will affect my DHs paychecks. They only get 40 hours of sick time in a year and he only has 2 more days of vacation left before his new 2 weeks kicks in in May. Luckily we do have some savings to cover any days he may not get paid for.

I'm just feeling really irritated right now.

I can understand, hope the testing is negative, but still the possibility of not enough paid sick days part must be hard.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Found out this morning that our roommate tested positive for covid. He came home on Tuesday not feeling great (his coworker came into work sick and exposed everyone) and went and got tested on Wednesday. Because of this my DH stayed home Thursday and Friday. His boss asked him to stay home until we found out the results. Soo now we both have to get tested. Luckily I've been working from home since March so it doesn't really affect me, but I'm not sure how this will affect my DHs paychecks. They only get 40 hours of sick time in a year and he only has 2 more days of vacation left before his new 2 weeks kicks in in May. Luckily we do have some savings to cover any days he may not get paid for.

I'm just feeling really irritated right now.

Wow. That is so selfish of his coworker.

I started feeling crappy last Sunday. Fatigue and chills w/o fever. I called out Monday doubting I had covid, no reason to believe I have been exposed, but just to be safe and don't want coworkers to pass on to their older parents, etc. Working in a hospital, our employee health handles all of this but they are SWAMPED. I waited on hold 1.5 hours Monday morning. Talked with a nurse and waited a few hours for a call back from a doctor. They ordered a test but I couldn't get an appt to get one until the next morning. By early Tuesday afternoon, I was feeling really sick and getting worried but by dinner time I felt sooo much better. I had also been having some sinus problems and started doing the sinus rinse with steroid on Monday which always helps. So by Wednesday morning I could look up my results online and see that it's negative. Whew!

So I figured they'd call me to give me a Return to Work pass. I was getting a lot of gift wrapping done and didn't feel like waiting on hold for 1.5 hours again. By 4pm my supervisor suggests I send them an email. No reply. I call them first thing Thursday morning with only 45 min wait and they say they'll put my name on the RTW call back list. They add that I need to answer every call even if I don't recognize the number and if I don't get a call by 4:30pm, I should continue to answer my phone until 10pm. I did finally get a call that afternoon and went to work Friday but it's crazy how a 2 day illness turned into 4 sick days.

Still, I'd do the same again. I could not live with myself if I had gone to work with covid and kill off a coworker's parent.
I hope your roommate has a speedy recovery and you and your dh are spared. Also I hope your roommate cooperates with at-home quarantining (keeping to 1-2 rooms of the house) to help curb the possibility that you 2 catch it from him.
Hugs.

ETA: When I told my coworkers this story while at work on Friday, one of them says she heard that employee health has had to call 1100+ employees regarding their RTW status last week. omg. I thought we were busy; I truly feel sorry for anyone working there.

 

[crazycatstacy]

Getting ready to head to Wisconsin for the holidays. Please no judgment on traveling during the holidays- we are driving and I haven't seen my daughter since last December so I'm going. We will be as safe as possible.

Trying to pay for this trip all in cash. It is completely doable as long as I refrain from "oh I'm shopping what's one more" mindset. We are goin got Trader Joes so I am going to try to be realistic about what we will actually use rather than just buying what I think looks cool.

 

[pblack]

Getting ready to head to Wisconsin for the holidays. Please no judgment on traveling during the holidays- we are driving and I haven't seen my daughter since last December so I'm going. We will be as safe as possible.

Trying to pay for this trip all in cash. It is completely doable as long as I refrain from "oh I'm shopping what's one more" mindset. We are goin got Trader Joes so I am going to try to be realistic about what we will actually use rather than just buying what I think looks cool.

Have a great trip!!

 

[DisneyMandC]

I know it's been mentioned in the past - can someone who uses YNAB talk to me about it?

What do you like? What don't you like? Is it worth it when you compare it to the free versions out there (Mint, Everydollar). I want to get even more on top of things in 2021, so I'm thinking it might be beneficial, but at the same time paying to budget also seems a bit counterintuitive to me.

I use it, but I use the old version. I am actually getting ready to migrate to the new version for 2021 though because my ancient Macbook I use the desktop version on is dying. I do really like the system overall and the every dollar principle of budgeting works well for me. The biggest complaint/thing I don't like about the new system is the inability to roll over deficits in a certain category. For example, if we paid for my husband's hotel on our credit card for a work trip in November and he doesn't get reimbursed for it until December, I would roll over the negative balance into next month's category and then fund it once we receive that reimbursement. New YNAB will no longer allow you to do that because it's "not a true picture of your budget" and you should be funding each category in full or not spending the money. Well, I don't need to fund that category because I'm not actually spending my money when I'm getting reimbursed two weeks later So now you have to manipulate it by going and essentially backdating that reimbursement payment for the previous month's budget. Otherwise, YNAB, will automatically subtract your overage amount from your income in the next month's budget.

I hope that made sense! I do really like the system otherwise.

 

[huggybuff]

Just a quick update on my progress: I've settled with over half of my creditors thru my debt settlement program and have about $27,000 left to go. I started with just over $58,000. Some of them are using a structured payment plan that extend out a year or more and some have been lump sum payments. It feels so nice to be getting things under control. I'm just a bit behind on saving for my wedding because I've been throwing most of my extra money to the debt program but I will be switching to savings mode this month since we may end up getting married in either August or November. November would give me more time to save (and lose weight) but I would rather get married sooner. Cash flow has been tight lately and I'm trying to cut down on buying things that I don't truly need and just buy necessities. I'm night and day from where I was when I was building up all that debt as far as spending goes, but I still have my tendencies.

 

[imbatman]

Getting ready to head to Wisconsin for the holidays. Please no judgment on traveling during the holidays- we are driving and I haven't seen my daughter since last December so I'm going. We will be as safe as possible.

I hope you two have a wonderful time together! My daughter is coming home for Christmas.

Boss offered to allow me to cash out a week's vacation. He said, "2020 has sucked, especially for you." I'm going to go ahead and do it. Just talking myself into being a responsible adult and shoving it all toward debt. It'll put me that much closer to being debt free in 2021! I may hold onto $100 to be frivolous with.

 

[jackers]

You need to totally be frivolous.

 

[jen7233]

Getting ready to head to Wisconsin for the holidays. Please no judgment on traveling during the holidays- we are driving and I haven't seen my daughter since last December so I'm going. We will be as safe as possible.

Trying to pay for this trip all in cash. It is completely doable as long as I refrain from "oh I'm shopping what's one more" mindset. We are goin got Trader Joes so I am going to try to be realistic about what we will actually use rather than just buying what I think looks cool.

Have a good time.

I admit I tend to think of the movie Spies Like Us scene with Dan Akroyd and Chevy Chase and the fake doctors scene "doctor, doctor..... doctor, doctor" when I read some topics elsewhere on the boards? Now I want to watch it again.

 

[ctinct]

I havent seen this mentioned yet. Maybe I missed it.

There has been a one month extension on the pause on federal student loan payments. Could be helpful to those, like my daughter, who have been paying their usual amount to a particular loan in order to be done with that loan. Or, of course, to people who are having financial difficulty due to job loss or reduction in hours, illness, etc.

 

[imbatman]

I havent seen this mentioned yet. Maybe I missed it.

There has been a one month extension on the pause on federal student loan payments. Could be helpful to those, like my daughter, who have been paying their usual amount to a particular loan in order to be done with that loan. Or, of course, to people who are having financial difficulty due to job loss or reduction in hours, illness, etc.

By paying more toward the principal? That is always helpful in the end. In regards to the others you listed, it's simply helpful to allow them to pay other bills.

 

[fifthdimensiondweller]

Heyyyy guys remember me?

2020 actually pretty good year for us. i haven't been on the boards for forever (just didn't have the heart with the parks closed, etc.) but I'm back and ready for this year to be over (aren't we all?)

It's way too much to go into detail about, but I'll give a recap quickly to show where i stand for 2021:

i think i mentioned previously DH was having some health issues. He's doing better, but he'll have lifelong medical expenses so we've had to rework our budget to account for them.

my grandmother decided to stop driving and gave me her car- big help!

we paid off DH's car as well.

we just refinanced DH's remaining student loans. 10 years maximum left on those, but hopefully not that long.

we both were able to work through covid thankfully. This year we saved 2200 toward our moving expenses, built a $3300 emergency fund, and have about $4000 saved toward a down payment when one of our cars eventually goes.

we are finally realizing our dream of moving to Orlando in the coming months. DH has a work opportunity there and we want this to finally be our permanent home after 5 moves since 2013. Guys, I can't explain how much going there in such a good financial situation will be for us. Thank you to this group for all of the tips, tricks, and support over the years.

2019 sucked for us with DH being so sick and us separating for a period of time. 2020 sucked for the world, so I am pushing really hard for 2021 to be as full of positives as possible.

Our savings goals for 2021:

-We want to buy a house in the Orlando area in mid- 2022, so house related expenses. Down payment we have a little help with, but obviously we have a lot of saving to do for everything that comes with buying a house.

-Saving for another Disney cruise when it's safe to travel again

-Saving to have one more child hopefully in 2021 or 2022 (mainly medical expenses and funds to cover any unpaid time off work if needed for me)

-not really a savings goal, but uhmmmm I sort of need to find a new job when we move to Orlando. I work in Banking now so looking at that, retail etc. Full time or heavy part time (30 hours a week).

I know my posts and goals have been so erratic over the past 2 years with everything that we've been through as a family and then of course everything 2020 brought, so thanks for always offering support and never judgement. We are finally finding a sense of permanence and settling in to our new circumstances. Hopefully my posts next year will be more frequent and progressive again!

 

[pblack]

Welcome back @fifthdimensiondweller! Glad to hear that you've made some great progress in 2020! Congratulations on your upcoming move!

 

[Buzzsgramma]

So daughter in law gets ill nothing bad but then loses the senses of taste and smell..test positive..off work with pay and extra pay....Honest Abe son tells his employer his wife is ill with Covid...he tests negative and told to stay home for 2 weeks...no pay unless you work and no Covid pay..company says they applied and were told no...he is in a union and construction and deemed esstenial worker...total of 3 weeks off no pay...Nice huh? some get it and some don't..

 

[Deffenm]

Just checking in as it has been a while. Paid off all of DH's doctor bills from his accident and we of course hit our max out of pocket so trying to get in dental, eye appointments, and anything else anyone needs done before end of year. LOL Of course we couldn't end the year without some unexpected car maintenance so both DH and DD needed new brakes and repairs that cost over $800 each. I am also not sure if I shared but in October we had to say goodbye to our furbaby Bella. She was almost 12 years old and the effects of diabetes were taking such a toll on her. My focus right now has just been on Christmas and birthday shopping. DD's birthday is Dec. 24th and youngest DS's is Dec. 30th.

Considering everything that has happened to our family in 2020 I am thankful that our jobs have been secured, our health is back to normal, and we were able to cash flow all of our issues without going into debt.

Our goals for 2021 will be to build back up our emergency fund to $10k its down to $4,700, pay down mortgage (need to come up with number goal) and save up and pay for at least 4 vacations. I have so much vacation time I have to use next year since I will be carrying over 10 days from this year to next. We have an RV so we have 3 camping trips tentatively planned and then would really like to do a trip for Christmas next year vs gifts.

I hope everyone has a safe and wonderful holiday season and can't wait to cheer each other on in 2021 with our goals!

 

[ajanderson84]

Hello Everyone,
Ive been quietly stalking this particular post all year getting a feel for what everyone is working towards and what looks/sounds realistic. I think I am ready to jump in and share starting for 2021 thread. Will there be a 2021 thread? Thanks for being so willing to share, although Ive said very little, I have enjoyed hearing your stories (the good and the bad, and I hope all the bad is getting resolved or is already resolved and everyone finds good health and fortunes now).

 

[ajanderson84]

Sorry to post twice quickly but just saw this post and I can help with it:

I know it's been mentioned in the past - can someone who uses YNAB talk to me about it?

What do you like? What don't you like? Is it worth it when you compare it to the free versions out there (Mint, Everydollar). I want to get even more on top of things in 2021, so I'm thinking it might be beneficial, but at the same time paying to budget also seems a bit counterintuitive to me.

I have the paid version of YNAB! I used to use free versions like Mint, but never managed to stick with it. I also was skeptical at the idea of paying for the budgeting software but for me it turned out to be worth it. Not only does it automate a lot of things, it also makes it easy and clear to understand, and also lays everything out very clearly on where your money goes. I started using YNAB nearly two years ago, and since then I am completely debt free (except the mortgage) and building up savings better. I am able to live in a method of I budgeted certain dollars to a certain pot and once they are gone they are gone. It also allows for "Zero Sum" budgeting. Every dollar is assigned a "home" or category. I can reassign the category but every dollar is accounted for, which is quite nice. I also like that I can set different types of goals. Amounts to save for saving, amounts to set aside monthly as part of an expected spend, etc. I also now purchase just about everything on my Costco Citi card and then pay it out of main checking, but because both are linked in YNAB I can still keep it to assigned categories and whatnot. Its actually quite cool. I think there are a bunch of how to videos about YNAB on YouTube if you give it a look.

Hope all that helps!

 

[pblack]

I've went ahead and created the 2021 Debt Dumpers thread --> https://www.disboards.com/threads/debt-dumpers-2021.3820067/

 

[jen7233]

Our savings goals for 2021:

-We want to buy a house in the Orlando area in mid- 2022, so house related expenses. Down payment we have a little help with, but obviously we have a lot of saving to do for everything that comes with buying a house.

That sounds quite interesting! If you do look in the area I have sometimes watched/listened to the Moving to Orlando show that Pete has. Living close to the magic seems great, I like to hear about the different neighborhoods. Actually, I frequent Zillow alot just to plug in our numbers or house wish list hunt, to see what it would cost or how houses look like in our price range in various places I would consider we may move to one day. Outside Orlando gets a look, but so have San Antonio, Merritt Island, St. Augustine, Savannah Georgia, Charleston SC area, Tennessee, Idaho. I have no rhyme or reason, we are just open to wherever the job takes us or retirement. I like Zillow and HGTV home buying shows!!

So daughter in law gets ill nothing bad but then loses the senses of taste and smell..test positive..off work with pay and extra pay....Honest Abe son tells his employer his wife is ill with Covid...he tests negative and told to stay home for 2 weeks...no pay unless you work and no Covid pay..company says they applied and were told no...he is in a union and construction and deemed esstenial worker...total of 3 weeks off no pay...Nice huh? some get it and some don't..

That is lousy to get no pay, do to the necessity to stay home if mandated. We don't have that particular situation in my house with DH as he doesn't work for private industry, but it must be hard for those that do and is definitely a problem I know some face. When my DD has to stay home from work, it means less paycheck as is an hourly employee and not earning benefits, was working at a salon doing hair and now working food restaurant chain, that hasn't had as much the impact as it's a brand name and mobile ordering was well in place prior to all the current situation. I've had to help out sometimes when she was short, and then that is a stress on me, and also and I don't live nearby. Already ran the Covid course in their house, and then what I'll call it Covid part II sickness, but that was when the extra pay was coming. It's difficult for many, really sad.

 

[PhoenixStrength]

So I guess I'll do this now as the rest of the year will be crazy so I may not get to do it later, and it won't change much in the next 3 weeks.

2020 Financial Goals:

• Pay off at least $5000 of credit card debt I don't have the exact number but we did get this goal, by a few hundred
• Pay off remainder of DH's car loan (should be done in March) Done
• Save $1500 towards emergency savings account Well, we kind of did this. We had it, but then had multiple vehicle issues between our 2 cars so it got mostly used for that. We still have about $500 of this part, and might be able to add a bit more before end of year but not the $1000 that's missing.
• Contribute more to our retirement savings (still figuring out a realistic increase to aim for) Never got this started, but will in 2021
• Pay off remaining $3500 for November 2020 DCL cruise. Cruise got cancelled, used the funds to pay for our October 2021 WDW trip instead
• Save enough to be able to add at least a few days at WDW before our November cruise. Cruise got cancelled so no need for this.
• Start saving for our 2021 tentatively planned vacations. We know one will be to WDW with my SIL, BIL and DNephew for his first WDW trip for his 5th birthday in May 2021, still deciding if the other will be Hawaii or somewhere else. This has completely changed. This particular WDW trip isn't happening as SIL & BIL are indecisive about when they want to go now, but we have a different WDW trip planned for Oct 2021 with some of my family members. Not exactly sure what other vacations for next year with Covid.

2020 Personal Goals:

• Eat healthier, especially stop drinking so much soda. Quit drinking soda in October! Eating slightly healthier, but will need to improve that part more in 2021.
• Exercise more. Well, cancelled gym membership due to Covid, so this hasn't happened.
• Try more new activities with DH. Aiming for one new thing each month. Couldn't do this since so much has been shut down due to Covid.
• Find new activities/hobbies to help reduce my stress and enjoy my time that don't involve spending money! Well, found a few things since nothing that costs money was really open anyway!