Debt Dumpers 2020

[DLgal]

I’m finding this convo on pay periods very interesting. I get paid semi-monthly but have started a monthly budget. All my major bills are due at the beginning of the month but I get paid the 15th and last day of the month. I usually just end up paying everything with a credit card for the cash back and then pay the credit card off in full. Obviously inefficient because then the balance gets reported (even though it’s not revolving).

So I guess my question is how asking to have due dates changed works? Does it mess up the bill (end up being higher for a month due to the adjustment)? Is there anything I should know or be aware of if I try to stagger my due dates?

Changing your due date does change your statement close date as well, so yeah, for one month, your billing cycle will be either longer or shorter, depending on how you move your due date.

 

[pblack]

More roofing news... I pulled up our roof inspection from 2 years ago earlier to look for some information and found out that we were incorrect in thinking the roof only had 5 years left. According to the inspection they estimated we actually had 10 years left (8 now). With this new revelation we're thinking we are going to do another roof inspection and patch up the leak in the roof above the garage and worry about a new roof a few years from now. By that point we should have either money to go towards replacement or enough equity to refinance/ take out a HELOC.

 

[MN_Andi]

Monthly recap...

Financial Goals for 2020:

• Have student loans under $20,000 ($28,000--> $25,900)
• Save $3,000 for my vacation to Walt Disney World in late October/November ($386.19/$3000)
• Keep my financial spreadsheet 100% up to date (Good for this month!)

January was a three paycheck month for me, so that check went straight to my student loans. If only I could pay off $2,000 in student loans every month! I spent too much on going out to eat, so I need to keep an eye on that in February. I did track all the money spent, so I guess I have that going for me !

I hope everyone has a great February

 

[barkley]

January was a three paycheck month for me, so that check went straight to my student loans. If only I could pay off $2,000 in student loans every month! I

if your payday is today then you get 3 of those extra paychecks this year b/c it's a leap year! come may and october you'll have that extra $$$ again!

 

[StacyStrong]

January went well for me. Budgeting was a success and I underspent on my dining out category (huge for me!). On to February!

 

[MerissaAndMomLoveDis]

Feeling pretty great--yesterday I paid $3400 extra toward credit card debt and paid the $1450 property taxes on my grandmother's home. I was worried about having enough to pay the taxes and survive the month (I've been on FMLA and just went back to work this week) after cash flowing both my daughter's college tuition and my own property taxes in December and I thought I was going to have some leave without pay in January due to recovery from surgery I had in December so I had really tighterend my spending belt in Nov, Dec, Jan, but my employer donated 2 weeks of paid leave and I got my full check!! It was GREAT to be able to put so much toward debt this month!

When I get paid next, I plan to purchase Disneyworld tickets for our March trip. Question for fellow debt dumpers--Anyone here use Undercover Tourist to buy their Disneyworld tickets? It will save be about $55 total for two tickets -- just wanted to check here first to see if anyone has purchased through UT and pros/cons ?? TIA!

 

[barkley]

happy february one and all!

i just got my accounting done for january and can announce that i kind of did a no spend january. 'kind of' because i did spend but not in the traditional way.

i don't do the whole credit card/points game but i've got one that does get points and since i can choose the categories for highest i chose travel/restaurants and groceries for 2019. i knew we could slam some big amounts away b/c we were doing our universal trip in december and when those points added up along with the grocery points it was a healthy chunk. i had also held on to a $300 visa gift card dish tv gave us last summer when we switched from direct (had to wait for game of thrones to end ). all total it was almost the same amount i budget monthly for our 'household expenses' (anything not a regular fixed amount, not utilities-so scrips, haircuts, clothes, food, gas, eat out/entertainment, household goods...).

I DID IT! i was able to save the january household money in full! now it will roll into my household excess savings account so i can start the year off with a nice chunk of change in case another month runs over budget. i've also decided that i'm going to let the points on that card pile up again for the new year and see what that adds up with more normalized spending.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

I’m finding this convo on pay periods very interesting. I get paid semi-monthly but have started a monthly budget. All my major bills are due at the beginning of the month but I get paid the 15th and last day of the month. I usually just end up paying everything with a credit card for the cash back and then pay the credit card off in full. Obviously inefficient because then the balance gets reported (even though it’s not revolving).

So I guess my question is how asking to have due dates changed works? Does it mess up the bill (end up being higher for a month due to the adjustment)? Is there anything I should know or be aware of if I try to stagger my due dates?

Some bills I just pay super early. Why wait for the due date? Well, maybe utilities vary but most are fixed amounts. I pay the mortgage around 2 weeks early. I don't want the $ just sitting there, might as well save on some interest.
Most credit card companies will let you change due dates.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Thanks for the tips! I do know that they would be seamless gutters since my DH asked about that. I'm pretty sure some of the boards are already rotted since these gutters aren't new. I'm sure there has been a decent amount of damage over the years since they don't work very well.

It would be wise to replace the rotten fascia before installing new gutters. Too bad you're not near us; dh has done this for many of our neighbors and he doesn't gouge people. It's an easy side job for him. Thank God he is handy. We rarely pay for labor except for roofing and concrete which are both back-breakers. Oh yeah, we pay for tree removal/trimming. He is able and has done some in the past but it stresses me out too much to witness. I'd rather pay.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Feeling pretty great--yesterday I paid $3400 extra toward credit card debt and paid the $1450 property taxes on my grandmother's home. I was worried about having enough to pay the taxes and survive the month (I've been on FMLA and just went back to work this week) after cash flowing both my daughter's college tuition and my own property taxes in December and I thought I was going to have some leave without pay in January due to recovery from surgery I had in December so I had really tighterend my spending belt in Nov, Dec, Jan, but my employer donated 2 weeks of paid leave and I got my full check!! It was GREAT to be able to put so much toward debt this month!

When I get paid next, I plan to purchase Disneyworld tickets for our March trip. Question for fellow debt dumpers--Anyone here use Undercover Tourist to buy their Disneyworld tickets? It will save be about $55 total for two tickets -- just wanted to check here first to see if anyone has purchased through UT and pros/cons ?? TIA!

Wow, you have a very nice employer.
We have used UCT many times. I can't think of any cons. The pros are that you do save a little and as long as they haven't been linked to anyone's MDE account, they are completely returnable. At least they were last time we used them. It's been a while since we had a multi-day stay. Most of our park visits are a 1 day stop before cruising. IIRC, UCT either doesn't sell single day tickets or they don't discount them. For one of those reasons, we always buy single day tickets directly from Disney.

 

[jackers]

if your payday is today then you get 3 of those extra paychecks this year b/c it's a leap year! come may and october you'll have that extra $$$ again!

Hm, not the case for me - I just have another 3 paycheck month in July.

In budget updates - January was a good month. Overspent on groceries, but I am eating healthier and that goes with the territory. Spent significantly less on eating out so it all is a wash in the end.

With the extra check this month was able to throw a couple extra grand on my car payment (as planned) so on track for payoff in June.

Filed taxes this week and am getting $4500 back from federal and $300 from state (yep, I'm one of those people). Going to throw a good portion of that on my car loan, save some, and use some for fun stuff.

I'm down 10 lbs this month and have slowly started to ease back into running, so all in all, things are on track.

 

[barkley]

Hm, not the case for me - I just have another 3 paycheck month in July.

you are correct-the payroll date list i was looking at had a typo on it

 

[Buzzsgramma]

Feeling pretty great--yesterday I paid $3400 extra toward credit card debt and paid the $1450 property taxes on my grandmother's home. I was worried about having enough to pay the taxes and survive the month (I've been on FMLA and just went back to work this week) after cash flowing both my daughter's college tuition and my own property taxes in December and I thought I was going to have some leave without pay in January due to recovery from surgery I had in December so I had really tighterend my spending belt in Nov, Dec, Jan, but my employer donated 2 weeks of paid leave and I got my full check!! It was GREAT to be able to put so much toward debt this month!

When I get paid next, I plan to purchase Disneyworld tickets for our March trip. Question for fellow debt dumpers--Anyone here use Undercover Tourist to buy their Disneyworld tickets? It will save be about $55 total for two tickets -- just wanted to check here first to see if anyone has purchased through UT and pros/cons ?? TIA!

that's alot of savings on just 2 tix...we used to buy from them when the savings was quite a bit...

 

[Beachmom0317]

Checking in tonight...feeling proud husband and I didn’t go out to eat this weekend or order takeout with the kiddos. Trying our hardest to cook at home since it seems like an easy way to save money by cutting out restaurants. Sounds silly but I really have struggled with this.

 

[kymom99]

that's alot of savings on just 2 tix...we used to buy from them when the savings was quite a bit...

I saw an ad today for a special on 4 day tickets through Disney. You may want to check there if you haven’t lately. On the other hand, that could be why UT has good prices

Just looked those up. Compared first week of June thru Disney vs. UT. UT is still cheaper by about $25 per ticket.

 

[imbatman]

The taxman cameth and our return wasn't as high as projected because DH had changed his withholdings. But, I still don't have to use any budget money to go to the conference and he gets to go to a baseball game. Win-win!

This weekend I installed new flooring in our main bathroom. I'm sore but it was worth it! $100 Christmas money well-spent.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

Totally not budget-related, but I need to get something off my mind.

I think I have mentioned my ex-boyfriend that I dated for almost 8 years, a long time ago? We had a pretty terrible relationship towards the end with emotional abuse and co-dependence. It took many years of therapy for me to overcome it all.

Well, about a month ago I was deleting old mail in my Gmail account and came across pictures of my ex's grandparents that I believe are both now deceased. If felt bad just deleting it and so I sent a brief email to my ex saying that I was forwarding them on in case he wanted them. I felt like it was the right thing to do. I didn't get a response back and forgot about it.

Well, this morning he responded, thanking me for the pictures and letting me know he was open to us communicating more regularly. I thought about it all morning and ended up sending him an email saying that I think we should leave things in our past and wishing him the best in his future. I don't even have negative feelings towards him anymore. I am such a different person now in a much different place in my life, but it just all stirs up so much emotion to even think about him.

 

[pblack]

Totally not budget-related, but I need to get something off my mind.

I think I have mentioned my ex-boyfriend that I dated for almost 8 years, a long time ago? We had a pretty terrible relationship towards the end with emotional abuse and co-dependence. It took many years of therapy for me to overcome it all.

Well, about a month ago I was deleting old mail in my Gmail account and came across pictures of my ex's grandparents that I believe are both now deceased. If felt bad just deleting it and so I sent a brief email to my ex saying that I was forwarding them on in case he wanted them. I felt like it was the right thing to do. I didn't get a response back and forgot about it.

Well, this morning he responded, thanking me for the pictures and letting me know he was open to us communicating more regularly. I thought about it all morning and ended up sending him an email saying that I think we should leave things in our past and wishing him the best in his future. I don't even have negative feelings towards him anymore. I am such a different person now in a much different place in my life, but it just all stirs up so much emotion to even think about him.

Sounds like you did the right thing to me. I'm sure he appreciated the pictures of his grandparents.

 

[DLgal]

Totally not budget-related, but I need to get something off my mind.

I think I have mentioned my ex-boyfriend that I dated for almost 8 years, a long time ago? We had a pretty terrible relationship towards the end with emotional abuse and co-dependence. It took many years of therapy for me to overcome it all.

Well, about a month ago I was deleting old mail in my Gmail account and came across pictures of my ex's grandparents that I believe are both now deceased. If felt bad just deleting it and so I sent a brief email to my ex saying that I was forwarding them on in case he wanted them. I felt like it was the right thing to do. I didn't get a response back and forgot about it.

Well, this morning he responded, thanking me for the pictures and letting me know he was open to us communicating more regularly. I thought about it all morning and ended up sending him an email saying that I think we should leave things in our past and wishing him the best in his future. I don't even have negative feelings towards him anymore. I am such a different person now in a much different place in my life, but it just all stirs up so much emotion to even think about him.

I think you did the right thing. I would have done the same. It is always weird to hear from past relationships and sometimes things can take a turn you didn't expect when you open the door to being friends again.

I had, basically, a "friends with benefits" situation when I was 18/19. No bad blood between us, but it was a complicated situation at the time. We had a crazy good connection though, and I have thought about him often over the years, in a nostalgic way, because I am completely happy in my marriage.

About 10 years ago, he messaged me on FB. Started talking about our past. Asked how long I had been married. I told him "9 years" and he proceeded to say "Damn, I guess I missed my chance then, huh?" I was completely taken aback. This guy is a total player/ladies man type. I called him out on that and we had a bit of friendly back and forth for a few minutes. He has since remained my FB friend, but didn't engage me directly again until yesterday, when he started commenting on my post from my day at Disneyland. He recently moved down here from Texas and now I'm kinda thinking he is trying to get in good with me again. It's honestly making me kinda uneasy. He has recently ended a long term relationship and that was also the case when he messaged me 10 years ago. I'm not sure what to think at this point, but I am treading very carefully with my replies to him.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

I think you did the right thing. I would have done the same. It is always weird to hear from past relationships and sometimes things can take a turn you didn't expect when you open the door to being friends again.

I had, basically, a "friends with benefits" situation when I was 18/19. No bad blood between us, but it was a complicated situation at the time. We had a crazy good connection though, and I have thought about him often over the years, in a nostalgic way, because I am completely happy in my marriage.

About 10 years ago, he messaged me on FB. Started talking about our past. Asked how long I had been married. I told him "9 years" and he proceeded to say "Damn, I guess I missed my chance then, huh?" I was completely taken aback. This guy is a total player/ladies man type. I called him out on that and we had a bit of friendly back and forth for a few minutes. He has since remained my FB friend, but didn't engage me directly again until yesterday, when he started commenting on my post from my day at Disneyland. He recently moved down here from Texas and now I'm kinda thinking he is trying to get in good with me again. It's honestly making me kinda uneasy. He has recently ended a long term relationship and that was also the case when he messaged me 10 years ago. I'm not sure what to think at this point, but I am treading very carefully with my replies to him.

I am still friends with some of my exes and have no issue with that. This relationship was really toxic though and took a long time for me to get over. It was also the first real relationship for either of us, which I think is partly what makes it so hard. It was a pretty formative time in our lives. We broke up and got back together so many times I can't remember. I do think about him from time to time, mostly wondering what he is doing with his life now. He is a pretty brilliant guy and was always intensely passionate about his interests, something that I liked so much about him when we were dating. But towards the end, all I ever felt in the relationship was extreme negativity. I guess I don't really want to open the door to all of that anymore.