Debt Dumpers 2021

[jen7233]

Hello and happy new year. I haven't logged in for a bit. 2021 started alright, had good luck this morning, hit the wrong button on my duo coffee Keurig coffee maker rather than the pot button to make a pot of coffee, hit the Kcup button. Lucky for me I keep a travel mug there with a lid on it always, no real reason but for lack of cabinet space. Thanks to the slanted lid and cup, when I came back to pour coffee, it all went into the cup rather than be all over the counter Budget and going forward, well, we used what was money set aside from a vacation fund and used DH's Chase Marriott card, but that did give DH the amount needed for a future 5 night Marriott stay, and he got the certificate already, so there's that. So, some time over the year the details on the card are to use the 5 nights. Then, also made DD a loan for a car 4k to get back and forth to work and daycare and etc., there's also that going into the new year.

WDW review:
We went to WDW in late December and did a split stay 3 and 3 Yacht and Contemporary. My comparison from other times of years is as follows: the mask sucks to wear constantly, I couldn't do it if it were hotter weather than the December weather outside. Kudos and props to employees that do this day in/out outside in extreme weather conditions hot, rainy, icy. Inside with AC, not as big a deal to me I can manage though it isn't fun, worst inside is it's annoying and the ear straps bug after a while. Outside though, that's a tricky one, if it's hot, or trying to walk or run faster, or if it's cold and the mask area is hot from breathing than gets wet, all that. Anyway, December wasn't too bad outside with it, in my opinion, except for a few times I had to run to catch up with family, need to walk faster, or the cold morning. Am I going in August with a mask, that would be a no. The weather really was fairly ideal (except for one chilly morning had to wear a bigger jacket and gloves). Pool was colder obviously than other times of year and getting out or in not as great, but the pools were really fairly empty on Storm Along Bay and in the Contemporary also. I didn't realize that pool was so shallow throughout (Contemporary).

On rooms, YC was way in the back past the leisure pool and door close to marina, but it was really quiet. Not sure if anyone was even in the rooms next to us. I liked all the ports/outlets. In the Contemporary, asked for lowest floor and got I think the highest regular floor, 11. Pretty cool though, after all, though not a fan of heights too much which is why asked for a lower floor, that plus elevators. Got to see the electrical parade from the balcony, really nice. Elevators weren't that long a wait at all, if any. Had a connecting room door, but also didn't hear neighbors either, wonder if anyone was in them it was quiet. I was initially skeptical of the Contemporary as I read on hear it's noisy, and it is. But, it's a different noise to me, like a busy travel noise in the building and see people and the monorail, had the electrical parade, etc. We didn't mind it at all and lent to being a completely opposite experience adding to the variety of the trip. But, comparatively to rest/quiet sort of place, the YC room was quieter.

Food, mostly did mobile order and it works great (well, not the app, that gave issues, but the process!) We did a few table service, some were great, are worst was Beaches and Cream, not that the server was bad, but the price for the environment. Sat right next to the door and people and staff came in and out every 2 minutes, so it was not a great spot to be sat at, and then the bill comes, and it's the feeling of well, that sucked. Anyway, we also did California Grill (best on service), the Yacht Club Ale and Compass, and Via Napoli. Holiday themed treats were pretty cool in the resorts and the parks. Ride lines weren't too bad, some look super long but due to social distancing always moving so it has the feel anyway of not being too bad. Not going to get into line and spacing rhyme or reason, not my discussion. Just were lines mega long? No, not that we experienced. Were there waits? Yes. MK, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train filled up FAST. Oh yes, and forgot to mention the parks did open a bit earlier than posted times.

 

[Tygerlilly]

omg, I would sooo rather stay at the YC than visit Philly.
Don't forget, it's connected to the Beach Club which is closer to Epcot and also has Cape May Cafe which is a plus for us.
Just saying in case there are discounts for one but not the other.
Also BC has DVC Villas which means you could rent points and save a lot of money that way. Most DVC owners that rent their points don't offer any "cancellation policy" like booking with Disney would so I'm not sure I'd want a res I can't cancel if I were pregnant during a pandemic but everyone has their own levels of what they're comfortable doing. I admit I'm not much of a risk-taker.
All of the 1BR and larger have a kitchen, and washer/dryer which would be handy with an infant plus 2 little ones. The location is super convenient too. Boardwalk is on the opposite side of the lake so it's a further walk to Epcot but closer to HS. They also have DVC Villas but their main pool does not have the wow factor that Stormalong Bay offers.

Haha. Our Philly trip in May is for my cousins wedding reception. They got married last year during the big shut down and had to postpone the reception, so that's why we're going there.
Now that we've split the trip, we'll be in Disney in November instead for a longer more relaxed trip and I'll have a 4 month old instead of being 7 months pregnant. Overall I think it's a much better situation.

I'm nervous of renting dvc points. I just don't like the fact that if something happened, I'd be out a lot of money, whereas the cancelation policy Disney has is pretty good

 

[pblack]

Our stimulus payments hit our account this morning ($1200 total, no kids and under the threshold). We're not sure what we want to do with it, so I've just moved it into savings for now. I was also able to complete one of my goals and im starting on another. I'll post my goals and updates below.

2021 Financial Goals:

♡ Save additional $1000 towards emergency fund outside of monthly transfers....have not touched this one yet.

♡Increase retirement contributions for DH and myself..upped DH's roth to 5% from 4%. Have not touched mine yet, but I plan to up my 403b by $25/mo

♡Pay $1000 extra to Highlander....just paid an extra $250 towards this. Only $750 more to go.

♡Figure out how to pay for roof replacement (~$20k)....havent done anything with this yet.

Happy new year everyone! I hope 2021 is amazing for everyone!

 

[StacyStrong]

Okay, I think I'm ready to put some goals down. I have been really hesitant because I think my #1 goal might be a bit too lofty for me, but I need to just commit and try my best.

1. Save an additional $10k toward my house down payment.
2. Continue saving monthly toward annual ARDC fees, vacation fund, and Christmas. These are auto transfers so no real change.
3. Cut grocery spending. I did great on spending on eating out last year, but I definitely still spend too much on groceries. I don't mind spending on food I enjoy and eat, but I definitely have some food waste and can make more informed purchasing decisions. I'd like to try and cut ~100 a month on groceries.
4. Lose an additional 20lbs.

I'm debating setting up a Roth IRA, but my 401k is already a Roth and I contribute (including employer contributions) around 12% a month there. I might wait to set up a separate Roth IRA until I meet my downpayment goals.

I woke up this morning to my stimulus check. Part of me wants to buy an iPad Air. The other part of me wants to just put it in savings and get a jump on that savings goal.

Happy New Year!

 

[Tygerlilly]

Super jealous of all of you who got your stimulus checks. I don't necessarily *need* ours, but I was planning on booking our trip with a chunk of it and want to get it booked asap.

 

[WDW_fan_in_TX]

We haven't gotten ours either. But we went ahead and booked our trip for November 21. It's only a couple of days as that's all we can afford (can't afford to stay 10+ days like most). But we're booked. Will be first trip since Sept. 2018 (only did MK and Epcot then).

Super jealous of all of you who got your stimulus checks. I don't necessarily *need* ours, but I was planning on booking our trip with a chunk of it and want to get it booked asap.

 

[Tygerlilly]

We haven't gotten ours either. But we went ahead and booked our trip for November 21. It's only a couple of days as that's all we can afford (can't afford to stay 10+ days like most). But we're booked. Will be first trip since Sept. 2018 (only did MK and Epcot then).

We're booking for 8 nights/7 days and will actually be leaving the day before you arrive! I keep thinking maybe do a shorter trip to save some money, but we haven't been since 2017 and only did MK and Epcot back then too, so I want the flexibility to do our favorites a second time or build in a relaxing day in the middle.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

We haven't gotten ours either. But we went ahead and booked our trip for November 21. It's only a couple of days as that's all we can afford (can't afford to stay 10+ days like most). But we're booked. Will be first trip since Sept. 2018 (only did MK and Epcot then).

A couple days is still more fun than 0 days.

We've only done a 10 day trip once. It was just too long. It was too hard to save up that much vacation time and I chose it so that we'd have some "days off" of just relaxing and not having to tour parks all day, every day, but then dh and the kids were bored on the days off. By 10 am they'd ask which park we're going to that day. Most of our visits to WDW are prob 4 days average. I think I read somewhere that the average stay at WDW is 1 week.

 

[barkley]

so no one feels bad about lengths of wdw stays.................my youngest turns 24 next month. wdw stopped selling non expiring tickets back in 2005 but my son still has one day left on his 'child' 14 day ticket we all had at least 5 days left the last time we went about 10 years ago so not all of us get there frequently or for extensive stays.

 

[jen7233]

so no one feels bad about lengths of wdw stays.................my youngest turns 24 next month. wdw stopped selling non expiring tickets back in 2005 but my son still has one day left on his 'child' 14 day ticket we all had at least 5 days left the last time we went about 10 years ago so not all of us get there frequently or for extensive stays.

Wow, can he still use it?! We just recently did 5 park days, six nights. I could have done just one day each park. But, I can also understand chilling and taking a leisurely pace if able to afford to do so, spending a week or two and only a few hours in a park each day.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Wow, can he still use it?! We just recently did 5 park days, six nights. I could have done just one day each park. But, I can also understand chilling and taking a leisurely pace if able to afford to do so, spending a week or two and only a few hours in a park each day.

Yes, back when ALL tickets never expired, Disney would let you take your child's partially used Child Ticket and convert it to an adult ticket after he/she turned 10. We would intentionally buy a child ticket before they turned 10, use it one day, and save it for later. I think they announced more recently at some point they will stop accepting old tickets. I forget the date.

Then they came out with Magic Your Way where you had to pay extra to have the non-expiration option. It was still worth it. We could buy a ticket with 10 big park visits + 10 water park visits. 20 days of fun that you could spread out over several visits. We still have probably 8 water park visits remaining because our tolerance for cold water is pretty low. We'll only do water parks from May to September. 80 degrees is comfortable but not if you're dripping wet in a bathing suit standing in line for a slide which just happens to be in the shade.

 

[CaleCakes]

From the famous words of Ferris Bueller "Life moves pretty fast". Lots has changed in my life over the last 2 years. Thankfully I can say none of it is related to the "pandemic". Between moving half way across the country, job changes (less income believe it or not), and becoming part of the sandwich generation, I think we are finally settled for a while. 2021 is the year I need to get even more settled. The one thing that keeps getting me is credit card debt. Every few years I find myself with significant balances, so I move money around and knock them off, but they always come back. 2021 is the year I am going to break that cycle. We have been waiting a few years for a settlement from an old job and it finally came through. It was much less than expected due to taxes, but it certainly helped! We put half in savings and are paying debts with the rest. Over the last 3 weeks I've been able to pay off $14,761 in cc debt and loans (swing set and dh's exercise bike that were both at 0%, dh's credit card- mostly used for his dog that has had a few unexpected surgeries in 2020, 1 of my credit cards, and some small things coming due like the hoa annual dues, 2 year septic contract, etc.). I still have 2 card left I want to see gone. So here are my goals for 2021:

° Decide between paying off Amex at 12.99% with some of the balance at 1.99% promotional rate or Discover at 14.99%. I want to do one payment to get rid of one then chipping away at the other as quick as possible. Amex is 8k and Discover is 6k. I need to call Amex to see if I can apply a payment just to the larger interest rate, and if so then I'll pay off discover and then pay the higher apr on Amex.

° Move monthly things that are paid by those cc's over to checking account. I know some people swear by paying bills with 1 credit card for points, then paying that monthly, but that does not work for me I have learned. Most of that Amex balance is my stupid cell phone and car insurance! Doesn't work for me and I don't want to do that anymore.

° Start a Roth IRA for myself. I'll have pension from an old job but I know it isn't enough. My current job is a small non profit with no opportunity for 401k, 403b, or any retirement savings. Not ideal at all.

°Keep money in savings! I am terrible at saving. Money burns a hole in my pocket. For once in my life I want to pretend it's not there. I am great at saving for my kids. They each have good size accounts for kids their age (3,5) that we and dh's mother put money into every month. Any time they get birthday money, tooth fairy money, hey mom can I have a dollar money it goes in the bank. I don't plan on telling them about the accounts until they are college ready with the hope they use it for that. My parents didn't do that for me so it is really important for me to do that for my kids.

° Do something about my student loan. I've been paying $400 a month for like the last 20 years and I'm so over it. I'd like to move it to a lower interest rate or something. Idk- this goal needs work.

° Figure out which one of us, me or dh, is getting a new vehicle. I drive a lot for work and he has a take home vehicle. My suv is a 2016 with 98k miles, his is a 2019 with 12k. I would like to see us get something larger that would hold the 6 of us easier. My suv holds us but it involves moving car seats and having someone climb over the 2nd row to squeeze into the 3rd. We both like the odyssey and the expedition. I think we need to take a few months off from paying cc bills and see how much extra we have before buying a new car. We will probably end up with the expedition because that's what I want and I drive the most. Or maybe we won't get new vehicles. This goal is a wip.

°Refinance the mortgage- because why not. The rates are ridiculously low. The process is already started and we are locked in at 2.8%. We will still make the same payments.

° Have some minor work done at the house. We want some better landscaping in the front and to extend the patio in the back. DH really wants a hot tub but honestly I keep ignoring that because I don't see the value in it. Maybe one of those less expensive hard blow up ones will suffice.

°Exercise and lose weight. I am not as active as I want to me. I find myself winded when playing with the kids and I don't want that for them or myself. Plus I hate having my picture taken because I hate seeing myself. That is not fair to the kids, they're going to want pictures of us together when they grow up. I need to snap out of it.

°Purge the garage. We have lived in this home for 14 months and still have boxes in the garage to unpack. Clearly we don't need whatever is in there. 3 car garage and no one can park a car in there because there's too many boxes, 3 strollers, and too many toys. Time to say goodbye to some of the stuff.

° No really plan for a vacation. I keep wanting to book WDW but I know the mask thing will annoy me. We have been to SeaWorld a few times and when the temp starts to rise I'm ready to leave because the mask is too annoying for me. We have a cruise booked for Nov 2021 that was moves from 2020. Who knows what's happening there at thia point. If masks are required, I'm out.

Wow that was a lot, and I'm sure there is more. If you're still here reading, thank you. It's not easy sharing debt skeletons but I've been reading this board for a while, marveling in other people's success at paying off debt and saving. I feel this is my year to do the same.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

From the famous words of Ferris Bueller "Life moves pretty fast". Lots has changed in my life over the last 2 years. Thankfully I can say none of it is related to the "pandemic". Between moving half way across the country, job changes (less income believe it or not), and becoming part of the sandwich generation, I think we are finally settled for a while. 2021 is the year I need to get even more settled. The one thing that keeps getting me is credit card debt. Every few years I find myself with significant balances, so I move money around and knock them off, but they always come back. 2021 is the year I am going to break that cycle. We have been waiting a few years for a settlement from an old job and it finally came through. It was much less than expected due to taxes, but it certainly helped! We put half in savings and are paying debts with the rest. Over the last 3 weeks I've been able to pay off $14,761 in cc debt and loans (swing set and dh's exercise bike that were both at 0%, dh's credit card- mostly used for his dog that has had a few unexpected surgeries in 2020, 1 of my credit cards, and some small things coming due like the hoa annual dues, 2 year septic contract, etc.). I still have 2 card left I want to see gone. So here are my goals for 2021:

° Decide between paying off Amex at 12.99% with some of the balance at 1.99% promotional rate or Discover at 14.99%. I want to do one payment to get rid of one then chipping away at the other as quick as possible. Amex is 8k and Discover is 6k. I need to call Amex to see if I can apply a payment just to the larger interest rate, and if so then I'll pay off discover and then pay the higher apr on Amex.

° Move monthly things that are paid by those cc's over to checking account. I know some people swear by paying bills with 1 credit card for points, then paying that monthly, but that does not work for me I have learned. Most of that Amex balance is my stupid cell phone and car insurance! Doesn't work for me and I don't want to do that anymore.

° Start a Roth IRA for myself. I'll have pension from an old job but I know it isn't enough. My current job is a small non profit with no opportunity for 401k, 403b, or any retirement savings. Not ideal at all.

°Keep money in savings! I am terrible at saving. Money burns a hole in my pocket. For once in my life I want to pretend it's not there. I am great at saving for my kids. They each have good size accounts for kids their age (3,5) that we and dh's mother put money into every month. Any time they get birthday money, tooth fairy money, hey mom can I have a dollar money it goes in the bank. I don't plan on telling them about the accounts until they are college ready with the hope they use it for that. My parents didn't do that for me so it is really important for me to do that for my kids.

° Do something about my student loan. I've been paying $400 a month for like the last 20 years and I'm so over it. I'd like to move it to a lower interest rate or something. Idk- this goal needs work.

° Figure out which one of us, me or dh, is getting a new vehicle. I drive a lot for work and he has a take home vehicle. My suv is a 2016 with 98k miles, his is a 2019 with 12k. I would like to see us get something larger that would hold the 6 of us easier. My suv holds us but it involves moving car seats and having someone climb over the 2nd row to squeeze into the 3rd. We both like the odyssey and the expedition. I think we need to take a few months off from paying cc bills and see how much extra we have before buying a new car. We will probably end up with the expedition because that's what I want and I drive the most. Or maybe we won't get new vehicles. This goal is a wip.

°Refinance the mortgage- because why not. The rates are ridiculously low. The process is already started and we are locked in at 2.8%. We will still make the same payments.

° Have some minor work done at the house. We want some better landscaping in the front and to extend the patio in the back. DH really wants a hot tub but honestly I keep ignoring that because I don't see the value in it. Maybe one of those less expensive hard blow up ones will suffice.

°Exercise and lose weight. I am not as active as I want to me. I find myself winded when playing with the kids and I don't want that for them or myself. Plus I hate having my picture taken because I hate seeing myself. That is not fair to the kids, they're going to want pictures of us together when they grow up. I need to snap out of it.

°Purge the garage. We have lived in this home for 14 months and still have boxes in the garage to unpack. Clearly we don't need whatever is in there. 3 car garage and no one can park a car in there because there's too many boxes, 3 strollers, and too many toys. Time to say goodbye to some of the stuff.

° No really plan for a vacation. I keep wanting to book WDW but I know the mask thing will annoy me. We have been to SeaWorld a few times and when the temp starts to rise I'm ready to leave because the mask is too annoying for me. We have a cruise booked for Nov 2021 that was moves from 2020. Who knows what's happening there at thia point. If masks are required, I'm out.

Wow that was a lot, and I'm sure there is more. If you're still here reading, thank you. It's not easy sharing debt skeletons but I've been reading this board for a while, marveling in other people's success at paying off debt and saving. I feel this is my year to do the same.

That is a lot but you can do it!
My advice? Separate these into 3 lists: one of financial goals, one of personal goals like cleaning the garage and one that’s a wish list like landscaping and a hot tub.
Then list the financial goals in order of priority. Can you hang onto your vehicles for another 6-12 months? Is it a want or a need? That will give you some time to bang out some of the other debts before taking on more debt.

 

[nat8199]

Good grief. It's been 18 hours since we decided to change our Disney trip to the fall and hubby has already decided to raise the budget for that trip by staying at Yacht Club instead of Pop. Talk about a much more expensive trip. Lol. Now that we'll have an infant with us, he's pretty adamant about having a little more space, a better pool area for the mid-day break, and he's pretty sold on the idea of being a walk, boat or skyliner ride from two different parks. Especially since we will be there during (hopefully) food and wine and park hoppers will allow us to pop into Epcot several nights to snack around. Now to just rework the monthly budget I *just* finished this morning to include the additional $3000 this trip will cost.

I have to say that we have stayed at Yacht Club for all the reasons that your DH has laid out and I loved it all. It is my favorite resort and the access to Epcot for food is fantastic.

 

[StacyStrong]

Okay, I think I'm ready to put some goals down. I have been really hesitant because I think my #1 goal might be a bit too lofty for me, but I need to just commit and try my best.

1. Save an additional $10k toward my house down payment.
2. Continue saving monthly toward annual ARDC fees, vacation fund, and Christmas. These are auto transfers so no real change.
3. Cut grocery spending. I did great on spending on eating out last year, but I definitely still spend too much on groceries. I don't mind spending on food I enjoy and eat, but I definitely have some food waste and can make more informed purchasing decisions. I'd like to try and cut ~100 a month on groceries.
4. Lose an additional 20lbs.

I'm debating setting up a Roth IRA, but my 401k is already a Roth and I contribute (including employer contributions) around 12% a month there. I might wait to set up a separate Roth IRA until I meet my downpayment goals.

I woke up this morning to my stimulus check. Part of me wants to buy an iPad Air. The other part of me wants to just put it in savings and get a jump on that savings goal.

Happy New Year!

Update - I bought an iPad Air + Apple pencil. I pick them up today. Yikes!!!! :|

But, I had $365 in cash back on my credit card that I decided to use. That + the stimulus money means that I was able to get the iPad/Pencil AND still have stimulus money leftover.

Personally, I like using my cash back for something "fun" rather than for living expenses like groceries, but I know technically it would have been smarter to just save all the money instead.

 

[barkley]

That is a lot but you can do it!
My advice? Separate these into 3 lists: one of financial goals, one of personal goals like cleaning the garage and one that’s a wish list like landscaping and a hot tub.
Then list the financial goals in order or priority. Can you hang onto your vehicles for another 6-12 months? Is it a want or a need? That will give you some time to bang out some of the other debts before taking on more debt.

excellent advice.

i'll also add-whenever it comes to something that teeters more into the want vs need area for us (non essential work/upgrades to the house, replacing vehicles sooner vs later...) we also take into consideration an individual item is going to create a new or higher ongoing expense. will it cause our auto insurance/registration to increase? w/a hot tub we pay a bit more for homeowners insurances (and the cost of maintaining it-no horrible but still an expense), w/landscaping will it increase upkeep exspenses (watering and such)-also will it trigger the local assessor to maybe bump up our value and subsequent tax bill the next time he does his yearly drive about.

p.s. on landscaping-if it's near the house you might want to find out if there are any plant varieties that your insurance company considers a potential fire danger. we had a neighbor who had to pull out some beautiful ornamental bushes that went all the way around their home-when he bought he learned that all the insurance companies for our region consider them a fire hazard (the previous owner had planted them not knowing and their insurance company was never aware of the plantings).

 

[npatellye]

Update - I bought an iPad Air + Apple pencil. I pick them up today. Yikes!!!! :|

But, I had $365 in cash back on my credit card that I decided to use. That + the stimulus money means that I was able to get the iPad/Pencil AND still have stimulus money leftover.

Personally, I like using my cash back for something "fun" rather than for living expenses like groceries, but I know technically it would have been smarter to just save all the money instead.

I also use mine for “fun” stuff, usually for my kids. I consider it bonus money that I wouldn’t have had otherwise and it’s definitely part of the reason that my kids have lots of American Girl gifts from us under the tree (not Santa, he only brings one gift per kid in this house).

 

[Doodlebug939]

Wow here we are in 2021! I have read this type of board each year and have really been amazed at all of the big things that people are able to accomplish. I thought this would be my year to see if I can do big things too.

About me-I have been on this site for a long time. At first it was to plan for my Disney trips and save some money or review an experience at Disney But life has changed and some years we go to Disney and other years we find a new adventure. However, every couple of months I find that I need a little motivation and here you guys are sharing your stories, successes, and challenges. Now it is my turn-

Financial
Sometimes I feel like we have the same debts that is carried over from year to year and it is very frustrating. And while that is true with the mortgage. I would like to change that. Rather than listing each bill I will start with the smallest few and work on those then begin to list the next few in line. If I list them all I believe that I will become unmotivated. Baby steps here.

Line of Credit: $161.89
Sams Club Card: $840.00 ish-Have to look at next statement and will update!
Credit Card: $1,400 (Set up on $50.00 autopay each month but want to pay off the other two then kick this one to the curb)
Discover Card: $5,209.00 (Again set up on autopay) I dont like the interest rate on this one for sure. It is one of my oldest cards behind Sams Club. I think I will pay off the LOC and Sams club then focus on this one. This one by far has my worst rate. I might look at a balance transfer but need to think it over.

Personal:
I took a promotion about 15 months ago and I am still struggling with finding a balance between home and work. I find that I am thinking of work items while I should be focused on my family. Although my children are adults (20 & 22) I feel like I need to be more present when speaking and listening to them. I am very lucky in this regard and dont want to loose that connection that many people dont have. I have lost sleep over work and carry the stress of work on my shoulders when I come in the door. Can I do the job? Yes I know I can but I have to retrain my brain to give my job all I can while I am there and just leave it.

Just like many of you have shared -I need to drop about 25 pounds. There has been some stress eating as a result of the new job and just pure laziness. My plan to do this is still under works but I am starting small and then building on my hopeful success. For example- no drinking alcohol for the month of January. Not that I am a big drinker but during the holidays I have a few too many "spicy cokes". And the only time I have coke is when I have "spicy coke" so it is a start.

Eating out less-It became our routine to each dinner out every Saturday and while that is not terrible I was finding little enjoyment. So on December 6th we agreed to not eat out in a sit down restaurant until January 6th and have done great. While I miss date night (under normal life conditions) I think we will try to cut it in half for 2021. I am thinking two eat out dinners a month. Realistic but not too restrictive and this money "saved" will do toward debt. Win-win!

That is not all but I think that I have rambled enough. I will work to post each week with an update. Here it to a successful new year

 

[BrerRabbit66]

Wow here we are in 2021! I have read this type of board each year and have really been amazed at all of the big things that people are able to accomplish. I thought this would be my year to see if I can do big things too.

About me-I have been on this site for a long time. At first it was to plan for my Disney trips and save some money or review an experience at Disney But life has changed and some years we go to Disney and other years we find a new adventure. However, every couple of months I find that I need a little motivation and here you guys are sharing your stories, successes, and challenges. Now it is my turn-

Financial
Sometimes I feel like we have the same debts that is carried over from year to year and it is very frustrating. And while that is true with the mortgage. I would like to change that. Rather than listing each bill I will start with the smallest few and work on those then begin to list the next few in line. If I list them all I believe that I will become unmotivated. Baby steps here.

Line of Credit: $161.89
Sams Club Card: $840.00 ish-Have to look at next statement and will update!
Credit Card: $1,400 (Set up on $50.00 autopay each month but want to pay off the other two then kick this one to the curb)
Discover Card: $5,209.00 (Again set up on autopay) I dont like the interest rate on this one for sure. It is one of my oldest cards behind Sams Club. I think I will pay off the LOC and Sams club then focus on this one. This one by far has my worst rate. I might look at a balance transfer but need to think it over.

Personal:
I took a promotion about 15 months ago and I am still struggling with finding a balance between home and work. I find that I am thinking of work items while I should be focused on my family. Although my children are adults (20 & 22) I feel like I need to be more present when speaking and listening to them. I am very lucky in this regard and dont want to loose that connection that many people dont have. I have lost sleep over work and carry the stress of work on my shoulders when I come in the door. Can I do the job? Yes I know I can but I have to retrain my brain to give my job all I can while I am there and just leave it.

Just like many of you have shared -I need to drop about 25 pounds. There has been some stress eating as a result of the new job and just pure laziness. My plan to do this is still under works but I am starting small and then building on my hopeful success. For example- no drinking alcohol for the month of January. Not that I am a big drinker but during the holidays I have a few too many "spicy cokes". And the only time I have coke is when I have "spicy coke" so it is a start.

Eating out less-It became our routine to each dinner out every Saturday and while that is not terrible I was finding little enjoyment. So on December 6th we agreed to not eat out in a sit down restaurant until January 6th and have done great. While I miss date night (under normal life conditions) I think we will try to cut it in half for 2021. I am thinking two eat out dinners a month. Realistic but not too restrictive and this money "saved" will do toward debt. Win-win!

That is not all but I think that I have rambled enough. I will work to post each week with an update. Here it to a successful new year

Baby steps are important, as you make progress on the small bills it will help to propel motivation onto the larger debts. You can do it!

Congratulations on the promotion! Striking that work / life / family balance can for sure be a struggle....be conscience of it but don't let it make you feel guilty. It is hard sometimes to just shut down the office brain when I'm at home because I will replay a client discussion in my head and think of some other bit of advice for their situation (taxes). Best wishes on striking the balance!

I'm with you on the no alcohol in January train. I did it last year and by mid February tax season was in full swing and I needed a drink...here's hoping to make it thru February this year. Like you, not a big drinker but I don't need the extra calories and sugar. Good luck!

 

[nursejackie]

I've read every message on this thread and noticed everyone seems to be from the US. Can I ask a few questions that'll means it'll more sense to me? I find it interesting knowing how other countries work.

1. Do you have a state pensionable age? In the UK it's a moving goalpost at the moment as people are living longer. When I left school in 1986 a woman's retirement age was 60 but it's now 67 before I'm eligible for the state pension.
2. Do you have a state pension? I noticed all the acronyms but I'm not sure which are private and which are state-assisted.

I'm a nurse so been lucky enough to keep my job throughout the pandemic. Last year I didn't spend much on frivolous items e.g. holidays, clothes, socialising etc due to lockdown and restrictions, so I bought a much-needed new car and next month it's a complete bathroom refit (had old one for 17 years). I don't smoke and only have the occasional glass of wine when dining out with friends. My biggest expense is holidays.

I'm 52 this year and intend to retire at 65 when I can access some of my NHS pension, and supplement it with savings until I can access my state pension at 67. However if this pandemic has taught me anything it's not to put all my eggs in my retirement basket.

That said, it'll take a change in mindset as I'm in the habit of saving, it makes me feel safe and secure and I don't know why I need to. I don't have any credit card or loan debt, and don't have any dependents so no need to provide for anyone after I've gone. Besides I own my home, which my much-loved nephew will inherit when I'm pushing up the daisies.

So my financial goal is not to be so uptight with money and allow myself to spend a little more and save less. As the saying goes - there's no pockets in a shroud.