Debt Dumpers 2024

[ruadisneyfan2]

Ds23 submitted an offer on a house. The suspense is killing me.
It's a cute, little bungalow on an acre of land out in the country. Well, as country as NJ gets. lol.
His commute will be longer but he's ok with that.

 

[Tygerlilly]

Ds23 submitted an offer on a house. The suspense is killing me.
It's a cute, little bungalow on an acre of land out in the country. Well, as country as NJ gets. lol.
His commute will be longer but he's ok with that.

Fingers crossed for good news!

 

[barkley]

Ds23 submitted an offer on a house. The suspense is killing me.
It's a cute, little bungalow on an acre of land out in the country. Well, as country as NJ gets. lol.
His commute will be longer but he's ok with that.

fingers crossed for him! if he gets a place with an acre or more tell him garage/yard sales are his best friend for savings on outdoor upkeep type stuff (shovels, hoes, rakes, wheel barrows....) pennies on the dollar. this is the time of year all our neighbors start going into their sheds/green houses and such and start clearing stuff out.

 

[Sheree]

fingers crossed for him! if he gets a place with an acre or more tell him garage/yard sales are his best friend for savings on outdoor upkeep type stuff (shovels, hoes, rakes, wheel barrows....) pennies on the dollar. this is the time of year all our neighbors start going into their sheds/green houses and such and start clearing stuff out.

FB marketplace, we sold tons of that stuff. every landscaper in NJ bought something!

 

[barkley]

FB marketplace, we sold tons of that stuff. every landscaper in NJ bought something!

good will and charity thrift shops are good sources too.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

fingers crossed for him! if he gets a place with an acre or more tell him garage/yard sales are his best friend for savings on outdoor upkeep type stuff (shovels, hoes, rakes, wheel barrows....) pennies on the dollar. this is the time of year all our neighbors start going into their sheds/green houses and such and start clearing stuff out.

Oh yes, dh already does that. Why buy a new shovel when we'll just make it as dirty as the used one in a few days?

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Ds still doesn't have an answer. His agent said the sellers have received multiple offers and stated for all to give their
"best & final" offer by Wed evening. Ds went $10k above asking price and will not go any higher. I have stopped texting him about it. I am probably driving him crazy. I will hear eventually.

He is also thinking if this doesn't work out, he might consider looking at condos to save $$. I don't know where he'd store all of his "toys". We have a garage and shed so it's easy for him now but small condos don't have room for dirt bikes,snowboards, boots for both, fishing poles, coolers, tool boxes, etc.

We'll sure have a lot more space once he moves out.

 

[Nettlelondon]

Ds still doesn't have an answer. His agent said the sellers have received multiple offers and stated for all to give their
"best & final" offer by Wed evening. Ds went $10k above asking price and will not go any higher. I have stopped texting him about it. I am probably driving him crazy. I will hear eventually.

He is also thinking if this doesn't work out, he might consider looking at condos to save $$. I don't know where he'd store all of his "toys". We have a garage and shed so it's easy for him now but small condos don't have room for dirt bikes,snowboards, boots for both, fishing poles, coolers, tool boxes, etc.

We'll sure have a lot more space once he moves out.

I think we all know where he will store his "toys" if he buys a condo - your garage & shed ...

 

[amalone1013]

My husband has 2 vehicles at my in laws still waiting for him to build a barn so he can work on them...

 

[huggybuff]

Hey guys, I took a week off to celebrate the new Taylor Swift album. Only half-kidding.

I've been realizing over the last few days that my urge to shop has gone down dramatically. I'm not exactly sure why that is but I'm happy about it. I think part of it has to do with coming in and reporting here, so thanks to everyone here who takes the time to monitor!

Week 18

2024 Financial Goals

1. Pay off my credit cards and car loan in 2 years by using the debt avalanche. This pay period has indeed proven to be tight. I didn't make my monthly cruise payment for April although I do have enough to do it. I just don't want to get too low in my checking. I'll be making a nice payment to the Q Card next Friday though.

2. Increase my monthly payments to my husband for household expenses by $800 a month beginning in May and open a joint checking account where we will each contribute monthly. We figured giving me until May to sock some extra cash into my checking would be a good idea since my personal loan is now paid off and that was sucking $1000 off the top of my paycheck once a month. My husband's Discover card is down to 5k. He's getting a coaching stipend soon which should take care of the rest of that card. Then he'll have one left to concentrate on. I'm hoping this will allow me not to increase my monthly payments to him by the full amount.


3. Set aside $285 per month from January-June to cover the cost of our hotel for our anniversary trip in July to Monterey. I'll be making my next to last payment next Friday. (4/6)

4. Begin paying for our 2025 spring break cruise to Mexico in March. Payments will be $450 a month from March-December. (1/10) Now waiting for my 5/10 check to pay off April's amount.

5. Continue using the YNAB app and website to track my money daily. I'm still tracking my money the old fashioned way with a register but I really like the budgeting aspect of YNAB and am getting more and more used to it. Movin and groovin. (17/52)


2024 Personal Goals

1. Finish deep cleaning and organizing my kitchen. My husband is basically the Swedish Chef so he makes quite a mess when he cooks. I appreciate the fact that he does all of the cooking but it's a lot to keep on top of TBH. I need to do a better job and put in more effort. I will track this weekly. I still have to reorganize my baking cabinet. (6/52)

2. Once I feel like my kitchen is back under control I'll transition to organizing my clothes that are in boxes in our bedroom. I will tackle this at least one of the days of my weekend. My Mondays have been quite unproductive lately. Very disappointed with my efforts!

3. Reorganize and deep clean my bathroom. I have too much on the countertop and need to make use of the cabinets in a more organized manner. Snoozed.

4. By July I'd like to be at the point I can begin to tackle my boxes that are still unpacked in the garage. I had a storage unit for years and now they're just sitting untouched since we moved into the house 3 years ago. Snoozed.

5. In August I'd like to make my stepson's room into a workout room. He's a senior in high school this year and he'll be starting college next fall. He's only staying over 1 or 2 nights a week at most at this point since he lives with his mom so I don't feel I'll be booting him out or anything. I am at my highest weight ever and I honestly don't even know what that is since I'm scared to get on the scale. I can have all of the DVDs and online workouts in the world but they do no good if you don't use them. I think having a space set aside will really help me out. I have a series of 5 beginner rides that I'm starting this weekend.

6. Get my passport at some point this year to be ready for the cruise in 2025. This probably won't happen for at least a few months.

7. I came up with a new goal. Get back to baking on a weekly basis. This will begin when my kitchen is 'done'. JK, I know a kitchen is never truly caught up on. Snoozed until I cross #1 off of my list.

Enjoy your weekends everyone!

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Hey guys, I took a week off to celebrate the new Taylor Swift album. Only half-kidding.

I've been realizing over the last few days that my urge to shop has gone down dramatically. I'm not exactly sure why that is but I'm happy about it. I think part of it has to do with coming in and reporting here, so thanks to everyone here who takes the time to monitor!

Week 18

2024 Financial Goals

1. Pay off my credit cards and car loan in 2 years by using the debt avalanche. This pay period has indeed proven to be tight. I didn't make my monthly cruise payment for April although I do have enough to do it. I just don't want to get too low in my checking. I'll be making a nice payment to the Q Card next Friday though.

2. Increase my monthly payments to my husband for household expenses by $800 a month beginning in May and open a joint checking account where we will each contribute monthly. We figured giving me until May to sock some extra cash into my checking would be a good idea since my personal loan is now paid off and that was sucking $1000 off the top of my paycheck once a month. My husband's Discover card is down to 5k. He's getting a coaching stipend soon which should take care of the rest of that card. Then he'll have one left to concentrate on. I'm hoping this will allow me not to increase my monthly payments to him by the full amount.


3. Set aside $285 per month from January-June to cover the cost of our hotel for our anniversary trip in July to Monterey. I'll be making my next to last payment next Friday. (4/6)

4. Begin paying for our 2025 spring break cruise to Mexico in March. Payments will be $450 a month from March-December. (1/10) Now waiting for my 5/10 check to pay off April's amount.

5. Continue using the YNAB app and website to track my money daily. I'm still tracking my money the old fashioned way with a register but I really like the budgeting aspect of YNAB and am getting more and more used to it. Movin and groovin. (17/52)


2024 Personal Goals

1. Finish deep cleaning and organizing my kitchen. My husband is basically the Swedish Chef so he makes quite a mess when he cooks. I appreciate the fact that he does all of the cooking but it's a lot to keep on top of TBH. I need to do a better job and put in more effort. I will track this weekly. I still have to reorganize my baking cabinet. (6/52)

2. Once I feel like my kitchen is back under control I'll transition to organizing my clothes that are in boxes in our bedroom. I will tackle this at least one of the days of my weekend. My Mondays have been quite unproductive lately. Very disappointed with my efforts!

3. Reorganize and deep clean my bathroom. I have too much on the countertop and need to make use of the cabinets in a more organized manner. Snoozed.

4. By July I'd like to be at the point I can begin to tackle my boxes that are still unpacked in the garage. I had a storage unit for years and now they're just sitting untouched since we moved into the house 3 years ago. Snoozed.

5. In August I'd like to make my stepson's room into a workout room. He's a senior in high school this year and he'll be starting college next fall. He's only staying over 1 or 2 nights a week at most at this point since he lives with his mom so I don't feel I'll be booting him out or anything. I am at my highest weight ever and I honestly don't even know what that is since I'm scared to get on the scale. I can have all of the DVDs and online workouts in the world but they do no good if you don't use them. I think having a space set aside will really help me out. I have a series of 5 beginner rides that I'm starting this weekend.

6. Get my passport at some point this year to be ready for the cruise in 2025. This probably won't happen for at least a few months.

7. I came up with a new goal. Get back to baking on a weekly basis. This will begin when my kitchen is 'done'. JK, I know a kitchen is never truly caught up on. Snoozed until I cross #1 off of my list.

Enjoy your weekends everyone!

May I make a suggestion? When huge tasks feel too overwhelming to even get started, try breaking them down into small bite size pieces. Set a reminder on your cell phone for a time that works well in your schedule, not late when you're tired, or early morning when you need to get ready for work. List the task you'd like to attack in your reminder such as "Organize Bathroom Countertop."

Take a "before" picture. Then set a timer for only 10 mins. Devote only 10 mins to that task.
Do whatever you can in that timeframe with upbeat music. Something that makes you want to move, or at least tap your feet or sing along with. It will probably be about 3 songs.

When the time is up, take an "after" picture, forgive yourself for what didn't get done and reset your reminder for the same time next week. Eventually it will all get done.

 

[Tygerlilly]

We've been discussing some of the outdoor things we wanted to get done: landscaping, furnishing the deck, new grill, etc. We got a quote from a couple landscaping guys for a tree removal and it came in at around $5000. I thought that seemed high. All the storm damage around brought up a tree trimming post on my local fb page and one specific guy was recommended by multiple people. Sent a message, he stopped by 3 hours later, and quoted $1800 to trim and remove dead limbs from one tree and remove the one that's leaning precariously over the driveway. We said absolutely! He came this morning and did the dead limbing on one tree and will be back in a week to do the big takedown job. I got all the brick for the flower beds we're building delivered a couple days ago and also got the grill/smoker of my dreams yesterday. It's all coming together right on budget, even with the extra $1800 for the tree removal.

Here's a couple pics of the tree before and after (you can see the leaning one in the background), plus our new grill and patio set!