Debt Dumpers 2024

[barkley]

So this month has has been crazy money wise. I had to have an MRI of my liver. They found 2 masses when doing a scan for something completely unrelated. Thankfully they are just cysts and I am fine. Finally saw the neurologist for DD and now she will have an MRI of her brain. We also were in the ER Saturday and Monday for her migraines. I am also doing PT for my hip. It has just been crazy.

After doing the elimination diet for DD we found what bothers her digestive system. High Fructose Corn Syrup. Thankfully it is easier to avoid then dairy or gluten for the most part and cheaper then getting gluten free. We also found that she has an immune issue that can affect the digestive track so more appointments for that. Seriously the last month has been crazy for medical stuff.

Thankfully I have hit my out of pocket for me and once we hit the out of pocket insurance picks up 100%. We are almost there for the family half too. Thankfully I have an HSA that is really helping. If not we might be hurting by now.

Our next big thing is trying to get DS to understand loans. We are in the process of picking a college and the one that he wants to go to didn't give him much. It has been a struggle so far but I think we are getting through to him that taking $20,000 a year is not a good choice.

i was curious b/c our oldest graduated college in '18 so i just googled how much even the subsidized fed student loans are running-from what i can see they just announced them today for the 2024/2025 academic year. according to what i read the fed direct staffords loans will be going up 1% for a minimum rate of 6.533% and the federal direct parent plus loans wil be increasing to a minimum of 9.083%

 

[Tygerlilly]

i was curious b/c our oldest graduated college in '18 so i just googled how much even the subsidized fed student loans are running-from what i can see they just announced them today for the 2024/2025 academic year. according to what i read the fed direct staffords loans will be going up 1% for a minimum rate of 6.533% and the federal direct parent plus loans wil be increasing to a minimum of 9.083%

I'm so glad we're still 10 years from college. I'm not getting much put back yet, and I really don't see my oldest picking a college vs a trade, but at least I can attempt to start saving for it so they don't need to do that. Who knows what it'll look like by then.

 

[barkley]

I'm so glad we're still 10 years from college. I'm not getting much put back yet, and I really don't see my oldest picking a college vs a trade, but at least I can attempt to start saving for it so they don't need to do that. Who knows what it'll look like by then.

i would so encourage a young person to go into the trades if they have any inclination towards them. we have so many tradespeople that are ageing up and a severe shortage of young people learning those skills. the pay can far exceed what many college majors result in esp. when you consider that there are buisnesses that will pay good wages to learn on the job vs. racking up student debt.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

i would so encourage a young person to go into the trades if they have any inclination towards them. we have so many tradespeople that are ageing up and a severe shortage of young people learning those skills. the pay can far exceed what many college majors result in esp. when you consider that there are buisnesses that will pay good wages to learn on the job vs. racking up student debt.

I agree. Ds23 grossed 6 figures last year.
We paid the $9k for his 4 months of welding school. I used a blank check offered by our Discover card for 0% for 12 months. We paid it off before the deadline.

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

i would so encourage a young person to go into the trades if they have any inclination towards them. we have so many tradespeople that are ageing up and a severe shortage of young people learning those skills. the pay can far exceed what many college majors result in esp. when you consider that there are buisnesses that will pay good wages to learn on the job vs. racking up student debt.

This. Trades jobs will be the high-wage jobs of the next 30 years thanks to the shortage of them as the current population retires. I run a training program for one of the trades and we can’t get enough student through fast enough. They are making 80-100k easily their first year even in LCOL states where salaries are generally lower.

 

[jen7233]

So this month has has been crazy money wise. I had to have an MRI of my liver. They found 2 masses when doing a scan for something completely unrelated. Thankfully they are just cysts and I am fine. Finally saw the neurologist for DD and now she will have an MRI of her brain. We also were in the ER Saturday and Monday for her migraines. I am also doing PT for my hip. It has just been crazy.

Thankfully the masses were not serious health issues. The migraines must be really hard on your DD. I used to have them and they were terrible.

I'm also going through PT right now on my hip! Hope for good results.

I agree. Ds23 grossed 6 figures last year.
We paid the $9k for his 4 months of welding school. I used a blank check offered by our Discover card for 0% for 12 months. We paid it off before the deadline.

That's incredible!

 

[newski_mom]

i would so encourage a young person to go into the trades if they have any inclination towards them. we have so many tradespeople that are ageing up and a severe shortage of young people learning those skills. the pay can far exceed what many college majors result in esp. when you consider that there are buisnesses that will pay good wages to learn on the job vs. racking up student debt.

This. Trades jobs will be the high-wage jobs of the next 30 years thanks to the shortage of them as the current population retires. I run a training program for one of the trades and we can’t get enough student through fast enough. They are making 80-100k easily their first year even in LCOL states where salaries are generally lower.

Any trades in particular? Honestly, I don't know much about that career path, but my DS is 21 and just kind of coasting. He's taking part time classes and working part time, so he's doing ok, but really needs direction. He's looking for direction too (not just me pushing), but our family has basically been the 4 year college path and I really just don't think it's for him, but I don't know how to help or give him ideas to think about / look at.

 

[afan]

Any trades in particular? Honestly, I don't know much about that career path, but my DS is 21 and just kind of coasting. He's taking part time classes and working part time, so he's doing ok, but really needs direction. He's looking for direction too (not just me pushing), but our family has basically been the 4 year college path and I really just don't think it's for him, but I don't know how to help or give him ideas to think about / look at.

It's anything from plumbing and construction (which is more than just houses, I work for a mechanical contractor that does hvac and plumbing), to various types of mechanics and electricians.

Really comes down to what he might like to do. There are some where trade school helps and some that have apprenticeship positions and you learn on the job. Some of our jobs require a certain % of apprentices on the job. Some are union jobs and some aren't.

 

[AJollyHoliday]

Well, we narrowly avoided a tornado last night. It wiped out 1/3 of a town just south west of us, tore a line up heading directly for us, destroyed several homes 3 blocks away and miraculously lifted, went over our house, and touched back down 2 miles north east of us where it caused a lot more damage. I think they're saying it was a strong F3 at this point. We shoved the kids in the closet under the stairs (a la Harry Potter). The wind was absolutely unreal and then got silent as it went over before you could hear this insane rumble.

We got so lucky.

I had a bunch of clothes and baby items ready for a yard sale, but I'm going to just donate it to anyone who might be able to use it. The girls decided they wanted to go thru some toys tomorrow and donate to some of the kids who lost everything. I'm pretty proud of them.

(Pic of the town just sw of us. I haven't even left our house to see our town.)

My gosh! I am so happy that you all are well and safe. That is wonderful that your daughters are willing to help out like that.

 

[pblack]

Any trades in particular? Honestly, I don't know much about that career path, but my DS is 21 and just kind of coasting. He's taking part time classes and working part time, so he's doing ok, but really needs direction. He's looking for direction too (not just me pushing), but our family has basically been the 4 year college path and I really just don't think it's for him, but I don't know how to help or give him ideas to think about / look at.

I'd also suggest checking out any adult schools in your area. Adult schools offer a lot more than just high school diploma/GED and ESL classes, at least in my area. And a lot of times the schools have worked out deals with particular trades where you're basically guaranteed work after the training period. Sometimes they even have deals where you make money while you're training. It's at least worth looking into.

 

[barkley]

This. Trades jobs will be the high-wage jobs of the next 30 years thanks to the shortage of them as the current population retires. I run a training program for one of the trades and we can’t get enough student through fast enough. They are making 80-100k easily their first year even in LCOL states where salaries are generally lower.

the 'tech school' that juniors and seniors can attend part time here has such high demand for enrollment that they have instituted a lottery for enrollment but they still can't push out enough grads to meet the demand so i suspect many of the private buisnesses are doing paid on the job. i've noticed in the past year or so that all of the 5 trades we've had out all included at least one extra person in attendance who was introduced as a 'trainee'. when i go on any of their websites they have information on paid on the job training (with full benefits and 401K).

 

[Tygerlilly]

I do feel like we have a slight advantage with homeschooling also since we can do the college classes free as juniors/seniors and it not quite be as stressful as public school kiddos who have a full day of regular classes as well. They can do that and at least have some kind of basic degree while figuring out their next move.

 

[barkley]

I do feel like we have a slight advantage with homeschooling also since we can do the college classes free as juniors/seniors and it not quite be as stressful as public school kiddos who have a full day of regular classes as well. They can do that and at least have some kind of basic degree while figuring out their next move.

the public school kids have to do a full day IN ADDITION to the college class if they do that program? that does not make sense. most places (here included) substitute out the coursework for the high school classes with the college classes that the participants are enrolled in (they get double credit). my kids had classmates that barely stepped on the high school campus once they started the program. that said-some DID opt to still take some classes like choir or band which had them on campus 3-5 times per week OR if they chose to they could opt for some or all college coursework to be distance in which case they had a choice and if they wanted there was a designated space with computers that they could tele-educate from but if enrolled the students were not doing double coursework.

 

[Tygerlilly]

the public school kids have to do a full day IN ADDITION to the college class if they do that program? that does not make sense. most places (here included) substitute out the coursework for the high school classes with the college classes that the participants are enrolled in (they get double credit). my kids had classmates that barely stepped on the high school campus once they started the program. that said-some DID opt to still take some classes like choir or band which had them on campus 3-5 times per week OR if they chose to they could opt for some or all college coursework to be distance in which case they had a choice and if they wanted there was a designated space with computers that they could tele-educate from but if enrolled the students were not doing double coursework.

It's probably changed since I was in high school (hello 20 year anniversary this year ), but I remember several friends who took 2-3 regular classes and then went to their dual enrollment classes after.

I just meant it a being glad they won't have as much pressure since their school days are shorter (teaching 1 kid vs 25 will do that) and they won't be "in class" for a majority of the day.

 

[piglet1979]

I do feel like we have a slight advantage with homeschooling also since we can do the college classes free as juniors/seniors and it not quite be as stressful as public school kiddos who have a full day of regular classes as well. They can do that and at least have some kind of basic degree while figuring out their next move.

DD is taking college credit plus next year. She is taking 2 classes this summer at college, 2 college classes this fall and 1 at the high school and then for spring she will do the same 2 at college 1 at the high school. She is have almost a year of college classes done before graduating. She did need to take the class at the high school but wanted to take pre calc there because it will be easier to learn at high school first.

 

[piglet1979]

Thankfully the masses were not serious health issues. The migraines must be really hard on your DD. I used to have them and they were terrible.

I'm also going through PT right now on my hip! Hope for good results.

DD's headache already came back and there is not much we can do but to go back to the ER if it gets bad enough and try to convince them to do the MRI. We also found out that my cousin is having brain surgery for the exact thing DD's doctor wants the MRI for. My cousin has Chiari Malformation type 1 and looking it up DD has almost every symptom. I am so worried that she will need brain surgery. DD also has a clotting disorder (her platelets are slow to clot) so this is making my worrying even more.

Friday was a bad day for my hip and PT seems to not be helping. The PT doctor said it sounds like an arthritic hip. I am too young for that but it could be caused my the accident I was in about 10 years ago where my hip muscle pulled away from my hip. I hop your hip gets better.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

We had to have our cat put down on Thursday.
She was 18 years old and was in kidney failure. We are all so sad. Our kids were just 6 and 9 when we got her. She was the best cat ever and I feel so fortunate to have her for so long but it still seems so empty here now. I keep thinking I see her out of the corner of my eye but when I look, it's just a small towel or some item not in its usual place. I keep closing the kitchen door leading to the garage really quickly so she doesn't get out. I can't get used to the idea I could just leave it wide open when putting the trash out.

Ds27 was off yesterday and went to our local animal shelter looking at kittens yesterday and they're so dang cute. He can't stand not having a cat. We went back again today and the first 3 are gone but now 3 new ones were there.
I feel like it's a little too soon but maybe they'll bring us some much needed joy here.

We agreed to get 2 kittens next time so they have each to play with. Also they will belong to ds27 and when he moves out, he'll be taking them with him, whenever that is. Another 18 year commitment is just too much for me. That would take me to age 75. I don't know that I'll still feel like scooping a litter box at that age.

Today is the 5 year anniversary since my mom died. I so can't believe I haven't seen or talked to my mom for 5 years. I miss her so much.

For all of you who still have your mom, do something special for her for Mother's Day and cherish the time. Life is way too short.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

DD's headache already came back and there is not much we can do but to go back to the ER if it gets bad enough and try to convince them to do the MRI. We also found out that my cousin is having brain surgery for the exact thing DD's doctor wants the MRI for. My cousin has Chiari Malformation type 1 and looking it up DD has almost every symptom. I am so worried that she will need brain surgery. DD also has a clotting disorder (her platelets are slow to clot) so this is making my worrying even more.

Friday was a bad day for my hip and PT seems to not be helping. The PT doctor said it sounds like an arthritic hip. I am too young for that but it could be caused my the accident I was in about 10 years ago where my hip muscle pulled away from my hip. I hop your hip gets better.

I'm so sorry you're going through all this.
Can you take your daughter to a neurologist? Sometimes they can get imaging approval when a GP can't. This happened when I had a herniated disk and insurance completely agreed to it only after ortho ordered it.
Hopefully it's something with a much simpler cure for her. Also I hope you're feeling better soon.

 

[dpswift]

We had to have our cat put down on Thursday.
She was 18 years old and was in kidney failure. We are all so sad. Our kids were just 6 and 9 when we got her. She was the best cat ever and I feel so fortunate to have her for so long but it still seems so empty here now. I keep thinking I see her out of the corner of my eye but when I look, it's just a small towel or some item not in its usual place. I keep closing the kitchen door leading to the garage really quickly so she doesn't get out. I can't get used to the idea I could just leave it wide open when putting the trash out.

Ds27 was off yesterday and went to our local animal shelter looking at kittens yesterday and they're so dang cute. He can't stand not having a cat. We went back again today and the first 3 are gone but now 3 new ones were there.
I feel like it's a little too soon but maybe they'll bring us some much needed joy here.

We agreed to get 2 kittens next time so they have each to play with. Also they will belong to ds27 and when he moves out, he'll be taking them with him, whenever that is. Another 18 year commitment is just too much for me. That would take me to age 75. I don't know that I'll still feel like scooping a litter box at that age.

Today is the 5 year anniversary since my mom died. I so can't believe I haven't seen or talked to my mom for 5 years. I miss her so much.

For all of you who still have your mom, do something special for her for Mother's Day and cherish the time. Life is way too short.

I am sorry for the loss of your cat. I understand your feelings about wanting your son to take any new cats with him when he leaves. My daughter has 3 Australian shepherds that she is supposed to take when she leaves. They are between 3 and 6. She lately has said she might end up leaving one behind. From your post I figure we are about the same age. I would be lonely but feel my pet days will be over after these.

My mother has been gone over 20 years. It is always hard.

Happy Mother’s Day. Have a great day.

 

[barkley]

I'm so sorry you're going through all this.
Can you take your daughter to a neurologist? Sometimes they can get imaging approval when a GP can't.

i'll second this-when my son was young and started having migraines we got him in with a pediatric neurologist who was able to get an mri approved in record time with our insurance company. we experienced the same thing when one of our kids needed an mri for an orthopedic issue-md hit all kinds of walls with getting approval but once in with a pediatric orthopedist the approval was almost immediate.