Debt Dumpers 2024

[WDW_fan_in_TX]

Thanks for the advice. How many a week do you suggest? We cut down to 3. Maybe 2? Whenever we don't pay for meals, we just use that money to eat out later in the week since we have it budgeted for that already. As far as the last paragraph, I've never thought of that. I just assumed they throw out food that's hit its date. When I worked at food service places, we'd go through food so fast when the trucks come in, that it doesn't go bad. So I've never thought of that as being an issue. But you might be right. Thanks for the heads up.

You mentioned in earlier posts that a few meals out were paid for you by others even though you had budgeted that money. I would consider that extra money now in your pocket as "found money" and apply it to your credit card debt or emergency fund instead of spending it elsewhere.

Just doing the math.......3 meals out a week for 2 people is 24 meals a month. So, at an average of $20/meal that is almost $500 ( and probably more) in just one month that could go on your credit card debt instead of just the minimum payment which is basically covering just the interest. Stop throwing out perfectly good food or shop at different intervals and that would easily make up for those extra 24 meals you now have to account for at a minimum extra cost.

Just curious how you are so obsessive about food dates/germs that you are willing to throw out bagfuls of good and expensive food but have no problem eating in restaurants where I promise you they do not throw out any food based on your criteria. It is a business and, short of cooking rotten food, if they can use it they will.

 

[CinderEmma94]

Does leaving it in cold water not concern you as far as viruses spreading? That's the only thing I worry about. Like when the water that it was sitting in goes down the drain, all those germs and viruses from the raw meat touch the drain.

I can't speak for what others do, but I personally would never put the meat directly in the water to thaw, it is in a ziplock bag. So the water is dumped down the drain and the baggie goes in the trash (zipped closed) once the meat is in the pan/dish I am using.

You might want to look into a safe food handling course or videos on YouTube. I had to take one to be certified to work in the kitchen of a restaurant, and it made me much more confident when it came to safe food prep (like what temperature things should be cooked to, that kind of thing).

 

[WDW_fan_in_TX]

Yea, we'd keep it in a baggie or in it's original package. But I assume the water would be contaminated even if it's in a package since the package is touching the water. Maybe just my food nerves talking there. Not sure. I may check out YT and see if I can find some of those. I never ever heard of them or knew they existed (or even the course). Just like I didn't know there were exercise videos on YT up until about a week ago. Learn something new every day. So thank you.

I can't speak for what others do, but I personally would never put the meat directly in the water to thaw, it is in a ziplock bag. So the water is dumped down the drain and the baggie goes in the trash (zipped closed) once the meat is in the pan/dish I am using.

You might want to look into a safe food handling course or videos on YouTube. I had to take one to be certified to work in the kitchen of a restaurant, and it made me much more confident when it came to safe food prep (like what temperature things should be cooked to, that kind of thing).

 

[AmyAnne]

We put a loaf in the freezer in January. It's still sitting there, haha. Didn't use a single slice before the expiration date. But as I said, I am going to try crackers and tortillas instead of bread since those items last longer. Thank you for the tip.

The date that's stamped on the loaf of bread is the "best by" date if you keep it at room temperature. If you put it in the freezer, it will be fresh for 2-3 months.

This website has some helpful information: https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-li...on-dates-how-do-i-know-when-my-foods-gone-bad

 

[dpswift]

Does leaving it in cold water not concern you as far as viruses spreading? That's the only thing I worry about. Like when the water that it was sitting in goes down the drain, all those germs and viruses from the raw meat touch the drain.

I never liked the water method. Try pulling food out a couple days before you plan on using it and putting in in the fridge. Put it on a plate or pan in case it leaks. As far as the frozen burgers they are designed to be cooked frozen.

We put a loaf in the freezer in January. It's still sitting there, haha. Didn't use a single slice before the expiration date. But as I said, I am going to try crackers and tortillas instead of bread since those items last longer. Thank you for the tip.

Bread is one thing that we don’t freeze. It is fine frozen for toast but not great for sandwiches. I stopped shopping at Walmart because the one by my house is nasty, but they did have nice single rolls. Maybe buy only what you need.

 

[Bellex917]

I'm trying to learn, and I want to learn. But I also don't want to mess with food issues. I know it's petty. But I am truly a germaphobe, and I don't know how to fix it short of just dealing with it. Same reason I won't touch the trash. AT ALL!!! I'll wash dishes, sweep, mop, vacuum, anything. I don't touch trash, and I won't clean the bathroom.

On another note, I do think it'd be wise now that we're almost another 45 days into the year to see how our card swipes are going at restaurants and compare them to the first 45 days. We have knocked it down to 3 meals a week in our budget. If the office pays for lunch, which they do 2-3 days per week, then that doesn't go into our food budget. That frees up that money.

Not really sure how I can fix food issues and fears, other than eating things past their use by dates and hoping for the best. Not sure I want to do that (I know, excuse). But of all the things I'm concerned and obsessive about, that is truly No. 1 and scares me the most. I might try and cut down the budget to not buying as much. I think that'll help with throwing food away. Also, I might try and adjust what/how we eat. Maybe start using flour tortillas and crackers instead of bread to make sandwiches (ham and turkey on tortillas, tuna and pimento cheese on crackers). The tortillas last a little longer than bread. Maybe use more frozen meats (ham steak, chicken tenders, hamburger patties, etc) to make meals. That way we don't use as much as often, and we can cook in the oven as we need. We can take straight from freezer to oven and keep the rest frozen for later use. And those frozen items usually have dates further out than fresh meats.

I'm truly appreciating the help and support from this group as we try and adjust. Some things have changed for the better (budget that we stayed on for the first 15 days, exercise, stuff like that). And I feel like everyone's jumping on me and my issues, and I don't want that to be the case. So I might step back a bit and let things cool down.

Don't step back, we all care. Since you mentioned it's a phobia that is a lot harder to handle then "just deal". I thought you didn't know. If it's more than that (phobia) it may help to talk to a counselor to work through it bc nobody on here will be able to convince you it's fine if it's a true phobia. I'm sorry you're dealing with that. If it helps, just know most, if not all of us, ARE eating these foods and are fine, so that has to be worth something. Hang in there.

 

[mom to minnie&mickey]

Thanks for the advice. How many a week do you suggest? We cut down to 3. Maybe 2? Whenever we don't pay for meals, we just use that money to eat out later in the week since we have it budgeted for that already.

Paid minimum on the 2 cards that were due at the beginning of the month. Will do the same on the one due mid-month. Not sure I'll be able to add an extra payment or extra amount to any payments right now.

Just because the money was budgeted for meals out does not mean you cannot use it to put an extra payment on your debts since you got those meals for free. Instead you just use it for more restaurants. So you choose not to put extra on debt not that you are "not able to." How about budgeting more for debt and an emergency fund and less for meals out each month? You choose short term gratification over long term gain. Your debts will not magically disappear until you get serious about it and imho you are not there yet but, yes, you are trying. Minimum payments on credit card debt will get you nowhere. You are wasting your money on interest only.

To answer your question, if I was in your situation (and speaking only for myself) the answer would be zero meals out until my credit cards showed a zero balance. You cannot control certain bills each month but this category of expense is 100% in your control. Go back to last month and check what was the total amount of money you put on your credit card debt (your minimum payments) versus the total amount you budgeted and spent eating out. Now for next month switch the two around. You are allocating way too much of your disposable income in the wrong category each month. It does not have to be forever but even one or two months of doing this will be a huge step out of your debt.

I have been following your journey and I have to say you have received excellent, fantastic advice and support from people. They have all taken time out of their lives to listen and coach you. We all want you to succeed in your financial goals so you can breath easy and have available funds left over each month to enjoy life. But, before that can happen you have to make some difficult choices first. And, your wife needs to get onboard and at the very least support your efforts to improve your lives. She certainly played her part in creating your debts so its not fair or right that only you shoulder the work now. Good luck, we are rooting for you!

 

[DisneyHardin]

Does leaving it in cold water not concern you as far as viruses spreading? That's the only thing I worry about. Like when the water that it was sitting in goes down the drain, all those germs and viruses from the raw meat touch the drain.

When you wash dirty dishes, the germs go down the drain, I'm not sure how this is different. I spray down my sink with Clorox Clean-Up regularly. Also, the meat is wrapped in plastic, so there generally isn't anything leaking out.

I can't speak for what others do, but I personally would never put the meat directly in the water to thaw, it is in a ziplock bag. So the water is dumped down the drain and the baggie goes in the trash (zipped closed) once the meat is in the pan/dish I am using.

I definitely have the meat in a freezer bag. I don't really like to touch raw meat, so I try my best to slide it out of the packaging into the pan without touching it and then the bag/wrapping goes into the garbage with as little touching as possible.

 

[barkley]

I don't really like to touch raw meat, so I try my best to slide it out of the packaging into the pan without touching it and then the bag/wrapping goes into the garbage with as little touching as possible.

i'm not a big fan of it touching it as well so i purchase disposable food prep gloves. i put on a pair to get meat out of packaging, to rub oil/seasoning on, to put on skewers, mix (like for meatballs, meatloaf...)...$8.98 for 500 on amazon.

 

[AJollyHoliday]

@WDW_fan_in_TX You are trying your best and it can feel like some comments on here are a bit harsh. It sounds to me like this is a phobia and as a previous post mentioned, that is something that one has to work through and can't just "get over it." I can tell you, I grew up with a mom who is a nurse and our meat was thawed on the counter, but then properly cooked. I am still here to tell you the tale . I think a good first step in your food budget journey would be as you suggested, shopping smaller, finding items that last longer such as wraps or crackers, all while working to understand your phobias and what food safety and germs are really all about. I have a PhD in biomedical engineering so have a pretty good grasp on science. It is important to expose yourself to germs so that your immune system can function properly. Also over use of bleach and other chemicals leads to germs that are harder to treat. That may not be helpful for your phobia, sorry there.

Now lets all get back to focusing everyone's debt journeys. We are mid month- how are people doing with their budgets?

We only have our house as our debt, well that and our daughter's high school tuition. We have recommitted to using Every Dollar and our budget tracking is going really well. I really don't like having to take a target receipt and figure out what categories the various items go into for our budget which has led to me not buying much at target haha. Amazon is the same.

 

[CinderEmma94]

My husband's bonus was deposited this morning and it was lower than we expected, because we didn't account for the fact that they would pull out the % for our 403b (retirement, it's like a 401k), I only thought about the taxes. No worries, more money going into retirement isn't a bad thing, it just means that we will have less going toward our travel fund and debt. I'm just grateful we got one at all! Budget is on track for the month so we are good there.

 

[AJollyHoliday]

My husband's bonus was deposited this morning and it was lower than we expected, because we didn't account for the fact that they would pull out the % for our 403b (retirement, it's like a 401k), I only thought about the taxes. No worries, more money going into retirement isn't a bad thing, it just means that we will have less going toward our travel fund and debt. I'm just grateful we got one at all! Budget is on track for the month so we are good there.

I know what you mean about the retirement part. DH and I were just discussing this yesterday. I am due for some overage pay (I taught more than I was required at my College) and we were putting that towards our DD's high school tuition. We were estimating less than 60% take home between our 15% retirement contributions and taxes. I know it will be helpful when we retire, but sometimes the near term pain is hard to reason with.

 

[barkley]

We have recommitted to using Every Dollar and our budget tracking is going really well. I really don't like having to take a target receipt and figure out what categories the various items go into for our budget which has led to me not buying much at target haha. Amazon is the same.

i would always get frustrated with trying to break items down from my receipts as well. i ended up making a line item in our budget that is just designated as 'household'-groceries, paper/cleaning goods, toiletries and such. i have a set monthly amount budgeted and if i don't exceed that amount i feel i've met my goal (if i underspend i take the amount and roll it over to the next month).

 

[WDW_fan_in_TX]

I will will google and see if I can find it on my computer. If not, I will see if my wife can show me how to do an app on my phone. I might at least check it out. I have been using Spreadsheets on the computer. I find those very helpful and easy to navigate. But I want to take a look. I think it will help us show where our money is going. Like I said, I did my budget and started subtracting whenever we'd use that category (groceries, eating out, bills, gas/tolls, miscellaneous. But if I skip 1 day, then I forget what I've put in the budget already.

We only have our house as our debt, well that and our daughter's high school tuition. We have recommitted to using Every Dollar and our budget tracking is going really well. I really don't like having to take a target receipt and figure out what categories the various items go into for our budget which has led to me not buying much at target haha. Amazon is the same.

 

[AJollyHoliday]

You can use EveryDollar online as well as in the app. They will sync so if you enter something in the app it will show up in the online version. What I like about it is you can see a bar that indicates how close you are to hitting your budgeted amount. Also, when you enter something, you assign a date, category, and vendor to it. So Sam's Club for my groceries. That makes it easier to keep track of if you entered something. It is free to use as well. We have been using it since 2017 and I can see all our data going back that far. When we met with our financial planner, he wanted to see what our monthly spending looked like. I printed a report from EveryDollar in 2 mins and he had all our categories and spending habits. Super easy!

 

[WDW_fan_in_TX]

Thanks. Do you have to attach to your bank account? I'm very apprehensive about that.

You can use EveryDollar online as well as in the app. They will sync so if you enter something in the app it will show up in the online version. What I like about it is you can see a bar that indicates how close you are to hitting your budgeted amount. Also, when you enter something, you assign a date, category, and vendor to it. So Sam's Club for my groceries. That makes it easier to keep track of if you entered something. It is free to use as well. We have been using it since 2017 and I can see all our data going back that far. When we met with our financial planner, he wanted to see what our monthly spending looked like. I printed a report from EveryDollar in 2 mins and he had all our categories and spending habits. Super easy!

 

[trenty]

Thanks. Do you have to attach to your bank account? I'm very apprehensive about that.

You do not have to attach it to your bank account. The paid version lets you if you wish. I tried it at one point but like inputting the transactions on my own better.

The FREE version is all I use. I manually input my transactions each day; it only takes a few minutes. So much easier than a spreadsheet - and I do know how to work spreadsheets.

 

[AquaDame]

I will check it out. But we're definitely different (some say odd). We're not big on leftovers, we don't eat a lot of sandwiches, we don't cook chicken or seafood at home. I'm sure there is something for us on there though. So I will check it out.

Some things just aren't good as leftovers. It's good to try various meals and see which hold up. Lots of things like soups and curries taste BETTER the next day! Fried food is almost impossible - if you have a toaster oven and an instant read thermometer it can work well though. We go out of our way to a specific restaurant that serves large pork cutlets because I love having it for lunch again the next day. Is there a reason you don't do chicken or fish at home? Chicken holds up well if you cook it right, fish a little worse but if you are OK eating it more room temp the next day than piping hot it works too if its in a sauce that helps keep in moisture (like miso salmon).

I'm trying to learn, and I want to learn. But I also don't want to mess with food issues. I know it's petty. But I am truly a germaphobe, and I don't know how to fix it short of just dealing with it. Same reason I won't touch the trash. AT ALL!!! I'll wash dishes, sweep, mop, vacuum, anything. I don't touch trash, and I won't clean the bathroom.

On another note, I do think it'd be wise now that we're almost another 45 days into the year to see how our card swipes are going at restaurants and compare them to the first 45 days. We have knocked it down to 3 meals a week in our budget. If the office pays for lunch, which they do 2-3 days per week, then that doesn't go into our food budget. That frees up that money.

Not really sure how I can fix food issues and fears, other than eating things past their use by dates and hoping for the best. Not sure I want to do that (I know, excuse). But of all the things I'm concerned and obsessive about, that is truly No. 1 and scares me the most. I might try and cut down the budget to not buying as much. I think that'll help with throwing food away. Also, I might try and adjust what/how we eat. Maybe start using flour tortillas and crackers instead of bread to make sandwiches (ham and turkey on tortillas, tuna and pimento cheese on crackers). The tortillas last a little longer than bread. Maybe use more frozen meats (ham steak, chicken tenders, hamburger patties, etc) to make meals. That way we don't use as much as often, and we can cook in the oven as we need. We can take straight from freezer to oven and keep the rest frozen for later use. And those frozen items usually have dates further out than fresh meats.

I'm truly appreciating the help and support from this group as we try and adjust. Some things have changed for the better (budget that we stayed on for the first 15 days, exercise, stuff like that). And I feel like everyone's jumping on me and my issues, and I don't want that to be the case. So I might step back a bit and let things cool down.

It sounds like you don't trust soap..? I'm a germaphobe as well, but I trust soap to do its job. I'm extra careful when handling meat, and we switch out spatulas once the meat is cooked and such, but it would never stop me from cooking things at home. I KNOW I'm taking so much more care about everything than some restaurants! I've never gotten sick from my own cooking but have some unhappy memories following eating out...

Frozen bread solved our sandwich issues, honestly. I don't like them much either, but enjoy egg sandwiches and chicken salad from time to time. Around the holidays a hot turkey sandwich hits the spot too! I take out what I need and stand them up like cards - they thaw quickly.

Does leaving it in cold water not concern you as far as viruses spreading? That's the only thing I worry about. Like when the water that it was sitting in goes down the drain, all those germs and viruses from the raw meat touch the drain.

Sure; but I am careful and yes I wash the sink fully with dawn when I am done. I am not shoving my hand into the garbage disposal so just squirting a bit in there with it and the hot water running is fine. We chop all veggies and such first and set them way aside before we deal with the meat. Anyone who touches the meat bowl washes their hands after putting it into whatever we're cooking it with. I cringe anytime I watch cooking shows where they touch meat and then literally anything else.

We put a loaf in the freezer in January. It's still sitting there, haha. Didn't use a single slice before the expiration date. But as I said, I am going to try crackers and tortillas instead of bread since those items last longer. Thank you for the tip.

Once frozen the expiration date doesn't matter. "They" say you can keep it indefinitely, but I tend to roll stuff over if it starts getting big ice crystals inside the container or 6 mo, whichever happens first. https://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/shopping-storing/food/food-expiration-dates-guidelines-chart

 

[WDW_fan_in_TX]

I just joinedd it. I've got all my expenses put on, but I can't figure out how to add whenever I spend. I might try and google or YT it and see if I can figure it out. But I've been using my spreadsheet like I did for the past 4 weeks.

You do not have to attach it to your bank account. The paid version lets you if you wish. I tried it at one point but like inputting the

transactions on my own better.

The FREE version is all I use. I manually input my transactions each day; it only takes a few minutes. So much easier than a spreadsheet - and I do know how to work spreadsheets.

 

[WDW_fan_in_TX]

I do. It has to be antibacterial. So I only use Palmolive because it's antibacterial. Same thing with soap in the bathroom. I use antibacterial soap in the shower too. Just trying to make sure I get all germs off me and all surfaces. I clean my phone with a Lysol wipe just about every day as well. We use laundry sanitizer in every single load of laundry. That just gives you an idea of phobic I am of germs, lol.

It sounds like you don't trust soap..? I'm a germaphobe as well, but I trust soap to do its job. I'm extra careful when handling meat, and we switch out spatulas once the meat is cooked and such, but it would never stop me from cooking things at home. I KNOW I'm taking so much more care about everything than some restaurants! I've never gotten sick from my own cooking but have some unhappy memories following eating out...