Debt Dumpers 2025

[ruadisneyfan2]

garage sales and thrift stores are great and cheap resources for cast iron. you may find some rust but that's easily addressed with some steel wool and naval jelly. I often see them on the lowest shelves at thrift stores, covered in dust b/c people think they are so difficult to use (NOT) or in boxes practically being given away at garage sales when an older relative's home is being cleared out. same thing with canning supplies-i bought an amazing stove top pressure cooker for a crazy low price and I continue to see people almost giving them away. people clean out family member's homes and themselves are afraid to use them (I get it, it's a bit unnerving the first time or two) but they can be used for regular canning as well as pressured (and the mason jars end up in boxes for a handful of dollars). thrifting is an awesome way to aquire kitchenware that will last you forever.

Dh loves yard sales and thrift stores. He has found so many great toys when our kids were little. Toy trucks that were $40 in a store were only $3 and a huge Little Tykes tugboat shaped sandbox, both barely used. Toddlers could care less that it's used. He likes getting tools and gardening equipment too. He doesn't mind buying a dirty shovel because the first time you use a brand new shovel, it becomes a dirty shovel.
Yard sale-ing is his unwinding/alone time fav activity. I used to go with him before we had kids but I don't have the patience to pick through other people's stuff.

 

[DisneyMandC]

I use an oral b with the little round head. It works well to get the back teeth. Flossing, if you can do it, makes the twice a year cleanings easier as there's less stuff for them to scrap off however they do it, water thing or metal thing. Once a hygienist explained that to me almost 20 years ago I rarely miss a night. Doesn't matter how tired, I floss, brush and wash my face or I can't go to bed.

I feel like if they'd explain better the reason why more people might do it. They suggest a water flossed but I hate the water thing they use and I just know it would leave me with a wet shirt and face.

My hygienist told me to get the portable water flosser and to use it in the shower so it doesn't get everywhere. Can't say that I did it... but I did think it was a good idea.

 

[afan]

My hygienist told me to get the portable water flosser and to use it in the shower so it doesn't get everywhere. Can't say that I did it... but I did think it was a good idea.

That makes sense but still something I'll do. I don't need to waste water in the shower when I can floss.

 

[barkley]

Dh loves yard sales and thrift stores. He has found so many great toys when our kids were little. Toy trucks that were $40 in a store were only $3 and a huge Little Tykes tugboat shaped sandbox, both barely used. Toddlers could care less that it's used. He likes getting tools and gardening equipment too. He doesn't mind buying a dirty shovel because the first time you use a brand new shovel, it becomes a dirty shovel.
Yard sale-ing is his unwinding/alone time fav activity. I used to go with him before we had kids but I don't have the patience to pick through other people's stuff.

we don't get many garage/yard sales ruraly (mostly only when someone passes/sells or their adult kids come for a visit and push them to purge stuff so they don't have to deal with it when the time comes ) but when we do they are a great resource for odds and ends of yard tools, hardware and such (or broken down out of production mechanical items that people will buy for parts). we used to live in a suburban area that had one neighborhood that had a reputation amoung the regulars who shopped every weekend for having brand-new household items still in the box-it was a neighborhood that largely appealed to newlywed first time homebuyers who inevitably overpaid and would start selling off unused wedding gifts (you could still see bits and pieces of wedding gift wrap clinging to the boxes). I still have a couple of items I bought back then.

 

[ariel1025]

I have a lot of similar things on my list for the year.

I have sourdough starter on my counter as we speak that I'm trying to do things with. It's so intimidating and I don't know why.
As far as pans, hubby got me and Mainstays stainless steel sauce pot from walmart for Christmas and it's actually pretty decently made for the $9 it was. I wouldn't mind additional items from that line. I'm also in the process of switching to stainless or cast iron only and it's an expensive endeavor.

I don't know if it's something you're into, but garage sale season is coming soon and that's how I've been slowly furnishing our home. Between those and thrift shops I've managed to turn a it into a more cozy home. I allow myself $40 a paycheck to thrift with. Some weeks I spend it in one day, other weeks I have most of it left over. I love scrolling Pinterest and finding "inspired" pieces that look high end but only cost me $5.

I had a starter going for about a year and then let it die. My favorite things were honestly things I made with the discard - pancakes and hamburger buns. I never did master bread but I'm determined to figure it out! So far I haven't had luck with thrift stores around here but I'm super excited for garage sales to start popping up regularly again

garage sales and thrift stores are great and cheap resources for cast iron. you may find some rust but that's easily addressed with some steel wool and naval jelly. I often see them on the lowest shelves at thrift stores, covered in dust b/c people think they are so difficult to use (NOT) or in boxes practically being given away at garage sales when an older relative's home is being cleared out. same thing with canning supplies-i bought an amazing stove top pressure cooker for a crazy low price and I continue to see people almost giving them away. people clean out family member's homes and themselves are afraid to use them (I get it, it's a bit unnerving the first time or two) but they can be used for regular canning as well as pressured (and the mason jars end up in boxes for a handful of dollars). thrifting is an awesome way to aquire kitchenware that will last you forever.

We have one cast iron pan and I love it for several things - but there are a few foods that I just don't reach for cast iron to make. I will keep my eyes peeled at thrift stores/yard sales for some varying sizes as I would love to have more than the one we have!

I’m married to a dentist his best tips for flossing is to get a bag of the plackers (the floss picks) and keep them in your car and floss once a day while you are sitting at a red light. Plus they come in handy if you eat out and have something stuck in your teeth. Ideally everyone should have their teeth cleaned by the hygienist every three months as that’s the time it takes for tartar to harden into cement like plaque. Unfortunately most insurances only cover two cleanings so people think that’s how often they should have it done. Water piks are good but they need to be maintained because the lines can become full of mold and bacteria if they are not flushed and cleaned regularly.

Love this idea!!

Dh loves yard sales and thrift stores. He has found so many great toys when our kids were little. Toy trucks that were $40 in a store were only $3 and a huge Little Tykes tugboat shaped sandbox, both barely used. Toddlers could care less that it's used. He likes getting tools and gardening equipment too. He doesn't mind buying a dirty shovel because the first time you use a brand new shovel, it becomes a dirty shovel.
Yard sale-ing is his unwinding/alone time fav activity. I used to go with him before we had kids but I don't have the patience to pick through other people's stuff.

All 3 of my kids really started getting into hitting the yard sales with me last summer. It was like a big treasure hunt and we all had a blast! Even my teen doesn't care if it's used as long as it's quality

we don't get many garage/yard sales ruraly (mostly only when someone passes/sells or their adult kids come for a visit and push them to purge stuff so they don't have to deal with it when the time comes ) but when we do they are a great resource for odds and ends of yard tools, hardware and such (or broken down out of production mechanical items that people will buy for parts). we used to live in a suburban area that had one neighborhood that had a reputation amoung the regulars who shopped every weekend for having brand-new household items still in the box-it was a neighborhood that largely appealed to newlywed first time homebuyers who inevitably overpaid and would start selling off unused wedding gifts (you could still see bits and pieces of wedding gift wrap clinging to the boxes). I still have a couple of items I bought back then.

Now this is the neighborhood I need to find LOL

 

[Nettlelondon]

My budget has taken a little bit of a hit, but I am pleased as it is another step on the recovery road.

I was a regular contact lens wearer before breast cancer but I had to stop during treatment - partly because it is not advisable to wear them around chemo time, partly because the other medications messed with the shape of my eyes so they didn't fit so well and partly because I ran out and couldn't get a new prescription until I had finished all the steroids post treatment as they were affecting my eyesight.

I am now done with all that (hopefully) so I have returned to contacts. I signed up for 10 pairs/month as that should equate to my estimate of usage but wanted 10 extra pairs just in case I got it wrong. The lady serving me didn't charge for the extras - which was kind.

Driving on sunny days should be easier (I didn't get round to buying prescription sunglasses as I wasn't driving much and my eyes were changing a fair bit during treatment).

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

My budget has taken a little bit of a hit, but I am pleased as it is another step on the recovery road.

I was a regular contact lens wearer before breast cancer but I had to stop during treatment - partly because it is not advisable to wear them around chemo time, partly because the other medications messed with the shape of my eyes so they didn't fit so well and partly because I ran out and couldn't get a new prescription until I had finished all the steroids post treatment as they were affecting my eyesight.

I am now done with all that (hopefully) so I have returned to contacts. I signed up for 10 pairs/month as that should equate to my estimate of usage but wanted 10 extra pairs just in case I got it wrong. The lady serving me didn't charge for the extras - which was kind.

Driving on sunny days should be easier (I didn't get round to buying prescription sunglasses as I wasn't driving much and my eyes were changing a fair bit during treatment).

Wishing you good health for your future and that all of your treatment becomes a distant memory!

 

[pblack]

Not ready for a full on monthly update yet, but a few things I'm excited about. Our spending this past month (and when I say month it really means my credit card statement period since we put all of our purchases on a card and then pay it off) was down pretty considerably (honestly not sure why lol) which means that we are able to "cash flow" the purchase of our storage shed. We bought a storage shed from Sam's Club when it was on sale and my plan had been to use some of the money I had set aside for home improvement stuff, but thanks to our lack of spending over the last month I don't need to pull from our savings to cover it.

We've also made some messy progress with our side yard. We removed the "fence" that was pretty much rotten...and I use the term fence lightly. We also removed all the small trees/shrubbery that was in front of it. Next order of business is to remove the roots (which is proving to be a pain in my a**) and once that is complete we can work on putting up our new fence. We have an idea of what all we want to do with this area, but still finalizing plans. Half of it will for sure be paver stones so we can put our storage shed out there and the other half is still TBD, but we're leaning towards turf.

Last thing I'm excited about is I received an email from our car insurance company and when our next 6 month cycle hits our payments are actually going down and not up. I feel like this is super unheard of nowadays lol. No idea why it's going down, we haven't changed anything, but I'm not complaining.

I did finally reach out to the patio cover place we've been looking at for a quote on replacing our patio cover and it's...expensive lol. So we'll see what we end up doing about this. The insulated patio cover is roughly $4300 while the non-insulated version is $2600. I'm not sure that the insulated one will make enough of a difference to justify the cost difference. I've looked at some other options through Lowes/Home Depot and the price runs about on par with the non-insulated cover. I'm still open to doing a 0% balance transfer for some of our project if needed and if we decide to replace this cover like we want too/need too then I might end up going this route for it. Since I was able to "cash flow" the storage shed and not touch our savings I'm hoping we can do what we need/want to do with the money we have saved up and/or "cash flow" other parts of the side yard project. From my preliminary numbers for the paychecks at the end of the month I think I'll be able to pay off our iPad purchase which would then free up that money to go towards these projects or the balance transfer card if we go that route.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Our oven died. They are so ridiculously expensive nowadays. I half considered ordering parts that they recommended in a yt video but they are several hundred $$, we’d have to wait at least a few days to get them, and there’s no guarantee that it will fix the error code.
So we might as well replace it. Ugh.

 

[barkley]

We also removed all the small trees/shrubbery that was in front of it. Next order of business is to remove the roots (which is proving to be a pain in my a**) and once that is complete we can work on putting up our new fence

is there any plantings around the stuff you want to get rid of? if not you can do what I did to rid ourselves of some awful big juniper bushes-i got them cut down to stumps and roots but dang those roots wanted to hang on so I took a screwdriver and made small cuts in the roots that were exposed and poured pure (non diluted) round up on them. in a few days any life left in the roots were gone and they were much easier to pull up. as for trees? we ended up having to get the stumps professionally removed and ground down.

Our oven died. They are so ridiculously expensive nowadays. I half considered ordering parts that they recommended in a yt video but they are several hundred $$, we’d have to wait at least a few days to get them, and there’s no guarantee that it will fix the error code.
So we might as well replace it. Ugh.

i'm sorry-we went through this 2 years ago around this time. yup, they are expensive. we ended up paying more but going with the least electronicly laden one we could find figuring there was less to go wrong with it (ours is gas). it was so freaking confusing trying to compare models and going into stores did'nt help b/c the days of salespeople knowing the particulars of what they are selling is long gone. hope you find something quickly that you like.

 

[pblack]

is there any plantings around the stuff you want to get rid of? if not you can do what I did to rid ourselves of some awful big juniper bushes-i got them cut down to stumps and roots but dang those roots wanted to hang on so I took a screwdriver and made small cuts in the roots that were exposed and poured pure (non diluted) round up on them. in a few days any life left in the roots were gone and they were much easier to pull up. as for trees? we ended up having to get the stumps professionally removed and ground down.

No, we've pretty much removed all the green stuff we wanted to get rid of, but the round up idea is a good one. I don't know that calling whatever we removed trees is really accurate. The roots are definitely not as big/wide as a normal tree would be, but they go deep. I think the biggest width we have is maybe 6 inches? Maybe slightly bigger. I plan on trying to tackle some of them over the next few days and if I'm unable to make any progress I may try the holes/roundup idea. Can't hurt anything.

 

[barkley]

No, we've pretty much removed all the green stuff we wanted to get rid of, but the round up idea is a good one. I don't know that calling whatever we removed trees is really accurate. The roots are definitely not as big/wide as a normal tree would be, but they go deep. I think the biggest width we have is maybe 6 inches? Maybe slightly bigger. I plan on trying to tackle some of them over the next few days and if I'm unable to make any progress I may try the holes/roundup idea. Can't hurt anything.

a neighbor we had at the time suggested doing something to try to kill off the roots b/c they can be alive long after the plant that's visible above ground is gone. this reminds me-dh needs to pull several dozen baby pine trees that have popped up in our ornamentals bed. he hates pulling them b/c they have crazy long roots that go down several feet before we ever see the green poking up.

spring has sprung (despite getting a smattering of snow on and off this week).

 

[WDW_fan_in_TX]

LOL. Our fridge (our 2 year old fridge) started making a crazy noise Friday. Sounded like a helicopter above our house. Got a guy to come out Sunday, and he said our fan motor was going out. So, I jumped on Amazon and bought one. But we had to throw out all of the food in our fridge and freezer. I put the new one in on Tuesday night, and it seems to be cooling property. And it's quiet and sounding like normal. Wound up being about $100 total out of pocket between the guy helping me figure out what it was and helping me put it in and then me buying the part on Amazon. But I will be going to Walmart on Saturday to restock our now empty fridge and freezer.

 

[Tygerlilly]

Well, I have a dumpster being delivered next Saturday for 3 days. I'll be spending the whole weekend down there throwing away anything not nailed down.

Been talking with the realtor and I figured I'd be good to list by April 7th now that I can have almost everything thrown away next weekend.

Guys, she text me this morning and said she already has TWO different showings scheduled for the 7th. So now I'm panicking that something will go wrong and I won't be ready.

I brought a load back tonight and am heading down tomorrow morning to spend the day. The first few hours will be getting donations ready and taken to goodwill followed by loading up anything else I can and scrubbing all the things I can get to.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Well, I have a dumpster being delivered next Saturday for 3 days. I'll be spending the whole weekend down there throwing away anything not nailed down.

Been talking with the realtor and I figured I'd be good to list by April 7th now that I can have almost everything thrown away next weekend.

Guys, she text me this morning and said she already has TWO different showings scheduled for the 7th. So now I'm panicking that something will go wrong and I won't be ready.

I brought a load back tonight and am heading down tomorrow morning to spend the day. The first few hours will be getting donations ready and taken to goodwill followed by loading up anything else I can and scrubbing all the things I can get to.

I hope it sells quickly for you. How is your mom doing with all of it?

Ds24 has his closing on Wednesday. He is so excited.
We found out later that his offer was accepted despite the seller getting another offer for $10k more than his. His agent said they chose his offer because he has a great credit score, has a very large down payment, and he's getting a conventional mortgage, not FHA or some special first time homebuyer's assistance. Those things tend to cause delays. It took a month and 6 days to go from accepting the offer to closing.

I wanted to surprise him with a care package from Amazon of cleaning supplies, laundry detergent, a mop, cleaning cloths, toilet plunger, etc. but it really adds up quickly and I'd rather buy it as subscribe & save to get the 15% discount but to do that you have to order in advance and I'm afraid to do it now, before it's official, just in case some issue arises. Maybe I can have it arrive next weekend. He insists it's immaculate and doesn't need cleaning.

He's been working 6 12-hr shifts per week all winter and just packing away all that OT $$. I don't even tell him to just keep swimming.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

LOL. Our fridge (our 2 year old fridge) started making a crazy noise Friday. Sounded like a helicopter above our house. Got a guy to come out Sunday, and he said our fan motor was going out. So, I jumped on Amazon and bought one. But we had to throw out all of the food in our fridge and freezer. I put the new one in on Tuesday night, and it seems to be cooling property. And it's quiet and sounding like normal. Wound up being about $100 total out of pocket between the guy helping me figure out what it was and helping me put it in and then me buying the part on Amazon. But I will be going to Walmart on Saturday to restock our now empty fridge and freezer.

It sucks to have to toss all that food but try to look on the bright side. You saved yourself from having to buy a new fridge.
Was it still under warranty?

It's crazy how things are made like such junk nowadays. When I was a kid we had the same "avacado green" fridge from my earliest memories until I moved out. It wasn't even dead but my parents eventually redid their kitchen so they updated their appliances. That was in 1994 and that "new" fridge is still there and running fine. Yep, they only bought 2 refrigerators since 1968. People say appliances weren't very energy efficient in those days but it can't be smart to be tossing appliances out every few years either.

 

[Tygerlilly]

I hope it sells quickly for you. How is your mom doing with all of it?

I think it will. We have it priced pretty low compared to comps because I'm not doing any work to it. It's not bad, it's just not as nice as all the newly updated homes around. But the price reflects that and is fair. We're starting right around where I was thinking I'd like to be so that we end up at my "hopeful goal" for sale once all fees and such are included. With there already being 2 offers, I'm trying not to get my hopes up, but I am a little hopeful it may sell above asking.

She seems to be okay with it. She just isn't grasping she can't take everything with her and is dragging her feet actually getting things done. I told her she has Monday to get anything else she wants put in a specific spot because once the dumpster arrives I'm tossing everything not nailed down.

 

[pblack]

I hope it sells quickly for you. How is your mom doing with all of it?

Ds24 has his closing on Wednesday. He is so excited.
We found out later that his offer was accepted despite the seller getting another offer for $10k more than his. His agent said they chose his offer because he has a great credit score, has a very large down payment, and he's getting a conventional mortgage, not FHA or some special first time homebuyer's assistance. Those things tend to cause delays. It took a month and 6 days to go from accepting the offer to closing.

I wanted to surprise him with a care package from Amazon of cleaning supplies, laundry detergent, a mop, cleaning cloths, toilet plunger, etc. but it really adds up quickly and I'd rather buy it as subscribe & save to get the 15% discount but to do that you have to order in advance and I'm afraid to do it now, before it's official, just in case some issue arises. Maybe I can have it arrive next weekend. He insists it's immaculate and doesn't need cleaning.

He's been working 6 12-hr shifts per week all winter and just packing away all that OT $$. I don't even tell him to just keep swimming.

Target just launched their circle week and when you spend $50 on cleaning/household products you get a $15 giftcard. Just thought I'd throw it out there in case it benefits you.

 

[Cfabar1]

Shopped around our insurance rates. Big savings! Very happy about that!

Looking forward to seeing some expenses trending downwards for us as sometimes it feels like we have been running the budget too hot!

 

[barkley]

I think it will. We have it priced pretty low compared to comps because I'm not doing any work to it. It's not bad, it's just not as nice as all the newly updated homes around. But the price reflects that and is fair. We're starting right around where I was thinking I'd like to be so that we end up at my "hopeful goal" for sale once all fees and such are included. With there already being 2 offers, I'm trying not to get my hopes up, but I am a little hopeful it may sell above asking.

She seems to be okay with it. She just isn't grasping she can't take everything with her and is dragging her feet actually getting things done. I told her she has Monday to get anything else she wants put in a specific spot because once the dumpster arrives I'm tossing everything not nailed down.

you reminded me of a good laugh we had when purging my mom's house to sell it. mom had a reputation among us for forgetting where she hid Christmas presents and we would inevitably end up getting something OBVIOUSLY meant for Christmas in an Easter basket or as an 'extra' birthday gift. by the time mom sells and moves into assisted living all of us were ranging from our 40's to near 60's so no need to be hiding anymore YET we find, under a pile of long unused linens holiday socks wrapped and ready to be put in one of our childhood stockings . we also had a laugh over how many old cool-whip containers she had washed and squirreled away in the cabinets.

if your mom has any tendancies to hide stuff away make sure to shake any books/open any VHS or DVD holders, check pockets of any clothing to be tossed. photo frames are also hideaway spots for documents and money with some older adults so pull the photos out and see what lurks beneath.