February Wins and Losses

[noodleoo]

I finally have some!

L: the panel on our dishwasher started cracking, so we decided to replace it before it broke.  We bought a high end Bosch at Costco so that was $1300 all in.  Our previous Bosch lasted 15 years, so lets hope this one lasts as long!

W: DD1 passed the last level at swim school!  I'm so proud of her, she's a better swimmer than I am now.  The next step would be swim team, which she's not interested in so that is $140 a month coming back into our budget.  Wahoo!

We're also one month closer to DD2 starting K and finally being done with daycare payments.  OMG I CANNOT WAIT.  7 more payments to go...

[midwestmama]

L: Plumbers were here today to fix a slow leak. On top of what we already paid for the first visit a couple of days ago, this will be around $600-$700 when all is said and done. We have had multiple slow leaks in our current home. Either the copper piping they used was defective, or there is something else impacting the copper (I have heard that static electricity can cause holes in copper). We've definitely spent thousands of $$ over the years (lived here 13 years) to have holes cut into the walls or ceilings, fix the actual plumbing repair, and then the drywall repair and repaint. DH is ready to move (thinking that we will just continue to have issues as the years go on), but we can't afford a house similar to ours in size, given the current market and interest rates.
ETA:  Silver lining with this...  The plumber told us we need to replace the faucets in our primary bathroom as part of the repair (due to the copper piping having a direct line to the faucet).  A year or so ago I had bought faucets for that bathroom with the intention that DH would replace them.  He hadn't gotten around to it yet, so the nice thing is that 1) we didn't have to go out and buy new faucets now, on top of the other charges from the plumber, 2) DH didn't have to do the work, and 3) the faucets are now installed.  

L: I received confirmation from an old coworker (who works in HR at the same company as DH) yesterday that DH will not get a pay increase to off-set the decrease in his bonus target % until the end of this calendar year. So his bonus next year will be based on a higher salary to help off-set the decrease in bonus target, but we will not actually get any additional cash-flow in 2024. So that's a bummer because DH's boss told him something different (i.e., he communicated it wrong), that the pay increase would be in Jan. 2024.  I guess it's good we didn't have any plans yet for that money.

[sadlebred]

L: I had to buy a new battery for the garage door opener ($20 generic knock off on Amazon). Of course the battery cover to take off is an odd screw, so I am having to buy a nut driver set to go with it. Probably $65 all in (for a decent set + battery). I will know how much after I go to Home Depot today.

[ssmjlm]

sadlebred, I don't know if you have a Harbor Freight near you, but they have some decent stuff for a good bit cheaper. DH has some stuff from there that has lasted several years.


I'm headed to Australia for 2 weeks tomorrow with my mom. So it will be a pricey month. She covered travel, but I plan to cover food and tour tips, plus other stuff that may come up.

[sadlebred]

ssmjlm The nearest one is about 25 minutes away, and I'm just not up for a long drive right now (see my surgery posts). I agree they have good stuff at cheaper prices.

[simpsongal]

W: I found a brass desk lamp at the thrift store for $8 - looked it up and it retails for $300!

L: Everything re this reno LOL - I opened a 0% CC to pay for our cabinets....stop the money bleeding! Oh and we got our tax liability wrong again. Maybe not as bad as last year with penalties, but it's close...

[quesyrah]

Win: DH got a market rate adjustment so his pay will go up 1.5% and we increased his 401K by 1 %. Slowly but surely building that retirement!

Loss: don’t have any yet but give it time
lol

[jwright]

Hopeful Win: I posted in January that I was thinking about making a large investment and.... we did it! Even though my bank balance is lower I try to remind myself that my total assets are the same. And this time next year we should be receiving a good ROI.

Unsure: DH is going through hell at work and I'm supporting him in either making a change within his firm or quitting altogether. Probably means less income for awhile as we figure it out.

[Susie]

Feb 1, 2024 10:31:05 GMT -5 noodleoo said:

W: DD1 passed the last level at swim school!  I'm so proud of her, she's a better swimmer than I am now.  The next step would be swim team, which she's not interested in so that is $140 a month coming back into our budget.  Wahoo!

We're also one month closer to DD2 starting K and finally being done with daycare payments.  OMG I CANNOT WAIT.  7 more payments to go...

I can relate to these.  My DD is just about ready to graduate out of the last level of lessons, she just needs to get her breaststroke down and get her flip turns and butterfly a little cleaner.  She IS interested in swim team though, so it might just be a net L for me.  I was a swimmer so I don't think I get to say sob but... lol.

I registered DS for kinder a few weeks ago.  7 more months of preschool tuition!!  

Part of me is curious what the final number was on daycare bills since 2016 and part of me absolutely does not want to know.  We're mostly directing the delta into the kids' 529s.

[mlkgls]

L: I need a roof repair, to the tune of 3k, mostly because our pergola was tied in to the roof incorrectly. The estimate may go up if they find more damage or mold from the leak and the roof is only about 5-6 years old. 

L: My 6th grader still has 10 baby teeth; he was a late teether and the last of his friends to start losing them. It could start to cause alignment issues soon with his adult teeth so we have an extraction appointment in a few weeks. My estimated cost was more than I expected, even with dental insurance. 

I’ve basically spent 5k in February and the month is still young. I can only hope that February will get less expensive from here!

[aspentosh]

Win: H still has a job for now. We are waiting for the notice of how much time he has left though.

Loss: still no great job options that are remote. He really really really got used to remote work and doesn't want to go back to the office so he's being picky about a new job right now. He's had interest (tons, and a couple job offers for fully in person) but he wasn't there yet. He's holding out hope for at least hybrid.

Assumed loss: we'll need to buy a second vehicle if he's in person full time. Sucks. We were one car for a couple years and I loved it. If he can be hybrid we can stick with one car.

[sadlebred]

I'll add on:
W: I get money back on my taxes! My accountant should file them this week. A short term disability claim was approved for a time being out from work (see: heart surgery).

[niq]

Part of our fence fell over. It's covered under our insurance, but I'm sure the reimbursement won't come very close to actual cost.

We should really replace the whole thing, which is expensive enough that it's going to eat into our renovation budget.

[brooke77]

W: My company announced they will do a 20% 401K match. They haven’t offered a match in several years, so this is a win.

L: I am planning summer camp options. Most are between $250 and $500 a week.

[chpmnk1015]

This month is going to be a lot of spending which ugh:

W/L: Soccer tourney in MD this weekend- but, was able to cancel one hotel night because first game is like 4 PM sat.. So only paying 1 night
L: think my sons friends willbe here Sun for superbowl so that will be some food money
L: Last soccer payment for DD for this year next week
L: Alaska Final payment ack- trying to cash flow but do not think it will happen; Dh has been slow for work the last couple months
L: DH and DS are going on a Scout trip to dogsled for 5 days... most paid for but still some there
L: a sweet 16 for one of DDs friends.. just her and i going so not as much as it could have been but still hefty

[aspentosh]

Feb 5, 2024 9:35:29 GMT -5 aspentosh said:

Win: H still has a job for now. We are waiting for the notice of how much time he has left though.

Loss: still no great job options that are remote. He really really really got used to remote work and doesn't want to go back to the office so he's being picky about a new job right now. He's had interest (tons, and a couple job offers for fully in person) but he wasn't there yet. He's holding out hope for at least hybrid.

Assumed loss: we'll need to buy a second vehicle if he's in person full time. Sucks. We were one car for a couple years and I loved it. If he can be hybrid we can stick with one car.

Quoting myself. 

Big win to me: H's boss let him know that his clock at work won't start until March 1st at the earliest (they are still trying to find him something internally). I was anticipating the clock to start in February, so this gives us quite a bit of breathing room for him to find a job that is hopefully at least hybrid. 

Win: big grocery shopping trip was only $150. I was expecting over $200 because we bought a bunch of meat to have and freeze. 

[lust2hart]

L: We're going to owe more taxes than we thought.

W: We passed the $30K mark in our HSA! We would have hit it last year but I broke my foot and paid for everything related to that out of the HSA. So while we/my company kept contributing, everything that went in went right back out and it was just like, "Man, when are we going to pass this threshold?!"

[niq]

L: I have been procrastinating on ordering T-shirts for the Mathcounts team. To get them on time I had to order from a rush order place that costs like 50% more per shirt. This is a fun hobby so I will just eat the amount that's over budget, but sigh.

L: Fence repair.

W: The increase on my car insurance premium for the new car was only $110/pay period or $20/month. Way less than I was expecting!

[sadlebred]

L:? You really don't want to know what I'm up to in medical bills (see: open heart surgery + hospital stay). Thank goodness for amazing health insurance and being able to put the max OOP in a FSA.

[mae0111]

L: the generic of DD1's ADHD meds is unavailable. She needs these med to manage her moods as well as to be able to function at school. Name brand prescription is $389 PER MONTH. I'm currently on the phone with insurance to see if they'll cover at least part of it. Good RX price is even higher, believe it or not.

L: I had a routine physical and my garbage insurance is also trying to not cover that, because I just received a bill for over $200.

W: I'm a consultant and work has been really busy. The more I work, the more I get paid. So I'm earning more money this month! Yay!

[Saudade]

Feb 16, 2024 12:24:48 GMT -5 mae0111 said:

L: the generic of DD1's ADHD meds is unavailable. She needs these med to manage her moods as well as to be able to function at school. Name brand prescription is $389 PER MONTH. I'm currently on the phone with insurance to see if they'll cover at least part of it. Good RX price is even higher, believe it or not.

L: I had a routine physical and my garbage insurance is also trying to not cover that, because I just received a bill for over $200.

W: I'm a consultant and work has been really busy. The more I work, the more I get paid. So I'm earning more money this month! Yay!

You know what is so stupid about meds and insurance? Generic vs brand names. I tried to send a rx for a kid last week on medicaid. It was denied because I didn’t specify that it needed to be BRAND NAME. They only cover if it’s brand name, not generics.

[mae0111]

Feb 16, 2024 13:39:04 GMT -5 Saudade said:

Feb 16, 2024 12:24:48 GMT -5 mae0111 said:

L: the generic of DD1's ADHD meds is unavailable. She needs these med to manage her moods as well as to be able to function at school. Name brand prescription is $389 PER MONTH. I'm currently on the phone with insurance to see if they'll cover at least part of it. Good RX price is even higher, believe it or not.

L: I had a routine physical and my garbage insurance is also trying to not cover that, because I just received a bill for over $200.

W: I'm a consultant and work has been really busy. The more I work, the more I get paid. So I'm earning more money this month! Yay!

You know what is so stupid about meds and insurance? Generic vs brand names. I tried to send a rx for a kid last week on medicaid. It was denied because I didn’t specify that it needed to be BRAND NAME. They only cover if it’s brand name, not generics.

It’s infuriating. Insurance’s response to the drug shortage is “sorry about your bad luck!”

And know what we pay for this insurance? $2500 A MONTH. No, I didn’t add an extra zero. Even when the generic is available, with insurance I would pay over $200 FOR EACH KID. GoodRX helps with the generic but not the brand name.

Ugh.

[heygrey]

Small win - I want a carry on bag that will slip over the handle of my suitcase. I bought one last week for $100. Yesterday I found a bag at thrift store for $8! It doesn't have a brand name on it, but the quality is really good and I like the shape and compartments better than the expensive one.

[quesyrah]

I have a major win to share!


In mid January we took a trip. After 2.5 hours on the plane and 2 takeoff attempts, the flight was canceled. Told to get luggage and get in line at the counter. After 2 hours in line we decided to try calling the airline. Meanwhile we were getting constant notifications through r airline app that our flight has been changed. Every employee in the airport was the rudest most unhelpful person I have ever met.

Original flight was 6 am, 2 hr layover in Dallas, landing in Orlando at 4:30 pm. Airline wants to get us on flights that have us arriving at 6:30 am the following day so we lose an entire day of vacation. Also we paid for premium economy at the front of the plane (for reasons relating to my disability) but they can only offer us scattered middle seats. We search flights out of other airports, and other airlines. Takes 3 phone calls to get someone willing to help but she says we can book the tickets we found on another airline and she will cancel and refund the outgoing tickets on our flight, leaving return flight the same.

Shockingly; we never got the refund. We called the airline 5 times, everyone says the $321 flight credit we got is the refund. Finally the 5th guy says the person who canceled the flights did process a refund but it looked like someone else went in and changed it to a flight credit.

So I called my credit card to see if we could dispute through them. Gave them all the info, all the dates and times and names of who we spoke to.

I won the dispute and got our $1,300 back!! The credit card found that the airline did not provide the service we paid for because they canceled the flight.

So all in all, our trip only ended up costing $700 more than we originally budgeted, which is the difference between the new tickets we bought and the refund. And we saved our vacation (ended up arriving at 1:30 am- 9 hours after our original arrival time).

And from now on we will probably purchase travel insurance!!

[ohgillian]

quesyrah way to be persistent! Good job!

[heygrey]

Win - I did a rough draft of our taxes tonight and we will get a refund of ~$100. I always feel like I won the tax game when we keep it that tight. 

[mae0111]

Win!: I noticed that my cell phone bill had been ticking up a little every few months. DH had his own plan because it’s for business use. He added both kids when they each got phones and just split the bill appropriately for work stuff. I had no idea what he was paying.

We finally took a look tonight and holy smokes - we were paying a ton for 4 lines! So after 90 mins on chat, we combined the plan into one and we managed to cut the bill in half!

[atarianna]

Mine is both a win and a loss.

My contract changed and I had to move from PT to FT. While financially this is a win, it’s a big loss to my home life and flexibility that I haven’t quite come to grips with yet.

Loss: I lost my incredible benefits when moving with the contract from my old company. I had to find and now pay for childcare for my youngest which is a tiny loss.

Win: I asked for a 25% raise to offset the lost benefits and they accepted.
We met with a financial planner and are way ahead of the game WRT retirement and are going to shift some things about to try to enjoy our money more.

[sadlebred]

W/L: My home insurance went up over $400 AGAIN this year. My auto has also gone up. I spent about 90 minutes on the phone with the insurance company trimming and dropping what could be dropped. I cut about $300 between the two plans. So, this is a win/loss? I've shopped my plans around, but the only companies that can beat the price are A listed with AM Best. My current company is A++. So, I pay a ton but know the company pays out more and is in better shape to do so. Would you believe increasing the deductible on the car by $500 saves less than $2/month? So, it stayed where it is.

[chpmnk1015]

L: escrow on our rental went up 250 a month! ugh.. still ok w rent but now not able to save all that which we need every penny for updates in another year.