Yeah, I totally get that attitude. But it's an emotional state and you need to make objective evaluations here. So what else are you willing to give up to continue to pay for your pets? Is there anything else you can give up? If you want to keep them you will need to cut back in other places.

I wouldn't recommend giving up food, because if you do not take carte of yourself, you will be unable to care for your pets (put on your oxygen mask first).

As always, the problem comes down to either cutting expenses or increasing income.

I'd rather give up food than give up my pets. I've had them each for more than half of their expected lifespans. They're my reasons for getting out of bed in the first place. But thank you for this suggestion.

You’ll be surprised how big of a drop collections can have and it’s not just the score, it’s a mark for all to see—so as long as you don’t plan on taking credit AND don’t come across any landlords that would need your credit report or employers (I’m in an industry where this is a must, but some employers check on this even if they’re not in an industry that expects it’s employees to not have any collections/judgement/felonies).

If you have the date/time and name of person you spoke that says it, may be long shot but even then you’d probably have signed paperwork to the effect of if insurance doesn’t cover you’re on the hook.

Which means yes you owe and you should see if there’s a way to cut that down—start by asking for itemized bill, and reviewing.

Be realistic with yourself about whether you can afford your pets.

Call them, explain what happened, cite your otherwise flawless payment history, and ask them nicely to refund the Fees/interest and remove the credit marks.

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At your age, with your income and retirement savings? Go for it assuming you personally want to own, can afford to keep maxing your 401k with a mortgage, and aren’t on a hardcore FIRE path. Maybe even if you are. Yes that money will snowball if you leave it alone, but how long before it matters? Will you be happier using it to pay in cash in a decade, or will you appreciate the decade in a house more? I bought at 28 with less for a down payment and I’ve never regretted it.

As others have said, graduate and lock down everything first. I'm not a fan of spending money I don't have yet.

A few things to keep in mind is that the sticker price is not the out the door price on new cars. Dealers are going to hit you with some random fees that will add a few grand to your price tag.

Personally I've owned around 50 vehicles and have never owned a new one. I also haven't financed a vehicle since 2007. I've always said "let someone else take the initial depreciation hit". Vehicle prices are stabilizing and even coming down in some cases. I'd buy used with 20% down just so I immediately had some equity. When you're starting out it's nice to know that you could liquidate your vehicle at any moment and not have to cut the bank a check.

There is a reason that Dodge trucks typically depreciate quicker than the others. Historically they don't hold up as well as the others (power trains are pretty solid but the interior and body don't seem to hold up). That is purely subjectively opinion based and I have no data to support it, vehicles are just a hobby.

Fullsize trucks are expensive and complete overkill for most people. If you're really set on a truck be honest with yourself about what you really want/need and try not to get caught up in the "well if I'm going to this I might as well go bigger". Many SUVs and midsized trucks are as capable capacity wise as full size trucks were 15-20 years ago.

Ok, having vomited all of that. If fuel consumption wasn't a big issue and I wanted the best bang for buck I'd look at 7-8 year old Suburbans, Tahoes and the like. They don't seem to hold their value like trucks do. Most have been used as kid haulers so the power trains haven't been taxes (sometimes the interiors are beat up with mystery stains and Cheerios). They are based on their truck counterparts and have very similar towing and hauling capacity. If you're into the outdoors you can usually sleep in them if you want to as well.

There is some random advice from a random guy in the interwebs

They might. I screwed up all 4 of my cards because of something going on the caused me to miss my usual payment date and mentally I just spaced paying all my bills.

They didn't even make a pretense of it being a problem and reversed all the penalties and interest. Discover even apologized to me for the inconvenience.

If you are a good customer then they'll likely bend over backwards, and you can threaten to close the card and talk to retentions (though if it's your oldest card then you won't want to actually do that)

Are you suggesting OP spread the repayment over several years by only making minimum payments? If yes, wouldn't the much higher interest charged on the credit card evaporate the 4-5% you could make via the HYSA.

If you have the cash, put it in a HYSA then make large enough payments to pay off the debt before the deferred interest is added back to the balance. That way you make a few $ and pay zero $ in interest.

If you can only afford to make minimum payments then the deferred interest card ends up being different that a regular credit card regarding how much the borrowed money cost. I've done these loans a couple of times with Home Depot and a HVAC replacement. The interest is delayed for a period of time but not forgiven unless paid in full before the time is up thus I would divide the balance by the time factor so being extremely disciplined with the payments, the debt would be gone before any interest would be charged. I got to use their money to fund a project.

>due to my own dumb error.

proof is in the pudding i guess

i know i've had my fair share of "oh shit, that was due last week..."

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Texas is a community property state. So all debts incurred during the marriage belong to both spouses. You both would have to file together.

Upside is Texas has some of the best protections from creditors. As you noted your homestead exemption is unlimited. You can each exempt your vehicles and combined can protect up to 100k in crs and other assets. Your income cannot be garnished for consumer/medical debts.

So even absent filing for bankruptcy the only thing at risk would be large amounts of money sitting in a bank account that could be levied after a creditor would sue you and win a judgement against you.

You do need to really prioritize your budget. You should never be paying a cent toward credit cards or unsecured loans before ensuring your mortgage is fully paid.

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Suggest you look at a cheaper, smaller, car and figure out how to put a roof over your head and food on the table first. You don't even know if you're going to like your job yet. Do you have 6 months of living expenses saved up yet? Regarding boat, you talking row boat or something more substantial?

Oh that makes sense - thanks a bunch

As you move money in and out of Vanguard, that is typically done in your settlement account which is VMFXX.

By keeping you money in VRMXX, it keeps these funds out of the way. The yields are almost the same, so you are not giving up anything.

Thanks - can you explain why that’s good?

I have worked at two credit unions, and while we try to help folks as much as possible, we will not change accurate credit reporting. Ever.

There is a reason Dodge trucks are cheap, and it's not a good reason.

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Go with VMRXX only because it is not your settlement fund.

What if you just stopped paying the CCs and pile up cash? Your credit would be wrecked either way but now you can negotiate with the CC companies.

You call them up one by one as you have some cash and offer them, say 50% or 25%, and if they refuse, tell them you are moving on to the next CC. You'll get back to them when you have some cash again. Rinse and repeat.

It won't be easy, and will take time. But it could work.

BTW, you have too much house unless your wife and you double your income.

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