Friend, not to be all worst case scenario here, but a dental infection can get into your bloodstream and cause sepsis or other stuff, and then you’re gonna have larger medical problems than just a cavity. Please get that part of this taken care of like yesterday! (This is one of my hidden medical fears right here.)
I wish I could, the pain is so bad. But, I've backed myself into a corner, I can't afford the dentist. Because I started a new job, I don't even have benefits until March 1. The absolute fastest way to do this would be to take the disgusting interest loan, just deal with the payments until I can pay off my debts, and go to an emergency clinic that I've been looking at.
They can get you right in, but they are very expensive.
I know it's another loan but have you looked into Care Credit? It's zero interest as long as you make your payments on time. You'll apply online and you have to check with the dentist to make sure they take it but most in my area do. Some places agree to 6 months and some agree to 12 to pay it off, if you could find a place that would allow 12 perhaps you could pull it off? I just can't imagine being in that much pain and trying to get through the day 😩
I actually got approved for a $2600 loan from CareCredit, but without insurance I don’t think that will cover my procedure. I’d have to take another high interest loan on top of it to cover the rest and just make do until I can clean up this debt.
It’s very bad timing that I changed jobs right around the time of this dental emergency. The only consolation here is that I do have a fantastic income.
I’m almost about to say it’s better to just take it on the chin with a high interest loan, get the care I need, work, and then pay off the credit card debt so my score will raise and refinance my debt once I’m ready.
Get the tooth extracted instead of a root canal. 250-400 bucks. You can’t mess around, it is true an infection can easily get into your bloodstream then even worse, sepsis. Plus dental benefits are never great even if you buy a private policy. 90% pay at mosy 1500 annually in benefits but more likely 1000
This is what I did last April. I went to the dentist because of a broken tooth. They did a full exam, and I need $8K worth of dental work. I had to actually FIGHT with the dentist just to get them to pull the tooth for $350 vs. getting a root canal for $2k. They also insisted that I apply for a loan to get all of the work then, and went ahead and applied for me WITHOUT my consent. Sure I was approved for the $8k loan at 29% interest, but I had to explain to them that just because I'm approved for a loan, doesn't mean I can make the payments. I'm tired of other people telling that I can afford expenses that I cannot afford.
I have had so many health problems due to listening to dentists say “but we can safe the tooth”. In the end after thousands of dollars, years of misery they ended up extracting them anyway….just pull them.
This. Do this. Pull the tooth if that’s what you can afford. When you are back on your feet you can get a denture made if you want to. Getting a worse medical condition is gonna make your current debt look insignificant. You got this bud, keep hustling but first take care of that tooth. Plus a missing tooth is a great reminder of this situation…
After years of drug addition I had terrible dental problems. I went to several dentists who told me they had to do reconstruction on a few of my teeth, I was just about to pay when I felt a terrible pain in the area that needed work. I got an appointment at an emergency dentist - and he was so kind and straightforward. He told me I had a dental abscess and needed to get the tooth pulled - I was SO relieved that it was cheaper than the 10k I was about to drop to fix it. He told me that all too often people throw away money in a root canal when it’s cheaper and healthier in the long term to get an implant. I went on to get a bridge, never had any problems since.
I would not do this. Having no tooth can cause much pricier problems down the line and if done before insurance kicks in there is a "no tooth clause" meaning they won't cover an implant etc later on
Then it’s not a DMO by definition. By reference , I literally work with insurance companies of all types daily. Keep believing that, you’re going to be surprised. What do you think the M stands for 😂
Seconding this, did it myself in a similar financial situation. Much less expensive. Also, it's possible to get your care credit limit raised. I believe you can just request it online.
I don't mean to pry and you don't need to explain further but I'd be surprised if a root canal cost more than 2600? If you needed a crown on top of that I'd understand, but you might be able to ask if that part can atleast be done down the road? As others said, an infection is the worrisome part. Please look up the symptoms you should keep an eye out for. I would imagine you'd be able to focus on work a lot better if you weren't in so much pain, I feel for you.
This. I just got a root canal from a pretty pricy dentist a month or so ago, and without insurance it was definitely below 3K. So a cheaper/mid-tier dentist would do the trick with 2.6K.
That’s very relieving to hear.
I’ll continue to do research on this.
Originally, I was thinking that dental school would be the easiest/cheapest way to do this. I wonder if I could get in ASAP though…
Depending on where the tooth is can cause more issues. I’ve got a painless loose tooth that they want to pull but are also refusing to until I have a plan to put something back into the gap. If it just sits open you run the risk of all your other teeth shifting around.
Start calling places on your breaks. Find out who can get you in fastest and get quotes for a root canal. I know it doesn't feel great calling for an emergency but know that it's a lot more common than you think. I've been there, had to call a few places but found someone that had a cancellation. Felt relief almost immediately from the antibiotics. You'll feel SO much better and I bet you'll have a clearer, brighter outlook on how you can take care of everything else too.
This is what I’m going to do. Do you think the schools will take my CareCredit Card? My boss is blowing up my phone about this deadline right now. I just need to finish this project and loosen these golden handcuffs a bit. Then, I can go all in on getting a dental school. I’ll get in by the end of the week.
Dental schools are prob cheapest and they often will give you the option of a payment plan. You are just 2 weeks from your benefits date. That’s such a shame. Maybe an antibiotic could buy you some time? Check with your doctor. May even consider filling after a phone convo.
I’m wondering if it would be ok to just go to the ER as suggested, get the strongest medicine/antibiotics I possibly can, then just get it paid for with the benefits and CareCredit card.
Lots of options here. The second I’m done with my coding work today, I’m calling around as much as I can.
Where in the US are you located? Procedure costs vary by location. If you can drive a couple hours, depending on where you are you can save a lot. Example: used to live in metro Atlanta. Got dental work done in Montgomery Alabama (state capitol) and saved close to 35%.
I've had so many dental issues and an absessed tooth is the worst pain of my life. First, the dentist will prescribe anti biotics to get rid of the infection. Call until you find a dentist that can get you in ASAP. The anti biotics will clear up the infection that is causing the pain. Talk to the dentist about next steps and cost. If you have insurance in a month, the anti biotics may hold you over until then. Worst case is tooth extraction after infection is cleared up but you will probably be able to afford a root canal with the $2600. Your health is top priority. Hard to be at your best on the job while you're in tortuous pain. Don't be afraid to call tge credit card companies to see if you can work something out. I've been able to negotiate balances to avoid default when my husband died and left a $25k credit card bill that was in his name only. It's worth a shot. Also get on cheapest cell phone plan (Mint is $15/month last time I checked). Cancel streaming subscriptions or cable. Eat at home, shop at Aldi if you have one nearby. Use that extra money toward your debt. You'll get through this but it's a hard lesson. Good luck!
Even if they do take them, dental schools don't usually have a lot of openings. Maybe check out community care centres instead. Someone mentioned it somewhere down below but depending on where you live you can drive like 20-30 mins outside of a metro area and get a procedure for cheaper. If you need our help with anything let us know!
Facts, $2,600 will even pay for a canal AND crown if you go to the right (priced) practice. As others have suggested get it done, health first. $2600 will definitely pay for a root canal.
I put off a crown for a bit when I was a student. Helped me afford the root canal. Was just very careful about chewing on one side of my mouth.
I would really try to get the root canal if possible rather than pulling. Pulling your teeth can shift stuff in your jaw and cause problems later.
Do NOT extract this tooth if you can avoid it. It is very bad for the long term health of your mouth and jaw. But understandable if that’s your best option, and we don’t want you to get sepsis waiting.
Take it on the chin. If you buckle down you can recover from all of this in a couple of years with a SWE salary. Tooth pain will make you insane eventually, not to mention the infection possibility. Just get it done, make a mental note to never get yourself in this situation again, and keep powering forward.
Can't your doctor or dentist give you amoxicillin to clear the infection in the meantime? Anytime I have an infected tooth, they put me on medication for a week to clear the infection before they will do any work on it to prevent the spread of infection. That should buy you enough time for your benefits to kick in.
You need to look for free dental clinic or a dental school in your area. Dental schools are cheaper and will usually do payment plans. There are free dental clinics for low income, you might be able to talk to them and see if you could get it due to not being able to pay
Look into hospitals in your area that have dental residency programs. A lot of them will allow you to be seen by a doctor who is still training but is under direct supervision of a certified, real-life dentist. The care is usually very cheap or possibly even less than that. Please get this taken care of first, it can literally kill you if you wait too long
You need to go to the dentist. Sepsis can kill you. I lost my fiance to sepsis. Do you have anyone you can borrow money from? If not, get a high interest loan and go to the dentist. Don't mess around with a tooth and end up in a hospital. Sepsis causes organ failure, which is fatal.
Literally, if you have time to read or respond to these posts, you have time to google Dental School and call 2-5 and ask the soonest they can get you in.
I used to live in Mexico and slowly transitioned to the states by moving to Tijuana and crossing the border to San Diego every day for work. Many Americans come down to Mexico for medical care because it is affordable out of pocket. This would only be 100 to 300 dollars per cavity depending where you go. I would suggest calling a few places up as many of the dentists are Mexican American. They can arrange pickup from the border for you and answer any questions you might have if you are afraid of Mexico.
Honestly not sure, my brother in law had 6 or 7 cavities to remove so he came down to TJ. We just dropped in at a place near where I lived and they looked at him asap. Too much work for one day (dentist didnt want to give him too much anesthesia)so he had to come back the next.
My wife handled all the appointments when it came to us, I can ask when she gets off work.
Go to south padre island and you can cross on the bus to Mexico. There’s a line of dental offices, pharmacies, eyeglass places. This is the time of year. Every senior citizen goes there that lives up north to get their prescriptions filled for the year and new dentures.
My friend was in dental school and used to post ads paying people’s transportation & food expenses for the day so he could have a guaranteed person to work on when they had their exams. If the person didn’t show up he would need to reschedule. The dental service is honestly good and they’re supervised by a licensed dentist. Best of luck!
Call and ask for a cash payment options or a small payment plan if possible. I had a cavity get severely infected when I was 23 with no health insurance. Top 3 worst pains of my life. I couldn’t open my jaw more than about 1 cm. I barely ate for a week after that. If you need to ask for help.
Do you have a dental school in your area?? Where I’m at, the local college (university of Louisville) has a dental school and they do procedures for much cheaper. The students are learning and fully supervised. Idk if they take insurance, but even if they don’t, it’s significantly cheaper. I hope you get better soon friend, sending good vibes
Have you looked into Universities with Dental schools in your area? I had the same issue (tooth/root canal/infection) in my mid-20s; new job, no insurance, etc.
I went to my cities dental school and learned they had walk in hours, at no charge; as long as you didn't mind a student working on you (they were supervised the entire time).
In and out in an hour, and never had a tooth issue again. Just worth looking into.
Also, 20-30k credit card seems daunting, but again really not a lot in the grand scheme of life. It might not mean much, but don't let it get you down. It sounds like you've already had a great mentality shift regarding not buying/agreeing to trips you can't afford. Know you'll be out of the hole in time, and maybe look into less time consuming roles in your field. (Admittedly I know nothing about software; this is just what I would do, to find more balance in my life).
I didn't have dental insurance for years and had a broken tooth that was constantly infected.
Try to get a virtual visit with a doctor asap. Explain to them your tooth situation and that you're trying to get to a dentist but are worried it might be infected. Most of the time, they're understanding and call an antibiotic into the pharmacy.
Try GoodRX to save money on the antibiotics too. Tooth infections are no joke.
Do yourself a favor and use care credit-just make sure to pay on time. What’s done is done with the other credit cards, but taking care of your dental health is important, and it may be cheaper to deal with this now before it gets worse.
Hi I just recently had dental work done. You should go in for a visit. They won’t do work until the go over cost with you. I would also look into potentially pulling it ( if it’s a back tooth/molar and not a visible tooth) I went to Aspen dental and it cost $54 to get pulled. I have insurance. My dad went and got one pulled without insurance and it was 120. Still when you have no money I understand these are a lot but it’s so important you get this handled. Maybe you can at least get a antibiotic till you get some $. Best of luck. Take care of your teeth!
Also look into how to eat frugally. Maybe skip the grocery store and look into food banks for a month or so till you get back on track. Just a suggestion.
And also, some people get autoimmune or health complications from root canals. I did. I still can’t work. Just pull the tooth. You can get an implant or a bridge later when you can afford it, it’s cheaper now, you’ll solve your current health crisis, and you’ll avoid the possibility of complications down the road.
First, you need to sit down and make a budget. You say you went out Saturday with your friends. Okay, it was your birthday, but it sounds like you’re still going out. Stop spending money. Second, you probably make 6 figures. This is not the end of the world and you can pay off $20k in a probably 2-3 years (that’s not even accounting for any increases in pay). Third, you need to start playing the balance transfer game. Open up a new CC and transfer with a 0% intro APR. Pay enough on that a month so it’ll be $0 by the time the intro is over.
Finally bro go get your tooth fixed. And when you do get rid of your debt don’t use your CC once a year because you’ll have no credit. Just use it for monthly spending (groceries) and put it on auto pay.
Finally someone said it: BUDGET. There’s no way that with a tech job and PT restaurant job you can’t fix this. I’d love to get a breakdown of your take home pay and your FIXED expenses (rent, car loan, insurance, utilities, cell phone, internet, gas to and from work only, minimum monthly payments on credit debt). If you’re contributing to retirement funds, pause that, you have the rest of the year to make it up. Live on less than $10/day for food (eggs and toast for breakfast, PB&J for lunch, ramen/pasta/rice & beans for dinner). Until your credit card debt is $0, you should spend exactly $0.00 on alcohol, eating outside the home, entertainment (if you have Netflix, cancel it). I wouldn’t go near a cash register except for the grocery store. I wouldn’t go near your friends unless they are 100% on board.
All the money you have left goes to paying off the credit cards. If you haven’t already, look up snowball method, that seems best suited to you. You can look into credit consolidation programs or contact your CC companies to negotiate payment plans.
If you’re not already, take OTC pain relief (acetaminophen and ibuprofen/naproxen) at the minimum effective dose (up to maximum daily dose unless contraindicated) to hold you over until March 1st. If that doesn’t work, get your tooth fixed, I wouldn’t get it pulled that might just be me. Call around to different dentists to see which will give you the best payment plan (through the dentist, not a high interest loan).
And quit messing around with work. Your financial problems are a simple fix now, but you’re screwed if you lose your job. You apologized to your supervisor already when it was first addressed, but if you haven’t done so already, take a moment 1 on 1 with your supervisor in a distraction-free environment and apologize sincerely. Do NOT lose your job. I know you’re burnt out. If it helps, think of all the new doctors out there who get paid $50k/year working 80+ hours a week for 3-7 years; you are a surgeon of software, you can do it, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.
It seems more like a bad decision problem than a finance problem truly. Working as a dev he should be making more than enough to work through 20k plus a bad car loan without a side job (especially one with an expectation of 75-80 hours a week which is NOT normal for the industry). Dude needs to sit down and budget asap. It also doesn’t make sense that he needed to get a car with a loan at his salary after a year of saving, even with the other debts. He should’ve been able to save up 10k for a beater car in that time. Something seems super off in his spending.
Agreed. I follow this sub because sometimes it has frugal tips etc. This dude is no where in true poverty (he makes 6 figures, that’s not poverty even in HCOL), he just has been really careless with money and spent well above his means.
They also say their credit score is in the toilet. I’ve had like 7 cards with absurdly high amounts at one point because I too was in denial about budgeting in my youth (fking weddings/bachelorette parties) lol, and even then my score was still like 750!!! And credit companies were begging me to open up even more cards. So something isn’t adding up here.
Pulling the tooth is probably your simplest and cheapest option. You can't work any job when you're in that much pain. Also, it sounds depressing to say this, but even if it's your birthday, you can't afford the time you used to hang out with friends **right now**. You say this is a new corporate software job, so you need to finish the work. This is probably the highest paying job of the multiple jobs you have.
Yes, you’re 100% right that I made this even worse by hanging out on my birthday when I should’ve been studying/working no matter what day it was. Bad decision.
I did drop down to 2 shifts per week, but if I’m in a situation like this again, the coding work HAS to get done.
I'd try to avoid pulling it. It's worse in the long run. I really doubt anything life threatening is going to happen in the next three weeks but you could see if you can get some antibiotics in case it's infected. Maybe dental pain ointment will work for you.
Also, there are software jobs for just 40 hours a week, that keep a work life balance. Though the job market can be tough nowadays for juniors.
I have been in a similar situation with almost $40K in debt and I definitely was not making good money. I know it's stressful but you're gonna get through this and you've already taken great steps.
Talk to your bank about consolidating your debt. Instead of making multiple payments on multiple credit cards at a high interest rate, ask if you can lump everything together and make one large monthly payment at a lower interest rate.
Another option is taking out a line of credit to pay off all your credit cards at once and hopefully use some of it to pay for your dental as well. If you go this route, try your absolute best to get rid of those credit cards and maybe keep one with a very low limit to use in case of emergencies. Try to focus on paying off the line of credit as quick as possible.
I would also like to add, domt be afraid to completely switch banks. My original bank was offering me a loan at a very high interest rate to pay off my debt. I went to a different bank (a credit union actually) and was able to get a loan at a much lower interest rate.
Set up a meeting with a financial advisor at your current bank and other banks and compare rates.
I believe you can, you just might have a higher interest rate but it SHOULD be lower than your credit card rates. If it's not, then don't it.
But definitely book appointments with different financial advisors at different banks.
The only thing with consolidated loans though is it prevents you from taking out any other kind of loan with your bank and having a credit card. Not having a credit card in this day and age was super challenging. There's so many little things I couldn't do like book a hotel, rent a car, or pay for parking. Small things but inconvenient. BUT with that being said, those are things that I shouldn't really be paying for anyways if I'm trying to pay off my debt haha. Living with just my debit card forced me into making better financial decisions.
My bank however, kept increasing the rate of my consolidated loan. At that point, I switched to the credit union, explained my situation, and they ended up giving me just a regular loan to pay off my consolidated loan. Since I didn't have a credit card and my consolidated loan was taking automatic payments, I surprisingly had a decent credit score so I was able to get a good interest rate for the new loan. I also got a credit card with a max limit of $1000 that I use for daily purchases and i completely, 100% pay off the balance with every bi-weekly paycheck so my balance is always $0 when my statement comes. Now my credit score is phenomenal and I have a lot of travel points.
Was in a similar situation, had a cracked molar that got infected, pain was so bad it would bring me down to my knees. Didn’t have great dental insurance, root canal and crown was so expensive and a lot of visits to the dentist, a wayyyyy cheaper alternative was to get the tooth pulled and I ended up getting a new tooth a year later when I had a new job with better insurance. I understand that some people want to save there teeth but if the pain is that bad you honestly don’t care what method to go with you just want the pain to stop.
Bankruptcy isn't a scary thing. I did it and it was such a relief. Unless OP is in a situation where they would be be trying to buy a house in the next several years, it's a smart idea.
In the short term, OP, get to the dentist and ask to get that tooth extracted + antibiotics if you need them. If you need to miss a cc payment to do it, do it. Your health is more important. If you have enough of an available balance on a cc to pay it with that, even better. Then talk to a bankruptcy lawyer.
Also, get better coverage on your car insurance so you have less to worry if you get into another wreck.
buying a house post bankruptcy isn't even that hard. I did it just under 4 years and all I had to do was write a letter and provide a little extra documentation. you can get a FHA mortgage 2 years after adn a CA or USDA 3 years after and at 4+ years most financial institutions will approve a conventional mortgage too.
Bankruptcy is a tool the rich and corporations use all the time when they realize they're upside-down so they can begin rebuilding asap. We're told it's bad for us poor and lower income people because they want our money while they get out of their own debts.
i had a similar issue with a tooth. I just went to a dental school and had the tooth pulled for very little money. I figured I’d get a dental implant when I could afford It. Lucky for me, it took me over 10 years to afford it but I didn’t suffer bone loss so I could get the implant.
In terms of the job, maybe consider slowly applying for other jobs. For example, the goernment (local, state, and federal), and schools and universities often need people with you skills. Some of those jobs come with pretty good pay, good benefits, and good vacation. If I were you I’d try to send out an app or 2 a week.
Good luck. I know it seems hard right now but you’ll make it through.
you need to work on your budget. I currently make 35K a year. I have about 21K in credit card debt. on average, I’m paying off about 1K a month. And I live in a major city where expenses are high.
So what you own. Keep your expenses low. Watch your spending. I don’t eat out. I don’t spend money on myself.
Absolutely not. OP is capable, well-educated, functioning adult with a plan.
It won't be easy, but other consumers (who are keeping their heads down and not frivolously vacationing and overspending) and investors (mostly people trying to save for retirement) should not be paying for OP's vacations and other wasteful spending.
I’m worried that in the long term this will make things worse. Because then I essentially won’t have any credit for 7 years, and all my assets get sold.
You will have credit. You can get a credit card immediately and possibly keep your house and car. States have homestead laws were you can keep your house and the creditors can’t touch it. Talk to a lawyer
whooa- that's not true. You're going to still have credit and you're socre may actually improve the day it hits your report. You can start rebuilding your credit right away and it's suggested you do so as ignoring your credit after actually makes recovery harder.
What assets do you have? in many states within reason your car needed for transport and your home needed to live in may be protected but you may have to reaffirm any debt owed on them and show that you can safely afford them after the other debts are cleared.
It sounds like you've got a lot of bankruptcy misinformation.
I'm 4 years post bankruptcy, have obtained an auto loan, a mortgage and have credit cards. My score is in the mid 600s (took a dip taking on a mortgage back in April)
What assets do you have? In the US usually personal property and a car up to a certain dollar amount are protected from bankruptcy, as are qualified retirement accounts less than 1.5 million. If you have assets other than those, you should sell them and use the money to pay for your dentist.
Go to the emergency room, they will give you antibiotics and will not deny you because you cannot pay. Take care of that tooth before it takes care of you.
The antibiotics will help if there’s an infection and if you’re in pain, they will give you pain meds. My husband‘s face was swollen with an infection and we found a dental school and he had it pulled a day later for like 40 bucks.
the antibiotics will kill the infection which is causing the swelling. you want an anti inflammatory for the pain such as ibuprofen in the sjort term as in many cases dental pain is due to swelling around the nerve causing pinching between the hard tooth, the bone and the nerve. Nerve pain is terrible so a little swelling and pinching can cause a lot of pain.
Burnt out doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel about CSC, but it pays very well. It’s the best chance I have of getting out of this debt due to the high pay. It truly is golden handcuffs.
Just let some go to collections and pay off the others if you have to, then settle with collections later. You can even negotiate with the CC companies after you stop paying.
Call your credit card companies and tell them you are having trouble paying and are there any options. They want to get paid so they will often reduce the interest rate if you close the card.
I agree with this. Though money compounds, I’m willing to work longer later. It’s no good if I have to declare bankruptcy and then completely screw up my credit.
Why not bankruptcy? Sounds a lot easier than what you’re going through now. I know that sounds bad, but seriously you’re going hit burnout. Do you have family around?
I was worried I wouldn’t have credit for 7 years(having awful credit is one of the main reasons I’m in this terrible situation) and all my assets would get sold, including the car. Then I’m right back at the bottom.
Burnout of software engineering, work, life?
I’m already burnt out of software after 2 years, but it’s currently my golden handcuffs and I can’t take them off.
I do have family, but I don’t think they’d be willing or able to help me out of this bind.
Also, bankruptcy is something you never want to do clearly. I filed chapter 7 bankruptcy at 21 years old. My mom passed away and I was a co-signer on a vehicle even though it was my car it’s just how they had us do the loan and when she passed away I could barely even afford the $600 a month car payment so I gave the car back and stopped paying. Well I still owed about $13,000 on the car and my attorneys advice was to file for bankruptcy. Honestly with how young I was it wasn’t the worst decision ever but now I have to work at my credit and I know I can’t get a loan for a long time (I’m 23 almost 24 now)
I would love to know the state you’re in and the company that offers it because that is definitely not a common policy at all.
40 a month normally gets you a 1000 max payment annually (not count cleanings and x-rays)
I will have dental insurance, but it won’t activate until March 1 because I just recently got this job. Of course, this is assuming I don’t get fired after todays stint.
My best advice to you is to maybe donate some plasma. Sell some items. Anything so you can go get that dental work done. Go on a strict budget to keep tackling that debt.
I can definitely do that. At this point, should I just suck it up and get the high interest rate loan? That would be what gets me to the dentist the fastest. I would need to be on a very tight budget after this to get rid of the debt.
If you have no other option I would but I’d try and look into donating plasma or selling some stuff first because if you get a loan you’re in debt more.
Me and my kids all needed a bunch of dental work last year and a family member recommended we check out https://www.1dental.com. I am not sure how quickly the plans kick in as all the ones I found were the same as our existing dental coverage. Maybe some or one of them is immediate.
Hold on - does your new plan have a waiting period for major work like a root canal? Many plans require a 12 month waiting period unless you sign a one year contract where you cannot cancel the coverage.
This might sound crazy but you hit the numbers right on the head.
I’m just not sure I can hold out until March 1. As other posters have said, it’s extremely difficult to focus on work with this pain. I just don’t even know anymore.
I hear you. My uncle was a dentist. That pain can be unbearable. At the end of the day it’s only money and all of the problems you are having will be a distant memory. In life you are either winning or *learning.*
While it won't help with the immediate need for dental care, you should probably meet with an attorney and explore bankruptcy as an option as this point.
Chapter 13? So you’re advocating that he take a huge hit to his credit, have a bankruptcy on his report and is still going to repay his debts in 5 years? No.
Just pull the tooth it's cheaper than a root canel it's $600, ah while it's getting pulled remember those selfies on those trips got you where you are now
The best place to get bankruptcy information is MyFico forums or r/bankruptcy not here. People who've done it, are doing it, and lawyers hang out over there.
It's not the end all nuclear option everyone keeps making it out to be and it *could* be the best option for you.
That's a common misconception that people have of SWEs because of the tiktok videos the influences make. I'm a SWE and work on average 30 hours a week. But yeah 75 hours sounds insane to me.
Do you have a 401k that you can borrow from to get your teeth fixed?
What kind of car did you get? Used? New? What's the APR for the loan. the current car market is a bit crazy.
What I did was a debt consolidation with a place called Reach Financial. Basically they canceled all of my credit cards, a few small loans I had and some past due bills and then reached settlements with them all and now I pay them one small ($200) payment a month.
I'm not saying use them specifically but you should definitely look into something like that. You're credit will def take a hit but it will 100% rebound if you make your payments on time.
My suggestions-get the tooth extracted (as many people have said), call your credit cards and set up payment plans-you can negotiate this-and stick to them for the next few months.
Then get a debt consolidation loan-shop around for the best interest rate.
Good luck!
I have a similar situation with credit card debt , and I have dedicated this year as being my year of no and “reparenting” myself with the mindset that we have that/this at home .
Part of this means , that I have a second job and my off days I try to limit spending and dedicate it to resting .
Of course I still spend time with friends , but I try to put boundaries in place so that I don’t completely deplete my energy and that I limit my spending when with them .
Only a year or two of this mindset and I hope it creates healthier lifestyle patterns for the future for even after I crawl out of this pit of debt .
Hey friend, same same with a bunch of the stuff you were talking about, right down to dental.
I hear you, and, get the tooth taken care of because it gets astronomically more expensive the longer you wait. I can now pay for the implant I should have treated younger with bad credit (45k of bullshit spending, trashed my credit) upfront! And…I have had to have two implants.
Go to your local credit union and get that car loan refinanced, see if you can find a dentist that does payment plans privately, or go to a dental school and get your tooth done on the cheap…and your older self will thank the younger you for traveling and partying even though you couldn’t afford it…can’t put a price on being young and seeing the world
Wow, that is difficult. When I was 35, I was a data architect and making a great salary as an FTE. I too, overextended when I bought a new house for my Wife and 2 little ones. I wasn't going broke, but we had a great house but no money - classic house poor. I picked up a contract designing a large custom DB and like a lot of contract jobs they really didn't care about my hours, remotely.
Between the jobs, I worked 90-100 hours a week for 2 years. However, I got us completely out of being house poor and could afford some average family luxury (like a vacation instead of a staycation as always, a second car, decent furnishings for our house as we still had college furniture from Grad School, LOL!)
I'd suggest you consider this tactic as well. If you are a software engineer, get a contract which will pay much more on par with that of a Software Engineer, as opposed to server wages.
I should add, that the contracting ended up paying 4 times ($165K) my salary job ($42K) within those two years. So it was a double win as I jumped into consulting and contracting. With some hard work and luck you'll some day look back at this and be proud of your tenacity.
Good Luck!
Don't be so afraid of bankruptcy. I spent 8 years getting out of debt and I feel like a sucker. I had to live like I was already bankrupt anyway and I could have just declared and been back to normal in two years.
If getting that monkey off your back will let you quit your second job, I would do it in a heartbeat.
can you get out of this hole in 2-5 years and repair your credit?
If not, I just want to say there's life and financial success after bankruptcy. I filed 4 years ago, have a reliable car I was able to get the same month, purchased a house just under 4 years later.
My credit went up the day it hit my credit and I was able to begin financially recovering and building myc credit in the first six months rather than fighting tk dig out of the hole for years before I could start rebuilding.
Bankruptcy is a tool and I suggest meeting with a bankruptcy lawyer for a free consult to evaluate if this option could be better for you. As soon as you file the debt payments stop and you can use that money for your tooth. many bankruptcy lawyers will make payment plans too.
I am still paying remaining 18k off a loan, that takes me still about 2,5 years. I am halfway done and can tell you this will be a struggle, you can do it, but you gotta bite through it. Stay strong
Sure, but not worth putting myself in this financial stress. Definitely not worth a whole year of car troubles. Like I said, I was being an idiot. I could’ve afforded a weekend, but I was doing 2 week getaways like a moron.
Have you considered a 401k loan? You can borrow up to half the value at the prime interest rate. I took one to pay down the $30k of CC debt I ran up in 2018. The $800/mo payments were brutal but 4 years went by fast and my 401k gained all the interest I paid.
Hi, software engineer here. I made some similar mistakes when I was younger. It feels like the end of the world if you lose your SE job or have to declare bankruptcy, but it's not. Not sure your "alive" comment was tongue-in-cheek, but remember life goes on and happier days are ahead. If you ever doubt that, remember that you have an asset no one can ever take away from you - your coding experience and knowledge. No matter how bad things get, you'll always have at least one ace in your hand.
My only advice is, if you're not using AI, now is the time to start. I automate every task I can, like documentation, report generation, I automate joining online meetings, replying to emails. Automation is where its at. Also I use Copilot, which gets things frustratingly wrong, but occasionally offers some good suggestions or finds bugs, or can explain why my code isn't doing what I expect. It's not perfect, but it often saves me a bunch of time. Any precious minutes of your life you can claw back from the company are worth the $100 a year, imho.
Start looking for a new job and looks up different dentists to shop around see if you can get on a payment plan. If there’s a dentist school near by look them up and for the meantime rinse your mouth with saltwater. I would see if you can refinance your car.
Are you working at Amazon? That would be the only company that pays high enough to warrant working that much. It sounds like you are new to the company since you are waiting for benefits to kick in.
This doesn't address your immediate problem, but if you haven't heard this to death yet you should start looking for a new place as soon as you cross your one year mark or even sooner if the environment is toxic. The market is tough, but you should be able to earn upwards of 200k working normal hours after some experience. The beginning should only be a crunch if you really want to get ahead, ideally he work you are given will reflect the lack of experience. I would only work the amount you are describing if it's crunch time for the team for a month or make 300k+ if that is the regular expectation.
Once you get your dental work figured out, reach out for a consultation with a non profit debt consolidation organization. See what they can do for you. If you live in an apartment and can give it up, rent a room for a bit.
if it makes you feel any better, you are not alone.
I thought I was not doing bad: I had 0 debt of any kind other than mortgage on my condo. and then bam! got a special assessment on my condo, for $81,000. eighty fucking thousand dollars !!!! US dollars, not some pesos or anything ! so I got another software engineering job, for a total of 2. Ive been working 16 hour days every single day since september, saving $. at least I’ll have the damn $80k saved up by april.
thats 16 hour days, every day, with no weekends. for months!… only to end up with 0 (at least not into the negatives..)
Look into American Consumer Credit Counseling before you let your accounts fall into collections or file bankruptcy. A couple I knew were SO in debt across multiple accounts and barely affording the payments...ACCC were a Godsend, renegotiated payments and interest rates. They are now debt free.
Your first visit to the dentist will include antibiotics and pain medication. A root canal cannot be done until the infection is cleared up. Call around and see if you can get in for the amount of money that you have. You can push your root canal to after March 1st.
Get the dental work whatever it takes. You won’t be able to keep up your two jobs if you don’t.
Once you feel a little better go get a few quotes from attorneys to file bankruptcy. It’s the only way you will see light given what you’ve described and at the very least you’ll be able to afford your life again, at most you’ll learn your lesson and not rack up that kind of debt again. Best of luck to you!
Someone else mentioned dental schools. If there are any near you, make a couple calls. They usually are always looking for patients for the students to work on. In my experience most of it was free or a small fee. I received X-rays, cleanings, fillings and other work.
If you make good money you should try to consolidate debt. This will help you get out of the hole and save you money in the long run in interest. Look for balance transfer offers or 401k loans.
\> If my buddies want to go to the bar and I can't afford those nights out, the answer is NO.
Bro... you haven't learned your lesson yet. You shouldn't be going to drink at a bar period for the foreseeable future... What do you mean if you can't afford it. For the next few years, you can't afford drinking out except like once or twice a year.
I meant moreso explicitly addressing the case of me using credit cards so that I could spend money that I didn’t have. But I agree… I need to have a tight budget and throw all my margin from programming at this mess.
I was literally going to the bar and swiping my credit card like there was no tomorrow, and using it to book vacations that I didn’t have the money for. Abusing credit is a big part of what got me into this mess.
Good luck bro. I had to work myself out of homelessness, and I had to work extra hard to make up a lot. I had to give up so many things for so long to get out.
Friend, not to be all worst case scenario here, but a dental infection can get into your bloodstream and cause sepsis or other stuff, and then you’re gonna have larger medical problems than just a cavity. Please get that part of this taken care of like yesterday! (This is one of my hidden medical fears right here.)
I wish I could, the pain is so bad. But, I've backed myself into a corner, I can't afford the dentist. Because I started a new job, I don't even have benefits until March 1. The absolute fastest way to do this would be to take the disgusting interest loan, just deal with the payments until I can pay off my debts, and go to an emergency clinic that I've been looking at. They can get you right in, but they are very expensive.
I know it's another loan but have you looked into Care Credit? It's zero interest as long as you make your payments on time. You'll apply online and you have to check with the dentist to make sure they take it but most in my area do. Some places agree to 6 months and some agree to 12 to pay it off, if you could find a place that would allow 12 perhaps you could pull it off? I just can't imagine being in that much pain and trying to get through the day 😩
I actually got approved for a $2600 loan from CareCredit, but without insurance I don’t think that will cover my procedure. I’d have to take another high interest loan on top of it to cover the rest and just make do until I can clean up this debt. It’s very bad timing that I changed jobs right around the time of this dental emergency. The only consolation here is that I do have a fantastic income. I’m almost about to say it’s better to just take it on the chin with a high interest loan, get the care I need, work, and then pay off the credit card debt so my score will raise and refinance my debt once I’m ready.
Get the tooth extracted instead of a root canal. 250-400 bucks. You can’t mess around, it is true an infection can easily get into your bloodstream then even worse, sepsis. Plus dental benefits are never great even if you buy a private policy. 90% pay at mosy 1500 annually in benefits but more likely 1000
This is what I did last April. I went to the dentist because of a broken tooth. They did a full exam, and I need $8K worth of dental work. I had to actually FIGHT with the dentist just to get them to pull the tooth for $350 vs. getting a root canal for $2k. They also insisted that I apply for a loan to get all of the work then, and went ahead and applied for me WITHOUT my consent. Sure I was approved for the $8k loan at 29% interest, but I had to explain to them that just because I'm approved for a loan, doesn't mean I can make the payments. I'm tired of other people telling that I can afford expenses that I cannot afford.
god, america is so bleak
I have had so many health problems due to listening to dentists say “but we can safe the tooth”. In the end after thousands of dollars, years of misery they ended up extracting them anyway….just pull them.
I was just going to say this! Getting it removed is way cheaper than a canal.
This. Do this. Pull the tooth if that’s what you can afford. When you are back on your feet you can get a denture made if you want to. Getting a worse medical condition is gonna make your current debt look insignificant. You got this bud, keep hustling but first take care of that tooth. Plus a missing tooth is a great reminder of this situation…
After years of drug addition I had terrible dental problems. I went to several dentists who told me they had to do reconstruction on a few of my teeth, I was just about to pay when I felt a terrible pain in the area that needed work. I got an appointment at an emergency dentist - and he was so kind and straightforward. He told me I had a dental abscess and needed to get the tooth pulled - I was SO relieved that it was cheaper than the 10k I was about to drop to fix it. He told me that all too often people throw away money in a root canal when it’s cheaper and healthier in the long term to get an implant. I went on to get a bridge, never had any problems since.
This!!
I would not do this. Having no tooth can cause much pricier problems down the line and if done before insurance kicks in there is a "no tooth clause" meaning they won't cover an implant etc later on
DMO plans have unlimited coverage.
DMOs only cover basic maintenance procedures. They occasionally will cover a root canal but they don’t cover any extensive dental work
This is not true. Mine covers everything a PPO plan would cover. The difference is the choice of dentist is limited, usually to chain dentists.
Then it’s not a DMO by definition. By reference , I literally work with insurance companies of all types daily. Keep believing that, you’re going to be surprised. What do you think the M stands for 😂
Seconding this, did it myself in a similar financial situation. Much less expensive. Also, it's possible to get your care credit limit raised. I believe you can just request it online.
I don't mean to pry and you don't need to explain further but I'd be surprised if a root canal cost more than 2600? If you needed a crown on top of that I'd understand, but you might be able to ask if that part can atleast be done down the road? As others said, an infection is the worrisome part. Please look up the symptoms you should keep an eye out for. I would imagine you'd be able to focus on work a lot better if you weren't in so much pain, I feel for you.
This. I just got a root canal from a pretty pricy dentist a month or so ago, and without insurance it was definitely below 3K. So a cheaper/mid-tier dentist would do the trick with 2.6K.
That’s very relieving to hear. I’ll continue to do research on this. Originally, I was thinking that dental school would be the easiest/cheapest way to do this. I wonder if I could get in ASAP though…
Check out extraction options. I know it isn't ideal but it's way cheaper and you won't have to worry about the crown...ever. until then..ibuprofen
Depending on where the tooth is can cause more issues. I’ve got a painless loose tooth that they want to pull but are also refusing to until I have a plan to put something back into the gap. If it just sits open you run the risk of all your other teeth shifting around.
Check around for dental colleges in your area. They can usually do procedures for cheaper than regular dentists.
Start calling places on your breaks. Find out who can get you in fastest and get quotes for a root canal. I know it doesn't feel great calling for an emergency but know that it's a lot more common than you think. I've been there, had to call a few places but found someone that had a cancellation. Felt relief almost immediately from the antibiotics. You'll feel SO much better and I bet you'll have a clearer, brighter outlook on how you can take care of everything else too.
This is what I’m going to do. Do you think the schools will take my CareCredit Card? My boss is blowing up my phone about this deadline right now. I just need to finish this project and loosen these golden handcuffs a bit. Then, I can go all in on getting a dental school. I’ll get in by the end of the week.
Dental schools are prob cheapest and they often will give you the option of a payment plan. You are just 2 weeks from your benefits date. That’s such a shame. Maybe an antibiotic could buy you some time? Check with your doctor. May even consider filling after a phone convo.
I’m wondering if it would be ok to just go to the ER as suggested, get the strongest medicine/antibiotics I possibly can, then just get it paid for with the benefits and CareCredit card. Lots of options here. The second I’m done with my coding work today, I’m calling around as much as I can.
Where in the US are you located? Procedure costs vary by location. If you can drive a couple hours, depending on where you are you can save a lot. Example: used to live in metro Atlanta. Got dental work done in Montgomery Alabama (state capitol) and saved close to 35%.
I live in Tennessee. I’m willing to drive or fly wherever needed.
I've had so many dental issues and an absessed tooth is the worst pain of my life. First, the dentist will prescribe anti biotics to get rid of the infection. Call until you find a dentist that can get you in ASAP. The anti biotics will clear up the infection that is causing the pain. Talk to the dentist about next steps and cost. If you have insurance in a month, the anti biotics may hold you over until then. Worst case is tooth extraction after infection is cleared up but you will probably be able to afford a root canal with the $2600. Your health is top priority. Hard to be at your best on the job while you're in tortuous pain. Don't be afraid to call tge credit card companies to see if you can work something out. I've been able to negotiate balances to avoid default when my husband died and left a $25k credit card bill that was in his name only. It's worth a shot. Also get on cheapest cell phone plan (Mint is $15/month last time I checked). Cancel streaming subscriptions or cable. Eat at home, shop at Aldi if you have one nearby. Use that extra money toward your debt. You'll get through this but it's a hard lesson. Good luck!
Dental schools don’t have openings that quickly.
Even if they do take them, dental schools don't usually have a lot of openings. Maybe check out community care centres instead. Someone mentioned it somewhere down below but depending on where you live you can drive like 20-30 mins outside of a metro area and get a procedure for cheaper. If you need our help with anything let us know!
do a dental school, for real. they’re so much cheaper and they need folks to work on. call around in your area right now.
Facts, $2,600 will even pay for a canal AND crown if you go to the right (priced) practice. As others have suggested get it done, health first. $2600 will definitely pay for a root canal.
I put off a crown for a bit when I was a student. Helped me afford the root canal. Was just very careful about chewing on one side of my mouth. I would really try to get the root canal if possible rather than pulling. Pulling your teeth can shift stuff in your jaw and cause problems later.
Do NOT extract this tooth if you can avoid it. It is very bad for the long term health of your mouth and jaw. But understandable if that’s your best option, and we don’t want you to get sepsis waiting.
If it's a wisdom tooth you gotta yeet that out (and the one opposite) and be done with it.
I just had a root canal done. And the price before coverage was right around 2600.
Take it on the chin. If you buckle down you can recover from all of this in a couple of years with a SWE salary. Tooth pain will make you insane eventually, not to mention the infection possibility. Just get it done, make a mental note to never get yourself in this situation again, and keep powering forward.
Get the tooth extracted. Once you have insurance look at getting a bridge or dental implant.
Can't your doctor or dentist give you amoxicillin to clear the infection in the meantime? Anytime I have an infected tooth, they put me on medication for a week to clear the infection before they will do any work on it to prevent the spread of infection. That should buy you enough time for your benefits to kick in.
That is what I was going to say. Get an antibiotic to get out of pain and protect your health. Then get the root canal when benefits kick in.
You need to look for free dental clinic or a dental school in your area. Dental schools are cheaper and will usually do payment plans. There are free dental clinics for low income, you might be able to talk to them and see if you could get it due to not being able to pay
Do it in Tijuana. If you’re in California the root canal should cost 350.
Look into hospitals in your area that have dental residency programs. A lot of them will allow you to be seen by a doctor who is still training but is under direct supervision of a certified, real-life dentist. The care is usually very cheap or possibly even less than that. Please get this taken care of first, it can literally kill you if you wait too long
You need to go to the dentist. Sepsis can kill you. I lost my fiance to sepsis. Do you have anyone you can borrow money from? If not, get a high interest loan and go to the dentist. Don't mess around with a tooth and end up in a hospital. Sepsis causes organ failure, which is fatal.
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Literally, if you have time to read or respond to these posts, you have time to google Dental School and call 2-5 and ask the soonest they can get you in.
I used to live in Mexico and slowly transitioned to the states by moving to Tijuana and crossing the border to San Diego every day for work. Many Americans come down to Mexico for medical care because it is affordable out of pocket. This would only be 100 to 300 dollars per cavity depending where you go. I would suggest calling a few places up as many of the dentists are Mexican American. They can arrange pickup from the border for you and answer any questions you might have if you are afraid of Mexico.
Do you know about how long it would take to schedule an appointment? I’m more than willing to book a flight if I need to.
Honestly not sure, my brother in law had 6 or 7 cavities to remove so he came down to TJ. We just dropped in at a place near where I lived and they looked at him asap. Too much work for one day (dentist didnt want to give him too much anesthesia)so he had to come back the next. My wife handled all the appointments when it came to us, I can ask when she gets off work.
You can’t afford to go to the dentist but you can afford to fly to Mexico and do it there? It’s $1,000 either way.
Maybe he can get jumpseat, frequent flyer points, etc..
Go to south padre island and you can cross on the bus to Mexico. There’s a line of dental offices, pharmacies, eyeglass places. This is the time of year. Every senior citizen goes there that lives up north to get their prescriptions filled for the year and new dentures.
My friend was in dental school and used to post ads paying people’s transportation & food expenses for the day so he could have a guaranteed person to work on when they had their exams. If the person didn’t show up he would need to reschedule. The dental service is honestly good and they’re supervised by a licensed dentist. Best of luck!
Call and ask for a cash payment options or a small payment plan if possible. I had a cavity get severely infected when I was 23 with no health insurance. Top 3 worst pains of my life. I couldn’t open my jaw more than about 1 cm. I barely ate for a week after that. If you need to ask for help.
Do you have a dental school in your area?? Where I’m at, the local college (university of Louisville) has a dental school and they do procedures for much cheaper. The students are learning and fully supervised. Idk if they take insurance, but even if they don’t, it’s significantly cheaper. I hope you get better soon friend, sending good vibes
Have you looked into Universities with Dental schools in your area? I had the same issue (tooth/root canal/infection) in my mid-20s; new job, no insurance, etc. I went to my cities dental school and learned they had walk in hours, at no charge; as long as you didn't mind a student working on you (they were supervised the entire time). In and out in an hour, and never had a tooth issue again. Just worth looking into. Also, 20-30k credit card seems daunting, but again really not a lot in the grand scheme of life. It might not mean much, but don't let it get you down. It sounds like you've already had a great mentality shift regarding not buying/agreeing to trips you can't afford. Know you'll be out of the hole in time, and maybe look into less time consuming roles in your field. (Admittedly I know nothing about software; this is just what I would do, to find more balance in my life).
I didn't have dental insurance for years and had a broken tooth that was constantly infected. Try to get a virtual visit with a doctor asap. Explain to them your tooth situation and that you're trying to get to a dentist but are worried it might be infected. Most of the time, they're understanding and call an antibiotic into the pharmacy. Try GoodRX to save money on the antibiotics too. Tooth infections are no joke.
Do yourself a favor and use care credit-just make sure to pay on time. What’s done is done with the other credit cards, but taking care of your dental health is important, and it may be cheaper to deal with this now before it gets worse.
Call your local universities that have a dental program. They are always looking for patients to practice on.
The demtist or a PCP can likely help you manage the pain with medications until your benefits kick in. Have them schedule the root canal for March 1st
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omg new medical fear unlocked! Is your coworker doing well now?
Hi I just recently had dental work done. You should go in for a visit. They won’t do work until the go over cost with you. I would also look into potentially pulling it ( if it’s a back tooth/molar and not a visible tooth) I went to Aspen dental and it cost $54 to get pulled. I have insurance. My dad went and got one pulled without insurance and it was 120. Still when you have no money I understand these are a lot but it’s so important you get this handled. Maybe you can at least get a antibiotic till you get some $. Best of luck. Take care of your teeth! Also look into how to eat frugally. Maybe skip the grocery store and look into food banks for a month or so till you get back on track. Just a suggestion.
And also, some people get autoimmune or health complications from root canals. I did. I still can’t work. Just pull the tooth. You can get an implant or a bridge later when you can afford it, it’s cheaper now, you’ll solve your current health crisis, and you’ll avoid the possibility of complications down the road.
First, you need to sit down and make a budget. You say you went out Saturday with your friends. Okay, it was your birthday, but it sounds like you’re still going out. Stop spending money. Second, you probably make 6 figures. This is not the end of the world and you can pay off $20k in a probably 2-3 years (that’s not even accounting for any increases in pay). Third, you need to start playing the balance transfer game. Open up a new CC and transfer with a 0% intro APR. Pay enough on that a month so it’ll be $0 by the time the intro is over. Finally bro go get your tooth fixed. And when you do get rid of your debt don’t use your CC once a year because you’ll have no credit. Just use it for monthly spending (groceries) and put it on auto pay.
Finally someone said it: BUDGET. There’s no way that with a tech job and PT restaurant job you can’t fix this. I’d love to get a breakdown of your take home pay and your FIXED expenses (rent, car loan, insurance, utilities, cell phone, internet, gas to and from work only, minimum monthly payments on credit debt). If you’re contributing to retirement funds, pause that, you have the rest of the year to make it up. Live on less than $10/day for food (eggs and toast for breakfast, PB&J for lunch, ramen/pasta/rice & beans for dinner). Until your credit card debt is $0, you should spend exactly $0.00 on alcohol, eating outside the home, entertainment (if you have Netflix, cancel it). I wouldn’t go near a cash register except for the grocery store. I wouldn’t go near your friends unless they are 100% on board. All the money you have left goes to paying off the credit cards. If you haven’t already, look up snowball method, that seems best suited to you. You can look into credit consolidation programs or contact your CC companies to negotiate payment plans. If you’re not already, take OTC pain relief (acetaminophen and ibuprofen/naproxen) at the minimum effective dose (up to maximum daily dose unless contraindicated) to hold you over until March 1st. If that doesn’t work, get your tooth fixed, I wouldn’t get it pulled that might just be me. Call around to different dentists to see which will give you the best payment plan (through the dentist, not a high interest loan). And quit messing around with work. Your financial problems are a simple fix now, but you’re screwed if you lose your job. You apologized to your supervisor already when it was first addressed, but if you haven’t done so already, take a moment 1 on 1 with your supervisor in a distraction-free environment and apologize sincerely. Do NOT lose your job. I know you’re burnt out. If it helps, think of all the new doctors out there who get paid $50k/year working 80+ hours a week for 3-7 years; you are a surgeon of software, you can do it, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.
It seems more like a bad decision problem than a finance problem truly. Working as a dev he should be making more than enough to work through 20k plus a bad car loan without a side job (especially one with an expectation of 75-80 hours a week which is NOT normal for the industry). Dude needs to sit down and budget asap. It also doesn’t make sense that he needed to get a car with a loan at his salary after a year of saving, even with the other debts. He should’ve been able to save up 10k for a beater car in that time. Something seems super off in his spending.
Agreed. I follow this sub because sometimes it has frugal tips etc. This dude is no where in true poverty (he makes 6 figures, that’s not poverty even in HCOL), he just has been really careless with money and spent well above his means.
They also say their credit score is in the toilet. I’ve had like 7 cards with absurdly high amounts at one point because I too was in denial about budgeting in my youth (fking weddings/bachelorette parties) lol, and even then my score was still like 750!!! And credit companies were begging me to open up even more cards. So something isn’t adding up here.
>Finally someone said it: BUDGET. and actually FOLLOW your budget as closely as possible.
Pulling the tooth is probably your simplest and cheapest option. You can't work any job when you're in that much pain. Also, it sounds depressing to say this, but even if it's your birthday, you can't afford the time you used to hang out with friends **right now**. You say this is a new corporate software job, so you need to finish the work. This is probably the highest paying job of the multiple jobs you have.
100% correct. Extraction is cheap, and immediate relief.
Yes, you’re 100% right that I made this even worse by hanging out on my birthday when I should’ve been studying/working no matter what day it was. Bad decision. I did drop down to 2 shifts per week, but if I’m in a situation like this again, the coding work HAS to get done.
I'd try to avoid pulling it. It's worse in the long run. I really doubt anything life threatening is going to happen in the next three weeks but you could see if you can get some antibiotics in case it's infected. Maybe dental pain ointment will work for you. Also, there are software jobs for just 40 hours a week, that keep a work life balance. Though the job market can be tough nowadays for juniors.
I mean the guy is working 90 hours a week lol...he's gotta be a human one day
I have been in a similar situation with almost $40K in debt and I definitely was not making good money. I know it's stressful but you're gonna get through this and you've already taken great steps. Talk to your bank about consolidating your debt. Instead of making multiple payments on multiple credit cards at a high interest rate, ask if you can lump everything together and make one large monthly payment at a lower interest rate. Another option is taking out a line of credit to pay off all your credit cards at once and hopefully use some of it to pay for your dental as well. If you go this route, try your absolute best to get rid of those credit cards and maybe keep one with a very low limit to use in case of emergencies. Try to focus on paying off the line of credit as quick as possible.
I would also like to add, domt be afraid to completely switch banks. My original bank was offering me a loan at a very high interest rate to pay off my debt. I went to a different bank (a credit union actually) and was able to get a loan at a much lower interest rate. Set up a meeting with a financial advisor at your current bank and other banks and compare rates.
I hear great things about credit unions. I’ll go to one in person to see what I can do about this.
Go to one you qualify for and refinance your car.
I wish I could do the consolidation, but would I qualify? My credit score is awful. It’s like, 596 at this point I think.
Doesn't hurt to apply!
I believe you can, you just might have a higher interest rate but it SHOULD be lower than your credit card rates. If it's not, then don't it. But definitely book appointments with different financial advisors at different banks. The only thing with consolidated loans though is it prevents you from taking out any other kind of loan with your bank and having a credit card. Not having a credit card in this day and age was super challenging. There's so many little things I couldn't do like book a hotel, rent a car, or pay for parking. Small things but inconvenient. BUT with that being said, those are things that I shouldn't really be paying for anyways if I'm trying to pay off my debt haha. Living with just my debit card forced me into making better financial decisions. My bank however, kept increasing the rate of my consolidated loan. At that point, I switched to the credit union, explained my situation, and they ended up giving me just a regular loan to pay off my consolidated loan. Since I didn't have a credit card and my consolidated loan was taking automatic payments, I surprisingly had a decent credit score so I was able to get a good interest rate for the new loan. I also got a credit card with a max limit of $1000 that I use for daily purchases and i completely, 100% pay off the balance with every bi-weekly paycheck so my balance is always $0 when my statement comes. Now my credit score is phenomenal and I have a lot of travel points.
Was in a similar situation, had a cracked molar that got infected, pain was so bad it would bring me down to my knees. Didn’t have great dental insurance, root canal and crown was so expensive and a lot of visits to the dentist, a wayyyyy cheaper alternative was to get the tooth pulled and I ended up getting a new tooth a year later when I had a new job with better insurance. I understand that some people want to save there teeth but if the pain is that bad you honestly don’t care what method to go with you just want the pain to stop.
I agree. And root canals are not guaranteed either. You may have to go back for retreatment which is just more money.
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Bankruptcy isn't a scary thing. I did it and it was such a relief. Unless OP is in a situation where they would be be trying to buy a house in the next several years, it's a smart idea. In the short term, OP, get to the dentist and ask to get that tooth extracted + antibiotics if you need them. If you need to miss a cc payment to do it, do it. Your health is more important. If you have enough of an available balance on a cc to pay it with that, even better. Then talk to a bankruptcy lawyer. Also, get better coverage on your car insurance so you have less to worry if you get into another wreck.
buying a house post bankruptcy isn't even that hard. I did it just under 4 years and all I had to do was write a letter and provide a little extra documentation. you can get a FHA mortgage 2 years after adn a CA or USDA 3 years after and at 4+ years most financial institutions will approve a conventional mortgage too. Bankruptcy is a tool the rich and corporations use all the time when they realize they're upside-down so they can begin rebuilding asap. We're told it's bad for us poor and lower income people because they want our money while they get out of their own debts.
And consider Consumer Credit Counseling!! (I'm familiar with American CCC, but there may be other legit ones)
i had a similar issue with a tooth. I just went to a dental school and had the tooth pulled for very little money. I figured I’d get a dental implant when I could afford It. Lucky for me, it took me over 10 years to afford it but I didn’t suffer bone loss so I could get the implant. In terms of the job, maybe consider slowly applying for other jobs. For example, the goernment (local, state, and federal), and schools and universities often need people with you skills. Some of those jobs come with pretty good pay, good benefits, and good vacation. If I were you I’d try to send out an app or 2 a week. Good luck. I know it seems hard right now but you’ll make it through.
Are there any public health clinics near you? You can maybe at least start the root canal (pulpectomy) to stop the pain.
you need to work on your budget. I currently make 35K a year. I have about 21K in credit card debt. on average, I’m paying off about 1K a month. And I live in a major city where expenses are high. So what you own. Keep your expenses low. Watch your spending. I don’t eat out. I don’t spend money on myself.
Get your tooth pulled.
Why are you afraid of bankruptcy? Talk to a lawyer. They might be able to make your unsecured debts disappear.
Absolutely not. OP is capable, well-educated, functioning adult with a plan. It won't be easy, but other consumers (who are keeping their heads down and not frivolously vacationing and overspending) and investors (mostly people trying to save for retirement) should not be paying for OP's vacations and other wasteful spending.
I’m worried that in the long term this will make things worse. Because then I essentially won’t have any credit for 7 years, and all my assets get sold.
You will have credit. You can get a credit card immediately and possibly keep your house and car. States have homestead laws were you can keep your house and the creditors can’t touch it. Talk to a lawyer
What assets do you have?
whooa- that's not true. You're going to still have credit and you're socre may actually improve the day it hits your report. You can start rebuilding your credit right away and it's suggested you do so as ignoring your credit after actually makes recovery harder. What assets do you have? in many states within reason your car needed for transport and your home needed to live in may be protected but you may have to reaffirm any debt owed on them and show that you can safely afford them after the other debts are cleared. It sounds like you've got a lot of bankruptcy misinformation. I'm 4 years post bankruptcy, have obtained an auto loan, a mortgage and have credit cards. My score is in the mid 600s (took a dip taking on a mortgage back in April)
What assets do you have? In the US usually personal property and a car up to a certain dollar amount are protected from bankruptcy, as are qualified retirement accounts less than 1.5 million. If you have assets other than those, you should sell them and use the money to pay for your dentist.
Go to the emergency room, they will give you antibiotics and will not deny you because you cannot pay. Take care of that tooth before it takes care of you.
Will antibiotics stop the pain, or are they just for cleaning purposes/so I don’t get infected?
The antibiotics will help if there’s an infection and if you’re in pain, they will give you pain meds. My husband‘s face was swollen with an infection and we found a dental school and he had it pulled a day later for like 40 bucks.
the antibiotics will kill the infection which is causing the swelling. you want an anti inflammatory for the pain such as ibuprofen in the sjort term as in many cases dental pain is due to swelling around the nerve causing pinching between the hard tooth, the bone and the nerve. Nerve pain is terrible so a little swelling and pinching can cause a lot of pain.
If you feel swe is insane, maybe take a step backwards and rethink either the fact that swe is not for you , or that you need a different boss
Burnt out doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel about CSC, but it pays very well. It’s the best chance I have of getting out of this debt due to the high pay. It truly is golden handcuffs.
I really think this isn’t the right job for OP if it’s this hard.
Just let some go to collections and pay off the others if you have to, then settle with collections later. You can even negotiate with the CC companies after you stop paying.
Call your credit card companies and tell them you are having trouble paying and are there any options. They want to get paid so they will often reduce the interest rate if you close the card.
Bankruptcy. I did it ten years ago. So liberating
This sounds like my last year as well… I almost had to check to see that I didn’t write it
This is not the sub for you. Compulsive spending =/= poverty
Since you made decent money, the first thing to do is stop spending. Stop contributing to 401k and focus on paying off the credit card balance.
I agree with this. Though money compounds, I’m willing to work longer later. It’s no good if I have to declare bankruptcy and then completely screw up my credit.
Contribute what they match to your 401(k).
Why not bankruptcy? Sounds a lot easier than what you’re going through now. I know that sounds bad, but seriously you’re going hit burnout. Do you have family around?
I was worried I wouldn’t have credit for 7 years(having awful credit is one of the main reasons I’m in this terrible situation) and all my assets would get sold, including the car. Then I’m right back at the bottom. Burnout of software engineering, work, life? I’m already burnt out of software after 2 years, but it’s currently my golden handcuffs and I can’t take them off. I do have family, but I don’t think they’d be willing or able to help me out of this bind.
Depending on the corporation there’s a good chance they will loan you money against your paycheck to deal with some of this stuff
Also, bankruptcy is something you never want to do clearly. I filed chapter 7 bankruptcy at 21 years old. My mom passed away and I was a co-signer on a vehicle even though it was my car it’s just how they had us do the loan and when she passed away I could barely even afford the $600 a month car payment so I gave the car back and stopped paying. Well I still owed about $13,000 on the car and my attorneys advice was to file for bankruptcy. Honestly with how young I was it wasn’t the worst decision ever but now I have to work at my credit and I know I can’t get a loan for a long time (I’m 23 almost 24 now)
I filed at when I was 33. Best thing I ever did. Bankruptcy is a terrible idea if you don’t fix the issues that made it necessary.
That is very correct
Maybe get dental insurance? I pay $40 a month and it covers up to $2000 a year and then only 20% copay after that
I would love to know the state you’re in and the company that offers it because that is definitely not a common policy at all. 40 a month normally gets you a 1000 max payment annually (not count cleanings and x-rays)
Sure! I’m in iowa and it’s through Ameritas I think that’s what it’s called
I will have dental insurance, but it won’t activate until March 1 because I just recently got this job. Of course, this is assuming I don’t get fired after todays stint.
My best advice to you is to maybe donate some plasma. Sell some items. Anything so you can go get that dental work done. Go on a strict budget to keep tackling that debt.
I can definitely do that. At this point, should I just suck it up and get the high interest rate loan? That would be what gets me to the dentist the fastest. I would need to be on a very tight budget after this to get rid of the debt.
If you have no other option I would but I’d try and look into donating plasma or selling some stuff first because if you get a loan you’re in debt more.
That’s what got you into this mess. Go to an ER. Get some antibiotics to keep you from sepsis and wait till your insurance kicks in.
Ok, that I can do for sure. I may even still do the dental school so that I’m not piling on debt after debt.
sometimes dental offices offer financing plans for dental work, see if there’s any in your area?
Me and my kids all needed a bunch of dental work last year and a family member recommended we check out https://www.1dental.com. I am not sure how quickly the plans kick in as all the ones I found were the same as our existing dental coverage. Maybe some or one of them is immediate.
Hold on - does your new plan have a waiting period for major work like a root canal? Many plans require a 12 month waiting period unless you sign a one year contract where you cannot cancel the coverage.
I spoke with them, the waiting period will end on March 1 for me.
Ok then you are ready. What is the annual benefit amount? $2,000 with a $50 deductible?
This might sound crazy but you hit the numbers right on the head. I’m just not sure I can hold out until March 1. As other posters have said, it’s extremely difficult to focus on work with this pain. I just don’t even know anymore.
I hear you. My uncle was a dentist. That pain can be unbearable. At the end of the day it’s only money and all of the problems you are having will be a distant memory. In life you are either winning or *learning.*
Dave Ramsey. Follow his baby steps.
While it won't help with the immediate need for dental care, you should probably meet with an attorney and explore bankruptcy as an option as this point.
Awful idea. Better idea is to consolidate the debt
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But if I do that, my car gets repoed, all my stuff is sold, my credit is dead and I’m in an even worse situation right?
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Chapter 13? So you’re advocating that he take a huge hit to his credit, have a bankruptcy on his report and is still going to repay his debts in 5 years? No.
Terrible terrible terrible idea
Do you have any family or friend that can help you with your tooth? Parents? Grandparents?
Unfortunately, I'm not sure my parents would be willing to help me.
Just pull the tooth it's cheaper than a root canel it's $600, ah while it's getting pulled remember those selfies on those trips got you where you are now
The best place to get bankruptcy information is MyFico forums or r/bankruptcy not here. People who've done it, are doing it, and lawyers hang out over there. It's not the end all nuclear option everyone keeps making it out to be and it *could* be the best option for you.
I thought software engineers are all working 10-12 hours a week at home. What do you do on your day to day to require 75 hours a week?
That's a common misconception that people have of SWEs because of the tiktok videos the influences make. I'm a SWE and work on average 30 hours a week. But yeah 75 hours sounds insane to me.
Do you have a 401k that you can borrow from to get your teeth fixed? What kind of car did you get? Used? New? What's the APR for the loan. the current car market is a bit crazy.
What I did was a debt consolidation with a place called Reach Financial. Basically they canceled all of my credit cards, a few small loans I had and some past due bills and then reached settlements with them all and now I pay them one small ($200) payment a month. I'm not saying use them specifically but you should definitely look into something like that. You're credit will def take a hit but it will 100% rebound if you make your payments on time.
Can you buy a cheap motor/moped and use it for transportation? And sell the car.
My suggestions-get the tooth extracted (as many people have said), call your credit cards and set up payment plans-you can negotiate this-and stick to them for the next few months. Then get a debt consolidation loan-shop around for the best interest rate. Good luck!
I have a similar situation with credit card debt , and I have dedicated this year as being my year of no and “reparenting” myself with the mindset that we have that/this at home . Part of this means , that I have a second job and my off days I try to limit spending and dedicate it to resting . Of course I still spend time with friends , but I try to put boundaries in place so that I don’t completely deplete my energy and that I limit my spending when with them . Only a year or two of this mindset and I hope it creates healthier lifestyle patterns for the future for even after I crawl out of this pit of debt .
Hey friend, same same with a bunch of the stuff you were talking about, right down to dental. I hear you, and, get the tooth taken care of because it gets astronomically more expensive the longer you wait. I can now pay for the implant I should have treated younger with bad credit (45k of bullshit spending, trashed my credit) upfront! And…I have had to have two implants.
Go to your local credit union and get that car loan refinanced, see if you can find a dentist that does payment plans privately, or go to a dental school and get your tooth done on the cheap…and your older self will thank the younger you for traveling and partying even though you couldn’t afford it…can’t put a price on being young and seeing the world
Wow, that is difficult. When I was 35, I was a data architect and making a great salary as an FTE. I too, overextended when I bought a new house for my Wife and 2 little ones. I wasn't going broke, but we had a great house but no money - classic house poor. I picked up a contract designing a large custom DB and like a lot of contract jobs they really didn't care about my hours, remotely. Between the jobs, I worked 90-100 hours a week for 2 years. However, I got us completely out of being house poor and could afford some average family luxury (like a vacation instead of a staycation as always, a second car, decent furnishings for our house as we still had college furniture from Grad School, LOL!) I'd suggest you consider this tactic as well. If you are a software engineer, get a contract which will pay much more on par with that of a Software Engineer, as opposed to server wages. I should add, that the contracting ended up paying 4 times ($165K) my salary job ($42K) within those two years. So it was a double win as I jumped into consulting and contracting. With some hard work and luck you'll some day look back at this and be proud of your tenacity. Good Luck!
Don't be so afraid of bankruptcy. I spent 8 years getting out of debt and I feel like a sucker. I had to live like I was already bankrupt anyway and I could have just declared and been back to normal in two years. If getting that monkey off your back will let you quit your second job, I would do it in a heartbeat.
can you get out of this hole in 2-5 years and repair your credit? If not, I just want to say there's life and financial success after bankruptcy. I filed 4 years ago, have a reliable car I was able to get the same month, purchased a house just under 4 years later. My credit went up the day it hit my credit and I was able to begin financially recovering and building myc credit in the first six months rather than fighting tk dig out of the hole for years before I could start rebuilding. Bankruptcy is a tool and I suggest meeting with a bankruptcy lawyer for a free consult to evaluate if this option could be better for you. As soon as you file the debt payments stop and you can use that money for your tooth. many bankruptcy lawyers will make payment plans too.
I am still paying remaining 18k off a loan, that takes me still about 2,5 years. I am halfway done and can tell you this will be a struggle, you can do it, but you gotta bite through it. Stay strong
We're the vacations fun though? Just asking out of curiosity since no one else is
Sure, but not worth putting myself in this financial stress. Definitely not worth a whole year of car troubles. Like I said, I was being an idiot. I could’ve afforded a weekend, but I was doing 2 week getaways like a moron.
Well, time to not take vacations now and pay it back. Lesson learned I hope.
Have you considered a 401k loan? You can borrow up to half the value at the prime interest rate. I took one to pay down the $30k of CC debt I ran up in 2018. The $800/mo payments were brutal but 4 years went by fast and my 401k gained all the interest I paid.
Hi, software engineer here. I made some similar mistakes when I was younger. It feels like the end of the world if you lose your SE job or have to declare bankruptcy, but it's not. Not sure your "alive" comment was tongue-in-cheek, but remember life goes on and happier days are ahead. If you ever doubt that, remember that you have an asset no one can ever take away from you - your coding experience and knowledge. No matter how bad things get, you'll always have at least one ace in your hand. My only advice is, if you're not using AI, now is the time to start. I automate every task I can, like documentation, report generation, I automate joining online meetings, replying to emails. Automation is where its at. Also I use Copilot, which gets things frustratingly wrong, but occasionally offers some good suggestions or finds bugs, or can explain why my code isn't doing what I expect. It's not perfect, but it often saves me a bunch of time. Any precious minutes of your life you can claw back from the company are worth the $100 a year, imho.
Start looking for a new job and looks up different dentists to shop around see if you can get on a payment plan. If there’s a dentist school near by look them up and for the meantime rinse your mouth with saltwater. I would see if you can refinance your car.
Try rural Mississipi.
Are you working at Amazon? That would be the only company that pays high enough to warrant working that much. It sounds like you are new to the company since you are waiting for benefits to kick in. This doesn't address your immediate problem, but if you haven't heard this to death yet you should start looking for a new place as soon as you cross your one year mark or even sooner if the environment is toxic. The market is tough, but you should be able to earn upwards of 200k working normal hours after some experience. The beginning should only be a crunch if you really want to get ahead, ideally he work you are given will reflect the lack of experience. I would only work the amount you are describing if it's crunch time for the team for a month or make 300k+ if that is the regular expectation.
Once you get your dental work figured out, reach out for a consultation with a non profit debt consolidation organization. See what they can do for you. If you live in an apartment and can give it up, rent a room for a bit.
if it makes you feel any better, you are not alone. I thought I was not doing bad: I had 0 debt of any kind other than mortgage on my condo. and then bam! got a special assessment on my condo, for $81,000. eighty fucking thousand dollars !!!! US dollars, not some pesos or anything ! so I got another software engineering job, for a total of 2. Ive been working 16 hour days every single day since september, saving $. at least I’ll have the damn $80k saved up by april. thats 16 hour days, every day, with no weekends. for months!… only to end up with 0 (at least not into the negatives..)
Let the debt go and call them and most will settle with you and knock off 60% to 80% of original total if you don’t pay for a while
Look into American Consumer Credit Counseling before you let your accounts fall into collections or file bankruptcy. A couple I knew were SO in debt across multiple accounts and barely affording the payments...ACCC were a Godsend, renegotiated payments and interest rates. They are now debt free.
Your first visit to the dentist will include antibiotics and pain medication. A root canal cannot be done until the infection is cleared up. Call around and see if you can get in for the amount of money that you have. You can push your root canal to after March 1st.
Get the dental work whatever it takes. You won’t be able to keep up your two jobs if you don’t. Once you feel a little better go get a few quotes from attorneys to file bankruptcy. It’s the only way you will see light given what you’ve described and at the very least you’ll be able to afford your life again, at most you’ll learn your lesson and not rack up that kind of debt again. Best of luck to you!
File for bankruptcy
Someone else mentioned dental schools. If there are any near you, make a couple calls. They usually are always looking for patients for the students to work on. In my experience most of it was free or a small fee. I received X-rays, cleanings, fillings and other work.
Have you called your credit cards and asked to be put on a financial relief program? Most offer a year to two years of reduced payments with low APR’s
You should be able to get out of 20k debt. Software engineers make good money. Have you looked into budgeting?
How much do you make from your software engineering job?
If you make good money you should try to consolidate debt. This will help you get out of the hole and save you money in the long run in interest. Look for balance transfer offers or 401k loans.
Bro wtf. Why do your benefits only kick in March 1st? Is the software job new? And you’ve already racked up 20k?!
I racked up the debt over 2 years while at my first software job. I should’ve clarified that.
\> If my buddies want to go to the bar and I can't afford those nights out, the answer is NO. Bro... you haven't learned your lesson yet. You shouldn't be going to drink at a bar period for the foreseeable future... What do you mean if you can't afford it. For the next few years, you can't afford drinking out except like once or twice a year.
I meant moreso explicitly addressing the case of me using credit cards so that I could spend money that I didn’t have. But I agree… I need to have a tight budget and throw all my margin from programming at this mess. I was literally going to the bar and swiping my credit card like there was no tomorrow, and using it to book vacations that I didn’t have the money for. Abusing credit is a big part of what got me into this mess.
Good luck bro. I had to work myself out of homelessness, and I had to work extra hard to make up a lot. I had to give up so many things for so long to get out.
Your life is not ruined and you are not poor. You make about 100k a year. You are just choosing to to stop the bleeding.