Terms starting with D

Every Buhata Life Terms entry that starts with D, with its short definition.

D

Daily scrumThe 15-minute Scrum event where the Developers meet each working day to check progress toward the Sprint Goal and adjust their plan.

Daily spending limitThe most a bank lets you spend with a debit card, or withdraw at an ATM, in one day; the purchase and ATM limits are often set separately.

Data entry payWhat data entry workers are paid to type information into computer systems; BLS put the median for data entry keyers at $19.88 an hour in May 2025.

Date nightTime a couple sets aside on a regular basis to spend together as partners, away from household logistics, often weekly.

Daycare costWhat families pay a child care center or home daycare, which Care.com's 2026 Cost of Care Report puts at $332 a week on average.

Debt collectorA person or company that collects debts owed to someone else, such as a collection agency, debt buyer or collection lawyer, limited by the FDCPA.

Debt consolidationRolling several debts into one new loan or card balance, usually to get a single payment and, ideally, a lower interest rate.

Debt management planA repayment plan set up by a credit counseling organization: you make one monthly payment to it, and it pays your creditors, often at lower rates.

Debt payoff planA written plan for clearing your debts: every balance, rate and minimum listed, an order to pay them in, and the extra you'll add each month.

Debt settlementPaying a creditor a lump sum that's less than the full balance, often through a for-profit company, in exchange for the creditor treating the debt as resolved.

Debt snowballA way to pay off debts where you pay the minimum on all of them and put every extra dollar toward the smallest balance first.

Debt validation letterEither the notice a debt collector must send listing the debt and your rights, or the letter you send back disputing it or asking for proof.

Debt-free dateThe month your last debt is scheduled to reach a zero balance, based on the balances, interest rates and payments you plan to keep making.

Debt-to-income ratioYour total monthly debt payments divided by your gross monthly income, shown as a percentage; lenders use it to judge whether you can take on a new payment.

Decision fatigueThe idea that making many decisions in a row wears down the quality of later choices, a popular claim whose research evidence is disputed.

Deck stainingBrushing a penetrating stain or water repellent onto a wood deck to protect it from water and sun, and recoating it as the finish wears.

DeclutteringClearing out what a home no longer needs by sorting belongings into what to keep and what leaves the house, one small area at a time.

Decodable booksSimple books for beginning readers written mostly with the letter-sound patterns a child has already been taught, so most words can be sounded out.

Deep workFocused, distraction-free time spent on a mentally demanding task, a term from author Cal Newport's 2016 book Deep Work.

DefensivenessAnswering a partner's complaint by protecting yourself with excuses, blame or a counter-complaint instead of hearing it, one of the Gottman Institute's four horsemen.

DefermentA formal pause on federal student loan payments for a qualifying reason, during which subsidized loans don't build interest.

Definition of doneIn Scrum, the formal description of the quality a piece of work must reach before it counts as part of the Increment.

DegreasingRemoving built-up cooking grease from cabinets, stovetops and range hoods, usually with dish soap and warm water or a cleaner labeled as a degreaser.

DelegationHanding a task, and the authority needed to finish it, to someone else, while you stay responsible for the result.

DelinquencyBeing behind on a required payment; in credit reporting, an account becomes a reported delinquency once a payment is at least 30 days past due.

Dependent care FSAA workplace account that lets you pay for a child's or dependent's care with pretax pay so you can work; the 2026 limit is $7,500, or $3,750 married filing separately.

DescalingDissolving the mineral scale that hard water leaves inside kettles, coffee makers and other appliances that heat water.

Descriptive praisePraise that names exactly what the child did well, such as "You put every block back in the bin," in place of a general "Good job."

DethatchingRemoving the layer of dead and living stems and roots that builds up between grass blades and the soil, once it grows thicker than about one-half inch.

Developmental milestonesSkills most children can do by a certain age, like rolling over or waving bye-bye. CDC places each at the age 75% or more of children reach it.

Dialogic readingA way of reading picture books where the adult asks questions and builds on the child's answers, so the child gradually becomes the one telling the story.

Diaper rashRed, irritated skin in the area a diaper covers, usually from wetness, rubbing or sensitive skin, and sometimes from a yeast or bacterial infection.

Digital citizenshipUsing technology and the internet in ways that are safe, responsible, legal and respectful of other people.

Digital declutteringClearing out what has piled up on your phone, computer and accounts, or Cal Newport's 30-day break from optional tech that brings back only what earns its place.

Digital detoxA set period when you stop using, or deliberately cut back on, smartphones, computers and other digital devices, usually to rest and lower stress.

Digital minimalismCal Newport's approach to technology: use only the apps and tools that clearly support what you value, and let the rest go.

Digital plannerA planner kept on a phone, tablet or computer, such as a calendar app, a task app or a planner file you write on with a stylus.

Digital walletAn app, such as Apple Pay or Google Wallet, that stores your payment cards on your phone so you can pay by tapping it or choosing a card at checkout.

Dinner rotationA set list of dinners a household cycles through again and again, so the week's meals are picked from it rather than decided from scratch each night.

Direct depositA payment, such as a paycheck or government benefit, sent electronically straight into your bank or credit union account instead of as a paper check.

Discretionary spendingMoney spent on things you want rather than need, like eating out, entertainment and travel. In government, the spending Congress sets each year.

Dishwasher filterThe screen at the bottom of a dishwasher that catches food and grit, which makers say to rinse every 3 to 6 months, or about every 2 weeks with daily use.

Dishwasher loadingArranging dishes in a dishwasher so water and detergent reach every dirty surface: big, messy items below, cups and plastics on top, nothing blocking the spray.

Division of responsibility in feedingEllyn Satter's feeding model: the parent decides what, when and where food is served, and the child decides how much to eat and whether to eat.

Dollar-cost averagingInvesting the same dollar amount at regular intervals no matter what prices do, so each payment buys more shares when prices are low and fewer when high.

Done is better than perfectA saying that urges you to finish and share work that's good enough rather than keep polishing it, known from a Facebook office poster Sheryl Sandberg described.

DoomscrollingScrolling on and on through bad or upsetting news and posts on a phone or computer, often for longer than you meant to and in a way that's hard to stop.

Dopamine detoxA popular name for a break from quick-reward habits like scrolling, though Cleveland Clinic notes it doesn't lower or clear dopamine from the brain.

Doula costWhat a family pays a doula for nonmedical support during pregnancy, birth or the weeks after, set by each doula as a birth package, an hourly rate or both.

Down paymentThe share of a home's price you pay upfront in cash when you buy it; the mortgage covers the rest.

DownspoutThe vertical pipe that carries rainwater from a roof gutter down to the ground, ideally ending several feet away from the house's foundation.

Drain snakeA long, flexible cable you feed into a drain and turn so its tip breaks up or pulls out a clog that a plunger can't reach.

Dream 100Russell Brunson's method from Traffic Secrets (2020): list 100 people and places where your ideal customers already gather, then earn or buy your way in front of them.

Drop-off playdateA playdate where you leave your child at a friend's home, or host a friend without their parent, instead of staying for the visit.

Drowsy but awakeLaying a baby down in the crib when they're sleepy but still awake, so they practice falling asleep on their own.

Dry JanuaryA month with no alcohol each January, a public challenge Alcohol Change UK began in 2013 to get people thinking about their drinking.

Dryer vent cleaningClearing built-up lint out of the duct that carries a clothes dryer's hot, damp air outdoors. NFPA advises cleaning the vent pipe at least once a year.

Drywall patchA repair that fills a dent, crack or hole in drywall with spackling or joint compound, often over a mesh patch, then sands, primes and repaints it.

Dual enrollmentA high school student taking a college course for college credit, through a college or a program the high school runs with one.

Dual income householdA household where two adults, usually a couple, both earn income from work, so the budget runs on two paychecks.

Duvet vs comforterA duvet is a filled insert that lives inside a removable, washable cover; a comforter is a single filled piece used on its own.

DyscalculiaA learning disability in math that makes number ideas and arithmetic hard; U.S. schools treat it as a specific learning disability under IDEA.

DysgraphiaA learning disability in writing that affects handwriting, spelling and getting thoughts onto paper; U.S. schools treat it as a specific learning disability.

DyslexiaA learning disability that makes reading words accurately and smoothly hard, mostly because linking letters to sounds is hard; schools call it a specific learning disability.