Donate to Secure Stability and Pay Off Debts

I’m pretty embarrassed to be doing this as I’ve made a GoFundMe for myself in the past—which was successful and helped me out of a dire financial situation. This new situation isn’t nearly as bad. After I moved out of my old apartment a few months ago and switched to a different town altogether, I had accrued a small debt. Over time, that debt grew. It grew larger. It grew abstract. This was due to a combination of not paying for bills on time and—the part I’m really embarrassed to admit—financial irresponsibility.

I’m good about not spending money on luxury items unless I know for a fact I can afford it, although I have a bad habit of eating out and/or over exceeding my budget when grocery shopping. I also have a habit of going to the gas station every day for coffee and, a few times a week, nicotine (which takes a couple dozen dollars off my weekly budget). Because of this, I’ve dug myself into a financial hole that I’ve been struggling to climb out of since the move. The reason why I’m making this is because this has been going on for a while, and frankly, I’m tired.

I moved to the city. I’ve lived in a small town most of my life and have no experience with humongous, clustered environments such as this one. The first thing that imprinted in my brain that I should start a donation pool was when my car broke down, and I didn’t have the money to fix it. I vetoed that thought, thinking I’d just find a better-paying job since I was surrounded by all sorts of better job opportunities. This is a problem I’m still trying to work on, as it turns out that the job market in city life is competitive. There were several interviews I came out of, gleaming and thinking that I had secured the position easily, only for my enthusiasm to be thwarted when I hadn’t received a call back. I’ve gone through dozens upon dozens of applications, landed little more than half a dozen interviews, and I still can’t find a better job than the one I currently occupy.

The second thing that imprinted this idea into my brain was getting my new car. With some family help, we were able to trade in my old car for a newer one, but I can’t help but feel guilty. My grandad has helped with all three of my cars in the past, and while I am thankful, I’m able to admit to myself that it he shouldn’t have to be doing that, just as I shouldn’t have to be asking you for money to help me. That’s when the thought occurred to me, “Barley making it isn’t making it.”

The third thing that imprinted the idea in my brain was thinking that I could pay my entire rent by the 12th, then being slapped with a $100 late fee, setting my payment plan back another week. There have been several instances where I’ll have a plan ready, then suddenly, a new expense pops-up. I’m tired.

Thanks to the new car, my opportunities for a new job have vastly increased, but I still need the security of knowing I can safely transition between jobs. However, that may still take a while to work on, so I can at least ensure my financial security and soothe my anxiety by fixing all of my debts. The wage I’m making now is livable. In terms of savings, I can’t make much, although being consistently broke has guided me towards smarter spending habits (I’ve discovered that Dollar Tree has some banger products. I got double-stuffed cookies, milk, peanut butter, and cereal straws all for only $8. That shit slaps.), and I can put just enough aside to let grow and dip into in the case of emergencies. I will use this money to pay any outstanding bills and also pay back friends I’ve borrowed money from.

And, so you know where your money is going, I came up with calculations for the amount I’m asking for.

$720 (The amount I pay in rent month-to-month. Half of this month has already been paid, the rest will be paid toward next month in advance.)

$185.41 (For my electricity)

$514.04 (For gas. I’ve been without it for a few weeks now since I allowed the debt to build up over time.)

$500 (for security. Some of this will go toward less important bills like cellular and wi-fi, which as been out for a while. The rest will go toward savings.)

In total this is $1919.45. The minimum goal is $1419.45, as this will help me pay off all outstanding bills.

Not much left to say. This is a financial situation of my own making. I moved out at a time when I couldn’t afford it, neglecting to pay several bills to afford a new place (I spent somewhere close to $2000 on this move), and I made a few irresponsible decisions that led me to where I am now.

If you’re only able to donate a small sum, then even that will help. If you don’t want to go through GoFundMe, then I also have a PayPal. Every little bit helps, and I’m very thankful to everyone who helped me out of my financial strain a year back.

Also, so you know I have a plan, I make about $400/week. $300 will be moved toward savings every week, leaving me with $100 for groceries and other expenses. I’m also trying to sign up for food stamps, which I do qualify for, although they require you to do math to calculate your monthly income, which I’ll get my grandad to help me figure out. Also, I’m trying to quit nicotine. While I haven’t managed to quit yet, I’ve at least discovered the value of pacing myself, which is a little better than. Not good, but still better. I also do, in fact, have a coffee maker, I just need to pick up some coffee.

Thank you, and I hope I’m making the right decision by posting this.

UPDATE: I decided to update the GoFundMe to $3,200 because I have a credit card that's $700 in-debt and a debit card that -$500 due to me being careless. I was self-conscious to include these at first since I was already asking for close to $2000, but thought it might be better to update the page due to the overwhelming support I've been getting. At minimum, I'd like to reach the $2000 goal, as that'd help me restart my finances. Even if the $3200 goal isn't met, I trust that I can pay off these two with time, I'd just rather have both of these cards on hand since they'd save me more.

Thank you for your support and much appreciation to those who have donated so far.