It’s me again! Abbi! My wife Lili and I are in desperate need of help because - as a famous song once said - the hits truly do not stop coming.

I hate to have to set one of these up again, but my wife and I are in dire financial straits right now, and we need help to keep our heads above water. I’ve wanted to ask for weeks now, because it feels awful to feel like you’re begging people for money especially when we’re all struggling right now. But things are at a breaking point, so I swallowed my pride and I’m telling myself the worst thing that can happen is that people say no.

We used to have a decent household income, but both me and my wife have taken huge hits to our individual income this last year. The way anime conventions handle artist alley applications has changed so drastically since Covid that Lili’s primary source of income that we used to rely on has basically dried up. She used to have nearly one con minimum a month, and now it’s maybe five a year which has been really hurting us. Earnings from her online store, commissions, and streaming have definitely been helping, but it’s not at all like when she was basically working cons “full-time.”

Meanwhile, my underpaid job has gotten worse and worse. When I did receive full paychecks, those plus occasional supplement from Lili used to keep us afloat. However, an ever present health issue has forced me to use a good portion of my FMLA at work, which is unpaid time off. I’d love to never have to use my FMLA because it’s killing us, but I’ve been struggling with an undetermined neurological issue my entire life that’s exacerbated by stress and prevents me from functioning. My various specialists suspect idiopathic hypersomnia, but they’ve been unable to get sleep study results concrete enough to prove to insurance that it’s exactly what I have, which means I’m unable to even be prescribed the one existing medication that treats IH. I was supposed to have a very promising study done with a recommended expert where we live, but when I was informed it would be a cool $2k, I had to cancel. Because of increased stress making my symptoms worse, I’m also at risk of losing my current job due to “violation of the no call no show policy.” Because it’s actually very difficult to tell your boss you’ll be logging into work late when you’re unconscious.

Potential termination aside, the FMLA usage means the paychecks I get twice a month tend to range from $900-1.2k. Which could certainly be worse! But these are the monthly costs we’re working with:

Rent/water: $1.2k

Electric: $70-115

Internet: $75

Storage unit: $77

In-unit washer/Dryer rental: $65

Car insurance: $155

Medications: ~$70

Doctor appts: ~$90

Cat litter & food: ~$150

Total estimate: $1,997

And then groceries have long since been relegated to “luxury status,” so those don’t get a monthly estimate. Mostly I make sure we always have rice, pasta, oatmeal, coffee, frozen chicken, and sometimes bread. Also, rent is hilariously always somehow due in the middle of a paycheck when I have maybe $400 to my name at best. Things would probably be slightly more manageable if I got paid weekly, but that’s unfortunately not a possibility.

With things how they are, we’ve been relying on Lili’s credit card for rent mostly, but it’s almost maxed out and her monthly payments are around $400 right now. I’ve set the maximum goal of this GFM to $9k because ideally we could pay off Lili’s card and keep using its balance as a lifeline.

Relief is on the horizon, as I managed to secure a much better job elsewhere that pays around $20k more than where I am right now. The environment is also significantly less stressful. However, as the hits don’t stop coming, there’s no concrete start date. Initially, the date I was provided was March 24th. Unfortunately, I’m a government contractor in the US, so I imagine you can see where this is headed. When I was notified this Tuesday that they wanted to hire me, I was also informed that the start date is currently TBD, as the department of government I work with is currently in limbo due to certain individuals. They’re hopeful that I can still start in March, and I’m trying to be optimistic, but there’s truly no telling with how things are.

So between likely termination looming over my head at my current job, and an indeterminate start date for the much better one, I’m kind of at my wit’s end. It’s already been like trying to plug the Titanic with a wine cork, but it’s finally reached “oh god we need outside help” status if we want to even keep our apartment.

Anyway, sorry for the short novel.

Like I said, I know everyone is struggling right now, but every tiny bit helps. Even a share would go a very long way! We really just need any help we can get right now. Thank you so much for reading.