Used Car for Struggling Artist
Donation protected
Hello, all!
My name is Lane, and I am fundraising for a [used] car to help me get around more easily and thus be able to find a better job.
You might be thinking, "Why don't you pay for your own car?" or "Get a loan and pay for a car yourself!" Let me tell you it's not that easy for me, unfortunately!
Let me start by saying that I am not a Portland-area local. I grew up down in Mississippi, where for those who may or may not know, is one of the poorest states in the Union. I moved away from there for multiple reasons, one of them being that I was getting nowhere financially. Unfortunately, despite the move to a state that pays more, other things (housing, specifically) cost a lot more.
When I moved from Mississippi, I flew via plane with some of my belongings to Portland because I couldn't afford to move everything with my '99 Ford Contour. Not to mention my car was on its last leg at the time. I ended up selling my car since there was no way for me to bring it with me at the time. I didn't get much for it, unfortunately (<300), but that (and kindness from some friends) helped me get settled around Portland.
Unfortunately, coming here without much in the ways of money or financial support backfired pretty quickly. I had a challenge finding work in my field that didn't require a car or more than public transportation to get to. I still am having that challenge. Right now, I'm working at a grocery store for $14/hr, working part-time (<35 hr/week). Some weeks, I only get paid $200, which makes it difficult to save. COVID has made it even more challenging to find work, as many others are also looking for jobs. I'm actively trying to find better work or a second job to keep me afloat, but at current, I'm drowning in bills and problems that can't be fixed without money.
Some of those problems include health problems, including expensive dental work that has been worsened by my need for antidepressants (they cause dry mouth, which breeds cavities). I have bad credit (<600) due to getting credit cards years ago to help pay bills and for food when I could barely afford to live in a $600/mo townhouse in Mississippi while getting my degree. I have been unable to afford payments on any of the cards for the past few years, due to mostly only working part time jobs for a couple of dollars over minimum wage (~$9-11/hr). So the option of taking out a car loan is nearly impossible for me and my bad credit.
I come from a poor family, for the most part, so I can't ask for a loan from anyone. If there were any other way for me to save up and get a car, I would do it. However, as it stands, I am unable to save for much of anything, due to being paid less than a living wage and not having full-time hours. My rent (at current) is over half of what I make in a month's time (which isn't much to begin with). I have regular bills/costs (utilities, phone, insurance, food, etc.) on top of that, as well as therapy appointments twice a month (~$40/session) and costs for medications. All that adds up to be more than I can really afford, but somehow I make it work--more or less.
I rely heavily on the public transportation system in order to get to and from places. For anyone who's not had to rely on riding buses before, it can take two to four times as long (or longer) to get to one place compared to driving a car. That makes a twenty-minute trip by car to inner Portland turn into an hour and a half with public transit, at best. So any jobs within Portland or that are out of Beaverton (just outside of Portland) are almost inaccessible to me at current. I'm hoping that I am able to get a car, so I can get a better job, so I can better afford expenses and catch up with my debts.
I have a Bachelor's degree in wildlife science, so I would love to be able to get a job in that field or a similar one. I'm hoping to pay off a debt to my college so I can get the official degree and get my Master's degree in teaching so I may start my career of educating youth about the natural world and science. All of this depends on me getting a car, because, without that transportation, my luck with finding better work is close to zero.
All that being said, I want a better life for myself. That is all I am trying to do with this fundraiser. Any money made with this fundraiser will be put towards that goal of finally finding some sort of normalcy and happiness in my life again. As it stands now, though, without a car, I don't have a clear path to that goal.
Now, on to the expenses of getting a car and why I chose that particular amount ($3800) for my fundraiser.
I've searched on CarFax for a car that is relatively inexpensive while also not being too old or with mileage too high. I found a couple of cars around $3000, and there may be more that pop up later on, but the car I have my sights on now is this 2008 Saturn Aura XE for $3400. It has a fair amount of mileage but good service and owner history. I don't need the car to last me five or more years, just until I get on my feet again, so this is a decent vehicle for what I need it for.
You might be wondering why my goal is $400 more than that. I've added the few extra hundred because, 1) the vehicle I'm hoping to get may go off-market before I can raise enough money for it, so I'll need enough money for a backup car choice, which might be a couple of hundred dollars more and 2) I need to pay for an updated driver's license, tags, and registration, which will likely cost a few hundred dollars total.
Anyways, I am hoping against hope that this fundraiser gains traction, as I need something to turn my life around. That said, I am grateful for every share and donation this gets.
If you would like to support me in other ways, I have a Patreon page, where you can be rewarded for pledging different amounts per month. I am an artist and writer on the side, and I share my artwork and written works there. I also have a commission website, where I accept payment for artwork pieces. There's also my Etsy , where I sell physical art pieces and crafts. I'd be happy to sell my artwork goods and services to reach my goal.
If you'd rather use another method for donation, ; my Venmo is @Lane-Red ; & my CashApp is: $SaltyLane.
Thank you for reading through this rather long post! Once again, thank you for taking the time to read, share, and/or donate!
My name is Lane, and I am fundraising for a [used] car to help me get around more easily and thus be able to find a better job.
You might be thinking, "Why don't you pay for your own car?" or "Get a loan and pay for a car yourself!" Let me tell you it's not that easy for me, unfortunately!
Let me start by saying that I am not a Portland-area local. I grew up down in Mississippi, where for those who may or may not know, is one of the poorest states in the Union. I moved away from there for multiple reasons, one of them being that I was getting nowhere financially. Unfortunately, despite the move to a state that pays more, other things (housing, specifically) cost a lot more.
When I moved from Mississippi, I flew via plane with some of my belongings to Portland because I couldn't afford to move everything with my '99 Ford Contour. Not to mention my car was on its last leg at the time. I ended up selling my car since there was no way for me to bring it with me at the time. I didn't get much for it, unfortunately (<300), but that (and kindness from some friends) helped me get settled around Portland.
Unfortunately, coming here without much in the ways of money or financial support backfired pretty quickly. I had a challenge finding work in my field that didn't require a car or more than public transportation to get to. I still am having that challenge. Right now, I'm working at a grocery store for $14/hr, working part-time (<35 hr/week). Some weeks, I only get paid $200, which makes it difficult to save. COVID has made it even more challenging to find work, as many others are also looking for jobs. I'm actively trying to find better work or a second job to keep me afloat, but at current, I'm drowning in bills and problems that can't be fixed without money.
Some of those problems include health problems, including expensive dental work that has been worsened by my need for antidepressants (they cause dry mouth, which breeds cavities). I have bad credit (<600) due to getting credit cards years ago to help pay bills and for food when I could barely afford to live in a $600/mo townhouse in Mississippi while getting my degree. I have been unable to afford payments on any of the cards for the past few years, due to mostly only working part time jobs for a couple of dollars over minimum wage (~$9-11/hr). So the option of taking out a car loan is nearly impossible for me and my bad credit.
I come from a poor family, for the most part, so I can't ask for a loan from anyone. If there were any other way for me to save up and get a car, I would do it. However, as it stands, I am unable to save for much of anything, due to being paid less than a living wage and not having full-time hours. My rent (at current) is over half of what I make in a month's time (which isn't much to begin with). I have regular bills/costs (utilities, phone, insurance, food, etc.) on top of that, as well as therapy appointments twice a month (~$40/session) and costs for medications. All that adds up to be more than I can really afford, but somehow I make it work--more or less.
I rely heavily on the public transportation system in order to get to and from places. For anyone who's not had to rely on riding buses before, it can take two to four times as long (or longer) to get to one place compared to driving a car. That makes a twenty-minute trip by car to inner Portland turn into an hour and a half with public transit, at best. So any jobs within Portland or that are out of Beaverton (just outside of Portland) are almost inaccessible to me at current. I'm hoping that I am able to get a car, so I can get a better job, so I can better afford expenses and catch up with my debts.
I have a Bachelor's degree in wildlife science, so I would love to be able to get a job in that field or a similar one. I'm hoping to pay off a debt to my college so I can get the official degree and get my Master's degree in teaching so I may start my career of educating youth about the natural world and science. All of this depends on me getting a car, because, without that transportation, my luck with finding better work is close to zero.
All that being said, I want a better life for myself. That is all I am trying to do with this fundraiser. Any money made with this fundraiser will be put towards that goal of finally finding some sort of normalcy and happiness in my life again. As it stands now, though, without a car, I don't have a clear path to that goal.
Now, on to the expenses of getting a car and why I chose that particular amount ($3800) for my fundraiser.
I've searched on CarFax for a car that is relatively inexpensive while also not being too old or with mileage too high. I found a couple of cars around $3000, and there may be more that pop up later on, but the car I have my sights on now is this 2008 Saturn Aura XE for $3400. It has a fair amount of mileage but good service and owner history. I don't need the car to last me five or more years, just until I get on my feet again, so this is a decent vehicle for what I need it for.
You might be wondering why my goal is $400 more than that. I've added the few extra hundred because, 1) the vehicle I'm hoping to get may go off-market before I can raise enough money for it, so I'll need enough money for a backup car choice, which might be a couple of hundred dollars more and 2) I need to pay for an updated driver's license, tags, and registration, which will likely cost a few hundred dollars total.
Anyways, I am hoping against hope that this fundraiser gains traction, as I need something to turn my life around. That said, I am grateful for every share and donation this gets.
If you would like to support me in other ways, I have a Patreon page, where you can be rewarded for pledging different amounts per month. I am an artist and writer on the side, and I share my artwork and written works there. I also have a commission website, where I accept payment for artwork pieces. There's also my Etsy , where I sell physical art pieces and crafts. I'd be happy to sell my artwork goods and services to reach my goal.
If you'd rather use another method for donation, ; my Venmo is @Lane-Red ; & my CashApp is: $SaltyLane.
Thank you for reading through this rather long post! Once again, thank you for taking the time to read, share, and/or donate!
Organizer
Lane Red
Organizer
Beaverton, OR
