by Datechguy | July 21st, 2011
To say I’ve had a bit of a run of bad luck is kind of mild. In the space of 10 days 2 of three cars have needed vital repairs at a total cost of over $1,000 (and the repair shop treated me well). I had physical issues with the laptop that cost me a further $150 and a property Tax bill due for another $500 and some doctor bills not covered by DaWife’s new insurance for another $300 bucks.
Put simply I find myself $1800 in the hole with very few reserves left to tap and 10 days to come up with the money without spending the mortgage money also due at the end of the month.
Update 2: re-arranged the post so you can get to the actual posts on da blog. Goal reached in 71 hours and 41 minutes after the initial post.. Running totals under the jump.
July is a slow month for the business. It remains in the black but with many advertisers taking the summer off there simply is not enough available to tap right now to cover the shortfall.
So I find myself forced to resort to a bleg. Any help I can get to knock this deficit down or out would be very much appreciated.
I’ve put up 5600+ posts so far on the new blog and between the new and old I’ve managed over 330,000 hits this year. If 180 of you can spare $10 or 36 of you can spare $50 I’ll be able to make my bills this month without something drastic.
To any and all who choose to help, I am in your debt.
Update: I put up this post at a McDonalds in Pelham NH around 7:32 p.m. EST this evening after doing some door to door. I just walked into the house and booted up. There are six donations totaling $195 minus Paypal fees of $7.47 for a total of $187.53 cents. I can’t thank you enough. $1612.47 to go.
Update 2: re-arranged the post to not block the reason you come to the blog, Received 3 donations for a total of $35.02 after fees for a grand total of $222.55 so far $1577.45 and 9 days to go, also linked by my friends at the Conservatory, Little Miss Attila and Cynthia Yockey I am most grateful.
Update: 7/22 noontime Another 43.09 after fees bringing me to $265.64 $1534.36 to go.
7/23 10 a.m. another 23.97 after paypal, total $289.61 $1510.39 to go.
7/23 6:30 p.m. an Instalanche and more help from friends +$57.15 for a total of $346.76 $1453.24 to go.
7/23 7:11 p.m. Just to give you the idea of the power of an Instalanche, in the time it took me to type the last update another 216.04 came in (after paypal deductions) for a total of $567.35
That leaves $1232.65 to go.
8:18 p.m. 3 more for 63.71 total of 631.06 $1160.94 to go
7/24 1:32 a.m. Why am I still up? Writing the thank you notes, Glenn bumped the Instalanche and Stacy McCain linked as well and that generated a further 20 donations totaling $455.72 That brings us more than half way home $1086.78 with only $713,22 cents to go.
1:57 a.m. Every time I think I’m ready to hit the sack more comes in, two more for $119.77. The total is now $1206.55 only $593.45 left!
7:55 a.m. $76.17 overnight bringing the total to 1281.72. $518.28 to go.
11:06 a.m. another 6 gifts came in this morning for a total of $241.63 I’m up to $1523.35 only $276.65 to go,
Slightly related. I got a call from a friend of mine who is moving down south. She had asked if my boys could help her move some furniture. They went there this morning and came back very tired. As I was updating I got a phone call from my friend extolling the boys and their behavior and respect. It’s the type of call that a parent dreams of.
I had a very bad month up to a few days ago, between your help and that call this month will become one of the most memorable I’ve ever had.
11:26 a.m. Another donation netting $48.25 after paypal’s deductions I’m at $1571.60 with only $228.40 to go.
12:28 p.m. another $1.90 (i’ve adjusted the figure from this $5 gift to deduct the fees from 4 “pending e-checks” that showed no deduction) $1573.50, only $226.50 to go!
12:41 p.m. $48.25 more We’ve broken the $1600 mark. $1621.75 Only $178.25 to go!
1:52 p.m. another $9.41 $1631.16, only $168.84 left!
5:26 p.m. Just back from getting groceries and running errands and another $110.46 in the till. The total is now up to $1741.62. Only $58.38 left to the goal!
7 :00 p.m. Just back from mass, 1 more donor for $19.12 the total is now $1760.74. After 72 hours I am only $39.26 cents away from closing out the fundraiser a full week before the bills are due.
7:27 p.m. Let the record show at at 7:05 p.m. The 76th e-mail notification (well actually 75th since one was an e-mail requesting an address to send a check) of activity from paypal came into my inbox. It noted a $75 donation with a fee of $2.48 to Paypal for a net amount of $72.52 combined with what has already been donated that brings the total to $1833.26 putting me $33.26 over the my goal.
This amount includes about $95 in pending e-checks that will take a few days to clear and one actual check that is in the mail.
I have one post that I need to finish but once that is complete there will be a proper roundup and thank you post for all the 75 people who donated (one person donated twice).
Glad you made it. Your issue and Zilla’s has got me thinking. I’ll post on it later.
Yay! I’m glad you made your goal.
Grats, glad you got what you needed!!! Keep up the great blogging.
I dunno, sounds like an unsustainable business model to me. Why don’t you just get a free blog on WordPress, no hosting costs at all, then get a real job and blog in your spare time. If you aren’t making enough money without this really pathetic spectacle, you aren’t talented enough a writer to make a living. Blogs are dying anyway, best to cut your losses and get out now.
My business model is to purchase time on a 50,000 watt radio station, sell ads and pay for the time and live off the difference.
The station has sustained itself and made some money but the problem was a bunch of unexpected bills that came at once and over two years of unemployment for myself and a year for my wife which drained my reserves that I’d normally use for this kind of thing.
I believe the station will in fact pan out in the long term it simply needs time.
As for blogs dying my hits have gone from 54k year one to 216k year two to 330+ so far this year, blogs have driven several major stories, I don’t think that blogs are dying or going anywhere.
I don’t spend a whole lot of time asking for money or pushing the jar, if I wasn’t in a spot I wouldn’t have done it now, so I’m not sure how I’d do If I tried a “subscription” model but my goal is to sustain myself on the radio show. From my first 36 weeks I’m guessing it will take about another year or so to manage it.
I’ll leave it to my readers and customers to decide if my actions were pathetic but if you read my blog regularly you would know I spend a considerable amount of time trying to find employment without success, I never planed to go this route but it was the only opportunity that presented itself.
I’m so glad that the donations are coming in for you! I hope you get the rest of what you need. I am in your debt for teaching me a new word, “bleg”, so I am multitasking today and blegging for both of us at my place where I’ve linked to your post, here:
Blegging to Avert DOOM!
I live for the day when I do not need to bleg and can merrily hit the tip jars of other bloggers so they can also need to bleg a little bit less. We should send Stacy’s T-Shirt Slogan post to the GOP establishment, because Conservative bloggers DO help Republicans quite a bit, as I did when I exposed my now former Dem. Congressman for the far left radical anti-free speech tyrant that he is.
I am about $200 short of averting disaster myself this month, but I will pray that you get the help you need! I can also tweet your link. good luck, and God Bless.
Some Good People hit my tip jar, so I passed a little bit along. Hang in there, Pete.
Stacy the outpouring has been rather incredible, I’m at 60% of my goal already
Passed it along on my blog. Good luck!!
When I find a more secure computer. I’ll donate.
I am broke, but I can at least tweet (and swing the cost of a beer at a bar)