Author Topic: GoFundMe Because I Spent Too Much  (Read 34682 times)

kina

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Re: GoFundMe Because I Spent Too Much
« Reply #50 on: July 31, 2016, 09:07:46 AM »
I saw this kind of thing for the first time a few weeks ago. The GoFundMe plea came from a young adult at our church. She was raising funds for a trip to NYC which she "deserved" because she is an aspiring actress and as everyone knows, NYC is a theater mecca. At first, I thought she was trying to go for an audition or something. But no, it was just a trip. But the itemized list of what she would need did include some pricey theater tickets. No, she did not get anything from us, although we did have a good WTF? laugh over it.
but, but, but...she DESERVES it! (She said so!)

CindyBS

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Re: GoFundMe Because I Spent Too Much
« Reply #51 on: July 31, 2016, 03:36:47 PM »
We know someone who has taken GFM to a new level.  Their son has multiple disabilities, which I feel bad about and have some empathy for.  His issues and multiple medical appointments make it nearly impossible for them not to have a SAHP and do cost money.   

Their GFM page is all about funding his "fight", and initially it seems like you would be paying for expenses related to his problems.  However, it is really about home improvements and paying for their house b/c of poor financial decisions in the past and present.  They pay their mortgage from the money, they paid to have their yard re-leveled to fix a drainage problem (so the boy would have a "safe place to play"), they got their front steps fixed, and 1 disability related expense - they made their bathroom more accessible. 

Meanwhile, they popped out 5 kids in 5 years with no plans financially since they spent $$ like crazy before having kids.  They have already declared bankruptcy once and can't again for years.  The other kids play travel sports ($$$) in cities 1-4 hours away.  They took a vacation to Florida over spring break, and last I heard the 2 older boys were in baseball camp in another state.  Given how much work the house needs, they clearly cannot afford to own the house they do (or be home owners at all).

IMO, if they had any class - this is what they should do.  The real estate market in our city is booming.  They should sell the house, use the rest of the GFM as a cash reserve for emergencies, go move to a rental place and then trim expenses until they get solvent again and then maybe consider becoming home owners.   

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Re: GoFundMe Because I Spent Too Much
« Reply #52 on: August 01, 2016, 07:38:25 AM »
Just curious - what happens if they can't make ends meet and can't declare bankruptcy again so soon?

TheGrimSqueaker

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Re: GoFundMe Because I Spent Too Much
« Reply #53 on: August 01, 2016, 08:06:41 AM »
Just curious - what happens if they can't make ends meet and can't declare bankruptcy again so soon?

That's actually something I've never considered: someone whose financial habits and/or luck could be too awful to fit within the multiple-filing system. It's just too weird for my tiny little mind to grasp. So I Googled the phrase "too soon to file bankruptcy again" and astoundingly there was an auto-complete option for the phrase. That suggests that somewhere, somehow, more than one other person had experienced that situation.

The search engine returned all kinds of online articles about people who failed hard. Here's one person who wrote in to a financial advice columnist who said, among other things: "You say that you have done some things you shouldn't have to get yourself back into this financial headache. I am sorry you didn't learn from your first mistake."

This is actually pretty good reading. But some of the comments are heartbreaking. http://www.bankrate.com/finance/debt/file-bankruptcy-again.aspx


Papa Mustache

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Re: GoFundMe Because I Spent Too Much
« Reply #54 on: August 01, 2016, 08:57:18 AM »
Thanks!

cheapass

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Re: GoFundMe Because I Spent Too Much
« Reply #55 on: August 01, 2016, 12:44:41 PM »
Meanwhile, they popped out 5 kids in 5 years with no plans financially since they spent $$ like crazy before having kids.  They have already declared bankruptcy once and can't again for years. 

I hear that if you can't afford the kid(s) you have, the only reasonable course of action is to shit out a couple more

Kaspian

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Re: GoFundMe Because I Spent Too Much
« Reply #56 on: August 02, 2016, 12:43:59 PM »
I saw this kind of thing for the first time a few weeks ago. The GoFundMe plea came from a young adult at our church. She was raising funds for a trip to NYC which she "deserved" because she is an aspiring actress and as everyone knows, NYC is a theater mecca. At first, I thought she was trying to go for an audition or something. But no, it was just a trip. But the itemized list of what she would need did include some pricey theater tickets. No, she did not get anything from us, although we did have a good WTF? laugh over it.
but, but, but...she DESERVES it! (She said so!)

Three years ago my friend (acquaintance, really) successfully crowdfunded an "art project".  This was the project:  Her and SO buy a small RV, travel through all of USA and Canada for three months, and (very occasionally) set up a small stands where they take a photo of a person, then ask "What is love?", and then take another photo of the reaction.  I shit you not, they raised $10,000+ for this bullshit vacation (AKA "goal") through Kickstarter and some other sites.

The result of the "project," as far as I could tell,  was her posting exotic location photos of herself on Twitter and Facebook, visiting old friends, getting her name in local newspapers, and being invited over to people's house for free meals the whole trip.

iris lily

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Re: GoFundMe Because I Spent Too Much
« Reply #57 on: August 02, 2016, 12:50:10 PM »
I saw this kind of thing for the first time a few weeks ago. The GoFundMe plea came from a young adult at our church. She was raising funds for a trip to NYC which she "deserved" because she is an aspiring actress and as everyone knows, NYC is a theater mecca. At first, I thought she was trying to go for an audition or something. But no, it was just a trip. But the itemized list of what she would need did include some pricey theater tickets. No, she did not get anything from us, although we did have a good WTF? laugh over it.
but, but, but...she DESERVES it! (She said so!)

Three years ago my friend (acquaintance, really) successfully crowdfunded an "art project".  This was the project:  Her and SO buy a small RV, travel through all of USA and Canada for three months, and (very occasionally) set up a small stands where they take a photo of a person, then ask "What is love?", and then take another photo of the reaction.  I shit you not, they raised $10,000+ for this bullshit vacation (AKA "goal") through Kickstarter and some other sites.

The result of the "project," as far as I could tell,  was her posting exotic location photos of herself on Twitter and Facebook, visiting old friends, getting her name in local newspapers, and being invited over to people's house for free meals the whole trip.

Her father (who raised her with this self centered attitude) contributed $9,999 of it?

Kaspian

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Re: GoFundMe Because I Spent Too Much
« Reply #58 on: August 02, 2016, 01:04:53 PM »
Her father (who raised her with this self centered attitude) contributed $9,999 of it?

It's still on Kickstarter (from 2014).  I'd love to link so people could read the utter entitled nonsense there, but really wouldn't want her to find this page and then disparage me to our mutual friends.  Sadly, the page says, "101 backers pledged $7,658 to help bring this project to life."

SeaEhm

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Re: GoFundMe Because I Spent Too Much
« Reply #59 on: August 02, 2016, 03:02:42 PM »
Meanwhile, they popped out 5 kids in 5 years with no plans financially since they spent $$ like crazy before having kids.  They have already declared bankruptcy once and can't again for years. 

I hear that if you can't afford the kid(s) you have, the only reasonable course of action is to shit out a couple more

How can you be on a forum dedicated to financial awareness and literacy and give that type of advice!  They should start penalizing members for giving such absurd advice to others!

CindyBS

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Re: GoFundMe Because I Spent Too Much
« Reply #60 on: August 02, 2016, 03:21:09 PM »
Just curious - what happens if they can't make ends meet and can't declare bankruptcy again so soon?

I assume they will lose their house.  Or maybe do another GFM?  They already cannot pay the mortgage or the repairs needed, even though there is plenty of fund available for travel sports for the kids.  Heck, my son said that their son eats Chipotle at school everyday for lunch. 

The thing that bothers me the most about the whole situation is that as far as I can tell, there is no viable plan to get out it or even the realization that drastic changes need to happen.  Having to beg strangers to pay for your housing each month *should* be a wake up call.  They raised $20K (mind boggling) and had asked for $80K (shocking). 

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: GoFundMe Because I Spent Too Much
« Reply #61 on: August 22, 2016, 12:26:21 AM »

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Re: GoFundMe Because I Spent Too Much
« Reply #62 on: August 22, 2016, 12:33:18 AM »
SMH reports on Australians turning to crowdfunding to pay vet bills:

http://www.smh.com.au/victoria/saving-fido-crowdfunding-vet-bills-to-save-beloved-pets-20160819-gqwslb.html

I see this regularly on facebook.

I think the worst one I saw was someone crowdfunding for a tattoo of their child. Because the didnt have custody rights and so wanted to have their kid close to them everyday, since courts had ruled they couldn't see the child.

Seeing crowd funding for a tattoo really annoyed me.

TheGrimSqueaker

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Re: GoFundMe Because I Spent Too Much
« Reply #63 on: August 22, 2016, 02:02:51 PM »
SMH reports on Australians turning to crowdfunding to pay vet bills:

http://www.smh.com.au/victoria/saving-fido-crowdfunding-vet-bills-to-save-beloved-pets-20160819-gqwslb.html

I see this regularly on facebook.

I think the worst one I saw was someone crowdfunding for a tattoo of their child. Because the didnt have custody rights and so wanted to have their kid close to them everyday, since courts had ruled they couldn't see the child.

Seeing crowd funding for a tattoo really annoyed me.

I'd chip in for someone else's crowdfunded tattoo if I got to design a portion of it and the person getting it wasn't allowed to see until it was over.

For my section I'd put "meathead", "spank my pickle", "I like farts", or something ridiculous.

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Re: GoFundMe Because I Spent Too Much
« Reply #64 on: August 22, 2016, 02:59:01 PM »
SMH reports on Australians turning to crowdfunding to pay vet bills:

http://www.smh.com.au/victoria/saving-fido-crowdfunding-vet-bills-to-save-beloved-pets-20160819-gqwslb.html

I see this regularly on facebook.

I think the worst one I saw was someone crowdfunding for a tattoo of their child. Because the didnt have custody rights and so wanted to have their kid close to them everyday, since courts had ruled they couldn't see the child.

Seeing crowd funding for a tattoo really annoyed me.

I'd chip in for someone else's crowdfunded tattoo if I got to design a portion of it and the person getting it wasn't allowed to see until it was over.

For my section I'd put "meathead", "spank my pickle", "I like farts", or something ridiculous.

"$$ Chapter 7 $$"



PencilThinStash

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Re: GoFundMe Because I Spent Too Much
« Reply #65 on: August 23, 2016, 10:33:42 AM »
SMH reports on Australians turning to crowdfunding to pay vet bills:

http://www.smh.com.au/victoria/saving-fido-crowdfunding-vet-bills-to-save-beloved-pets-20160819-gqwslb.html

I see this regularly on facebook.

I think the worst one I saw was someone crowdfunding for a tattoo of their child. Because the didnt have custody rights and so wanted to have their kid close to them everyday, since courts had ruled they couldn't see the child.

Seeing crowd funding for a tattoo really annoyed me.

I'd chip in for someone else's crowdfunded tattoo if I got to design a portion of it and the person getting it wasn't allowed to see until it was over.

For my section I'd put "meathead", "spank my pickle", "I like farts", or something ridiculous.

I really like the "or" in your sentence, GS. In my weird mind, it implies that the first three statements AREN'T ridiculous.

Which, when compared to the insanity of trying to crowdfund a tattoo, I suppose are fairly tame hahaha

Le Poisson

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Re: GoFundMe Because I Spent Too Much
« Reply #66 on: August 23, 2016, 12:25:46 PM »
Not quite a tattoo, but... https://www.gofundme.com/2kyjq3a4

LeRainDrop

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Re: GoFundMe Because I Spent Too Much
« Reply #67 on: August 23, 2016, 12:58:57 PM »
Not quite a tattoo, but... https://www.gofundme.com/2kyjq3a4

WTH?  "Help me buy more makeup. I have some makeup but I want to buy more. :)"  She has a goal of $40 and somehow raises $110 for this.  What is wrong with people???

onlykelsey

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Re: GoFundMe Because I Spent Too Much
« Reply #68 on: August 23, 2016, 12:59:57 PM »
Not quite a tattoo, but... https://www.gofundme.com/2kyjq3a4

WTH?  "Help me buy more makeup. I have some makeup but I want to buy more. :)"  She has a goal of $40 and somehow raises $110 for this.  What is wrong with people???

This actually smacks of "sugar daddy" to me, somehow.  Weird.

LeRainDrop

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Re: GoFundMe Because I Spent Too Much
« Reply #69 on: August 23, 2016, 01:02:57 PM »
Not quite a tattoo, but... https://www.gofundme.com/2kyjq3a4

WTH?  "Help me buy more makeup. I have some makeup but I want to buy more. :)"  She has a goal of $40 and somehow raises $110 for this.  What is wrong with people???

This actually smacks of "sugar daddy" to me, somehow.  Weird.

Ohhh, you could be right, though the $100 was listed as anonymous.  It's a different world, folks.

TheGrimSqueaker

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Re: GoFundMe Because I Spent Too Much
« Reply #70 on: August 23, 2016, 01:49:52 PM »
Not quite a tattoo, but... https://www.gofundme.com/2kyjq3a4

WTH?  "Help me buy more makeup. I have some makeup but I want to buy more. :)"  She has a goal of $40 and somehow raises $110 for this.  What is wrong with people???

This actually smacks of "sugar daddy" to me, somehow.  Weird.

Ohhh, you could be right, though the $100 was listed as anonymous.  It's a different world, folks.

Of course it's listed as anonymous: Sugar Daddy's married. That's why payments to the current chicka-chicka-bow-wow have to be laundered: the line on the credit card statement indicates it's for GoFundMe, which means he can claim it's a good cause like his co-worker's kid with cancer. $100 is a nice round number, the donation is anonymous, and he can point to some other thing and say: "there, I helped with that."

LeRainDrop

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Re: GoFundMe Because I Spent Too Much
« Reply #71 on: August 23, 2016, 02:01:48 PM »
Not quite a tattoo, but... https://www.gofundme.com/2kyjq3a4

WTH?  "Help me buy more makeup. I have some makeup but I want to buy more. :)"  She has a goal of $40 and somehow raises $110 for this.  What is wrong with people???

This actually smacks of "sugar daddy" to me, somehow.  Weird.

Ohhh, you could be right, though the $100 was listed as anonymous.  It's a different world, folks.

Of course it's listed as anonymous: Sugar Daddy's married. That's why payments to the current chicka-chicka-bow-wow have to be laundered: the line on the credit card statement indicates it's for GoFundMe, which means he can claim it's a good cause like his co-worker's kid with cancer. $100 is a nice round number, the donation is anonymous, and he can point to some other thing and say: "there, I helped with that."

OMG, I am so naive!  That makes sense now!

mtn

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Re: GoFundMe Because I Spent Too Much
« Reply #72 on: August 23, 2016, 02:16:57 PM »
I think I'm going to make a GoFundMe. Something like this: "I want money because I'm lazy"

See what happens.

TheGrimSqueaker

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Re: GoFundMe Because I Spent Too Much
« Reply #73 on: August 23, 2016, 02:33:37 PM »
Not quite a tattoo, but... https://www.gofundme.com/2kyjq3a4

WTH?  "Help me buy more makeup. I have some makeup but I want to buy more. :)"  She has a goal of $40 and somehow raises $110 for this.  What is wrong with people???

This actually smacks of "sugar daddy" to me, somehow.  Weird.

Ohhh, you could be right, though the $100 was listed as anonymous.  It's a different world, folks.

Of course it's listed as anonymous: Sugar Daddy's married. That's why payments to the current chicka-chicka-bow-wow have to be laundered: the line on the credit card statement indicates it's for GoFundMe, which means he can claim it's a good cause like his co-worker's kid with cancer. $100 is a nice round number, the donation is anonymous, and he can point to some other thing and say: "there, I helped with that."

OMG, I am so naive!  That makes sense now!

The other notable fact is that the sugar baby may be underage.

Facebook, for example, requires its users to be 13 but no older. But it's possible to start a fund raiser at any age, and all it takes to withdraw funds is a pimp aged 18 or over, unless the kid is very sophisticated about banking and knows how to destroy a paper trail. That knowledge isn't unusual: I started banking separately from my parents at about age 14 or 15.

More likely, she's got a pimp of some kind and it's probably whoever made the initial $10 donation. There's no accountability as to how the money is spent, of course.

onlykelsey

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Re: GoFundMe Because I Spent Too Much
« Reply #74 on: August 23, 2016, 03:52:05 PM »
Not quite a tattoo, but... https://www.gofundme.com/2kyjq3a4

WTH?  "Help me buy more makeup. I have some makeup but I want to buy more. :)"  She has a goal of $40 and somehow raises $110 for this.  What is wrong with people???

This actually smacks of "sugar daddy" to me, somehow.  Weird.

Ohhh, you could be right, though the $100 was listed as anonymous.  It's a different world, folks.

Of course it's listed as anonymous: Sugar Daddy's married. That's why payments to the current chicka-chicka-bow-wow have to be laundered: the line on the credit card statement indicates it's for GoFundMe, which means he can claim it's a good cause like his co-worker's kid with cancer. $100 is a nice round number, the donation is anonymous, and he can point to some other thing and say: "there, I helped with that."

That's exactly what I assumed as well.  I think I worked with (research on!) sex trafficking for too long, since my brain made a huge leap there, haha.

Papa Mustache

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Re: GoFundMe Because I Spent Too Much
« Reply #75 on: August 23, 2016, 04:05:10 PM »
My daily driver needs a paint job. I think I'll post a GoFundMe request... (I can't bring myself to really do it though).

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Re: GoFundMe Because I Spent Too Much
« Reply #76 on: August 24, 2016, 12:02:56 PM »
Not exactly "help I spent too much" but I did have an acquaintance from middle school post a pretty tone-deaf request for help. She had attended an elite US university for undergrad and then gotten a masters from an elite English university (both in English Lit, I think). Apparently, at some point she met a guy and the relationship was serious enough for her to follow him to a different country while he finished up doctoral studies (in engineering or science, I think). She wasn't fluent in the non-English local language, and unsurprisingly there wasn't much job demand for some with a BA and MA in English there - so the best job she could find was working as an au pair. He wasn't making much either, PhD stipends were small and he was supplementing with an under-the-table paying job working nights. Basically, the two of them had almost no money after basic expenses were paid (rent, food), or at least I could believe it with the info on how little they made.

Her request for money was to get documents translated so she and her boy could get a fiance visa for him to come back to the states with her - not a totally unreasonable request, but her post had this subtext, more or less: "student loans are crushing me, there are no jobs even for people with elite degrees, in no way is my poor financial situation at all my own doing." Seriously, get a better job somewhere else while he finishes school and accept that you'll be long-distance as a couple. Or recognize that choosing to live in a country where you don't speak the local language fluently is going to severely limit your earning potential and might therefore limit other options. Or recognize earlier on in your life that career prospects should factor into your decisions to take on six-figure debt loads (she also mocked some business recruiters during her senior year of college as "Bimbos in high heels"). It's not like it's a secret that there aren't many high-paying jobs that require an English degree (especially when the local language isn't English). I was actually considering donating to help (I'm a sap, what can I say) until I read the description and got so disgusted by the lack of recognition that she had made any sub-optimal choices (financially, at least).

Simpli-Fi

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Re: GoFundMe Because I Spent Too Much
« Reply #77 on: August 24, 2016, 12:29:00 PM »
For sure. And to be clear I don't judge someone for wanting to do this in general, just for asking others to pay while acting like you're doing anything other than going on a vacation. There may be a charity component to the vacation, which is laudable, but unless your physical presence manifestly adds more value than simply donating the cost of the trip, you can't claim your reasons are selfless. If it's an extended trip involving heavy work (building houses, cleaning up water supplies, etc.), that's another story.

For all my bashing it, I do think there's *some* value in people going - Particularly when you view it in light of how consumeristic our society is, and I'm all for people realizing exactly how spoiled rotten we are in the states. But again, it's not my job to pay for someone else going on vacation to expand their worldview.

If you are feeling an itch to do something, there's plenty of volunteering opportunities in your community. Of course, you won't get a chance to post pictures of you at the beach/smiling poor kids. I still know of a few people that went on a missions trip to Thailand. Though I'm certain that they did a considerable amount of hard work there, the pictures they posted back were of them going to a night market and of riding elephants.

Fun bonus story for anybody following my "Roommate Rant" thread!

Jack took a VaMission trip to Central America (Guatemala?) back in high school. Still likes to talk about what a life-changing experience it was, how differently he views the world now, his understanding of true poverty, etc. All cool stuff, I suppose.

He keeps a bunch of framed pictures on one of our walls, and one of them is from the VaMission trip - him with two cute local girls. If you ever ask him about it, he'll tell you the story of how they were his first threesome, and other shenanigans the three of them got into that week.

Hilarious, yes, but please stop telling me that WASN'T a vacation.
All these places would rather money and probably be better off...then hipsters going to paint orphanages... Pretty sure there is plenty of people capable of labor in these places.

JrDoctor

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Re: GoFundMe Because I Spent Too Much
« Reply #78 on: August 24, 2016, 11:59:11 PM »
Just saw a facebook friend who went to the same fee paying school as me asking for cash to help pay for her fathers care fees (to wealthy to qualify for free state help).  Ironic that every weekend they are on a city break and have the sort of lifestyle that would eat away my whole wage and then some.  Quickly deleted the post, I assume some friends told her that it was farcical to be asking other for cash because the family didnt want to sell the house/downsize to pay for care or for other family members to reduce spending and help out.

TheGrimSqueaker

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Re: GoFundMe Because I Spent Too Much
« Reply #79 on: August 25, 2016, 08:29:33 AM »
All these places would rather money and probably be better off...then hipsters going to paint orphanages... Pretty sure there is plenty of people capable of labor in these places.

The only time we ("wealthy foreigners") should go into another country to provide aid is if we're bringing things the locals truly can't provide for themselves, and making a permanent improvement in the process. Disaster relief comes to mind, and so does medical development. Someone mentioned MSF earlier: those doctors and support staff are hardcore and deserve every bit of the support they get. One of the reasons why is because they don't cater to the glorified vacation market.

I've got a few relatives who do "mission" work. One in particular is a highly qualified nurse (Ph.D in nursing) who trains midwives and first responders in developing countries. She's a polyglot but sometimes relies on an interpreter when she's in an area where she doesn't speak the language well. She does make use of a support structure that involves accommodations, transportation, and food. However, if during her trip she can turn just one untrained person into a competent midwife, phlebotomist, nursing tech, or orderly by transferring practical know-how, that local worker is going to have the skills permanently and my relative will have more than justified the expense of bringing her over and keeping her. In this case, my relative has a specialized skill that is not available locally and that creates a permanent improvement in conditions. I wouldn't call her work a vacation although it does seem to provide her with emotional and spiritually satisfaction.

Sadly, most of the overseas vacation-aid "workers" aren't doing anything the locals can't do for themselves. They aren't civil engineers who are using their skills to build a bridge or to reconstruct a bombed-out hospital. They have no medical training or advanced agricultural knowledge. Even if they speak the local language (and most don't), they aren't teachers or educators.

Any random yahoo can sweep a floor or fill a sandbag. By being there, especially in a disaster, they're taking up shelter and food that could be used to help someone whose home was destroyed. Furthermore, if they don't speak the local language somebody needs to escort them around and act as an interpreter. Having them present actually takes resources away from the recovery effort.

Kaspian

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Re: GoFundMe Because I Spent Too Much
« Reply #80 on: August 30, 2016, 02:26:55 PM »
$50,000 to buy 40 horses, strap GoPros to their heads, and release them at Burning Man Festival.  (Because there is no better use for $50K and the dude wants a free trip from Toronto to the festival.)  ...And he's at $38K!!  What happens to the horses after?  Do they wander around the freakin' desert 'til they croak?  To make matters worse, at the end he quotes a man I massively respected (and met in person), Joe Strummer.  >:(

http://www.gofundme.com/2ahw5rj8

Simpli-Fi

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Re: GoFundMe Because I Spent Too Much
« Reply #81 on: August 31, 2016, 03:32:22 AM »
5 donations...I have a couple guesses how he got the $38k figure

MoneyCat

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Re: GoFundMe Because I Spent Too Much
« Reply #82 on: August 31, 2016, 10:24:35 AM »
I donate a lot to charity, but I typically only do so with established and well-reputed charities that will allow me to write off donations on my taxes. I did donate to one GoFundMe campaign to help a high school friend pay for cancer surgery for her cat, because it was really expensive and I love cats.

I think GoFundMe and other donation websites like that are the 21st century's replacement for the social safety net that used to be provided by churches. Most Americans don't actively participate in faith communities anymore, so they can't go to their church and ask for help when they hit hard times. Now instead they go begging online from strangers. It's actually kind of sad when you think about it.

Sibley

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Re: GoFundMe Because I Spent Too Much
« Reply #83 on: September 02, 2016, 12:22:50 PM »
SMH reports on Australians turning to crowdfunding to pay vet bills:

http://www.smh.com.au/victoria/saving-fido-crowdfunding-vet-bills-to-save-beloved-pets-20160819-gqwslb.html

Seriously, I hate that people put animals through surgery, chemo, radiation, etc to buy a little more time for the HUMAN to have the animal. At the expense of pain, fear, confusion, and significantly decreased quality of the life for the animal. Suck it up, do the right thing, and humanely euthanize that poor animal instead of torturing it.

Goldielocks

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Re: GoFundMe Because I Spent Too Much
« Reply #84 on: September 02, 2016, 01:39:15 PM »
..

I think the worst one I saw was someone crowdfunding for a tattoo of their child.
...

Oh, thank goodness, I originally read that as a tattoo ON their child  (and needing a go fund me)

kayvent

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Re: GoFundMe Because I Spent Too Much
« Reply #85 on: September 03, 2016, 01:23:52 PM »
I donate a lot to charity, but I typically only do so with established and well-reputed charities that will allow me to write off donations on my taxes. I did donate to one GoFundMe campaign to help a high school friend pay for cancer surgery for her cat, because it was really expensive and I love cats.

I think GoFundMe and other donation websites like that are the 21st century's replacement for the social safety net that used to be provided by churches. Most Americans don't actively participate in faith communities anymore, so they can't go to their church and ask for help when they hit hard times. Now instead they go begging online from strangers. It's actually kind of sad when you think about it.

We can always hope for a revival. :(

The church and the social safety net it provided centuries ago had an awkward relationship with the 'able-bodied poor'. (It is an interesting subject in history that I don't do justice.) It would/does have an even more strange relationship with able-bodied people with high incomes that find themselves in large debt.

gaja

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Re: GoFundMe Because I Spent Too Much
« Reply #86 on: September 03, 2016, 03:26:10 PM »
Out of curiosity I looked at some of the Norwegian GFM pages. There are not a lof of them, and the ones that are not for vacations or pet surgeries, are scam. One example is for brain surgery for a young beautiful woman. Health care costs nothing here, and it is clear from the comments on the page that the $350 they have raised comes from non-Europeans who are used to paying for health care.

nnls

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Re: GoFundMe Because I Spent Too Much
« Reply #87 on: September 20, 2016, 01:38:01 AM »
Another tattoo one shared on my facebook

https://www.gofundme.com/2qt6cudg?ssid=742996837&pos=2

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Hi my names tika and i am planning on getting my leg tattoo done in bali but because im providing for a girfriemd and 7 cats i cant afford to acheive my goal of a leg sleeve please fund me and help

jrubin

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Re: GoFundMe Because I Spent Too Much
« Reply #88 on: September 20, 2016, 07:45:53 AM »
On my Facebook feed today - a link to our local newspaper - a local man wanting to break the record for number of rounds of golf played in a year... He has broken the apparent record with 612 rounds of golf, however him and his wife now have a GoFundMe because (a) golf is expensive, (b) registering the "record" is expensive, and (c) everyone should get paid for their hobbies. My husband likes to golf, I'm sure he would love it if someone else paid his bills while he spent tons of money at the golf course.

Kaspian

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Re: GoFundMe Because I Spent Too Much
« Reply #89 on: September 20, 2016, 01:04:08 PM »
Another tattoo one shared on my facebook

https://www.gofundme.com/2qt6cudg?ssid=742996837&pos=2

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Hi my names tika and i am planning on getting my leg tattoo done in bali but because im providing for a girfriemd and 7 cats i cant afford to acheive my goal of a leg sleeve please fund me and help

Oh, God--that's priceless!!  "My goal of a leg sleeve"?!  Like there's a rush on it and she'll never get it done in this lifetime providing for (gasp!) a girlfriend and 7 cats.  (And WTF does Bali have to do with it?!) 

I didn't intend it when I started the thread, but I hope this goes on forever.

Papa Mustache

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Re: GoFundMe Because I Spent Too Much
« Reply #90 on: September 20, 2016, 01:07:13 PM »
Dang! $1300 in a day for a tattoo that she may or may not ever actually get...

If only I hadn't been born with a conscience I'd start a GFM for something silly too!

Le Poisson

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Re: GoFundMe Because I Spent Too Much
« Reply #91 on: September 20, 2016, 01:31:55 PM »
Another tattoo one shared on my facebook

https://www.gofundme.com/2qt6cudg?ssid=742996837&pos=2

Quote
Hi my names tika and i am planning on getting my leg tattoo done in bali but because im providing for a girfriemd and 7 cats i cant afford to acheive my goal of a leg sleeve please fund me and help

Oh, God--that's priceless!!  "My goal of a leg sleeve"?!  Like there's a rush on it and she'll never get it done in this lifetime providing for (gasp!) a girlfriend and 7 cats.  (And WTF does Bali have to do with it?!) 

I didn't intend it when I started the thread, but I hope this goes on forever.

Maybe you should read through this Facebook page then... https://www.facebook.com/GoFundMeGoFraudMe/

moof

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Re: GoFundMe Because I Spent Too Much
« Reply #92 on: September 20, 2016, 05:11:55 PM »
On a different forum (rock climbing forum) a dud showed up with a tale of woe about his little fru-fru dog with a broken leg.  His wife was pregnant, and he didn't want to max out his credit cards to fix the dog.  Being that climbers are mostly close to broke, or slightly recovered from being broke the poor fellow got shamed into deleting his thread in about 24 hours.

It is horrifying to think that someone who can't afford a vet bill is about to have a baby and does not realize his hair should be on fire with crisis.

The Guru

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Re: GoFundMe Because I Spent Too Much
« Reply #93 on: September 20, 2016, 07:08:30 PM »
On a different forum (rock climbing forum) a dud showed up with a tale of woe about his little fru-fru dog with a broken leg.  His wife was pregnant, and he didn't want to max out his credit cards to fix the dog.  Being that climbers are mostly close to broke, or slightly recovered from being broke the poor fellow got shamed into deleting his thread in about 24 hours.

It is horrifying to think that someone who can't afford a vet bill is about to have a baby and does not realize his hair should be on fire with crisis.

Was this a typo or a Freudian slip?

nnls

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Re: GoFundMe Because I Spent Too Much
« Reply #94 on: September 26, 2016, 08:35:45 PM »
Another tattoo one shared on my facebook

https://www.gofundme.com/2qt6cudg?ssid=742996837&pos=2

Quote
Hi my names tika and i am planning on getting my leg tattoo done in bali but because im providing for a girfriemd and 7 cats i cant afford to acheive my goal of a leg sleeve please fund me and help

Oh, God--that's priceless!!  "My goal of a leg sleeve"?!  Like there's a rush on it and she'll never get it done in this lifetime providing for (gasp!) a girlfriend and 7 cats.  (And WTF does Bali have to do with it?!) 

I didn't intend it when I started the thread, but I hope this goes on forever.

You would go to Bali to get a cheaper tattoo. A few people I know who have big tattoos go to bali cause even factoring in flights (from Australia) and accommodation its cheaper than Australia

LeRainDrop

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Re: GoFundMe Because I Spent Too Much
« Reply #95 on: September 29, 2016, 04:43:17 AM »
This one is terribly sad.  A mother starts a GoFundMe page to raise funds to cover her 11-month-old daughter's funeral expenses after the mother's boyfriend strikes the child with a chair and causes the death.  http://www.11alive.com/ext/news/nation-now/gofundme-shuts-down-accused-child-abusers-page/85/nationnow/6ktHK2fEOs0C6S4Agoo0ee

Nederstash

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Re: GoFundMe Because I Spent Too Much
« Reply #96 on: September 30, 2016, 10:39:22 AM »
Now this is a sense of humour.

Papa Mustache

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Re: GoFundMe Because I Spent Too Much
« Reply #97 on: October 03, 2016, 10:51:25 AM »
This one is terribly sad.  A mother starts a GoFundMe page to raise funds to cover her 11-month-old daughter's funeral expenses after the mother's boyfriend strikes the child with a chair and causes the death.  http://www.11alive.com/ext/news/nation-now/gofundme-shuts-down-accused-child-abusers-page/85/nationnow/6ktHK2fEOs0C6S4Agoo0ee

I'd like to contribute to extra locks for the boyfriend's cell so he is stuck there forever... Sounds like an evil person!

WootWoot

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Re: GoFundMe Because I Spent Too Much
« Reply #98 on: October 20, 2016, 05:36:56 PM »
This is one of my pet peeves. I'm a mixed media artist, and I've seen a couple of GoFundMe requests in the art community. One was for a woman who had to get her stuff out of storage (!), one was for someone who wanted to teach art overseas, and the most recent one was for another person teaching art.

I've only given money to a GoFundMe request once. It was for a family whose house burned down and they lost two of their family members.

Believe me, I'd LOVE to go to Greece and teach art. I would never dream of asking anyone else to pay for it, though.

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: GoFundMe Because I Spent Too Much
« Reply #99 on: October 20, 2016, 06:49:38 PM »
http://time.com/4538290/dorothys-ruby-slippers-wizard-of-oz-kickstarter/?xid=time_socialflow_facebook

How do we feel about a Kickstarter campaign to preserve Dorothy's ruby slippers?

Quote
The page has already received $190,978 out of the $300,000 goal, from 3,470 backers, two of whom have each pledged $7,000 or more.

I can't switch off the part of my brain that says 'there are people starving in the world' when I read something like this.