Sarah Hoyt and her husband Dan are two of my best friends. They decided to leave Colorado for a better life and for Sarah’s health, and as so often happens, they’ve been caught between a rock and a hard place, and before they have their children sold into slavery and their new home repossessed by the Evil Moneylenders, they’re going to need some serious cash.
Not accustomed to asking for help, Sarah contacted me and asked my advice. They could have got a bridge loan from said Evil Moneylenders, but as there’s no guarantee of when they’ll be able to sell their old house in Colorado, that wouldn’t help much.
We’ve all been there — and I more than anyone. What follows is an abbreviated email exchange between us:
On 11/1/2021 11:51 AM, Sarah Hoyt wrote: We’re going to need something like 50k in the next couple of months. We’re hoping old house will go up in two days and sells that fast, but Colorado isn’t TX and we’re heading towards massive snow…. If it takes more than a month to sell, we’re probably going to lose everything including our (modest, and rather cute) new house, which we love.
I don’t want to do a GoFundMe. It’s weird. When I can, I donate to my friends, and I’ve never viewed them as begging, but to ask for 50k, which is what I make on my TOP earning years feels shameful, like I spent it on furs and caviar.
I know you’ve done one before. I also know your circumstances were literally unforeseen, but I thought you might be able to give me some perspective, one way or another.
Sarah
From Kim: Do the GoFundMe thing. It literally saved my life, not in a dramatic sense, but in a “keeping all the money-related stress” out of it.
Don’t put yourself at the mercy of chance, the weather or the real estate market — none of which you can control. Your home is more important than that, and losing your new house is not something to gamble on — even if you ignore of the effort of packing everything up and storing it, the costs thereof are considerable.
Don’t be silly. This is what friends are for. When you set up the GFM thing, let me know. I’m probably good for $500 if I can do it over two months.
All love and affection, and my best to Dan.
Kim
On 11/1/2021 12:52 PM, Sarah Hoyt wrote: Is there an instructable showing how to do this?
From Kim: I just went to the GFM website, and followed the instructions on how to.
Just so you know, I hated doing it — asking for charity from others is so out of my comfort zone, you wouldn’t believe it. But at the same time, a HUGE number of people loved me, and Connie, and WANTED to help. The best example was from a Reader who had once visited the house and had dinner with us. When the GFM thing appeared, he donated $1,000 even though he was long past retirement age. Before I banked it, I emailed him and asked him if he’d misplaced the decimal, and if not, was he SURE he’d want to pay that much. His reply was epic. “It’s my money, and how dare you tell me how to spend it as I wish?”
I don’t know whether you’ll get up to the $50 thou, but my suspicion is that you will, easily. I raised over $30k in two weeks… and I hadn’t been blogging in over two years.
Remember to let me know when it’s up, so I can put it up on my website. Also ask Stephen to give you a punt on Insty so you don’t have to do it for yourself.
Go for it.
And she did. I also know that she needs a LOT more than $50k, but she was too embarrassed to ask for more. When you get to the page, you’ll be flabbergasted as I was — give anyway, because if anyone needs a break, Sarah does. And if you want to know how much she is loved, check out the comments at Insty’s place.
Sarah needs our help. Please go to her assistance — she’s one of the hardest-working people I know (in a field which doesn’t pay much — ask me how I know about writing as a profession). Her writing income has also suffered not just through poor health, but also because her books are not “politically correct” and she faces a continuous barrage of calls to stop publication of her books altogether.
And anyone who’s read her posts will attest that she is a stout patriot and a beacon of sanity in a world bereft of same.
So please, I beg you all to go over to her GoFundMe page and help out to the best of your ability.
I’ve donated $250 myself, with another installment to come next month.
Bless you all for helping.
Update: Sarah’s response, at hour 24.
