$$$

[kyburg]

Pondering.

I was talking to Jim the other night about the actual monatary needs trying to remodel the house AND do two/three adoptions would generate. To be pretty, over the next five years? $100,000 would be very good to have.

These are very short-term, specific, lump-sum needs. We're not talking about day-to-day things. We not even talking about yearly maintenance needs. We're talking once in a lifetime in terms of the adoptions (college funds, that's something we can begin and feed smaller amounts to), and once in fifty years (we hope, if we do it right) in terms of the house.

I could do things sooner if I could make the money appear. We can find the funds for adoptions - frankly, already have.

But - I could do more, and faster, if I could make the money appear. Talk about the carrot dangling in front of my eyes.

We don't have any more hours to work. I looked. Jim's already seeing enough orthopedic strain with the job he has - last thing I need is for him to get tired - and then get injured or disabled at work. No.

I am far, far, FAR from needing to put up a PayPal button. But - I think fundraising under these circumstances is a legitimate need. I don't want to borrow any more money, or redo the house again and begin paying for it from scratch - again. We need to be putting money away, honestly.

So what to do. Over the next five years.

Here are some thoughts - tell me what you think of them.

[Poll #926623]

About the only thing I'm not putting on the list is turning the cats into camwhores. I am also considering making some silk-topped patchwork quilts - me making art is kind of scary, so I'm not putting it in the poll.

No - no urgency here. I'm taking the long view - I think I could do better, with some effort. And no, I don't want to ask anyone to do anything they wouldn't do of their own accord anyway.

And I don't want to stop doing anything I already do.

Comments

[apositivevoice.livejournal.com]

you'll make it work i'm sure *hugs*

I wish I could select more than one option from the poll...

[reannon.livejournal.com]

You made it a radio button, not ticky box! I'd be willing to participate in anything I can a) afford and b) get long-distance, since sadly I live two time zones away.

[reannon.livejournal.com]

Oh, and anyone who clicks "forget it, don't adopt then" will get the mother of all verbal ass-kickings from me and all the burly minions I can round up.

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I saw that - this does do one thing, though, empirically - it forces people to chose the BEST option, the one they most likely would support.

It's a pretty brass move on my part, frankly. I was fully expecting to be told to shut my yap.

[moropus.livejournal.com]

Lots of people sell thngs on Ebay. i'm thnking of doing it myself. And it is very easy to sell your old books on Amazon.com.

Only turn the cat into a camwhore if she has kittens. I checked somebody's kittens until they were old enough to get out of the box.

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

I guess the leather and lace is out....

[poetpaladin.livejournal.com]

Heard on KFWB on the drive to work that the government released a study that found adoptive parents on average were better parents than regular parents because they actually WANTED THEIR CHILDREN.

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

http://www.asanet.org/galleries/default-file/Feb07ASRAdoption.pdf

This one? Yeah - it's an eye-opener!

[joggingguy.livejournal.com]

About the only thing I'm not putting on the list is turning the cats into camwhores.

You and Ginmar both .. LOL :-)

[riverheart.livejournal.com]

I might do Pampered Chef via long distance, too.

But I have a question for you. If it is appropriate to fundraise for an adoption, is it appropriate to fundraise for a transplant (assuming I can qualify) either here or overseas? An overseas transplant could run to $100,000 or so. My mother is willing to cover it, but I would want to help as much as possible, since this is Mom raiding her retirement money, the funds she has to live on. She is 72 1/2. She is in fantastic shape, and could easily live to be as old as Aunt Deedie (who is 100 and counting). I don't want her to live in poverty, ever.

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

You know, I've seen car washes to pay for funerals. You tell me what's not appropriate to raise funds for.

You go right ahead.

[nagasvoice.livejournal.com]

Actually, cute pix/captions of various things, including cats on mugs and cards and shirts for things like Cafe Press is not a bad thought.

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

As I said, me doing art is a pretty fucking scary thought.