Financial Help for My Mom

Hi, my name is Carole and this gofundme is for my mom, Carina.

About six months ago, she purchased a previously owned car, which seemed a great deal at the time, but has since caused great emotional and financial headaches to the extent that she is on the verge of being evicted from her apartment within the next two weeks and possible repossession of her car. She is only one month behind on rent, but 3 months behind on her car payment.

Back Story:

August of 2023, my mom chose to leave retail management due to the mental and physical strain on her health (she was actually laid up for a week which is when she knew she had to make a change) and decided to work delivery programs for a time to allow herself time to rest and recoup – first through Uber Eats, but now through Shipt – which she greatly enjoys as she can use her customer service skills to shop and then deliver to her growing customer base. My mom’s income has been growing steadily each week to almost match what she was making in retail – until the car trouble began soon after she purchased the vehicle.

First, she was hit by another driver. Insurance covered all but her deductible, but she had to pay for a rental for 2 weeks, then borrowed my car (I work from home) which she only had part-time. Soon after the car was repaired, the transmission went out! Yeah, a very expensive ouch!! She was to able finance that repair, but now it’s like having two car payments; then it was replacing the rear brakes (which she’s paying out to her mechanic), her battery gave up the ghost, and to top it off, car insurance increased almost $100 and she’s with one of the lowest-priced companies!

Through each mishap and repair, my mom has lost workdays and income, incurred late fees and stress, and although she continues to cut frills from her budget and is living frugally, she works 6 -7 days a week, playing catch up, not sleeping well, and the stress increases because she has not been able to keep up with expenses growing greater than her income. Ok, take a deep breath here.

The apartment complex manager has been understanding of my mom’s plight and has delayed eviction notice proceedings as long as possible, but can do so no longer and is filing this next week.

I’m sure you are thinking, Why does she not work a higher-paying job? or Why does she not move to a cheaper place? Both of those are in the works; however, right now, she needs to pay at least March’s rent (to avoid the eviction in two weeks) and January's and February’s car payments (to avoid repossession) and have some breathing room to find other work and less expensive housing (which involves moving expenses, especially as she’s considering moving out of town).

I have assisted – both financially and in lending my vehicle – but that is only a temporary fix, and we are both concerned with her health, both mentally and physically (she had a minor stroke 4 years ago and I don’t want anything to happen again). I love my mom very much and although she has a positive spirit and does her best to stay upbeat, I see her stress and stress with her; I know she just wants to be faithful in her work and live a productive and healthy life, without being a burden on anyone else.

If her story hits home to you, if you’ve ever been in a similar situation and would like to pay it forward, if you empathize with her plight, then I thank you so much now for your generosity of prayers and financial gifts.

With heartfelt gratitude,

Carole