Help us get our heads above water

Kendra Dendrite Long is organizing this fundraiser.

Donation protected

Hidey ho neighborinos. So here's the situation:

Literally all of our bills have gone up in the past ~12 months
My salary has not (I've gotten a small cost of living adjustment).
I have been steadily applying to second jobs, both in the field (libraries, archives, museums, etc.) and not in the field (bars, coffeeshops, retail). I have nothing to show for it. I've interviewed I think 3 times, but haven't gotten any offers.
Film work hasn't picked back up, so there's no money there.
We owed quite a bit on our taxes this year (thanks Paul Ryan!) which we are paying in installments for probably the next 2 years. So I am now having more taken out of my paycheck so we don't owe next year, so functionally my take home is less than it was the past 2 years.
I am in a debt management plan to try to pay down my credit card debt before I'm 50, so my income is literally Mortgage/Groceries/Utilities/Health Insurance/Car Payment/Student Loans/Debt. At the end of that, I have zero dollars per month left. And in fact, I've been strategically bouncing checks for some of that.
I have sold the clothing I can sell. I have more listed on Poshmark, but it isn't selling.
I've been doing surveys and all sorts of tiny 'make $.50 answering this question' type things, but it's added up to like $15. Not really enough.
We have canceled the vast majority of the plans we had this summer due to not being able to afford it. Case in point we were going to go to a concert last weekend, but would've either been paying $50 we didn't have for parking, or $80 round trip for a cab, or walking home from the red line at midnight (which for safety reasons is not an option).

We've been bouncing along the bottom of our bank accounts for probably four months at this point. The car needs brake pads, Rosie is sick and needs to go to the vet, etc etc etc. We don't get takeout. There aren't any more corners for us to cut. I have been trying, really very hard, to find a better-paying job, or a second job, or both.

My point is, there aren't any more personal choices we can make to change our financial situation.

I picked an arbitrary amount, because honestly, I'm not really comfortable asking for money, particularly when literally everyone is struggling. But if you are inclined to help, the money will:

Pay off our IRS debt
Pay off the worst of our credit card debt

And if there's any leftover:

Pay off more debt
Get a new serpentine belt for the car (ours is cracked and apparently that's not good).
Get new brake pads
Pay for Rosie's medical care

If you want to buy a houseplant off me, or some art supplies, or want me to make you something, I'm more than happy to arrange it.

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