Surgery fundraising update!

[bodlon]

As promised, an update! (The original post, which explains what all of this is about, is here.)

The savings account is up and running and all funds I've currently got in hand are in it. That includes all donations, what I've been able to chuck in from my own paycheck, as well as any proceeds from my eBay auctions thus far. Here's a screencap of the current balance:

$2500 is about 42% of the way to my absolute bare minimum for financing, and 27% of total costs (procedure, OR, anesthesia, etc.), which is awesome, terrifying progress. I'm hoping to keep momentum going. To that end:

- I'm checking my contracts, but I think I've got some other backlog I can roll into more Smashwords goodness. Please let me know if there's anything you know I've written that you'd like to see go back into print, or on its own.
- I'm keeping at least 5 things up on eBay at any given time. This week it's some classic Doctor Who novelizations, some water color textbooks, an unopened Martha Jones figure (yeah, I ended up with two by accident at one point, and kept the second one back just in case), and some random knick-knacks.
- Any other help? Totally welcome. The more I make and do, and the more folks throw stuff into the pot, the closer this thing is to reality.

I'm not sure I can entirely express my gratitude, but to say that I'm overwhelmed by this whole thing on a daily basis comes pretty close. And, because so many of you have helped, it's really motivating me to work twice as hard to make this happen, too. That's powerful stuff. Thank you.

This post has been mirrored from Christian A. Young's Dimlight Archive. To see it in its original format, visit dimlightarchive.com

Comments

[contrarywise]

That's awesome fundraising progress, woo-hoo!

BTW, you can get a much better interest rate from online savings accounts. See this article for the current rates--Ally has the best rate with no minimum balance right now, and it's 10 times better than your current account. Keep scrolling down the page to get to the discussion part of the article, which is very informative. A lot of folks use ING, which offers $25 for opening an account with them if you have an opening balance of $250 or more. You can search for "ING referral link" to find sites that post links you can use to open an ING account and get the $25 bonus. Follow the directions on these sites to use the links.

[pocketmouse]

If I can manage to log into my account, I might have an ING referral link -- they do have good interest rates, but their online interface kinda sucks, and it takes a bit to transfer money in/out of the account.

[bodlon]

Since I'm aiming for November, I hadn't really thought to prioritize interest (even at Ally's rate, the current balance would only yield a few dollars between now and then). On the other hand, a few dollars is still a few dollars. Hm.

I'll give it a look. If nothing else I'll know more about using these things in the future!

[contrarywise]

I figure every little bit helps. High-yield online accounts are great options for regular savings accounts, emergency funds, etc. They're outside of your usual bank accounts (although they can be linked to them for electronic transfers) and so are a little less accessible for covering whims and impulse purchases, plus they have better interest rates. What's not to like?

[contrarywise]

BTW, if you do go with an ING account, let me know. I'm planning to move my current online account to get a better rate (I don't recommend changing online banks often to chase better interest rates, but after 2 years, my current bank has dropped significantly in the ratings and interest offered compared to the competition), and if you send me a referral link, you'll get an extra $10 to add to your total.

[pocketmouse]

I just sent both of you guys invites to ING, because they're having a sale this weekend that gives me an extra bonus if you start an account by the end of July. I don't need the bonus money, since my ING account is my retirement fund, basically (I literally ignore it). So I will happily split the bonus money between you guys, if you want. And also that way I think I can just wire you my donation for free, Christian.

[bodlon]

I actually just started setting mine up earlier this week! (Thursday? Friday? It's a haze.) My deposit won't finish going in until something like Tuesday, though. You may already have the bonus!

[contrarywise]

Cool! If you want to send me a referral link too, I'll use yours instead and you'll get the bonus directly--otherwise I'll have Mouse send you what she gets from me using her link. Too bad I can't use them both.

[bodlon]

Go ahead and use Mouse's. Mouse is the ING pimp! :D

[pocketmouse]

Cool! Yeah, I wasn't sure if the first one had gone through right, and it's just a form field, so sending two wasn't hard.

[contrarywise]

Cool, thanks!

[pocketmouse]

No problem! I never do anything with the money in this account, because I got it, then promptly lost the login info for two years and forgot I had the account until they threatened to boot me for inactivity.

[bodlon]

o.O

Note to self: use my account.

[pocketmouse]

Well, I mean, I hadn't even logged in in two years, and they'd been sending me reminder emails for months. I just hadn't been able to log in because I lost the pin and they would only resent it through the mail and it got lost and/or I moved, so...

[pocketmouse]

Dude, that's awesome!