big john

If everyone would fund me a retirement I could ride more and rest more. It would be worth it, you'd feel good about it.

I'll be 61 tomorrow and I'm sick of working. Too bad I didn't plan things better.

A guy in my club, actually one of the earliest members, just did an 80 mile ride for his 80th birthday. I want to do that, but with 8000 feet of climbing.

misterwaterfall

Nope pretty stupid imo. I've also seen some from friends who race motorcycles which is even worse. Sorry you can't afford everything you want in life but I'm not going to donate for someone to have fun.

aaronmcd

Well, with pets it's tough. On the one hand, they are animals, and supposed to be cheap. On the other hand, what if the vet says it costs a million dollars to save their life? 20 grand? 2 grand? With humans it's easy, spend whatever it takes. With pets it can be tough. We have spent thousands over the years on our 2 cats, and sometimes ask each other how much money it would take for us to just see how nature treats the issue.

aaronmcd

On another note, my wife and I are going on our first real vacation since NOLA several years ago. Gonna fly to Maui next month.
First question: anyone interested in funding us?
Second question: anyone been there and have any input on what we HAVE to do?
I definitely have to ride, and we definitely have to do the road to Hana.

hack

Been to Maui a few times. Fantastic place and tons to do. Where are you staying and what do you like to do? We've stayed in Lahaina, Kaanapali, and have settled on liking Kapalua on the north north side and stayed there the last couple of times. Quiet and away from it all, but close enough to Lahaina and Kaanapali.

I used to go for the golf and ocean, but never rode the bike there. You can do the West Maui Loop, climb Haleakala, etc. There is a Maui stage race, but you'll be there a month late for that. Lahaina is busy and touristy, but has quite a few fun shops (Kihei is a bit similar, but more rental shops than the Hurley, Volcom, Reef type shops). Kaanapali has some higher end, but generic restaurants (Dukes, LeiLanis, and other $15 burger places).

Road to Hana is loooonnnngggg and worth it if you leave early because it fills the day. Quite a few places to stop along the way, but they'll be pretty obvious. There is a fun little black sand beach that's worth checking out. You can go past Hana and even around the island if you're daring don't mind potentially getting stranded if your rental gets stuck.

You'll be getting there near the tail end of whale watching. I'd avoid the bigger the snorkel/whale watch/dolphin vendors (e.g., Pacific Whale Foundation). Go with something smaller or even a raft. We've done the sailing trips and they've been hit or miss. The guys that do real sailing, Scotch Mist, are pretty fun. The helicopter tour was pricey and I'd not do it again. Having done the guided stuff and the solo stuff, there isn't much you can't do solo (aside from boating stuff).

Do: Hana (cool hiking and waterfalls around Hana), Haleakala (drive or ride; its a different world up there), snorkel (boat or beach), relax.

furiousferret

Charity is a fine line, the $500 I spent on my nephew's bike wasn't really money I had at the moment. Still me being broke = no weekend getaways for the next month. Seeing the expression on his face when he got it was almost worth the money. He wants to race, but we'd have to eat his medical bills if he crashes, so that's probably not going to happen unless he's fast enough to win (which isn't going to happen if ever).

Wylde06

In, except I demand a picture with Henchman #2

grolby

Well, yeah. I'm mostly trying to think in terms of what I would like to accomplish in 5 years. WE WILL SEE.

I don't know about CA, but here in Boston, and in New York from what I hear, the market is bananas. You have to pounce right away, and people are getting into crazy bidding wars over there. Around here, I'm not sure that's happening as much because once the seller has signed on an offer I believe that prospective buyer has right of first refusal until they either commit, decide not to commit, or ask for price reductions. But maybe not, with lots of prospective offers a seller could really play the field. My wife and I got ridiculously lucky. We started looking in mid-January, saw a house we liked on day 1, made an offer two days later and didn't have any competition except for a developer who wanted to flip it. Then we settled in for the short sale process, and a lot of snow fell. Once the snow melted, the market went nuts and when we've looked, there's been nothing we could have afforded in the neighborhoods we were interested in. We pretty much just hit the window.

Counter-point - people lose jobs, or other unexpected expenses crop up, and it may suddenly prove difficult to pay that $3k. Not to mention that, honestly, I think few people reasonably expect to pay three thousand dollars for pet surgery when they get one. We certainly never have. Not saying I love gofundme for everything, but on the other hand, no one is under any obligation to donate. If someone's trip to Nats is a stupid thing to crowdfund, don't contribute. Easy.

topflightpro

I do feel like GoFundMe requests are getting a bit out of hand.

Last year, a local guy crashed during a ride and someone created a GoFundMe to buy him a new bike. I wasn't there when the crash happened, but the story I heard was that the guy wasn't paying attention and ran into the person in front of him, causing the crash. I didn't contribute.

But then again, maybe I am just getting old and cranky. And, to be fair, I grew up in a home where if I wanted something, I was expected to earn it. I started mowing lawns when I was about 10. And I started working for my dad's accounting firm when I was 14. I still remember my first day there too, when I walked into my father's office and asked what we were doing for lunch. His response: We? There is no we. When you walk in this office, you are an employee, not my son. If you need money for lunch, I'll loan it to you, and you can pay me back out of your first pay check. I was floored. And he made sure I paid him back. In grad school, he loaned me money to purchase a new car when the one I had died. As I was finishing up my masters, several of my professors encouraged me to go on for a PhD. When I told my father about that, his response was: You agreed to pay me back for the car once you finished your masters. So I got a job and started paying him back.

There are a lot of things I would do - including taking a second job at Walmart - before I'd start asking friends and strangers for help.

MDcatV

this is what my wife and I did for our 10th anniversary in 2005. We stated at the Embassy Suites in W Maui. Agree on all that @hack wrote, but some other details (keep in mind these are 10 years old now, so might be dated:

if you want to ride your bike, Go Cycling Maui - Maui Cyclery call Donnie Arnault and get the ride schedule for the time you'll be there. It's well worth it, at least it was, I rode up Haleakala with him and had a truly epic time. They support the ride, all I took was bibs, pedals and shoes. they rent the rest.

sunrise on haleakala is really pretty. if you go, leave early, like really early. make sure your car if you're driving has a full tank of gas, no services on the mtn., and, you'll be a 10K feet, treat it like winter. We took hotel blankets to bundle up in. it was 95 deg at sea level, and about 35 deg at the top.

The road to Hana is really cool, but yeah, it's long and windy and at some point gets to be been there done that. We took a tour that was a van drive to Hana with stops at the pools, etc., then was a helicopter ride back that went over many portions of the island that you'd otherwise never see because it's jungle. awesome.

snorkeling was super fun, we went to some crater out in the ocean, cant remember the name of it. good trip.

there is some sushi place up in kaanapali that we went to for an early bird dinner (we're east coasters, we spent the first week going to bed at like 6 pm and getting up at 3 a.m. so we were hungry for early bird). it was really inexpensive for the early bird thing, and was the best sushi i've ever had.

one of our favorite parts of the trip was the north coast. it's much "wilder" than the W or S coasts of the island, with lots of blowhole pools, crazy ocean/cliff scenery, and was uncrowded.

enjoy! I cant wait to go back again someday, but cant imagine our kids on the 10+ hour flight!

gsteinb

A kid crashed at red hook a couple years back. He did get pretty effed up in the crash, but there wasn't any transparency around what his insurance situation was, or what the actual need was. Folks contributed quite a bit, and the whole thing may have been above board, but it stuck me that the whole thing could easily be mishandled. It would never occur to me to ask folks for money because I crashed playing my hobby.

Hey folks here's my gofundme. I lost my rent playing black jack. Help a brother out

caloso

Definitely do Haleakala.

island rider

I wonder if some of the Gofundme stuff is done by someone other than the ultimate recipient and the ultimate recipient just says... "what the hell, if you're going to give me money, I'll take it..."

That said, I saw a great one recently. "Donate the money necessary for me to adopt a child." Really, you don't have the money for the adoption process? You want strangers to give it to you? What's your plan for diapers, formula and you know... keeping the kid alive?

echappist

largely agree with you, but just to play devil's advocate, aren't we all suppose to have at least half-year worth of expenses saved up.
i would mostly agree with the sentiment. i took my current job, one which may not be viewed as "prestigious," because it was an offer on the table and guaranteed financial stability. This meant that i wouldn't need to live at home looking for a job while finishing writing my dissertation. Downside of course is that I still need to finish said dissertation, but the pay and benefits have turned out to be quite a bit better than what I expected (and frankly not too far off from what the "prestige" positions for which I would have applied).

That said, I think it's a fine line when parents start penny pinching with their kids. Financial prudence and independence are great values to inculcate in a child, but to teach the lesson by "loaning" lunch money seems over the top. Ditto with demanding immediate payment after the end of master's program when the Ph D program may yield more benefits down the road. I do not know your family situation, but had I been offered similar choice I would have torn off any pretense of familial relationship and demanded everything to be transacted henceforth as solely business dealings. I would have demand to know what the expectation of elderly care would be, what my expected inheritance would be, and would have assign a value to everything. You may bill me for cost of food and lodging when I visit, but I will bill you my rate for missing work and spending time at home. The agreed upon terms will then be signed and notarized. I would not view such people as family members but as people who know the price of everything but the value of nothing, which is essentially how Oscar Wilde define cynics.

funny you mention that crash as i actually contributed. maybe i'm a dupe after all?

hack

I've heard of mild bidding wars (led to $15-25kish jumps in sale price), but nothing too serious in our little town.

globecanvas

This fund-me conversation reminded me of something, it took a while for me to remember what it was.

Google: kimmage defense fund

furiousferret

We had 4 bids the same day on our house. The seller hinted that none were strong. We went 3500 over and was the highest bid by 500.

The busy market was due to good interest rates, the day we locked in our rate (3.25 for 30 fixed) was possibly the lowest in the last 15 years. We got our home when the market was low as well. Being patient and jumping when the market was ready saved us at least $500 a month (house costs went up 15% and interest .5%)

carpediemracing 

The guy that absconded with that money has the same first and last name as a friend of mine (we were teammates last year, still friends).

When he first asked to friend me on Facebook I was like, him?! What the heck?

Then I asked around and realized that no, it's not that one, it's the one I raced with.

I told him about the name thing this spring. He had no idea.

Gramercy

Asking people for money is the most awkward thing. Our insurance sucks so hospital bills for our son have been in the thousands, plus our kid needs a helmet type thing for a few weeks because he has a flat spot on the head (due to being such a good sleeper), but no way I'd ask anyone for money for that. It's not their problem. I'm responsible for my own life - if people want to give me hand me down items (clothes, skis, computer, etc) that's fine, but receiving a blank check to go buy something is weird to me.

MDcatV

sorry to read this and hope above all your son is healthy

echappist

I'd say your situation is quiye a bit different from needing money to fund a hobby or a pet, and if you were to start a gofundme campaign, i wouldnt cast any aspersions (not that my perspective here would matter in the first place)

best of wishes with your situation

MDcatV

correct

substructure

I just started a GoFundMe to get back into racing.
Well, it's actually for my crippling coke addiction. But I thought if you guys could cover that I could probably buy a bike.

Edit: But to be honest here. I've had to sell everything. My ex put my in a financial mess. But I'm clawing out of it little by little. There were times when I didn't know if I could get groceries for me and the girls. But people stepped in to help. It can be very humbling. One time I started tearing up. And I'm pretty much a soulless jerkwad. Right now I'm getting above the mess and it's been a worthy battle. Plus, it's taught me and the girls a lot over the past few years. What really matters and how to stick together.

No one should be ashamed of themselves. Especially if they are doing everything to make the situation right. And no one should act better than someone who suffers financially. You just never know when that shoe may come down on you.

Ok ... back to my coke.

TheKillerPenguin

I've been in a similar spot but did not have children involved (thank god)...spent a month without a place to live and a friend took me in and let me sleep on his floor. That act of kindness meant more than pretty much anything at the time, and it's something I try to pay forward.

...Even if I think my friends are kinda dumb for living in Brooklyn barely making ends meet and deciding having 2 cats are a good idea. I still gave money, I'm just annoyed cuz I've also helped em out with rent before.

Curmudgeon curmudgeon curmudgeon. Grumble grumble grumble.

TheKillerPenguin

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