Hello Kossacks. I've been here for a few years but have never written a diary until now. I'm in an urgent emergency situation and I need your help. I have one day to come up with $1,500.00 or I will not have a place to live and my livelihood will be interrupted. I am a graphic artist by trade and my sole income at the moment is creating brochures, business cards and the like for business clients and through my Etsy store where I design and sell invitations and party items. I also have stores on Zazzle and Society6. If you’d like to visit my Etsy store, you can see it here: Etsy
You can visit my Zazzle store here: Zazzle
Here’s my Society6 store: Society6
Usually, altho tight - these online income resources have been enough to squeak me through each month. Like many others, even one hiccup can derail a person and that is what has happened to me for the past two weeks. People I've sent invoices to last week (5 invoices totaling over the amount I need at the moment) have not yet gotten back to me. I'm sorry to be writing at the last minute but I'm not used to asking for help and I really thought (wishful thinking) that most if not all of my invoices would have been paid by now. I guess I’ve also been in denial about even being in a situation like this.
There’s a line break here. I wanted to add the little squiggle thingy but couldn’t figure out how.
Unfortunately, I haven't been able to build up a nest egg that would see me thru dry spells like these. For more than a year I’ve been living strictly paycheck-to-paycheck and month-to-month but at the last minute I always managed to pull through. This time it’s too close for comfort and I have no place or anyone else to turn to. I'm really, really scared.
After losing my apartment last year it’s been one crazy situation after another. For the past 5 months I've been renting a small room from a not so nice person who, altho I have NEVER been late with the rent, I have no doubt would ask me to leave if I'm even a day late. This person is hostile most of the time and makes it very uncomfortable to be here. He likes to yell a lot so I try to avoid him. He knows I have no family and that I have no place to go. I feel trapped. I feel mentally & emotionally abused. I am fortunate that this person works a lot of hours and throughout the week is rarely home. On the weekends when he’s here, I mostly stay in my room. If I’m in my room, he usually doesn’t bother me. I don’t have a car. It’s hard. I’ve always been an upbeat, cheerful, optimistic person but lately I cry a lot and have been fighting off depression.
This place is hell but right now it’s all I’ve got until I can find a place of my own. It’s difficult to be creative (and I need to be for my business) in this environment. I have no alternative place to live. I don’t even have enough money to rent a UHaul truck. I don’t know what to do.
I've been waiting for my 65 birth years to kick in so I could file for Social Security without being penalized. Next week I'll be able to do it. I'm not sure but I hope that they can offer me some counseling/help with getting housing too. If any of you knows anything about housing resources for seniors in Southern California, please, please let me know.
I’ve been so stressed for so long that I’ve had a couple medical situations develop that really need to be looked at but have no medical insurance so I haven’t been to see a doctor and I really need to go see one asap. My ankles are swollen. All the stress is making me bleed. Those things scare me too. But I’m not even going to get into that right now. If you pray, please pray for me.
At the moment, my most crucial need is getting money for my rent & bills by tomorrow on October 1st so I can keep a roof over my head and keep my business generating income. Any funds you could send to help me would be much appreciated. Any suggestions, advice, insight or words of encouragement you can give me would be very helpful too.
I don’t have a GoFundMe page but I do have a PayPal account. If you can, please send money thru PayPal to cheryl@cheryldanielsart.com.
Monday, Oct 1, 2018 · 10:37:02 AM +00:00 · Orlaine
Thank you kind people for sending me money to help in my time of need! I have received over $400 since yesterday’s posting (September 30th) and even made a couple sales on my Society6 store thanks to Coffae!
I still have a ways to go in order to meet my deadline. How do I make sure this page stays visible? I don’t know the procedure for doing so. Can anyone help me do that?
Again, I very much appreciate the kindness of you Kossacks and cannot wait until I can pay it forward!!! Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Monday, Oct 1, 2018 · 9:17:10 PM +00:00 · Orlaine
I appreciate all of the financial help, support and good advice all of you have given me. I’ve gotten up to $650.00 so far, so I’m almost halfway there!!!!!
I also appreciate those of you who have taken the time to visit and even purchase things from my online stores. I’m finally starting to exhale a little bit as I can faintly see the light at the end of the tunnel. Thank you in advance for helping to keep this diary visible!
Tuesday, Oct 2, 2018 · 8:07:38 AM +00:00 · Orlaine
My heartfelt thanks to each and every one of you! I appreciate all of the donations, good advice and encouragement I received here. You truly are a special group of people and I will never forget how you helped me get thru a really dark point where I was a scared, nervous wreck. Thank you to BMScott for putting me over the top. I am so relieved that I was able to pay my rent and I even had a little left over to help me to keep my Etsy store open for another month (that due date was also October 1st — whew!). I have more to do but at least I can exhale after overcoming one of the biggest hurdles that was looming before me.
More good news, I took BigMtnMama’s advice and sent out 2nd notices to my delinquent customers and one of my invoices actually got paid, so one down, 4 to go!
Thanks also for all of you who purchased items from my stores. I sincerely appreciate that and I hope that those of you who have not had a chance to visit will go have a look-see and that you’ll find some nice gifts for the upcoming holiday season or even something for yourself.
Special thanks to Lucy Montrose, who despite going thru a financial challenge of her own, created a diary asking people to help me first so I could keep a roof over my head. I pray that her needs will be quickly met as well.
Big hugs to all of you {{{incredible Kossacks}}}! I cannot wait until I can pay this kindness forward. God bless you all.
Wednesday, Oct 3, 2018 · 5:54:26 PM +00:00 · Orlaine
Hello Kossacks. I received a notification from PayPal that one of the people who donated me $150.00 is now disputing that she authorized that payment, therefore PayPal is holding up the money ($150.00) until the conflict is resolved. The dispute is between the person who made the donation to me and PayPal, but In the meantime, the money is being held up and I cannot use it so I still need $150.00. If you can help me out, I would appreciate it. Thanks.