Can I Borrow $11?

Victoria's 11 Dollar Car Fund

Most people who know me well know that I try to do everything myself. If it looks like I can do it, I do my best to do get it done. I rarely have to ask for big help, and even more rarely ask for money help.

And then there are times when I try everything I can think of and run out of solutions. This is one of those times.

The car I have been driving for the last six years is near death. It wasn’t a peach when it was given to me – it was free for a reason – but it has gotten me and my little one around town sufficiently enough. It has gotten a lot of dents in the years I have had it, a byproduct of living in a city with side-by-side parking, so I made the best of it and painted blue spots all over it. The spots made a very old and falling apart car a lot more cheerful.  

This week I took my car to the mechanic for the usual oil change and look over. I have had bad news about the car in the past, and I have had to borrow money to fix it in the past, but this time there is just too much wrong with the car. Nearly every part of it is coming apart and/or leaking.

As I looked at the estimate for "repairs," with the total at $2,524, I forlornly asked if they knew of a place where I could find a car for about the same price as repairs to this car would be. I expected them to say no, but they said that as a matter of fact, they have a car they are selling for Jewish Charities with an asking price of $2,500. It belonged to an old lady who willed it to the charity, the charity sent it to the shop for fix-up for sale, and then asked the shop to try to sell it for them for $4,000. The price had been brought down from that because of its age (’96), but again – it was a little old lady’s car. It has 56,000 miles on it and all of the fixes it needed have been done. It would be a perfect opportunity to get a safe car for my little family, with no further payments (which I cannot do anyway).

The shop, by the way, is very reputable. They are a long time family owned business in Miami, and I have been going to them for years with never a bad experience. They do not normally serve as a go-between, but in this case, for charity, they are. Of course it sounds like the cliché "little-old-lady" car; in this case the cliché holds true.

I am looking for small loans of $11. If at least 227 people were to help me I would be able to do this.

With a loan of $11, I am hoping that the lenders wouldn’t be in a huge rush to get it back. I would be able to pay people back several at a time each month – in alphabetical order, I am thinking. So you might get the money back next year, depending on your name, but it would be like $11 found dollars. 

I would really hate to lose an opportunity to get a safe car at this price, but I have no other resources for a loan of this amount - banks do not make small loans of this sort, and I do not want to go with the types of lenders who charge unreasonable interest, which would only bring me money troubles that I really don't need or want. I have a steady job with a company that I have been with for almost five years, and I can be relied upon to make the repayments - in fact, I have people who can vouch for that, if requested.

And what would you get from this besides repaid? You might also have the good feeling in your heart that comes from helping a mom who is hard-working, doesn't complain about paying taxes, and who is actively involved in making the world a better place, starting in her community. That would be me. And if you believe in something like Karma, you would know that you have made a contribution to the Universal Greater Good, and that by doing good, good things will come to you as well. This is a truth that I hold.

So I am asking you to please consider making this loan of $11 to me. 

If you cannot on account of not knowing me, know that there are a lot of moms just like me who are struggling and who are trying to be strong and not ask for help, or who are afraid of being rejected when they do ask for help. I know that I am not alone in this. If you know a struggling mom in your community or family, help her out with a gift card to a grocery store or gas station. Gift cards are a much better donation than money, and if you give it anonymously, even better for her to not feel obligated to you.

Whether you decide to make the $11 loan to me, or you decide to help another mom - or dad, I know they are out there too - thank you in advance for helping to make the world a more trusting and loving place.

 
P.S. The button to PayPal is a “donate” button. I have a more formal IOU in writing that, while not legal in a court of law, would guarantee on my word and in my writing that I will repay the loan. I will get one in the mail to you as soon as I receive the request to do so.