# $30 from 100 Dopers? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 14, 2012, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-from-100-dopers/621893 "2012-05-14T15:48:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-from-100-dopers/621893/1 "2012-05-14T15:48:08Z")
TPTB have granted permission for this thread. We are not looking forward to a summer with no AC and the possibility of no heat come winter. One of my brothers had been keeping our 45+ year old furnace going for the past couple of years but apparently something he did back in December royally screwed it up and now nobody knows how to fix it. We were not aware of how bad our HVAC situation is until he stopped by last month, otherwise we’d be in better position to take care of it. I was hoping Bro would step up and at contribute at least something toward replacement but he’s bemoaning the fact how his financial situation is much worse than ours. One of my sisters is willing to contribute but I don’t know how much nor when, summer college tuition for her two boys comes first. The goal here is to raise $3000 for parts. We have just enough saved to cover the labor. ---
**Author:** ![fifty-six](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@fifty-six](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fifty-six)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-from-100-dopers/621893/2 "2012-05-14T16:05:49Z")
You did not give any info on how to send donations. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-from-100-dopers/621893/3 "2012-05-14T16:36:19Z")
PM for contact info. Have set up my better half with PayPal (unable to receive funds myself there); will give street address to anyone wanting to use a method that requires snail mail. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-from-100-dopers/621893/4 "2012-05-14T16:42:07Z")
I’m still poor, but since I’ve benefited from the Doper community helping me out with this sort of problem I’ll see if I can liberate some money from my budget. You may not get a whole $30 from me, but I figure you’ll be just as happy to get $10 from 300 Dopers as $30 from 100. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-from-100-dopers/621893/5 "2012-05-14T16:55:09Z")
Every little bit helps. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-from-100-dopers/621893/6 "2012-05-14T19:42:15Z")
Wish we could get Mike Holmes to come down from Canada and make the HVAC right along with all the other little things that contractors have done wrong in this place. This is the fourth company we’ve had working on the HVAC and would be the second to replace the consenser but at least Leo Johnson & Son know what they’re doing. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Il\_Palazzo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Lord\_Il\_Palazzo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Il_Palazzo)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-from-100-dopers/621893/7 "2012-05-14T22:47:08Z")
**Lute** : You should have a PM from me. Let me know if it didn’t come through or something. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2012, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-from-100-dopers/621893/8 "2012-05-15T00:29:41Z")
I can help you out next month - paying $1K for needed repairs to our car put a dent in our funds right now. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2012, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-from-100-dopers/621893/9 "2012-05-15T16:56:15Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > I’m still poor, but since I’ve benefited from the Doper community helping me out with this sort of problem I’ll see if I can liberate some money from my budget. You may not get a whole $30 from me, but I figure you’ll be just as happy to get $10 from 300 Dopers as $30 from 100. Ummm, why do that? If you are barely making ends meet, you simply shouldn’t give away your money so some other guy can have Air Conditioning. This isn’t an emergency. Good luck, Lute, but you got lots of time before the snow flies. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2012, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-from-100-dopers/621893/10 "2012-05-15T18:48:25Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > Ummm, why do that? If you are barely making ends meet, you simply shouldn’t give away your money so some other guy can have Air Conditioning. This isn’t an emergency. [Lucky Bunny](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=558531) already has two fans blowing on him and it’s only 81° in here. This place hits the 90s when the AC is out, which hasn’t happened in over a year. I could have been working overtime for the past three months and racked up plenty to cover the entire cost on our own but Bro couldn’t be bothered to listen to his voicemail and see what’s wrong with our furnace! Fortunately the heat went out just as the weather started getting mild. This is a condo so window units are not an option. The condo board would not be very happy about those. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2012, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-from-100-dopers/621893/11 "2012-05-15T18:59:57Z")
We do have an absolute last resort that we _really_ prefer not to touch. Haven’t laid a finger on it in 18 years and don’t want to start now. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2012, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-from-100-dopers/621893/12 "2012-05-15T19:30:44Z")
> [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > I could have been working overtime for the past three months and racked up plenty to cover the entire cost on our own but Bro couldn’t be bothered to listen to his voicemail and see what’s wrong with our furnace! I don’t get this. You work for your Brother? What has he got to do with working overtime? > [@](#): > > We do have an absolute last resort that we really prefer not to touch. Haven’t laid a finger on it in 18 years and don’t want to start now. You kind of lose a little sympathy here. You don’t want to touch your savings, so people should send you their money instead? ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Il\_Palazzo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Lord\_Il\_Palazzo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Il_Palazzo)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2012, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-from-100-dopers/621893/13 "2012-05-15T19:34:17Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > I don’t get this. You work for your Brother? What has he got to do with working overtime? I think the point was that his brother took so long to get around to diagnosing the problem that **Lute** was unaware that there was a reason to work overtime to save for a new furnace until after the opportunity had passed. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2012, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-from-100-dopers/621893/14 "2012-05-15T19:41:38Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > You kind of lose a little sympathy here. You don’t want to touch your savings, so people should send you their money instead? Our savings is how we plan to pay the labor costs. Did you miss that part? > [@Lord\_Il\_Palazzo](#): > > I think the point was that his brother took so long to get around to diagnosing the problem that **Lute** was unaware that there was a reason to work overtime to save for a new furnace until after the opportunity had passed. Exactly right. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2012, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-from-100-dopers/621893/15 "2012-05-15T19:45:55Z")
No, I’m with CarnalK. 90s and you need AC? Not an emergency. I’ve lived in 100 degree + weather with no AC. If people want to give you their money, they are welcome to, but it’s not a dire emergency, not really. It’s just AC and people all over the world live without it and have done so for thousands of years. If it was heat, things might be a little different. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2012, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-from-100-dopers/621893/16 "2012-05-15T19:48:45Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > No, I’m with CarnalK. 90s and you need AC? Not an emergency. I’ve lived in 100 degree + weather with no AC. So have we, over two years ago. We now have animals in here that are not equipped to survive in temperatures above 85°. No, we’re not getting rid of them. ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2012, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-from-100-dopers/621893/17 "2012-05-15T19:54:20Z")
See, guys? It’s OK, we aren’t paying for Lute to have AC, we’re paying for his rabbit to have AC! Sorry, I’m not seeing an emergency here, either. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2012, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-from-100-dopers/621893/18 "2012-05-15T20:04:23Z")
You want to pick nits? Fine. Along with the two of us are one rabbit, one cat, one hamster, and two birds, for which we’d perfer not finding the heat tolarance, either. Add to them and a few thousand dollars’ worth of electronics, some of which are on loan from my employer. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2012, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-from-100-dopers/621893/19 "2012-05-15T20:11:58Z")
> [@Renee](#): > > Sorry, I’m not seeing an emergency here, either. I don’t really care. I’m more than happy to help out. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2012, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-from-100-dopers/621893/20 "2012-05-15T20:12:39Z")
Have you looked into a short term loan to cover the cost of the parts? Selling extra stuff on craigslist or eBay? Have a yard sale? Do you have cable at home? Internet? How often do you eat out at restaurants? There are a lot of ways to either raise money, or cut expenses to find it elsewhere. I’d hate to think of a bunch of people giving you their hard-earned money, especially someone like \*\*Broomstick \*\*who can barely afford to care for herself and her disabled husband (and yes, I’ve had disagreements w/ her in the past, but I still have sympathy for her situation) and then finding out that you eat out 4 nights a week and spend your nights watching HBO while playing WoW or something. Sorry to say this, but if you can’t afford to properly care for your rabbits, you should probably let someone else take them for at least a few months. And before you argue with me on this point, if you are asking us for money to keep your pets comfortable than no, you can’t afford them. I guess what I’m getting at is that you’d have better luck, and gain more sympathy from people (including me) if we knew more about your financial situation and what steps, if any, you’ve already taken to close the gap on the cost of this thing. It sounds like you can work overtime so I hope you’ve already started doing that at least. Perhaps if you’d asked people for loans that you would eventually pay back, it would sit better with people. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/30-from-100-dopers/621893.md?page=2)