And now for something slightly different...
I have a request to put forth to my fellow Steemulans...
Vector handshake by Wickey-nl - CC-BY-SA
To put it simply, I'd like you to help me get rid of some long-standing debt that I have. Right about this time twelve years ago I started training as an automotive technician at Lincoln Technical Institute over here in New Jersey. I took on a $23,000 loan without assistance so I could get the training. At this point the balance of the loan is down to just below $1500. We also currently have a remaining balance of around $6000 for a used vehicle my wife and I purchased a few years ago. These two loans are the only debt we currently have and while I do make enough money to cover our payments and pay rent and buy the essentials, I'd love to be able to wipe out the school loan once and for all. I'm only hoping to gather enough to take care of the school loan right now. I usually pay around $115 a month towards that balance and I'll start using that towards the car loan so we're not paying the smallest amount there.
The best part of this request is that the only thing required of you are upvotes. I was thinking about the possibilities for the community and how it can be used to not only garner funds for content, but how we could possibly help each other out in a more specific way. I'm sure this will spark the idea of people coming along and just asking for upvotes, but doesn't this ultimately help everyone on Steemit anyway? If this is just an absurd idea, please don't downvote it, just let me know in the comments. I'm just hoping this is another way we can act as a community to help each other out.
Voted.
Well great idea to get some help here to cover the loan I dont really see a problem with it at all, and yes we should build a strong sense of community here.
Thanks! I had thought about what kind of thing I'd be willing to upvote and it led me to thinking about the fact that it doesn't cost you anything to upvote. In a sense, you're giving people change (and gaining change yourself) just for reading what someone has to say. So I figured, why not say you're dealing with a particular financial situation and you'd like the communities help getting over it. I'm hoping this doesn't turn into people making up stories just to collect steem to gamble away on online casinos, but I guess we'll see how that works out in the long run. Anyway, here's to hoping the community really does rally together to help each other! I know I'll be swinging my SP around more often.
This can work both ways, the upvotes get you the cash to wipe the loan, then you could "refund" the voters with the interest you save for a couple of months. This could be put into the blockchain and powered down to nominated accounts... Not possible now but could be developed as future functionality on top of the current power down functionality. Steemit is also potentially sitting on the ability to manage installment payments in the future.
Yep, I was already trying to think of a way it could be reciprocated, not just by giving out upvotes, but by perhaps some kind of proportional payback. It could be really tough to keep track of, but with a system in place on the site itself, it could be pretty cool. At least anyone who defaults wouldn't really hurt anybody else, it just wouldn't benefit people as much as someone who puts back in.
Totally agrees with you. Lets use this community for the better!
I feel that one thing people do, when they are a member of a community that they care about, is help each other. I up voted and wish you well!
Thank you very much! I agree, communities are about sticking together and helping each other out. I'm sure to a lot of people this comes off as a simple, "UPDOOT AND GIVE ME MONEY!" post, but this loan has been driving my wife and I insane. We've probably more than paid the initial principle off but interest is a killer. We've been throwing extra money into it whenever we can but this place seemed like a decent way to ask for some help. Especially since it's not even a sacrifice for anyone to help out!
Oh yeah those interest are a real killer, I bought a new car recently and the loan is for 230 grand (okay not dollars, but it is still a bit of money), and then the loan is costing about 70 grand.