Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

This country desperately needs a functioning Fourth Estate.

If you are in line to indict donald trump, stay in line.

The most dangerous place for a black man in America is in a white man’s imagination.

Hey Washington Post, “Democracy Dies in Darkness” is supposed to be a warning, not a mission statement.

Fuck the extremist election deniers. What’s money for if not for keeping them out of office?

Optimism opens the door to great things.

Black Jesus loves a paper trail.

Live so that if you miss a day of work people aren’t hoping you’re dead.

I know this must be bad for Joe Biden, I just don’t know how.

Fuck that bum, let’s go Joe!

Can we lighten up on the doomsday scenarios?

Pessimism assures that nothing of any importance will change.

FFS people, this was a good thing. take the win.

A thin legal pretext to veneer over their personal religious and political desires.

Books are my comfort food!

I’d try pessimism, but it probably wouldn’t work.

ha ha ha! Nice try weird people.

You cannot shame the shameless.

If senate republicans had any shame, they’d die of it.

Trump makes a mockery of the legal system and cowardly judges just sit back and let him.

It’s always darkest before the other shoe drops.

I’m starting to think Jesus may have made a mistake saving people with no questions asked.

Balloon Juice, where there is always someone who will say you’re doing it wrong.

Give the craziest people you know everything they want and hope they don’t ask for more? Great plan.

You are here: Home / z-Retired Categories / Previous Site Maintenance / Semi-Annual Balloon Juice Fundraiser

Semi-Annual Balloon Juice Fundraiser

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It’s been about seven months since our last one, and it is time to rattle the tin cup to pay for the server costs. Because some of you set up recurring payments on patreon, we did not need to do it at six months If you are able and willing to donate, it would be much appreciated. Please do not donate if you do not have the financial means or are in a bad place.

The ways to donate are as follows:

PayPal


You can also give through Venmo: @john-cole-94 (as long as you see a photo of Lily, you’re in the right place, and you can click the “I don’t have the phone number” button and send anyway.)

You can also give through Zelle: jgriffincole at the google mail place.

You can also give through Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/balloonjuice

IF YOU DONATE THROUGH PAYPAL, DO NOT CLICK GOODS AND SERVICES BECAUSE THEY THEN THINK I AM SELLING SOMETHING. As always, this is my least favorite aspect of the website, asking for money, so hopefully this will be over soon.

*** Update ***

If you want to mail through usps, email me and I will send you my address.

Reader Interactions

112Comments

  2. 2.

    randy khan

    Done.  I hope some small portion of my donation will go towards moving the house further away from the willow.

  3. 3.

    OzarkHillbilly

    I don’t use pay pal and I hate that I can’t do monthly contributions without it.

    Done whining.

  5. 5.

    chrome agnomen

    why will the donate page not allow me to donate without using paypal?   which i will not use.

  7. 7.

    H.E.Wolf

    Is there a PO Box address for folks who would like to send envelopes stuffed full of cash a small donation by check?

  8. 8.

    Raven

    So I’m laying here in post op agony watching this awful soccer game and get THIS. Oh well, feel a bit better now!

  15. 15.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    are there significant or new security risks to PayPal?   I only use paypal for Act Blue these days

  20. 20.

    TomatoQueen

    @Raven: So glad your recovery is happening, suggest adding fiber to your meal plan if you haven’t already done so.

  26. 26.

    HinTN

    @Raven: I’m five weeks out from hip replacement and it took about 10 days to get proper alimentary function restored. Hang in there.

  30. 30.

    WaterGirl

    Links with information on the various ways to donate are always in the sidebar under Ways to Support Our Site.

    (just look for the happy red balloon, which is apparently a somber black in some browsers!)

  32. 32.

    WaterGirl

    @H.E.Wolf: Upon more careful reading of your comment, I should say that small donations by check should be sent to Cole’s address.  The envelopes full of cash can be sent to me, and I will, umm, be sure that Cole gets it.

  36. 36.

    BruceFromOhio

    I’m in, and thanks for the chuckle @randy khan: ​

    this is my least favorite aspect of the website, asking for money,

    I get it, shit ain’t free. It would help if I knew what the target was. Also, thanks again for the ad-free tingle in my pantsleg while the site issues were assessed and repaired, that was awesome.

  37. 37.

    WaterGirl

    @Baud: An old fashioned money order?  But maybe those have your name on them, too?

    You could send a check, then John would be the only one who would know, and I can pretty much guarantee that he wouldn’t pay attention to that. :-)

    Let me know if you want the address.

  41. 41.

    Another Scott

    Gladly contributed a few coins and some dried Snausages I found in the couch.

    Thanks for keeping the lights on.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  43. 43.

    WhatsMyNym

    @BruceFromOhio:

    It would help if I knew what the target was.

    “Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz? My friends all drive Porsches, I must make amends”

  44. 44.

    piratedan

    @Baud: you could always just drive out to the house and leave some cash IN the willow… can’t get more secure than that… assuming Rosie lets you leave and all….

  46. 46.

    2liberal

    Ok, I did the Patreon thing for $5 per month.  So now I actually am a subscriber! Does that mean I now have the right to message you in ALL CAPS (via Patreon, and only when IT’S IMPORTANT)  and have it (possibly) be read? //

     

    eta to remove redundant word

  47. 47.

    J R in WV

    @OzarkHillbilly: ​

     

    I don’t use pay pal and I hate that I can’t do monthly contributions without it.

    Done whining.

    If you select Patreon to donate with you don’t need to use PayPal, which I also hate to use. I just signed up for a small monthly donation via Patreon.

    Cole, I frequently order stuff from Amazon via the button on the B-J front page. How much income on average does B-J derive from that, if any? Obviously not enough to keep the boat floating… Thanks for this place, It kept us sane during the first rounds of the trumpian plague… no telling what Delta, Gamma, etc will do next.

    Good luck, everyone!

  49. 49.

    Mary G

    I increased my Patreon to $50, which you will receive on July 1. Afraid I’ll have to lower it again, though I wish I could easily afford to send you all the moneys, JC.

  52. 52.

    Raven

    @SiubhanDuinne: my butt hurts everywhere but lying on the couch and in the fed. I’m walking around in short bursts and that’s about it. My pal came in from Berkeley to help out and left this morning but the offers to bring food are flowing in. Our little community is great!

  53. 53.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Raven:

    My friend from Florida is just coming back from visiting her parents who own a big blueberry farm near Jax, and she’s bringing a slew of berries back to me this week. I should drive over to Athens with a dozen blueberry muffins for you!

  55. 55.

    Almost Retired

    I’m in, on a recurring basis on my credit card. This will be yet one more recurring charge on my Visa that I won’t remember having made later.

  62. 62.

    artem1s

    @Baud:

    Is there a way to contribute so that it can’t be traced back to me?

    cash drop in the secret pumpkin under the willow

  63. 63.

    J R in WV

    @Raven:

    Your butt hurting is a good thing, it means you’re healing.

    Glad you have medical intervention for the pain.

    I use Miralax or (less expensive, same stuff) Kroger’s brand GentleLax to defeat the stoppage effects of the pain killers. I find that personally about half a dose daily works, but you may want to start with a whole dose. Metamucil doesn’t appear to do it for me…

    ETA: Post-op pain killers may take the whole dose, I forget those puppies are really strong. Best of luck, bro, please keep in touch!!!

  70. 70.

    Zelma

    I’ve been on Balloon Juice since 2007 or 2008.  It has alternately kept me sane or driven me insane.  It’s the first place I visit in the morning and the last place I go at night.  And I visit several times in between. I try to explain BJ to friends – the politics, the pets, the garden tips, the recipes, the snark, the information and everything else.  But most important are the people.  I feel that you all are my friends which is kind of strange since we’ve never met.  If there is ever a meet-up in Philly, I’d love to go.  I don’t comment that much but I love this place.

    Made my donation.  It’s a small way of saying thanks.

  71. 71.

    Steeplejack (phone)

    I’ve got to put in a plug for Zelle as a great way to send (and receive) money. It’s sponsored by the big banks, it appears to be very secure, and transfers go through within minutes (with no vig). To sign up you just need to give your bank an email address or cell phone number and say which of your accounts the money is going to go into or out of. For the receiving person, you just need the email address or cell phone number that they linked to Zelle when they signed up.

    With the mail slowdown I was having terrible problems getting my rent checks received by my out-of-town landlord. Thanks to an offhand comment by Major^4, I checked out Zelle, got my landlord signed up, and it’s been smooth sailing ever since.

    I will use Zelle to shoot Cole some money when I get on the big-boy computer. (You can do it from your phone or tablet, of course.)

    I think Zelle would also answer Baud’s anonymity concern, although I don’t know for sure, since I haven’t received any Zelle money so far. I assume Cole would see just the email address or cell number associated with the donation.

  74. 74.

    Steeplejack (phone)

    @Steeplejack (phone):

    I will add that Zelle is designed for situations where you “know” the other party and don’t have to worry about refunds, cancelations, orders not received, disputes, etc. But for “Shut up and take my money!” (insert Futurama GIF) it seems ideal.

  76. 76.

    Steeplejack (phone)

    @WaterGirl:

    I don’t know if there is a charge on Venmo. I have used it only once, to receive money from a friend. But I find Zelle to be much more convenient. I can’t even remember how to access Venmo, but Zelle is right in the menu bar on my Bank of America account screen.

  77. 77.

    cckids

    Just sent some via Zelle, as well – very easy from the phone app with my (spit) B of A account.

    Easy-peasy. Thanks for everything & everyone here :)

  81. 81.

    H.E.Wolf

    @WaterGirl: Upon more careful reading of your comment, I should say that small donations by check should be sent to Cole’s address. The envelopes full of cash can be sent to me, and I will, umm, be sure that Cole gets it.

      No worries! I’ll send you an envelope full of Bulgarian lev (that’s what everyone has under their davenport cushions, right?), and will email you to get the postal address for blog upkeep contributions. :)

  82. 82.

    Hamlet

    In for a small amount. A larger amount will be going thru the ActBlue thermometers once I negotiate the exact amount with my spouse.  Thank you for bringing those groups to my attention.

  83. 83.

    Ida Slapter

    @Raven: Load up on the fiber and lots and lots of fluids, and feel better!

    I happily do a painless monthly donation via PayPal, but I am picking up on the vibe here that PayPal is evil. Other than being founded by Peter Thiel, how so? I’m not arguing, just uninformed. What’s another easy online non-evil pay method I can switch to? I’m not a complete Luddite but I’ve been largely oblivious. Thanks.

  85. 85.

    Steeplejack

    @Ida Slapter:

    I don’t know that PayPal is evil, but their interface is somewhat awkward, and Cole has had some problems in the past on the “vendor” side. Plus you have to give them your credit/​debit card information.

    As I said above, Zelle is a super easy alternative, if you have an account with a participating bank. None of your financial information is exposed to a third party. Venmo and Patreon are other alternatives. I have used Venmo, but only to receive money once. If you’re talking about Balloon Juice only, Patreon might be a good fit, because (I think) it’s designed for “patrons” of artists and worthy causes who want to make recurring donations.

    ETA: If your current monthly donation through PayPal is “painless,” I don’t know that there’s any need to change.​​

  88. 88.

    Steeplejack

    @WaterGirl:

    At your service . . . Search participating banks and credit unions.

    You credit union not listed? “Don’t worry! Our network of participating financial institutions is always growing, and you can still use Zelle by downloading the Zelle app for Android and iOS.”

  89. 89.

    Steeplejack

    I appear to have been possessed by the spirit of a Zelle customer-service bot. ?

  94. 94.

    Ida Slapter

    @Steeplejack:

    Thank you! I do have a credit card on file at PayPal, but then I shop that way sometimes too and have never had a problem. PayPal does not have any of my bank account info. I will look into venmo and zelle. Those sound like safe alternatives to checks, which I can see are also going the way of the dinosaur.

    My dream is to win a huge lotto and become a philanthropist and patron of the arts, so I had better check out Patreon right away!

  95. 95.

    Steeplejack

    @Ida Slapter:

    I have to ask, how many checks are you still writing? I literally write three or four checks a year now, and two of those are to my dentist, who offers a slight discount for a check vs. credit/debit card. Everything else I pay with a card or on line.

  96. 96.

    Gvg

    Ok done. Saw this earlier but needed to wait till I was home, not at work. I also use PayPal so infrequently that I had to look up my password.

  97. 97.

    Ida Slapter

    @Steeplejack:

    Lol, the same friend who told me to get venmo asked me the same question! My check writing has decreased steadily over the last 10-12 years, but I still write more than one or two a year.

    I’ve been on a bit of a medical rollercoaster for the last 6 years and have gone through several major hospitalizations and surgeries. I have good insurance, but I wind up writing a flurry of checks afterwards to different doctors and services for co-pays and deductibles.

    I’ll look into these others. I’m certainly not married to my checks. If there’s an easy, secure way to pay stuff off in a cyber universe that doesn’t involve envelopes and stamps, I’m all for it!

  98. 98.

    Another Scott

    @Ida Slapter: My credit union has a “bill payment” feature where one enters account info, address, etc. (once) and then once a month I go there an pay my bills.  I think some of it is done via mailing checks to the payees, some of it is electronic transfer to them.  But it’s all seamless and painless and no stamps required.  And free.

    This way I determine what goes out and when (rather than mysterious automatic payments at the payees).

    I’d think most financial institutions offer similar things.

    My J still writes checks.  :-/

    HTH!

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  104. 104.

    Joy in FL

    I happily chipped in some money today. I also have a small monthly donation through PayPal.

    As so many others have said, I really appreciate the people here. This place really matters to me.

  105. 105.

    Ida Slapter

    @Another Scott:

    That’s another great idea. I glanced at it when I set up my credit union account and it looks easy enough.  Thank you for all the mental jump-starting you are helping me do today.

    I actually set a lot of my recurring expenses to automatic monthly payments when I retired in ’06 so I would have a good idea of what my monthly expenses were. Until then, I was a teacher and didn’t get paid (by choice) in July and August so my finances fluctuated. This should also be the kick in the pants I need to update and tidy those autopays.

  107. 107.

    frosty

    I’m in via PayPal, which is already set up. I guess I’ll have to get off my lazy butt and look into the other alternatives.

    Seconding how much this site means to me. I read every post and damn near every comment every day.

  108. 108.

    frosty

    @WaterGirl: ​
      Yikes, 11 years! Almost all of the commenter nyms on that thread aren’t here any more. Although I did see mine, after I had changed it, do dog knows how long I’ve been reading this site.

  109. 109.

    grammypat

    @J R in WV:  I’ve frequently wondered the same thing about using the link for Amazon. Unfortunately, JC doesn’t read his own blog … so we may never know. ;-p

  110. 110.

    oldster

    Sent $50. to Lily via Venmo.

    I can’t say how long I’ve been reading. 2003? 2005? It’s all a blur.

  111. 111.

    Miss Bianca

    I had a monthly donation plan set up through PayPal, which strangely vanished. I just set up another, but did not see a “goods and services” designation, so I am hoping it’s all ok.

  112. 112.

    Barbara

    I just sent some scratch via Zelle.  It’s hard to overstate how valuable this site is.

Comments are closed.