Can you help a single mom????

Update Feb 2018: unfortunately, Lori passed away in the National Forest near Flagstaff, AZ in 2017. She and Russell never did get that trailer.  He is now living with an aunt.  Their dogs have been rehomed.  

An acquaintance of mine and her teenage son are living on pennies a month, out of her car.  It was an adventure when he was a little boy, but is becoming tough as he approaches man-size.  They both have medical issues which prevent them from what some consider a “normal” lifestyle.  If you have been following me awhile, you know there is not much that is normal about my lifestyle, but this single mom has it tougher than I ever did.  Please help them if you can, even if it’s only a couple dollars.  Thank you.
(go fund me link removed).
Their story: 
These fine folks are Lori and her son Russell. They have been scraping by on a little over $500 a month in child support and disability from Russ's estranged father plus food stamps.

Lori is a 48-year-old single mom with a heart condition. Russ is 14 and suffers from nystagmus, a condition of involuntary eye movement that limits his vision.  He's a great kid and he and Lori love each other very much. Lori's heart condition may qualify her for disability, which she's exploring with the help of some friends.

They're good people. And they need some help.
Lori and Russell both love their nomadic, outdoor-oriented life but they need more shelter, stability, and of course, money. With a trailer, they can have all three. With a trailer, Lori would be able to get a job. That's what she wants to do. But she can't get one without a real place to live.
With a simple, small travel trailer, she can qualify for many of the thousands of so-called 'work camping' jobs around the U.S., from camp hosting in state and national forests and RV campgrounds to hospitality jobs in theme parks and resorts.  (Most of these places will not hire people living out of their vehicles.)
Lori asked me to help her once, she only asked if she could buy me $20 worth of food, for $20 cash so she could buy gas to get to a job.  That’s a very tight budget folks.  Have you been that broke before???
Please read the rest of their story and see more photos on the GoFundMe site… and help a little if you can.  Thank you. (go fund me link removed)
P.S. Yesterday I unexpectedly came into a little bit of extra money and I am sharing some of that with Lori and Russell.  Thank you, Titan.

Thank you for helping me get to Colorado job.

My new pet (or dinner?).  Do you know what it is?  Landed on the hood of my van as if to welcome me to Colorado.  NeatO.

The view outside my van doors:

Thanks to the folks who helped me get to Colorado, now I am here and the road is not opened and I can’t get to the campground where I will be working.  I could have up to two weeks wait time (that means two weeks without pay).  So I’m looking for more work in the meantime.  Here are the two sketches I just finished today.

An 8 x 10 pencil portrait of ONE face, or ONE pet for about $40. Send scanned (high resolution) photo to me for advanced approval and qoute. Once I accept the photo I'll doctor it in Photoshop to crop out  unwanted things and send you a photo mock-up of how I envision the sketch. When you approve of the mock-up, you can deposit funds to my PayPal account... using charlene.swankie@gmail.com. My PayPal account.  See samples of my work on last post.

I have still not been able to replace those two bad tires but at least they did not blow on the road.  However, I’m not so sure what will happen when I head up that mountain road to my job site.

Bad planning on my part. I am endeavoring now to set money aside each month into an emergency fund... and will be able to contribute almost all my income to that fund from May-October.

Also, I do excellent photo restoration work.  If you have an old photos you want restored, send me a high resolution scanned image for a free QUOTE.  SAMPLES.

Thank you in advance.

Charlene (aka SwankieWheels)

Why or why is the month so long and the dollar so short???

Alright, I’m fessing up.  Here is my budget.  What can I do to make my money go farther, other than NOT buying gas for the van?

Monthly Expenses:

Car and Trailer Insurance	$  70
Dental Insurance	$  34
Hospitalization Insurance	$  38
Verizon Internet Service	$  64 (essential)
Ancestry.Com	$  30 (generates some income)
TOTAL	$236.00
One time only:
New Hard Drive	$  65
New checks	14
TOTAL	$  79

Income:
Social Security	$853
Sketches	90
TOTAL	$943
Expenses (8/22 until today):
Gas	$105
Food and misc.	$100
TOTAL	$284
Balance today	$194

Out of that balance will come September’s bills due prior to 9/21 totaling $72, leaving me with $122 for gasoline and food and emergencies between now and 9/21.  A tank of gas will cost about $90 or more as prices go up again… leaving me less than $30  or so for food and emergencies.  So, I’m stuck at a nephew’s house in Indiana (rather his yard) until I can get more income from sketches or my social security check arrives.

If anyone can think of ways to trim the budget or generate more income, I’d appreciate the ideas.  Internet access is my life line… can’t cut that.  Ancestry.com is my hobby and sometimes generates a little income from doing genealogical research for others… so I SHOULD NOT cut that.   Insurance… I don’t think I should cut… I usually get the value for my $ there… and besides, I do have military health coverage which covers any other medical expenses.

I spend little on fast foods, just an occasional sandwich from a dollar menu, seldom eat out, carry a supply of ham, cheese and bread in my 12v fridge, have a supply of canned meats on hand, keep some cereal on hand and buy soy milk about 1/2 gal a week.  Don’t buy candy or ice cream often… maybe once a month.

So, HOW can I have more money for gas so I can keep on going down the road.  I plan to pretty much just “park” from Oct – Mar… so things should be a little better then.

Thanks for reading, and thanks for any ideas (or photos to draw).  I am also available for photo retouching and genealogical research.

I feel like a caged wild animal when I can not keep going, driving, reaching my goal… and I scare myself.