To think people who need GoFundMe for essentials have made poor life choices?

[OneBoldPoet]

Every time I see a GoFundMe for rent, groceries, or vet bills, I can’t help but wonder - why wasn’t there a buffer? Why weren’t savings made or insurance sorted? I understand bad luck but it seems like people make consistently poor financial decisions and then rely on strangers to bail them out. AIBU to think this culture of crowdfunding everything is getting out of hand?

I don't think I've ever seen one for rent or shopping? I've seen plenty for vet treatment but as it's normally into the thousands and people have an option to donate or not I can see why.

There are many reasons people and families end up on their asses and it isn’t always due to bad planning.

have you ever watched the film I Daniel Blake?

it’s a good representation of how in this day and age the people of our country can have the rug pulled under their feet from the very system that was meant to be there as a buffer.

Because some people can't afford savings or food or rent or heating. If you don't have enough to cover essentials then you don't have enough to save. HTH.

I'm not sure that you can include Vets bills here. Pet insurance is prohibitively expensive with a large excess. Not everyone can afford to spend £50+ per month with a £800 excess which may not cover everything (ie if your dog had a tooth removed, it probably won't cover anything dental for the dog).

Yawn, another bot post

I just reported and asked how is repeated pbp still getting through🤷 and njmerous times a day sometimes

Would have been in a right pickle when my DP died completely unexpectedly three years ago without the Go Fund Me that friends set up. Yes, I was embarrassed in a way, but survival sometimes comes with a side dish of humility. Ultimately one person's alleged "poor life choices" is often underpinned by poor opportunities and unforseen circumstances. And when it comes to the health, well-being and life dependency of living creatures I'd rather take the risk of donating and being mugged off than the potential alternative.

Nobody has to donate, and given the precarious nature of the world, life, and economics, I think I'd rather potentially help keep someone afloat than let them sink from moral judgement.

GoFundMe for uninsured losses, vets bills, holiday medical fees when uninsured etc always really annoy me.
If you can afford the tools/goods/holiday/pet then that should also include affording insurance (or if not footing the bill from your own pocket/savings for any unexpected costs or being prepared to have a pet PTS rather than invasive surgery etc)

This is an unpopular opinion but if you can't afford to take care of a pet to a reasonable standard you shouldn't have one. It's not fair on the animal denying it basic medical support and leaving it in pain or discomfort because you can't afford to take it to the vet. Pets are expensive, people need to make sure they are solvent enough to look after them properly otherwise its neglect.

Before people come at me saying why can't poor people have pets or its my only source of companionship, it's not fair to deny them this? it's not fair to keep animals in a situation where they are not fed or looked after properly either. You have a responsibility to look after them properly not just a right to have them.

Those don't bother me. What I hate is gofund me posters asking for unnecessary stuff like holidays etc.

I have never seen a go fund for rent, groceries, or vet bills either
I would just ignore, a lot of them are possibly just brass necked chancers who I certainly wouldn’t be giving money to

We have no savings whatsoever. Not even £100. Our income doesn’t allow for it. I would never go a gofundme but I have nothing but sympathy for those in low wages.

I broadly agree with you and there is definitely a cohort of people who seem to take no accountability for their own actions, and expect their problems to be solved at the expenses of others.

However, as I get older, I increasingly learn that “shit happens” and people can find themselves in situations completely outside of their control.

I really can’t get worked up about it tbh. People can set up a GoFundMe and then it’s up to individuals whether they feel moved enough to donate. Just as people can ask for sponsorship, cadge freebies on Marketplace, or beg outside Sainsbury’s.

Honestly, if you can't afford proper pet insurance or veterinary care, you probably can't afford a pet in the first place. It isn't fair on the animal.

Having said that, I don't agree with the OP that people who end up suddenly unable to meet their essential expenses have necessarily made poor choices. Some of them simply won't have had enough to put by for savings etc. If you have no money spare at the end of each month after paying for the basics, and then your washing machine breaks or something, it's very likely to push you into financial crisis.

Of course, if people have enough income to save for emergencies and just don't bother, then that's on them. But not everyone has that option.

None of those would annoy me because your situation can change so quickly, and what once was easily affordable may not be anymore, so it's not necessarily people being feckless.

The ones that annoy me are people crowdfunding to take their kids to Disneyland (not sick kids, just regular kids who want to go) or people who've gone off on expensive holidays and not bothered to pay for insurance.

Well, I moved out at 18 to go to uni and graduated at 21 and continued living independently since (i.e. never moved back in with my mum). Fyi, not everyone has an option not to be independent from the off.

I’m now 27 and I’ve never had any savings. My income has gone up steadily over the years and I’ve worked hard. Every time my income goes up so does the cost of living. I don’t spend on extravagant things and I haven’t had any holidays abroad that I’ve paid for since uni.

So, with that, what’s your point? Are people like me irresponsible despite changing career for better income opportunities and now earning 10k more than when I first left uni…but I’m in the wrong for basically being in the exact same position as when I first left?