How long will will I last? I have been a contributing member of DU since 2005.

[Paper Roses]

I gather my contribution has run out. Ads showing up now at the top and side of the pages. I will have to go along with things the way they are, ads and all, until --hopefully--life gets better.
Don't know when that may happen. Social Security only goes so far.

It is not too bad, at least not yet.
I will try and ignore the ads and see if I can proceed to be a reader until I decide that DU comes before my phone bill or the like.
I can no longer give hearts or donate in the name of another member. That makes me sad.

$60.00 is too much for me right now. I will persevere.

[lunatica]

1. I got my star on the $3 dollar special

When mine runs out I'm with you.

[movonne]

4. Since they are not running the fund raising anymore how do you

donate...I must be missing it somewhere..

[lunatica]

8. Here...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=myaccount&sub=star&page=pp

[rug]

27. It's no longer a donation, it's a purchase.

[cynatnite]

2. I'll get my star when the money is in the bank...

I go from month to month. If the extra money is there, I'll get it. If not, I'll wait until I've got it.

We will all persevere

[NightWatcher]

3. The ads aren't too bad. I've been star-less for months

I do so miss posting polls however.

DU3 is still pretty friendly with ads. You hardly notice them if you're on a mobile device. Since my laptop died I only have the iPhone and the ads don't get in the way.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

5. It is completely beyond my comprehension why we can't buy stars for anyone else.

And I don't know why they haven't addressed this, either.

It's very frustrating.

[The Wielding Truth]

7. Can't we?

[XanaDUer]

34. We cannot buy stars for other members, nor they for us? Didn't know that. nt

[obamanut2012]

6. I can't afford one, either

Money is just too tight this year.

You can post without a star.

[Raine]

9. Mine ran out a couple of months ago. I would donate but they don't take checks

anymore. I don't want to use a credit card or paypal so I'm going starless for the foreseeable future. It's not that bad and anyway I don't mind having the extra 60 bucks for myself.

[Paka]

24. When did they stop taking checks?

That's the way I have to pay. I may lose my star later this year. I am a retired ex-pat living in Thailand on my social security because I can't afford to live in my own country. We live a cash life over here. I've been saving up so I would have the $42 to pay when the time comes around, but if I can't send a check it will be the end of my star in September.

[Raine]

28. When they switched over to DU3. I have looked and looked and can't find

anyway to send a check. People have asked in the H&M section and it seems they have no plans to allow checks again, anyway not in the near future.

[rug]

29. It's only $42 if you use Paypal to make a recurring monthly $3.50 payment.

Otherwise it's $5 a month.

I don't understand why you can't make a one-time payment of $42 by check.

[Paka]

46. That's what I had been planning to do.

Maybe there can be exceptions made for unusual circumstances, or maybe I can write the check to a relative of mine and have them put it on their credit card. I don't use the extra privileges, but I like my star and I feel good about paying what I can for the pleasure I get from DU.

[Codeine]

10. Get an Adblocker for your browser.

That way at least you won't see them. Much easier to deal with.

[wial]

18. but

isn't blocking advertising un-American? If we didn't have Madison Avenue we'd have to have a nakedly visible secret police to keep us cowed and fearful instead!

[Xolodno]

11. Or.....

...visit sites you like quite often that advertise on the net. Seeing Disneyland discount tickets, etc. isn't so bad. Make the damn cookies work for you!

[Control-Z]

12. I tought I had paid a year

but my star is gone too, after 3 months. Plus I've been trying to pay but the payments haven't processed.

[ellisonz]

40. Have you contacted Skinner?r

[Control-Z]

44. He answered one message

but not the others I've sent yet.

[Lars39]

13. If you use Mozilla Firefox, you can block ads.

[Wind Dancer]

19. Isn't it wonderful?

I can't donate now but at least I'm ad free.

[LeftofObama]

26. Same here. No ads

Mozilla is terrific!

[TalkingDog]

38. Amen and Amen!!!!

[HappyMe]

14. I can't afford to get my star

back either.
I'm sure there will be better days ahead for all of us.

[bigwillq]

15. I just got used to the ads. No biggie now.

I decided to no longer donate once the new rates took effect. But I can still read and post so it's fine by me.

[KT2000]

16. Same boat here

I would like to make a donation but the $60 is out of reach right now and there are not any alternatives.
Here's hoping for better times for all!

[longship]

17. Starless, too. $1,014 a month isn't enough for me

And my 23 year old car is barely drivable. I dunno what I'll do if it dies. It's over 30 miles round trip to the nearest grocery store. My roof leaks. My septic system is ancient. My furnace is cranky, but runs inexpensively, except the oil to burn. I am behind in my property taxes.

No star for you!

Peace to you all.

[Kaleva]

23. Yes. I get $1071.00 a month.

I have an old scooter my ex lets me use for transportation (she kept the car). It's going to be about 2 more months before I can seriously think of donating to DU.

[kudzu22]

20. I hadn't even noticed the ads until you mentioned them.

I guess I've become immune to internet ads. Er, I mean.....um, I click every single one...and thoroughly enjoy the products and information they contain. Yeah.

[Cleita]

21. I hope somebody will help you out.

I would but I recently lost my job and am pretty strapped myself.

[SmileyRose]

22. I can't afford it either and I'm grateful to Skinner and all for letting me come here anyway.

Since most of the ads I've seen so far in the new DU are products or services that actually interest me then I've been able to give a little payback to the DU by buying on the net via a click through from DU.

For instance my raincoat has been mended so many times it's almost unmendable. Time for a new one. I've been surfing online to find a new one I can afford that's hopefully also made in USA. Within a few days I was fed an ad from King Louis, union made in the USA clothing line and found a man's raincoat on clearance in size small.

[DearAbby]

25. I hear ya...Mine ran out too

Like you we are on a tight budget. Last October we learned my Husband has cancer. We got the surgery and most the chemo-therapy behind us. Radiation now for the next 5.5 weeks.

Look at the positive side, those DU'ers who are able to pay for membership, I am thankful. I would not be able to enjoy DU without you, warts and all :-D

Big Thank you.

[mvd]

30. Sure do wish they would go to the old system

You can't even post a poll unless you pay $60. I can't do it and hope they re-evaluate.

[obxhead]

31. Use Firefox as your browser.

I have a plugin that blocks all the ads here and most other sites. Pages load faster with the ads blocked as well.

[great white snark]

32. It is expensive. Thankfully a wonderful Duer gifted me my star on DU2.

Whoever you are know that I appreciate your generostity and I vocally "thank you" every time I log in.

[Curmudgeoness]

33. You and I both....

you will realize how many people are running around starless, and it will become a greater number by the end of the year.

You will learn to ignore the ads---they are not as intrusive (usually) as I thought they would be. (I just had one pop-up at me and those are the only ads that totally piss me off.)

I hate not having a star, and not donating. I want to support DU. But I am just not willing to play by the rules set up---they ask for too much money for a membership star. Oh well.

We look forward to having you post anyways. At least we are not blocked from that!

[scarletwoman]

35. Dear Paper Roses, as a GD host, I would prefer to lock this thread, since it doesn't meet the SOP

of GD, which is "Discuss politics, issues, and current events... No whining about DU."

While I do not want to insult you by saying that you are "whining about DU", I will point out that you are clearly not discussing "politics, issues, and current events." I also want to point out that discussions about DU itself (which includes "bemoaning" the current cost of purchasing a Star) properly belong in the Help and Meta-Discussion forum.

I brought your post to the Host Forum looking for consensus before proceeding with a lock. While 4 out of 6 hosts weighing in so far agree that your OP belongs in H&M, only 2 hosts (including me) wanted to lock it.

I am posting this to give fair notice to other DUers that this sort of OP does not meet the SOP of GD, and that similar posts may very well be subject to being locked and being asked to re-post to H&M.

I am sorry that you can't afford a star, and I have advocated since the very beginning of DU3 that DUers be allowed to donate stars to others who can't afford them. I will continue to advocate for this - in the Help & Meta-Discussion forum.

[mopinko]

41. we can't donate stars?

wtf?

[Liberal_in_LA]

36. k&r

[jwirr]

37. Do they notify us when our donation is due now?

[Raine]

39. No, mine just disappeared. You can check under "my account" I think the info

on when it expires is there.

[jwirr]

43. Thank you.

[progressoid]

42. A very kind DUer gave me my current star.

Even though I would like to, I won't be able to renew it when it expires.

Hang in there. We're all in the together.

[daaron]

45. There's no reason to ever see ads on the Internet.

Just use Firefox with Adblock Plus add-on. If you use the add-on "Ghostery", you can block Facebook trackers, etc., too. I never see ads on DU, and I pay squat.

[NoPasaran]

47. Just installed it

In your face, stupid ads!