This is a painful post to make, but I wanted to let you know that I'm pausing billing for Patreon for a bit because it's become clear I need to take a short break from YouTube to get my house in order.
It's especially hard because I know that Guzzle has so much more potential to grow — I feel like it's just starting to gain momentum! — and I know that YouTube harshly punishes channels that stop consistent production, but I'm realizing the home that my husband Myles and I recently bought is much more of a fixer upper than we anticipated.
We knew it wasn't brand-new and needed some major updates, but we thought we could tackle repairs a weekend at a time over the next couple years. Well, that was an adorable fantasy, because the past few weeks we've been at war with this house as years of deferred maintenance have started causing havoc at once.
Attic invaders
Last week a squirrel took residence in our attic and did an impressive amount of damage to our roof, chewing about half a dozen holes in our sheathing.
Pest control involved wading through a dusty pool of fiberglass fluff while walking on a tightrope of 2×4s and hidden wires (that we also need to map to install a radon fan).
Leaks & cracks
We've also found three leaks in our basement, which led to the discovery of foundation cracks and a panicked rainy-day removal of a patio in our front yard in desperate need of regrading.
Sump pump revival
Our sump pump was dead on our arrival, so we reinstalled that with a clear cover to keep tabs on its wellbeing going forward.
Drainage design
Every underground downspout was clogged, so we've been scoping drains with a sewer camera to trace where they're meant to discharge and are now working on a long-term solution to direct water away from our house.
Bottom line
These are just a handful of the jobs that I realize come with the territory of homeownership, which is a privilege I'm really grateful for, but that's also why I feel like I can't afford to put off this maintenance any longer, because Myles and I are seeing the damage add up in real time.
I know we could outsource some of our task list to contractors, but I'm the type of person who wants the job done right the first time, and it's hard to find a stranger who'll care about your home as much as you do.
I'm hoping I can knock out some of these repairs in the coming weeks because I'm eager to wrap up to my pending televangelist edit and tackle my next exposé, but I hope y'all understand why I need to protect my home at the moment.
I'm really sorry to slow down the upswing of our efforts to stomp out scammers, because it means everything that you believe in me and this channel. I really can't thank you enough.
For the time being, though, I've paused billing on Patreon until I'm back full force at Guzzle, which I hope will be sooner than later. Until that time, I appreciate y'all and hope life is treating you well. ❤️
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About
Hi! I'm Mary, and I make Guzzle, a YouTube series that spills the tea on shady money-makers. I investigate scammers, report on suspicious tactics, and try to help y'all avoid financial harm. The full story →