Save Karyn is the name of both a Web site and a book. SaveKaryn.com was the first notable “web panhandling” (or “cyberbegging”) site. Save Karyn: One Shopaholic’s Journey to Debt and Back, is the book chronicling the events leading up to, and through, the height of the site’s popularity.
The creator of both works is Karyn Bosnak, originally a television producer, raised in the U.S. state of Illinois, who has lived much of her adult life in the greater New York City area. Up until 2000, she had a relatively high-paying job, and wasn’t really concerned about going into debt to feed her affection for buying designer-label products. However, when she was laid-off, her credit card debt of over $20,000 started looming larger every month she was unable to find steady employment. In the summer of 2002, mostly out of desperation, she registered the Internet domain name savekaryn.com, and launched a site blatantly asking for donations.
SaveKaryn.com started in June 2002 when, after losing my job, I realized I couldn’t pay my credit card bills - credit card bills that added up to over $20,000 - credit card bills I ran up by shopping. Yep. Too many Starbucks lattes. Too many BCBG tops. Too many great Gucci purses.
While lying in bed one night, I thought to myself, “Self, $20,000 isn’t that much money. If 20,000 people gave me just one dollar, then all my yucky debt would be gone!” So on a whim, I created a silly little low-budget website asking people to help me pay off my $20,000 credit card bills. All I needed was 20,000 generous individuals…
Before I knew it, people around the world were logging on to savekaryn.com and sending me money through PayPal and the mail. In 20 short weeks, my website received over two million hits and all my debt was paid off. (NOTE: I have since donated all the money people gave me to charity.)
