Shameless merchandising comes to Chump Lady

You may have noticed something a little different about the layout of Chump Lady lately. I’ve opened a Cafe Press shop to hawk chump stuff. Yes, now you can own “The muffin top that launched a dozen affairs” on a mug! What is the world (or our landfills) coming to?

Let me explain…

[Cue the shame-inducing public radio fundraiser voice…] This site is brought to you by the generous support of readers like you. To endure, Chump Lady needs to monetize itself. I built the site as a labor of love and pissoffedness. Love because I want to help. Pissoffedness because I believe the media is way too full of toxic nonsense when it comes to cheating — affairs are romantic; if someone cheats on you, you have to be “accountable” for that; you’re a failure if you don’t reconcile; you can “affair proof” your marriage if you try; if you don’t cling to your cheater; you’re doomed to living alone in a bunker full of cats; there are no good partners left… Chump Lady is a clear voice in the internet wilderness that says “No. Lay your burden down. Leave the cheater. You’ll be glad you did, and life is so much sweeter on the other side.”

I think these are important messages. I never get tired of nattering on about infidelity, or drawing snarky cartoons about cheaters. But it does keep me from my other scintillating (paying) pursuits like writing feature stories on organic feed mills or dementia wards (really… those are things I write about).

If you’re curious about the expenses to run the site, you can see my operating budget here. Huffington Post is not a paid gig. The currency is in bringing new readers to Chump Lady. Amazon Associates pays CL about 30 cents for each book sold — which to date has netted CL about $33. And more important, I hope, turned you on to some good books.

Yes, this is a sad recitation of how not to get rich blogging. I’ve been approached by different advertisers, of the sorts I see on other sites. One was for marriage counseling (clearly they didn’t do their market research) — you know the kind that makes a link on every post that says “Speak to a LIVE marriage counselor now!” I spared you that. The other pitch was from a nice man who wanted to sell spy ware. GPS and keyloggers are all fine and good in the early stages of busting a cheater, but God, who wants to stay in the “trust but verify” limbo forever? Do chumps really need wire taps? Again, I said no thanks. Not my mission.

Lastly, I was recently approached by a tabloid journalist who wanted to know if any of my readers wanted to sell their sordid infidelity stories. If you do, email me at info@chumplady.com and I’ll put you in touch with him.

Anywho, I seem to rebuff the advertisers who take an interest. If I find a good fit and it’s something I wouldn’t be mortified to sell, you may see an ad or two go up here in the next year. Or perhaps I’ll consider an e-book. I’ll keep you posted.

Meanwhile, perhaps you need a nice divorce gift? A daily reminder to stay “meh” as you drink your coffee each morning? A t-shirt to flaunt your chump pride? Consider supporting the site and buying something silly. Leave a cheater, gain a life… buy a coffee mug.

Thanks, chumps!