Status on server Financially.

I'm not going to go into all the details this time around on what costs us for this and that and what is coming where. I'm just posting this out there for those who likes to keep an eye and see how good or bad we are doing currently.

Keep reading for some quick details. Read the red text below for bottom line/to the point info.

303 days until next payment (we're paying yearly now).
Due about 11/26/2013

Cost for the server yearly:
16 Slots ($2 ea.)
+400MB Ram ($1.50)
($3x16 + $1.50) = $33.5 A month
$33.5 x 12 = $402 A Year
We do get a discount for paying yearly and being with them for over a year. Not going into that. Extra money can go toward upgrades.
This does not count what I pay to advertise us on the SpoutCraft server listings. We don't pay for advertising on other server lists. Too expensive just for a hobby. SpoutCraft listings may seem cheap, but reasonable.

Income since last payment:
Referral links for advertising our host: $63.35

www.hostedgameservers.com/?ref=ligerxt5

Donations (oddly exact): $100
Total: $163.35
About $81.675 a month
     That's about $980.10 in one year if we keep it at that rate!

• Expenses:    $402.00 For A Year
  
• Income:       $163.35 Since last payment
• Remaining: $238.65 To pay for next year
• Great work guys!

So what upgrades could we get?

I'm aiming for no higher for 20 slots. We've had a number of players state they prefer a small server.
Increasing the RAM on the server for less crashes due to RAM Usage Spikes. Though we are using Spigot over CraftBukkit, we still have some RAM Spikes from time to time. So we have to keep back on some plugins. I'd really like to get Citizens and ShopKeepers installed and use them.

Why can't I just help pay for the server directly?
You can, but we'd like it if you used the buycraft donation system. We have a section dedicated for donations without rewards. http://mcden.buycraft.net/category/22464

I'd like to donate a little amount for a couple features, not for a whole tier.
We're actually working on that. If you've visited the donation page in the last month, we have added a lot of new donation features. We will keep the tiered system as a discount for those who do have the money. They will be about the same price, but will get free ingame items and money. Though that is still in discussion and can widely change later.

The donations idea is a bad idea. Needs to be revamped. No one should get items ingame just because they have the money.
I totally agree. I've been given a lot of suggestions for setting up donations for outrageous permissions and items as well. I've been trying to keep the playing field even as possible. Hence the mob eggs require a donation instead of buying them ingame. I may set up the mob eggs for a much higher price ingame later, or I might not.

I don't have the money to buy the stuff that I'd have to find another way to obtain.
If you are following the rules of the server, it states you must be 16 years or older (and mature) to join. If you are 16 or older, get a job. Not making much? I suggest finding a different job that pays more, or stop playing games and get to work.
The server alone, with no donations or referral income, would cost me a month income from one of my jobs. I'm also a college student with no college loans to worry about later. (Slightly off topic: I do not suggest going about how I am getting through college without college loans. Nothing bad that I'm doing, trust me, just some stuff in my past that has a ying-yang event for my future in some ways.)