Yet more grumpiness

[42]

I sympathize Stacer.

I'm frustrated by bills too. Fortunately, I'll be returning to school which will put off my student loans for a while. Still, Christmas shopping and some unexpected expenses have led me into the glamourous side-career of plasma donation for the time being.

[Faster Master St. Pastor]

Still, Christmas shopping and some unexpected expenses have led me into the glamourous side-career of plasma donation for the time being.

My half sister does that too. it's kind of annoying though because she is living with us for the time being so that she can get out of debt-something in which she has put forth almost nil effort. Normally I wouldn't mind, but she is kind of manipulative and dominering. This isn't good for either of my other sisters, my oldest one all the more so because she trys to make everything her fault so that she can still like people who offend her, which leads to depression. She offends my half sister regulary, on accident, because my half sister is very unrealistic about what offends her. Offer one piece of criticism about anything she does that has to do with art or writing and she goes off the wall and starts trying to make you feel bad, amoung other things. For instance, she took a story that she was writing to a Writing Group and they critisized it, like they are supposed to. Now, instead of fixing the problems she can't write in her story because they where trying to tell her that her story was bad, not what needed to be fixed, like they where actually doing. Not only that but nothing that she does can be wrong, for instance, I once made a joke about her that she found offensive and so she got angry and started insulting me. When she did this too me (made a joke about me that I found offensive) I was suddenly uptight and acting immature and like a PMS girl, and then she insulted me again.

I'm thinking I should stop here, either that or put this in a new thread entitled: Things About My Family and Friends Which I Find Annoying.

That reminds me about a friend of mine who is a very bad sport in video games, when he wins he starts yelling and saying that we all suck at the game, and when he loses it had to have been because we had an unfair advantage or we where cheating. I hate it

[stacer]

Well, I talked to my brother after talking to the mechanic, and he thinks I've been hit by another take-advantage-of-a-woman mechanic. He still thinks he can fix it by borrowing a $50 tool (or buying it if absolutely necessary) and buying a $1 can of brake fluid.

I think it's probably more a symptom of our throw-away culture and a desire to be thorough that prompted the mechanic to quote me an $850 bill over the phone (and he's not the first one to do it--nobody who power bleeds a clutch was willing to do only the power bleed). Yet the result is the same: a $30 job turns into an $850 job, which makes me start thinking about getting rid of the Jeep and how am I going to afford something else when I can't afford the Jeep, etc.

There are things that are happening that will hopefully iron out the bill situation, but they won't be implemented in full until April (getting a roommate in a cheaper apartment, etc.), though a few things will be working within a month. It's just that it's still hard to get through the holidays alone--completely alone, not even with friends nearby, really--with that hanging over your head.

So, hopefully my brother will be by tomorrow and fix it. Cross your fingers.

[Faster Master St. Pastor]

Well, I talked to my brother after talking to the mechanic, and he thinks I've been hit by another take-advantage-of-a-woman mechanic. He still thinks he can fix it by borrowing a $50 tool (or buying it if absolutely necessary) and buying a $1 can of brake fluid.

People like that piss me off. So they know how to fix a car and you don't, that doesn't mean that they should try to take advantage of you. It reminds me of when my dad sent my mom to the hardware store while he was fixing the house, they tried to tell her that she needed something totally unrelated to what my dad needed. They where such jerks that my mom had to end up calling my dad, just to prove to the idiots that he wanted what she siad he did. Grrr... that's what makes people not trust each other.

[stacer]

Thing is, I know cars pretty well. Not as well as my brother, but I spent my share of time under the hood and under the car with my dad, as well as taking a few mechanics classes (including one in which we took apart a lawn mower engine and put it back together). This is not to say I can do anything beyond change the oil (if that, given I learned on a Buick Century and now drive a Jeep), but I do know how to understand what my dad or brother tells me and repeat it to the mechanics. But the last time I did, they still took advantage of me--I told them all I needed was the timing adjusted, and they went ahead and adjusted the timing when in fact it was that the carburetor wasn't bolted down tight enough, which my brother didn't know. Instead of coming to me and saying that the carburetor wasn't tight enough so they couldn't do what I asked, they adjusted the timing so it worked *worse*, then told me that the carburetor was loose and offered to fix it for $100 more, after charging me $50.

Not right.

[Faster Master St. Pastor]

Definetly not right. That's why I like that billboard that has a picture of a mechanic and syas: Couldn't fix it. Refused money. Mechanics should be more like that. Have you ever noticed that mechanics seem to be crooked far more than any other proffession?

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

To be just a little practical, I ususally think like you when I have to fix a car, Stacer, but as my father-in-law pointed out: will a car you can get for $850 or less work better/longer than the jeep will after you spend $850 on it? I mean, you can't KNOW that, but that's the real judge of what to do, rather than relative cost of the repair vs. the price you paid for it.

Hopefully you won't have to spend the $850 though.

but yeah, I'm still in debt. I count progress as getting closer to being capable of paying toward the debt, rather than actually paying off the debt. So I sympathize and wish I had an answer.

General advice to everyone, magazine subscriptions tend to save a bit. You can do without them, really, and they're a relatively painless way to cut out an expense. That and cable, high speed internet, and other subscription services. I know a lot of people who feel like they're not making any progress yet every month they give $100 to the cable company for extra channels and faster downloads. Then when they go and buy a TiVO too... I wonder what they're thinking.

[stacer]

I don't have cable or TiVo, and this internet situation of mine is about the cheapest it gets, but I had to pay for a home phone at the same time, which is something, but still only $25 more a month. If I had a roommate, it'd be quite cheap. The only magazine subscription I have is one that I got suckered into at Best Buy and haven't figured out how to cancel. I certainly don't even read it.

And don't I know about the car situation. But the original plan was to have it last me about 6 months (which is now) and then buy a better one, one more like the most perfect car I ever had. Cheap and reliable. It was a 98 Ford Escort, which had been a mission car (in a mission that actually took care of its cars, North Chicago). 46,000 miles on it, for $4600; my car payments were roughly $100 a month, and I never had to do more than basic oil maintenance on it.

Back when I first moved here, my brother convinced me to buy this car from him, and though it's been great for getting me around, I basically ended up paying him what I would have given for a downpayment, and now that I'm broke, trading in the Jeep probably isn't an option. That's the thing: I knew it would involve some repairs, but I didn't want to keep it long enough to deal with the big ones. Now I have no choice, really. And that sucks. Especially when the mechanics think they can gouge you. Oh, I have no doubt the system should be replaced eventually, but what he was saying to me--that power bleeding it would blow out the master cylinder--isn't really true, and he was trying to sell me something I didn't strictly need.

[Tink]

This may not help, because I know that many times we just want to rant and be heard and not hear possible solutions (and I just want to say that you're heard and understood), but have you talked to your Bishop? When I was a student and newly married, my husband and I were only making $800 a month. This was not enough to pay rent and all our other bills (and this including cutting out everything that we could). We were able to get food from the Bishop's storehouse until I graduated and could work full-time, allowing us to pay for our own bills. He mostly likely can't give you money, but he probably could give you food (which saves from your budget so you can more easily pay your other bills) and try to find someone in the ward who fixes cars or who has a car they don't want but still works who is willing to donate or something. You may have already done this, but just in case you haven't, remember that part of the purpose of the Church is to be charitable, to take care of the needs of the members, and the law of consecration. I hope that's helpful .

[fuzzyoctopus]

I'm so grumpy because for some reason I BADLY want to buy this pattern and make this dress for myself.  But where would I wear it??  I coudln't even wear it to church without feeling like a ninny.

WHY must I live in an era where one never wears ball gowns or pretty dresses?

[stacer]

I know what you mean, fuzzy. Occasionally I'll wear what used to be considered a Sunday dress to church and feel completely out of place because I feel so much more dressed up than other people--especially when I wear my velvet dress. But I only own two skirts, and I get bored with them.

[stacer]

This may not help, because I know that many times we just want to rant and be heard and not hear possible solutions

That's okay, Tink. I was just ranting, and like I said, a lot of solutions are working together to put things in a better place by April. I've been being helped, but it's just so frustrating not to be able to do it yourself, and on top of that have a bunch of things break at the most inopportune time. At least neither the car nor the computer is completely broken *yet*. Both are clinging to what life they have.

[The Lost One]

I am a little grump today because I took my oldest son to see March of the Pengins today at the local dollar movie theater (actually, it's only $0.50 on Tuesdays). He started acting up shortly after the movie started and I had to drag him out, kicking and screaming. Not only did I waste money to see a movie that I couldn't watch but now I have to second guess myself on whether I can take my three-year old son to movies any time soon.

[The Jade Knight]

I'm sorry.  My half-brother was always very, very good in movies.  Even thrillers (for a kid) like Jurassic Park and Lord of the Rings.  It's restaurants you can't take him to (still can't, and he's six now)

[scAri]

I'm so grumpy because for some reason I BADLY want to buy this pattern and make this dress for myself.  But where would I wear it??  I coudln't even wear it to church without feeling like a ninny.

WHY must I live in an era where one never wears ball gowns or pretty dresses?

You know, I've felt slightly that way lately. I have gone through all my long skirts once this semester, and now instead of cycling through again, I want (strangely) to start wearing evening gowns to Church. But there are also people who consistently show up in jeans in my ward, so I'd feel like a complete idiot if I did.

Psh. I don't know why I feel that way. Is this even a sympathisable problem to have?