Nothing works!

[Igovert500]

I'm just pissed nothing works. I just finished up college and come home to a broken house with a broken car. During most of the year my brother and I are at school. My mom lives alone at these times and works 80+ hours a week, and has neither the time or energy or money to get things fixed.

So first off our AC is broken in the summer, and our heat is broken in the winter. We've had 3 guys come look at it, charge us $80 an hour or whatever, fix one random $200 part, purge the system and tell us its fixed. 24 hours later, its dead again. So for the past year we've been using portable fans and heaters. When its 95F outside, my upstairs room goes to 105F...portable fans suck!

Our cable box doesn't work. We are paying 2x as much for freaking digital cable and the damn thing just freezes and resets itself 80x a day. If we try and use any of the digital cable features it does the same thing. I call them up. My options are pay some technician $80 an hour to come out and look at it, or return the box. But hey, their office hours are the same hours I work, and they don't even have an office less than 25 miles away! Grand!

My car doesn't work. I've driven it 3 damn days since Jan. Yet I still have to shell out $600 a month to keep it insured and out of the repo guys hands. I've had an oil cooler leak, 2 busted rims, a leaking downpipe, and now a mysterious electical demon probably in my ECU! Due to lack of money, mechanics are out, hell even buying parts has been difficult at times. I've had to wait on saving money, I had to wait on shipping, I had to wait 2 months for the damn state to pay for my busted rims.

And all I hear from the rich arrogant pricks I work with: is your car fixed yet?

From my financially secure friends: when you gonna fix your car, because you can't keep rotating your mom's car around 3 peoples working schedules.

From my mom: sorry I need the car today to get to work and pick up your brother at 7, why don't you ask one of your friends?

From my girlfriend: did you fix it today? Maybe a mechanic could get it fixed faster and then you could work more and pay everything off.

From my boss: When are you gonna be able to work again full-time?


I'm just so sick of not being financially secure, and not having things that work. Nobody understands I need a car to get to work and make money, but I need money to get my car to work. It's a catch22, I've borrowed from everybody who doesn't have money, because they are the only ones who understand. And everyone who has money never thinks to offer.

And it is so damn hot, I'm literally sweating from just sitting at the computer typing. Portable fans = worthless.

And to top it all off...my cheap and in-walking-distance Gym just closed down, a month ago, and I can't get to OR afford any of the other large-chain we-have-everything-you-could-possibly-want-but-don't-need gyms which have taken over. So I can't even lift.

End Rant.

[Igovert500]

Hmm, wow way to be a prick.

You don't have AC, well I'm sorry because I know how much it sucks. But do you have heat in the winter? Because let me tell you how much the lack of that sucks.

Let's see, why did I get my car. I didn't want to at the time, I had a used Honda which died. I wanted to hold out a few more years as I knew I couldn't financially swing it. But I wanted the car since I was 15 and my grandmother knew it.

She was the type of person who would skimp and save as much as she could, not spending $ on little things, so she could afford spending it on big things. Living through the Holocaust, it was how she was.

My cousin's other grandmother died, and even though his parents are millionares, she left him 30k to buy a damn SUV. My grandmother specifically wrote in her will that the money she left me should go towards the car I wanted. When she died, I needed a damn car, I made the decision I think she would have wanted me to make. I put down her money as a downpayment and have been working my ass off trying to pay my way through college, support my family, and enjoy the one nice thing I actually have. I have been stressed out about finances since I was 12 and my dad died.

I do the best I can, and simply want to get out some of my frustrations in a stress release forum and all I get is "Sorry if you wanted sympathy, cause you're not going to be getting any from me."

No I don't want your sympathy, but I could have lived without your prickish response.

[Rally Sport]

Sorry to hear about the crap you're going through. Maybe you should get rid of the cable, as it isnt a necessity, hell I dont have cable TV or anything all you need right now is to get your car up and going, and im sure the money that is being spent on that could goto your car. Maybe though you should try to get a cheap used car that will last like a month for a grand to help you move around to get things done and actually try to fix your car in that time, I know how bad it is to not have any A/C or Heat so I know wtf you're going through, also not having a car blows big time. Youu gotta try to cut some things off though that you dont really need right now like the tv or probably insurance money, and just shove your car into the garage.

[Igovert500]

The cable is my mom's. It's only on her TV which she uses on her downtime. I've already called and compained to them mutiple times, and it seems I have to get that stupid broken box back to them or they will keep charging us. As well they said if it's broken we probably wont get our deposit on that POS back. I'll argue, but we'll see. It's just next to impossible to get to this cable place because their hours suck and all 3 of us are working.

The beater car I would love to do, I'm actually hoping that I can pick up one from teh dealership I work at by Nov.

Insurance is getting cut, because I'm done with college and have moved back, so I'm switching all my driver's stuff from NY to PA anyway. So I'm gonna be going with a new insurance company anyway.

I've pretty much not done any frivolous spending in the last 2 years. I just focus on getting the bills paid and putting some food on the table. All the mods to my car have been presents.

But yeah, thanks for the suggestions. I get what your saying and appreciate it. Sorry for getting pissed earlier ec, I just wanted an outlet to vent my frustrations. And it just seems like some of the people I'm around just don't see the full picture.

[RickwithaTbird]

I don't think it's tact you lack, its respect for other peoples feelings. most peoples problems do come from mistakes. But if we all knew everything, life would be perfect. There are a few people here who never seem to give a shit about other peoples problems, and whenever a story is told you tend to give an overly simple solution to all of life's problems and blame them for anything that ever went wrong. It's called "holier than thou". Get that damn brick off your shoulder.

[MagicRat]

Originally Posted by RickwithaTbird

I don't think it's tact you lack, its respect for other peoples feelings. most peoples problems do come from mistakes. But if we all knew everything, life would be perfect. There are a few people here who never seem to give a shit about other peoples problems, and whenever a story is told you tend to give an overly simple solution to all of life's problems and blame them for anything that ever went wrong. It's called "holier than thou". Get that damn brick off your shoulder.

Well said.
That post should be a reminder to everyone here. Thanks, Rick.
EC, rick was not 'flaming'. If he was, he would have used far fewer words. Taking your posts off in a huff and laying a guilt trip was not asked for nor was it constructive.

AF generally is a good place because of a helpful attitiude among its participants. There have been other forums I don't frequent anymore because everyone there is a jerk.
However, the anonimity of the net makes it easy for people to be assholes when posting.

Lets not turn this into a rag on EC437. Sure he was a jerk in reply to a post I made a while back, but I'll chalk it up to a bad day for EC. As for the posts here, we should take what you can use and ignore the rest.

As for Igovert500, his experiences are typical for younger people with responsibilties. You have your education, which is a great asset. With hard work and some career planning, you can make more money and become more secure, it just takes a bit of time.

[MagicRat]

Originally Posted by ec437

I'm really not sure what you want from me.

We don't 'want' anything in particular, except constructive debate.
Removing your posts in a huff was not constructive.
This last post of yours IMHO was great, well said, welcomed and quite appropriate.

[Neutrino]

Originally Posted by ec437

I'm really not sure what you want from me. I tried to have an honest opinion, and it got me "not flamed". I tried to remove my honest opinion, in hopes that people would forget I had one and that I would get not "not flamed".

In reply to Rick, I would like to define "tact":

tact
n : consideration in dealing with others and avoiding giving offence

Which is exactly what I lack. I know it, and its fine with me. I say what I think. It doesn't make me an asshole, it doesn't mean I'm a jerk. It means I speak my mind, and that is completely and totally acceptable. If you don't like that, well, that sucks for you.

No lack of tact does make you an a-hole as you proved it in this thread in the posts you deleted. This is stress release and igovert has some valid issues he wants to vent about. So please stop hijaking this thread and making it about you. This is the first and last warning before a 3 day vacation.



Anyway igovert, try to focus on the positive things, like the fact that you finished college. I'm sure you can find soon a good carrer job that will take care of your financial trouble.

[fredjacksonsan]

Yeah, good luck with everything; there is an end to the trouble.

If I may, a couple suggestions:

Before you pay the incompetent AC guy another $200, consider going out and getting a couple air conditioner units to put in your windows. They're about 50-100 bucks, new.

Scratch the cable. Although your Mom may like it, it doesn't work properly and is a drain on your finances. You can always get it hooked up later when the money is there.

Since it's summer, consider a motorcycle to commute. Much cheaper than a car. I don't know what problems you are having w/the car, but good luck with getting it up and running. I've had vehicles that didn't work that I was still paying on, and I can really sympathize.

Hang in there, this too shall pass.....

[YogsVR4]

You're supporting that old saying "When it rains, it pours" Sorry to hear your tail of woe. Its tough getting on sound financial footing out of the gate. There always seems to be someone that dips into your wallet or something that falls apart when you need it most. I hope things settle down for you and you can get your AC cranked up, HBO on the tube and the VR4 rolling again.

[GritMaster]

Sorry it doesn't work... here, take some of my advice





























J/k Man Hope everything get's better, just tryin to lighten it up :P

[Igovert500]

Well the day just got better. I almost lost my job! If they didn't need workers so desperately, I'd be looking for a new one.

Why you ask? Well obviously, I don't have a car. So to get to work I have 2 options:
Mom's car or carpooling with 'best' friend. So I pleaded with my boss to give me the same schedule as my friend so we could carpool. So we alternate days so we don't use only his gas. We use his car then my mom's car, etc.

Well today was his day. Being that last Monday he went MIA on me, and I had to call out of work becuase I couldn't get there (taxi would be over $100 roundtrip, and all my friends and brother's friends were working or carless)

So he makes up some bs excuse about being too far away and it would take too long to come pick me up...blah blah blah. Great friend right!?!

Well after reminding him last night that he had to drive today. He went MIA again. We and other friends had plans to hang out that night, he never showed or called. Today I already had to beg another friend to pick up my brother from work during his (friends) lunch break.

I get done that ordeal and sign online, only to find my 'best' friend's away message saying some crap about running errrands then going STRAIGHT to work. This was 4 hours before work. I call his cell phone 5 times, and get ignored. I instant message him, his idle goes away a bit later, so I know he got them...but no reply.

I call his house and his mother makes up some bs excuse. So for some reason (uncomprehensible to me) he is acting shady and ignoring me, knowing full well he is my only ride to work.

So for the 2nd time in this pay period I've had to call out, costing me 2 days of pay, I had to hear my boss flip out...again, and I almost lose my damn job. Thanks alot asshole!

[fredjacksonsan]

I think "friend" is the wrong word to use here, more like "sabateur".

[King Of Crunk]

your friends suck.....my best friend has gone to mexico to pick me up from jail once........he was in minnesota....haha!...i paid him 300 dollars to do it a month later but still it was a good week or so out of his life....

[King Of Crunk]

why are you guys posting stuff about EC...he didn't even post in here...