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Epic Financial Clusterfuck.
Captain Awesomeftw
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Hey guys- I'm up shit creek without a paddle. To catch you guys up:
I got kicked out of my house for being an atheist on April Fool's Day. I wasn't financially ready to be on my own yet, at all. I didn't have much money, or the first god damn clue as to how to organize my finances.
So I moved to Greenville, SC, from Jacksonville, FL, since it's MUCH cheaper to live in this area than Jacksonville, and also I have two friends here I'm planning to room with in the coming months.
For the time being, I decided to rent a room from a person I found via a Craigslist listing. I got room and board (food, utilities) for $300 a month. Not bad at all. However, the lady I'm renting from just found out she's going to have to move to Arizona for treatment of some unspecified medical condition. I've apparantly got until the beginning of June to find a new spot to live. I was originally gonna get a place with my roommates the beginning of June, now they are just now both telling me they're not ready to move just yet.
Work wise, I'm working at Starbucks, full time, and it's not working out for me at all. Minimum wage, and because I haven't been "certified" yet, they are witholding my tips from me (which they didn't mention in my interview) and also, I'm paying taxes on the tips that they are witholding from me. After taxes and minimum wage, I'm not making shit, and it's a long commute to get there, using a lot of gas, at all odd hours of the day, anywhere from 5am to 11:30pm. Pay is biweekly, and so far I've only gotten one check.
My next check is going to be very small- Last week my car broke down, the battery was so dead I couldn't even jump the damn thing. So I lost time at work there, and they left me off the schedule this week, even though I got my car fixed last week. My parents sent me money via Western Union to get me a battery, and I installed it. Car works just fine now.
My driver's license is currently suspended due to some outstanding tickets that I simply do not have the resources to pay. I'll also need to get a SC driver's license, and register my car here as well.
Outstanding debts-
Unpaid tickets- $80, $30. I'm guessing there's gonan be exorbitant late fees as well.
Car Payment- $125 due 5/25
Insurance- Nothing's due, because mine expired. Couldn't afford to pay it. Need to get some ASAP.
Rent- nothing's due but I'll need money to secure a new place to live.
Credit Cards- $600 (Had to live off of these since it took me a solid month to secure work after I moved.)
Income Tax- Haven't filed mine yet, didn't have the money to do it. Apparantly I owe $60 bucks or so. Also, one of my W-2's is missing.
ASSETS-
Car- '97 Volkswagen GTI in decent repair.
Half a tank of gas.
Pocket change on my nightstand for cash assets.
Good resume with over a year of marketing/management experience and good references.
A tent and sleeping bag in good repair that I could live out of if I absolutely had to.
Personal effects (clothes, etc.)
Cellular Phone- It's on my parent's bill, they're letting me keep it.
Music equipment- I have a Taylor acoustic guitar, that's probably worth more than my car, and a shitty old eletcric guitar + amp. It's possible that I could sell these, but honestly, I think I'd sooner go into prostitution than part with them. They have IMMENSE sentimental value to me.
How am I gonna dig my way out of this?
Before you suggest it-
I AM NOT MOVING BACK IN WITH MY PARENTS. Read that again if you have to. Don't bring it up, don't bother, it's not gonna happen, they likely would not let me through the door anyways. And I've already asked them for money, they claim not to have any even though they both work, and my dad makes 100k a year as an air traffic controller.
I have no relatives within 600 miles of me. And they're all poor. Plus, they'll probably take my parent's side anyways.
Student loans are out, since my parent's won't help me with their info for the FAFSA. I've asked and asked, they don't give a shit. Also, I don't have my tax info, since I owe Uncle Sam some pocket change. So I can't do student loans, and thereby, I can't really go to school, which I need to be doing.
By all means, please bring some suggestions. I'm in a bad way here.
I got kicked out of my house for being an atheist on April Fool's Day. I wasn't financially ready to be on my own yet, at all. I didn't have much money, or the first god damn clue as to how to organize my finances.
So I moved to Greenville, SC, from Jacksonville, FL, since it's MUCH cheaper to live in this area than Jacksonville, and also I have two friends here I'm planning to room with in the coming months.
For the time being, I decided to rent a room from a person I found via a Craigslist listing. I got room and board (food, utilities) for $300 a month. Not bad at all. However, the lady I'm renting from just found out she's going to have to move to Arizona for treatment of some unspecified medical condition. I've apparantly got until the beginning of June to find a new spot to live. I was originally gonna get a place with my roommates the beginning of June, now they are just now both telling me they're not ready to move just yet.
Work wise, I'm working at Starbucks, full time, and it's not working out for me at all. Minimum wage, and because I haven't been "certified" yet, they are witholding my tips from me (which they didn't mention in my interview) and also, I'm paying taxes on the tips that they are witholding from me. After taxes and minimum wage, I'm not making shit, and it's a long commute to get there, using a lot of gas, at all odd hours of the day, anywhere from 5am to 11:30pm. Pay is biweekly, and so far I've only gotten one check.
My next check is going to be very small- Last week my car broke down, the battery was so dead I couldn't even jump the damn thing. So I lost time at work there, and they left me off the schedule this week, even though I got my car fixed last week. My parents sent me money via Western Union to get me a battery, and I installed it. Car works just fine now.
My driver's license is currently suspended due to some outstanding tickets that I simply do not have the resources to pay. I'll also need to get a SC driver's license, and register my car here as well.
Outstanding debts-
Unpaid tickets- $80, $30. I'm guessing there's gonan be exorbitant late fees as well.
Car Payment- $125 due 5/25
Insurance- Nothing's due, because mine expired. Couldn't afford to pay it. Need to get some ASAP.
Rent- nothing's due but I'll need money to secure a new place to live.
Credit Cards- $600 (Had to live off of these since it took me a solid month to secure work after I moved.)
Income Tax- Haven't filed mine yet, didn't have the money to do it. Apparantly I owe $60 bucks or so. Also, one of my W-2's is missing.
ASSETS-
Car- '97 Volkswagen GTI in decent repair.
Half a tank of gas.
Pocket change on my nightstand for cash assets.
Good resume with over a year of marketing/management experience and good references.
A tent and sleeping bag in good repair that I could live out of if I absolutely had to.
Personal effects (clothes, etc.)
Cellular Phone- It's on my parent's bill, they're letting me keep it.
Music equipment- I have a Taylor acoustic guitar, that's probably worth more than my car, and a shitty old eletcric guitar + amp. It's possible that I could sell these, but honestly, I think I'd sooner go into prostitution than part with them. They have IMMENSE sentimental value to me.
How am I gonna dig my way out of this?
Before you suggest it-
I AM NOT MOVING BACK IN WITH MY PARENTS. Read that again if you have to. Don't bring it up, don't bother, it's not gonna happen, they likely would not let me through the door anyways. And I've already asked them for money, they claim not to have any even though they both work, and my dad makes 100k a year as an air traffic controller.
I have no relatives within 600 miles of me. And they're all poor. Plus, they'll probably take my parent's side anyways.
Student loans are out, since my parent's won't help me with their info for the FAFSA. I've asked and asked, they don't give a shit. Also, I don't have my tax info, since I owe Uncle Sam some pocket change. So I can't do student loans, and thereby, I can't really go to school, which I need to be doing.
By all means, please bring some suggestions. I'm in a bad way here.
Captain Awesomeftw on
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That's 100% illegal. Starbucks corporate would have a shit-fit if they knew about that. They have a reputation for treating their employees well.
Do you have any friends who wouldn't mind you crashing at their house for a while?
Are you looking for better work, closer to where you live?
took out her barrettes and her hair spilled out like rootbeer
I busted my ass to get this job based on that reputation, and I have seen little evidence to support it yet. They have a Barista Help Line I'm going to call and talk things over with.
Regardless, I hope it works out for you.
Usually I'm not the one to recommend legal action, but in this case, you could use the money they've kept from you, and then some. And, it's Starbucks, it's not like you're pursuing a conscious nonprofit organization here.
I would look into it ASAP...
It's only gonna be like $30-40, but damn could I ever use it at this point. Litigation will cost money and time I don't have, but I'll pursue this with corporate, internally.
This is your best chance to get money. If Starbucks Corporate wont help you, then go talk to a lawyer and see if he will either work pro bono or just take a cut of the winnings in a court case. I've heard of people winning hundreds of thousands, even millions, of dollars for something even half as bad. And with the way starbucks protects that reputation of treating their workers well, they will settle out of court very quickly.
I need a place to live, and means to make money and get in the black NOW, not months or years of legal bullshit from now.
Alright Captain, I've been pretty low before too, and I know it isn't very fun. It feels like the world is crushing down on you, but the good news here is that you have no place to go but up at this point (unless you take the aformentioned advice). Here's what you need to do:
1) You need to find a place to live ASAP. You obviously have some kind of internet access, so use it. Craigslist was a good idea, so that's a start. Look in your paper, look at local classified web sites, anywhere you can. Your best bet will be to find a room to rent or something like that from an individual who will be willing to work with you. You may have to do some searching, but you should be able to fairly easily find someone who will understand your situation and take what you can give and cut you some slack until you get on your feet financially. Save whatever money you can earn from now until you're ready to move, use that as your first payment, and make a promise to fulfill future obligations. There are still nice people in this world, and SOMEONE will understand your situation and help you. You just have to do the work to find them.
2) This Starbucks thing doesn't seem to be working out for you, so I would highly suggest checking out a temp agency. Many of those places can have you working the day after you interview, and you can get a daily paycheck. That's money in the bank 2 days after you interview, and that's what you need right now. Even if it is extreme physical labor, cleaning out toxic tanks in a plant, or whatever, you do whatever will pay you the best amount of money in the short term. You just have to go into it with the attitude that you will do whatever it takes to make a buck, and you should have no problem getting temp work immediately. And if you're lucky, you could get a cushy $12 and hour data entry job, so look into it!
3) If possible, get the job in a place close to where you live so you can walk there, or somewhere close to the public bus route. Your car is obviously a major drain on you, so you're going to have to sell it. You're probably going to get behind in payments in the next couple months, and it will probably be repoed, so you're better off selling it for whatever you can. Hopefully you can pocket some cash from it and use that to find a place to live.
4) Call every company or group you owe money to (including the IRS) and explain your situation, and find out what your options are. DO THIS BEFORE YOU START GETTING BEHIND IN PAYMENTS. If you attack this thing preemptively, you might be able to get some sort of defferment or you might be able to work something out while you're in hard times. The important thing is to do it BEFORE you get behind, while you're still in relatively good faith with these companies.
The main thing here is to do whatever it takes to get yourself into a stable situation, even if it is crappy. You need a place to live, a job, and way to consistently get back and forth between these two places. If you have extra time, take on a second job. Or if nothing else, you have a guitar - sit on the street corner and play for tips. Do whatever you have to.
Good luck man.
Oculus: TheBigDookie | XBL: Dook | NNID: BigDookie
First thing is first: call the IRS. Tomorrow. Explain the situation to them. You should have filed for an extension before the fifteenth, they would have given it to you, no questions asked. They're not out to screw you, they want to help you. Hell, they may just wave their wands and make the $60 go away. Just tell them the truth, lay it on the line. At the least, they'll probably give you an extension. Just be polite, and thank them for helping you.
Next, call the counties where the traffic tickets are from. Explain the situation to them. Tell them you're under a financial hardship, and you need your car. You may be able to work out a payment plan, and you may be able to get the late fees waived. These people are out to screw you much moreso than the IRS, but most counties realize they can't get blood from a stone. Again, be very polite. This is probably going to take awhile, and you're probably going to have to call the DMV for the state your license is in to explain it to them, too. Again, be very polite. These people can probably help you, but if they choose not to, they don't have to.
Next, you're on to the credit card companies. Call them. Explain to them that you're in a period of financial hardship, that you can't even pay for a place to live, but you want to pay them back. They may be willing to give you a grace period. These people are especially out to screw you, but again, they realize that if they screw you too hard, they're screwing themselves. Be polite.
Next, call the bank you got the car loan through. Explain to them that you're going through a period of financial hardship. Are you seeing a pattern here? Most of these places realize that they'll lose more money by screwing you than they would by taking it easy on you, and letting you get back on your feet. You really shouldn't let it get this bad before you decide to do something about it.
Have you considered stuff like selling plasma? Decent quick money, especially if you're healthy. It's no living but it'll at least get you a tank of gas and a meal.
I see you're working full time at starbucks which is going to be great once you start getting those tips, but, have you considered getting a weekend/nighttime gig at a bar? If you have any big cities nearby (I think you said Jacksonville...I guess that counts) I've heard stories of waitresses pulling down around 400 a night in tips (but they had boobs). Seriously though, without a degree working at a bar is killer bucks for a younger person. I used to be a bouncer in my last year of high school and a year of university and then I went out into Chicago and worked as a bartender for a friend of my mother's and you get interesting stories and decent pay. Other than that look into factory work. A lot of places are hiring college-aged folk for the summers.
Also, sleeping in a car isn't so terrible, or a tent really. But, it sucks not having an address to put on applications. Can you still use your parent's address? Anyway, you have until June so I guess you have a little while to sock away a bit of dough right?
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I wouldn't recommend doing it often however.
-edit-
And yeah, sleeping in your car sucks, but it's still a place to sleep. I have friends who did it for far longer than a few weeks and while it wasn't fun, they eventually were able to improve their lot.
What about these friends of yours. Since they are the ones delaying the move, do they have a couch you can crash on until then?
The harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sun.
If I could just get a loan or something to put me in the black and consolidate all these expenses, within a month's time I'd be golden. However, I'm reluctant to attack a problem of having debt by submersing myself further into debt, and I'm wary of predatory lending practices. Is this something that's a viable option for me? It seems like a good tactic to me, but it might just be a way for me to avoid swallowing my pride and begging for leniency elsewhere.
There is nothing wrong with selling plasma, they have limits on how often you can do it so you will always be safe.
Note: Sell plasma not blood, it replenishes faster.
Other things, sort out a place now and sell your car or live out of your car and use your parents/friends as a forwarding address.
Look at getting a part time job at a fast food store or something as shitty on weekends. Or see if there is some manual labour going around.
Satans..... hints.....
Try the options Thanatos has given first.
I would be very surprised if you couldn't get at least a month's grace period (although I'd shoot for 3-6 months) out of your car loan, your credit cards, and the IRS.
Taking out additional debt is your last resort option. If you have paid off a lot of your car, you may be able to put your car up as collateral, refinancing your existing car loan, and getting some money back in return. But this should be an absolute last resort.
the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
Consolidating your debt is a good idea if and ONLY if the consolidated amount has a lower interest rate than what you would be currently paying.
Satans..... hints.....
You would probably have a hard time just getting a straight up bank loan since you don't have very many assets and very little income.
For the love of god do not get one of those pay day loans, or you will be in a very bad spot.
we also talk about other random shit and clown upon each other
This is feasible. my minimum payments on my credit cards amount to very little, and I could get my license legit, and cover my car payment. Can anyone second this advice? However, I'm damn keen to avoid that potential rabbit hole of getting a credit card to pay off a credit card which I got to pay off a credit card, etc forever.
If you can't pull that off, getting more credit becomes a bit more viable, but really, it should be a last resort.
Honestly, the IRS will likely be more than happy to give you a grace period, and the county where you got the tickets are likely to be pretty lenient about it, too.
Your credit card issues, while important, pale in comparison to your little niggles with the government. Make sure you've got food and shelter. Make sure your car doesn't get repoed. Take care of your drivers license and the IRS. Then worry about the other shit.
― Marcus Aurelius
Path of Exile: themightypuck
I disagree entirely.
The IRS is pretty easy to satisfy; submit a late return, pay a small fee, ask for an extension, and they're off your back.
$110 in unpaid tickets is unlikely to get your car impounded, especially if you call the court and ask for an extension.
However, credit card debt is going to pile up with late fees, and if you miss a payment, that stays on your credit record for 7 years. Once the CC companies have submitted a late payment notice to the credit reporting agencies, it is extremely difficult to get that reversed. Likewise, make sure you deal with your car payment early as well, for many of the same reasons.
If you must prioritize payments, make sure you pay your minimum monthly fee to the car loan first, then the credit cards. Then pay the parking tickets. Last, pay the IRS. But the very first order of business is to sit down and call all these places - like, tomorrow morning. The sooner you do it, the better.
the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
I didn't say "pay", I said "take care of". You are right about debt. It can fuck your credit rating. But credit rating is modern consumerist parodox. If you care about it, you probably shouldn't care about it. The only things any smart person should use credit for are an education, a business, a house, and (barely) a car. I would make sure you get the car paid first (including getting your drivers license and tickets taken care of--I have a friend who spent a week in jail for driving on a suspended license and it was not a fun week). Feral is right about the truth of your credit record, but that kind of debt is no real cause for anxiety if you are single and healthy. I have what is (perhaps) an irrational fear of the government: I sleep better when that shit is handled. I could give a fuck about a bank (which isn't to say you shouldn't).
― Marcus Aurelius
Path of Exile: themightypuck
Sorry about the double post. This is an odds play. I have a friend who got his car towed for a lapsed registration (would have been 150 bucks). It cost him over 600 to get the car back from the impound. Unpaid tickets are totally not a problem if you deal with them pro-actively but they CAN get you towed, they CAN make you think twice about parking your car on the street (meter runs out, ticket, run license, tow or boot, you--->fucked). Creditors can play with numbers and those numbers are very important, but the government can and will play with your property or worse.
― Marcus Aurelius
Path of Exile: themightypuck
Banks and credit card companies love to fuck you over. A couple phone calls, and the government will be off your back. Ten years later, and your creditors will still be coming after you.
And there's no problem with good debt, as long as you know how to manage it. Your ideas and paranoia are both incredibly irrational, and totally counterproductive.
Kicked out of your house for being an atheist?!
Jesus fucking christ.
This is like a D&D libertarian thread. Who is the bigger evil? Corporations vs. government! Fight!
In any case, I think we can all agree that the wise course of action for the OP is to get up tomorrow morning, hit the phones immediately, and call everybody he owes money to (and use the phrase 'financial hardship' over and over). The results of those conversations can determine who gets paid first.
the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
So someone explain FAFSA. How long until the OP qualifies as an independant and his financial status is no longer assessed in relation to his family's? 21? 25? a year of solo living? earning a certain amount of income in a year?
It used to be two years of independent living, but they changed the standards not too long ago. The criteria, from FAFSA.com:
#7 is extremely difficult to qualify. Being broke and homeless won't do it, you basically have to have been sexually abused by a parent or something of that magnitude.
Basically, he has to be at least 23 years old.
the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
Edit: or take a bus to alaska and become a crab fisherman and make 50k in a week
I assume you are talking to me (which kinda makes me paranoid!!!). What is irrational about my ideas?? What is counterproductive about staying out of trouble with the government? I am not trying to make this a libertarian thing. I'm being purely pragmatic.
― Marcus Aurelius
Path of Exile: themightypuck
1) Join the United States Air Force.
2) Become an air traffic controller like your father.
3) Make the Air Force pay you to get trained (Like I did).
4) Get out in about 4 years and make 100K a year for doing very little
I suspect it might have something to do with the stress of the job. I'd imagine that puts a tremendous strain on people's relationships. Of course, my knowledge of the job comes mainly from that movie "Pushing Tin," so take it with a grain of salt.
I don't feel like quoting the entire thing, but consider Thanatos's first post to be massively limed. You should contact all your creditors and do so ASAP. Yesterday, if possible. The sooner you get to it, the more likely it is that they'll see you as "concientious customer who wants to pay" instead of "lazy bum."
Also, as painful as this is, sell one of the guitars. Or at least pawn it. As important as they are to you, if you need money RIGHT NOW, that's more important than having two guitars.
IOS Game Center ID: Isotope-X
I'm also guessing that the OP has probably had enough of hardcore Evangelical Christians for awhile.
Unless you have absolutely no interest in keeping your job.