Money Woes.

[Pierce Tondry]

Greetings one and all!

Or one and most, since I'm pretty sure not everyone's online right now.

Anyways, I've made some slight mention over the past month/month and a half that I was having money trouble and might not be able to go to Burning Nerd. I'd explain why, but it's long. Suffice it to say that my income has been negative since July and I don't have a lot of savings to ride things out to the point where they will change.

I've tried some small measures to counteract things but in spite of those efforts, I'm continuing to bleed. Upcoming medical and auto expenses are also on my horizon. Midlevel cost-cuts have begun, but there's no guarantee they will succeed at stabilizing things. If the situation continues to worsen or stay as is, I'll be cutting costs more drastically and getting rid of things I can live without. A plane flight anywhere (re: Burning Nerd travel) is at the top of this list. My home internet package is near the top.

So, in case I suddenly don't appear online, don't come to BN, and attempts to reach me fall into a black hole, that is why.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

:( I hope things start to turn around and stabilize before it comes to that. :glomp

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

Geez dude. Let me know if you need anything! I'm a call away.

[Pierce Tondry]

Well, I'm not gonna ask for plane tickets that'd run like $430+. That's just asking too much.

I've been working on this all night and by digging deep and cutting everywhere I can, I can break even per month IF nothing happens beyond my budget, meaning no surprise expenses and things do not turn out higher than anticipated. I lose several things in this scenario including the little budget I had for entertainment and shopping, but internet's not off the list at least.

I'm terrified, though, that the medical issue and the car problem will be huge expenditures that completely wipe out my remaining savings and leave me in serious debt. Those aren't in the budget because I have absolutely no way to guesstimate their cost. If they're a few hundred dollars each, maybe I can make it to the end of the year okay. Maybe by some crazy-ass miracle I can even afford BN tickets. I'm just not counting on it.

[TheHolo.Net]

Let me know if we need to make some other arrangements regarding your recent contribution to the forums.

[Pierce Tondry]

I absolutely do not want to do that. If I can avoid it through any means possible, I will. At the moment, I don't think it's necessary either. If I get to a point where I must ask for it back, I will, but I will do everything I possibly can to avoid that first.

I would restate it further but the first two times might be enough (silly, silly self). I really don't like being a guy who asks for gifts back.

[Morgan Evanar]

Have you gotten the codes pulled from your car yet? That tells you a lot about how much it might hurt you.

[Pierce Tondry]

Yes. Cam and crankshaft sensor issues were the problem causing engine shutoff so I had those repaired today (took time off but I have to be able to get to work tomorrow). There were other codes that came up, but I intend to either take those elsewhere or do them myself to offset the cost. They gave me the list of diagnostic codes, so I'll be able to use that to address the rest of the problems.

Went through the total cost of the repairs so far. It was $652 bucks, of which $334 was parts. I'm fairly certain both parts and labor could have come cheaper if time was not also a factor. Part cost alone would probably have been cut to 2/3 (including shipping) if I'd ordered them from that site you linked me and could wait a few days. I'm guessing maybe $450 total if I had a mechanic I trusted to install parts I bought, $250 if I did the work myself.

It is definitely past time for me to learn cars and repairs. No more of this paying ungodly hidden premiums garbage.

[Darth Turbogeek]

It is definitely past time for me to learn cars and repairs. No more of this paying ungodly hidden premiums garbage.

Step into AI on somethingawful, we'll put you right in that

[Pierce Tondry]

Step into AI on somethingawful, we'll put you right in that

I nosed around in there when I was looking for info on why my engine was shutting off, actually. Initial impression I got was that grease monkeys are crazy bastards but they sound like they know things. If I hadn't stumbled on a probable cause elsewhere, I'd have started asking questions there.

Thanks to the folks who have offered me funds, helped out with knowledge, and wished me well. I'll be getting a credit card soon to help control liquidity issues and living a spartan existence for awhile. I've cannibalized my budgets for personal shopping, clothes, entertainment, and am tightly monitoring other things like utilities to make sure ends are met. At the end of the day, I have money in my bank account and a small positive income savings. That's really what matters right now.

A slim hope remains that I will make BN. I will update the thread at the top of the forum with any further news.

[Oriadin]

Doesnt sound good mate. Fingers crossed that you can get things sorted out soon.