Well, being a disciple of Dave Ramsey I don’t borrow money. But the situation is that I need a car, as my present one is on its last legs, and I have no money to buy one with cash. The bad news is, with a credit score of zero, I can’t borrow money, because every lender borrows only on the credit score. If you don’t have any debt, you can’t get anybody to sell you money.
I went to several car dealers, even one of those “WE APPROVE EVERYBODY!” places. In each case, when it came to borrow money, I’m not borrowing enough, or I need a co-signer. They won’t let me borrow a reasonable amount of money, for a short period of time. Maybe because they’re not making enough money off me to make it worth their while. I just ran some numbers, and if I get the loan I want, they only make $600, as opposed to a bigger loan for a longer time, like $12.5k for 48 months they would make $2,150.
I don’t want to get a new car, because I’ll have a payment that will strangle me for 4 years or more. And with the value of a new car dropping 30% when I drive it off the lot, that just isn’t appealing to me. I’d rather buy a car for what it’s worth instead of an inflated price just because no one has owned it before me.
So I’m stuck between the proverbial rock and a hard place. Being in a negative cash flow situation this month only compounds my problems. I’m literally having to borrow from Peter to pay Paul. My bank accounts are empty and on the verge of being overdrawn. Relief is an entire week away before I get my next paycheck. Before and after that I have a couple of reimbursement checks, but those are going to pay Peter back. I’m squeezing every penny to the point Lincoln is begging for mercy.
There is good news. Help is on the way. Things are going up on eBay this week, and hopefully they will sell for enough to cover the bills I know are coming. I am putting up a microwave, an exercise machine and an apartment washer-dryer. I am also selling my high-power rocket motors. Keep your fingers crossed that they will sell for enough to make it worth it.
I am also under a short deadline to move out of the old apartment, I have to be out by Monday the 15th. That will not be a lot of work, just the effort of putting all the stuff somewhere. I am also leaving a lot of stuff behind, as I can’t do anything with a second queen-sized bed, or the furniture that goes with it. But I do have to move two bookcases, and all of my rocket stuff.
And this doesn’t count that I have to organize a job fair, a walk-a-thon, and my normal work, PLUS time at the Depot, PLUS time helping my son get into college. I guess I’m going to have to give up sleep for the next couple of weeks and hope I don’t decompensate.
Please keep my family and I in your thoughts and prayers, and a hit on the Paypal button wouldn’t hurt either. =)