ADR3-N 2025-03-10 17:57:58

Thank you so much. It means a lot, and you do the same, more than you realize!

For when I get the chance, do you have any new music projects you think I'd enjoy?

ADR3-N 2025-03-10 21:14:45

Me too. I was just getting in the swing of doing regular collabs and had a ton of projects lined up!

ADR3-N 2025-03-11 05:08:53

Adding to my list <3

ADR3-N 2025-03-11 05:32:22

Yes, you can. I'd appreciate that actually (I didn't think to ask)

ADR3-N 2025-03-11 21:14:46

Thank you so much!

ADR3-N 2025-03-13 01:08:46

Ah geez, I won't be able to access that until my phone is fixed, but I'll DM you my phone number for when I can. Thank you so much!

ADR3-N 2025-03-14 04:37:07

At least you can eat an egg. Seriously, it means a lot. And so do the puns. Thank you!

Re: shitty vehicle -- it's not that mine is total shit. It just has been shuddering along the highway significantly, and I can't seem to find what's causing it. After the mechanic run-around, I suspect it's the CV Axle.

How all this went down, I made the stupid decision of going to a car shop chain to change my sparks, to see if that would help, and they of course screwed me because I'm a woman.

That's the short version.

The long version is, they (Midas) did an upsell for an inspection, to which I said, sure, why not -- I could use to have someone look at and identify any problems I myself couldn't see.

That was $89.

Then they said I had cracked upper and lower intake gaskets. I said, fine, replace the gaskets. I had been having problems with the compression anyway, and they were original.

That was supposed to be $800 total. I could have covered that myself, dipping into my savings.

What they DIDN'T tell me was that they were going to charge me for the labor of replacing my sparks, which I had on hand, then charge $1000 of labor which was never quoted to me before confirming the service. Oh, and replace an air filter I specifically said to leave alone.

They also had already done all this, and then said the only way they'd accept a payment plan was if I took out a loan with their financing partners. We love kickbacks.

The interest rate on that loan is sky-high, well over 160% if you don't pay within 100 days. It would break me for 2 years straight in my financial situation. So, in addition to busting my ass on hiatus this month, I asked for help!

Like, I can accept being gouged by well over $500 bucks, but I can't accept being gouged that much AND having to pay double over time. I've got to get this paid off, or I'll be eating canned peas and ramen for 24 months, lol.

ADR3-N 2025-03-14 18:03:16

I totally agree, but what are you going to do? Tell them to take it off? Idk.

I might be filing a complaint with the BBB for the simple fact they didn't quote me the extra $1000 for the manifold disassembly (told me they were already doing that anyway, as if it wouldn't be a separate charge), plus charged to replace an air filter I didn't ask for. The problem that was there before is still there now.

Last time I go to Midas though, period.

ADR3-N 2025-03-14 19:17:25

Replying in reverse order.

Beans are actually super expensive over here, probably because they're quite filling and pretty nutritious. Peas, the sweet english kind, is something I can tolerate eating a lot of. They go for less than a dollar a can, and luckily I like them in large quantities lol.

It's been peas, ramen, tortillas and deli meat for a while now. Maybe the value menu and no drink at Taco Bell if I'm feeling frisky. Can't be too good for me, but I could still stand to lose a little weight, so I'm probably fine. The worst that could really happen is vitamin deficiency, and that isn't too hard to fix.

I absolutely can tolerate your two cents. They're along the lines of what I was already thinking. The only thing that puzzles me is, it does NOT in fact get worse when turning, goes away at higher speeds, and seems to have nothing to do with braking. The spark plugs (ignition coil alternative from what I understand) are brand spanking new, from the manufacturer. The CV boot on the other hand is supposedly leaking a bit of grease.

You're absolutely right. I've been had. The only reason I paid it to begin with is so I could get the damn car back. 160% over two years is absolutely the worst loan I've ever heard of. Like a 30 year mortgage rolled into 24 months.

I'm sure they do this to poor suckers all the time, because they know that unlike rich people who can't be bothered to do their own repairs, we might care, but we can't afford to sue.

ADR3-N 2025-03-14 19:42:55

It probably is. What I can do about it in my current predicament with no money, I'm not sure.

Ordinarily I would at least do the spark plugs myself, but I needed to be back on the road in a couple days, and I didn't have any socket wrenches. Looks like I'll be getting a set of tools again once all this is over

ADR3-N 2025-03-17 20:41:56

There's no need to be embarrassed about that either. Being broke just seems to be a part of the human condition to me at this point. Most people I know are paycheck to paycheck, even people who make $150,000 a year, depending on where they live. And life happens!

There actually is one way you could help me out. Before my phone broke, I was using this app called Mistplay. It's one of those things that pays you to play mobile games, only instead of having you do a ridiculous amount of tasks to make any cash, it pays over time.

It only pays in giftcards, but two of those options are Visa and Mastercard prepaids, which you can charge on Square for a small fee. So, effectively, you CAN actually deposit it into your bank. Loopholes.

Anyway, I made like $80 bucks off of it before my phone broke just by playing it between doordash deliveries. Took me like 3 weeks. But for that amount of money? Not bad at all. Now that my phone is back half working again, I can at least get paid for wasting time, lol.

I'm gonna leave my referral, just in case. You don't have to take it. One of the caveats of the app is you're only allowed to have 5 referrals, so you'd better hope your referrals actually use the app LOL. But it does pay well for what it is.

https://mistplay.onelink.me/ZGRQ/xg19l4mk

ADR3-N 2025-03-19 09:35:34 (Updated 2025-03-19 16:53:54)

Oh God I remember those days. Like, I just turned 30 this weekend, so I've officially been around for a while. I totally get it.

Re: sketchy internet links and apps

Good on you for not just trusting anything on the internet, and recognizing that pretty much everyone here is a stranger until proven otherwise!

Most stuff like this I wouldn't recommend at all -- so many scams. This is the only thing I found that actually pays. I've been using it for gas money. In the future I'll probably be using it for extra music gear.

Technically you don't NEED a bank account to benefit from it. Like, if you wanted any paid apps, they offer Google Play cards. FL Studio Mobile users rejoice lol. And they also do Amazon, eBay, and a bunch of others. The prepaids can be used for any kind of online shopping though.

Don't just take my word for it; I'm sure there are Reddits and YouTube videos about it that aren't sponsored somewhere online.

Re: no bank account

There are ways to get around not having a physical bank and basically being broke as a teen. I would definitely ask your parents for help.

Response may vary. Like for me, my parents were cool. They appreciated I was trying not to constantly be asking them for money and helped me set up a Paypal, which at the time wasn't a bank, but it was a way to get funds from get-paid-to sites and stuff. xD

Best option by far is to ask your parents set you up a savings or checking account. It might not be something you can access all the time, but I had friends who used their savings to get either new games, consoles, or whatever they wanted. One of my friends made enough money to get their first (used) car.

Option two is Paypal, Cashapp, Venmo, ko-fi, Gumroad, and Patreon. These will also have to be set up by your parents if you're under 18.

Apps like Cashapp, Chime, and Square allow you to start up a checking account on them, which is useful if you don't drive, since you can access them from pretty much anywhere.

Basically, as long as your parents are cool, there's nothing wrong with you starting on your finances early. For one, you'll have somewhere for all the Christmas and holiday money to go, and for two, you can start taking donations and commissions from your projects!