There goes my empire

[Tracyjo]

My job went to Mexico. I was on unemployment until it ran out. I lived for two months without a job or unemployment compensation. That's no income at all for two months. I have a CD collection. A local record store will buy back some of my CDs for half of what they sell them for. They sell used CDs for $6-$10. If I sell them back 300 of my CDs, I can make at least $1000. I need money now. I finally found a job. I'm thinking of giving up my empire just to have cash, because I won't get a check for a couple weeks. I can always go and buy them back, right? What should I do? Keep 'em and hope I can borrow gas money, or sell 'em and not have to worry about it?

[BelleCarolinaPeridot]

1. Have you tried going to a temp service for temporary work ...

until you find something permanent ?

[Tracyjo]

3. I have a full time job now

I just don't get paid for two weeks and I am completely broke.

[BelleCarolinaPeridot]

5. Do you have any cash advance services in your area ?

Its a place where you go and borrow money until your next pay day . You take an old paycheck for them to have proof that you can pay them back .

[Tracyjo]

6. Tons of' 'em.

They charge too much extra. I'm not getting sucked into that crap. That'd be like taking my stuff to a pawn shop. Not gonna do it.

[BelleCarolinaPeridot]

7. I understand . I hope things get better .

[MsConduct]

2. Sell them. You can't run the car on music or eat it either. Good Luck!

n/t

[Tracyjo]

4. ... But it's my EMPIRE!!

I hate the thought of it. Gawd, I hate making decisions.

[lenidog]

8. Try this

Take the CDs you listen to the least and sell them, then open up your phone book and look up front, there is usually a section with phone numbers for local charities and government agencies. Some of the charities will give you some money for gas if you tell them what happened. Also they will refer you to food banks.

[Tracyjo]

10. Awww, you are so sweet

Thanks for that. I'm not starving. I just can't pay my bills for a while and I'm sick of being broke. Unemployment sucks and it sucks even more when you don't even have unemployment. I applied for food stamps and they told me I only qualified for $11.00 a month. That was when I was on unemployment. I also had to pay $800.00 to the IRS this year. Why do people on unemployment even have to pay taxes? I don't mind paying my fair share, but jeez, $800.00? Now you know why I'm so broke.

[MsConduct]

13. You can always build a new empire. A bigger and better one. n/t

[radwriter0555]

18. So borrowing money from a cash advance is too costly, but basically

pawning your CD collection, and buying it back at twice the price you sold it for is too expensive?

It's just stuff. You can only listen to one CD at a time.

Sell a few of them to get you by for the next couple of weeks. You don't have to sell all of them.

[Omphaloskepsis]

9. Sell enough...

to buy three hundred blank Cd's. Copy the Cd's. And then sell them.

Unless you care about the packaging that is what I would do.

[Tracyjo]

11. ok, but I'd have to sell them before I had the money for the blanks

[Omphaloskepsis]

14. Exactly..

Sell the twenty you like the least. Or, if you have the hard drive space make images of them and then sell them.

[tomreedtoon]

12. Get rid of the damned things!

You can always buy them back when, and if, you get a job back. "Your empire," indeed. This is putting your sense of worth in your material posessions, a really stupid and destructive way to live. Maintaining your life and health is far more important than some ridiculous physical goods.

I was once robbed at knifepoint in my apartment just after I went to sleep. I lost nearly everything...my car, TV, my crummy old computer, everything. I realized that I had my life, and that was far more important than anything I lost. Those drugged-out thieves, who are probably dead now from the drugs they bought with my stuff, did me a favor. It was the beginning of my taking back control of my life.

It sounds like you losing your job is the equivalent, and your life will be better when you use those foolish posessions to get something far more important...namely your life.

[Richard Steele]

15. Best case scenario: Your finances improve, and then you buy them back.

WORST case scenario: Another 3 years of BushCo, and people will be BEGGING to trade CDs for a handful of rice.

Solution: Sell your "empire"; use $50 of the proceeds to purchase 100 lbs of dried rice and beans and 2 airtight containers for storage;
then WAIT.

It's really a win/win for you over the long term.

[Phentex]

16. Sell them. Isn't that what those iPod thingies are for?....

Can't you download a billion songs later on one of those things? Do you have time to listen to all 300 of your CDs? Get a weekend job at a music store.

[solinvictus]

17. My SO and I had to do that five years back...

We worked as Kelly Services temps and the idiots in the office "forgot" to send payroll for the week. As a consequence, our checks were going to be three days late, meaning we would miss rent. We sold about a hundred CD's, a ton of books, and a ton of VHS movies to make rent. I'm still bitter, so I completely sympathize.