Poke around the Repair section at parktool.com and peruse the videos at bicycletutor.com , putting some effort into your current bike and learning as much as you can about fixing it.
I'll bet you can make it rideable. That way, you won't be so dependent on a shop to fix any little thing that happens (I've seen people walk into my neighborhood shop saying, "My brakes don't work right...", and it's merely a five-minute adjustment to fix them).