The problem with New vs Repair is that any new faucet set I'd be able to afford would be crappy..and even that would be more of a financial bind than I can really bear. IF I can fix this one, that's my best option.

If I can't get the water shut off in the house, I can turn it off at the meter. That's not a tricky task at all (probably a good deal easier than messing with trying to finagle the knob downstairs)

What are the supply hoses, Bobert?
Are they those metal-net covered things that hook pipe to faucet? If so, I don't have them here..tub is hooked to pipe..no shut-off or hose-thingy or anything like that.