One week ago we set up an Intex 12'x30" above ground pool. I have never had any experience with a pool, which has gotten me to the point i'm at now. I didn't add anything to the water for the first several days. We ran the pump continuously during that time. Once the water started getting a little cloudy, we started adding chemicals. I started with chlorine granules which came in a HTH start up kit which included Chlorine granules, stabilizer, shock-n-swim, and some 3 way strip tests. I also purchased the 3 way HTH test kit with OTO and Phenol red drops. Again, I was clueless. I have read over the start up guidelines here and am prepared to get on board with it but i don't have the equipment suggested here at this time. The water has gotten cloudier the more I treat it. Not sure what the chlorine levels are at this point. the HTH drop test turns orange when I add the OTO drops which apparently is off the charts. with the dip sticks it is the deepest shade of purple which equates to 10+ PPM. Now I'm scared to let anyone in there for fear it may damage their skin or eyes. The water is still cloudy and sometimes has a green tinge to it. A friend of mine who has the exact same pool told me to shock it until it cleared up. I've been using products from walmart out of convenience. The shock treatment's active ingredient is calcium hypochlorite which i've learned after the fact is a no-no. Regardless, not sure if we can safely swim or correct this problem without spending lots of cash. It is a 1700 gallon pool. At this point, should i just drain and start over once I am better prepared? Or should i try and correct this. I might could refill cheaper than i could correct whatever the issue is. I don't have the test kit recommended so I doubt I could offer any more useful info, however i can try. If i do start over can the BBB method be used with this pool? It isn't a SWG, just the standard pump that came with the pool.
Thanks in advance for any help. wish i would've found you guys before we started.

BVise