Old Pool, New Owner - Awful Condition!

[SamiVan9]

Ok..a few things to know.
1. My sister in law bought a house that was pretty much abandoned by owners. The pool had a torn winter cover on it and water drained below the skimmer line and hoses unhooked from the pool.
2. My sister in law is cheap....I mean CHEAP...she probably doesn't even want to spend money on new hoses, although she (and me) really want to be able to use this pool.
3. I have taken care of pools before, opening and closing, so I kinda know the basics.
4. There is a pump and filter and some hoses, some with holes, skimmer and I'm guessing chlorination thingy. The filter appears to have some silicone applied on the top, I'm guessing fixing a hole. The handle
(?) is turned to "waste" so I'm assuming they winterized the pump and filter.
5. This is an above ground pool and she lives in New York, no, not New York City....western New York.

How do I go about getting this pool ready without spending unnecessary money and/or wasting time. After reading other posts, I'm a little hesitant to go to a pool store as I don't want them to talk me into a bunch of stuff I don't need. Is there a way to see if the filter and pump work without filling the pool to above the skimmer (since the water is black and recently had a dead squirrel in it) and I'm guessing needs to be drained and new water put in.

I live 15 minutes away from her and can stop to check on the pool once a day, but have a life so won't be there constantly. She is mad busy and I know won't do a thing with this pool until its probably too late. Any help is greatly appreciated. I'm excited to try the BBB I'm just learning about, if I can get the pool to that point. Thanks in advance for your help!!

Sami