How has the recession personally affected you? - Page 6

[Mama Dragon]

My husband has finally gotten the med and counseling help he needs and is looking for work but no one will hire him. Oregon has a 9.9% stated unemployment rate (who knows what it really is) and everyone else is applying for the jobs he is, and they have more experience so he's not getting picked He sold his hearing aids (didn't use them) and that gave us 2+ months of rent, and my income pays the rest of the bills, but if he doesn't get work by late march, we are screwed.

[patrica]

The economy is affecting the non-profit where I work. Donations have dropped noticeably, and I assume this drop will continue and worsen. According to the most recent census data and an opinion research study: Nearly 3.5 million adults are living in a sibling’s house. 1.3 million more parents are living with their adult children than they were a few years ago.

[ilovebabies]

We lost $1,000 a month net income because my husband's hours were cut back due to lack of work. But since we lived really frugally anyway, it's not hurt us too badly. We feel it, but are making it just fine.

[Just My Opinion]

I think it is easy to say that the recession is a "beautiful change" when you're not worried about how you're going to feed your child, or where you are going to rest your head at night like some people in the country and the world

Thank God, the recession hasn't affected us negatively. Dh's job is secure at least until 2010 when they do the new budget, but he is a government employee so we feel fairly secure. We rent, so no housing market to deal with.

We feel extremely blessed, extremely -- as we see all around us how people are struggling, and try to be of help when we can, however we can within our own pretty limited means.

[AlmightyIsis]

My husband lost his job, we can't sell our house (we are trying to relocate to be closer to family), and I'm 7 months pregnant with our 3rd child. HOWEVER, we have no debt besides mortgage and I'm incredibly thankful we had the good sense to live in a fairly thrifty manner before all of this happened. And yes, investments have plummeted. Lots of uncertainty for us.

[PrettyBird]

Well my Roth IRA lost a lot of money and so did my DD's 529, although it did not have that much in it. I no longer trust "the market" to make money over the long term so I realize we'll probably never get that money back.

Other than that, things have actually been pretty good for us. DH got promoted and he is military so no job security worries. We are going to buy our first home soon (finally in one place long enough) and without one to sell this puts us in a good position. DH is definitely staying in the military at least 8 more years so he can get that retirement.

[Sierra]

Originally Posted by Belleweather

I just want to give a big "you can do it!" on the gardening front. The "Digging in the Dirt" forums here are a great resource, and having just gone from black to greenish thumbed myself, I know how reassuring it can be to know that you've got food in the dirt.

Thanks for the encouragement. It is appreciated .

[chiromamma]

Food costs are killing us. Thank goodness gardening season approaches. I'm getting rid of most of my flowers to expand my veggie garden.
Patients have had to choose between paying their bills and paying for chiropractic care...our response is to slash our fees by almost 60% by instituting a sliding scale. So far, OK. The number of folks receiving care has increased slightly. Most of our existing patients are choosing to pay the regular fees. God we love them. Still our income is all over the place.
Credit card debt has grown. CC companies have raised interest rates.
I finally took my head out of the sand and went through everything. DH and I met with a debt management company. They recommended bankruptcy. Not thrilled with the idea but we are meeting with a lawyer today to discuss our options.
Thankfully, we are all incredibly healthy.
Oddly it's strengthening our relationship. We are cutting up the cards no matter what we do and that feels great.
Our older kids know that the belt is tightening and are taking steps to earn money this summer. 12yo son can play music on the pedestrian mall and base ump for little league games. 14yo DD has an opportunity to work on an organic farm.
We are holding a yard sale next week and selling all non-essential crap that is crowding our garage.
We are eating lots of rice and beans!