Anyone else really worried about the Economy? - Page 3

[henhao]

[QUOTE=steffanie3;11013000]If there is another Great Depression I think it will be a terrible blow because of people not being at all self-sustaining. In the 20s and 30s more people had gardens and animals to provide food for themselves.[/QUOTE

Very good point.

Even I am creating a garden this year. I'm getting the Square Foot Gardening book (from the library of course!) and plan to get some future food into the ground in the next few weeks.

[llamalluv]

Originally Posted by henhao

You are my people! I love to hang laundry. We did that for about 6 months last year. I became more aware of the weather. I could not do laundry if it was raining, and that meant some 'forced' relaxation. Eventually, it became too cold and we replaced the dryer that broke. Now that it's warm, I want to get back to using the air and sun to dry our clothes.

We did cloth diapers until DD told me they "didn't feel good" but I'm going to get some cloth training pants. If it doesn't feel good, she can use the potty! Kidding kidding.

We pay for laundry, but there are two washers and two dryers in our laundry room, so what I will do is wash two loads and then halfway dry both loads in one dryer (usually by running one load 20 minutes, then the other load 20 minutes) then I just put the hanging clothes on hangers and put them in the closets (which have the hot water heating system pipes running through them) and all the other stuff like socks and undies just get laid out to dry.

[kijip]

Originally Posted by llamalluv

When I suggest a way to cut an expense to someone who is struggling, like hanging laundry, I hear "Oh, that's for poor people and I don't have time for that!" God forbid you suggest they cancel their cable "What would we DO all day?" (Um....how about hang laundry?)

ROTFLMAO.

We hang much of our laundry and use freecycle (both giving and receiving) and use cloth everything, including in lieu of toilet paper, and I have relatives struggling, making less than a 1/3 of what we do, who say they could never live like that because it is for poor people. And they wonder why we have money to pay for school, a nice house, big things we really want and vacations...we don't blow it on car payments and beer.

[mamamilkers]

This has been so interesting to read.

We aren't feeling directly affected, well, not too much, anyways. Yes, we pay more for gas, but not too much more. DF is getting a promotion and subsequent raise at work. We are actually doing better finance-wise right now than we EVER have been.

But just because that is the bubble I live in, doesn't mean it's not super scary to know that there are an unbelievable number of people who ARE tremendously affected by the economy.

[Tradd]

Originally Posted by llamalluv

When I suggest a way to cut an expense to someone who is struggling, like hanging laundry, I hear "Oh, that's for poor people and I don't have time for that!" God forbid you suggest they cancel their cable "What would we DO all day?" (Um....how about hang laundry?)

You know, this is one of my pet peeves, too. It's always interesting here, and other places I hang out online, when people who are struggling post their budgets and ask for help, where to trim expenses. Maybe half of the couple is willing to give up the cable/satellite, but the other half or the kids wouldn't stand for it. Uh, hello, people. GROW UP!

I think a lot of folks who are financially immature ("I want it now with money that isn't mine!") are going to have to grow up REALLY quick.

Shelter (including utilities), food, BASIC transportation, BASIC clothing are what you need (this is what Dave Ramsey tells callers to his radio show to concentrate on when things are very tight). Cable? NO! Really tight food budget? Less meat or less expensive cuts of meat.

[tempestjewel]

I'm a little concerned. DH left a stable, but dead-end job to take a carpentry apprenticeship, and while the pay is much better, the work isn't nearly as secure. Plus, every 3 months we automatically miss one week of pay while he is in school. He's a veteran so we are supposed to get VA education benefits, but they still haven't come through

We don't pay for tv, internet, cell phones, etc, and I am at the point where there isn't anything in our budget that isn't a complete necessity. Its frusterating because we don't spend much, we don't have credit card debt, but I feel like we never get ahead.

For our food, since we have a good chest freezer we've already put down a deposit on a 1/2 grass-fed beef that will last us a full year, and I just sent in a check for our summer CSA. Yesterday I discovered another farm that does cowshares and raises their own eggs (I already had been buying eggs directly from another farm). My beans and grains come from a natural food style grocery outlet. I figure the more middle-men I cut out from the picture the less we'll spend and the better I'll feel about spending it. I know farmers take huge cuts to sell their products to stores, and most even pay a fee to sell at Farmer's Markets, so if I can go straight to their farm where they get to pocket the money and still sell at a decent price, I do.

Wow, I really went off on a tangent but it never ceases to frusterate me that our food budget would go so much further if I bought crap on sale rather then wholesome foods from responsible farms :

[llamalluv]

Our local farmers market starts in another month, and I'm looking forward to scoping it out. I didn't get a chance last year, because I was working 8 to 5 and the market is held on Tuesdays from 8 to 2.

[A&A]

Originally Posted by pauletoy

I wouldn't even dream of comparing the U.S.'s current circumstances to the Great Depression. I personally do not think things will get that bad.

Why won't it get that bad? Just because you don't want it to?

[A&A]

Originally Posted by Dillpicklechip

Yeah, I'm worried about it. While I agree that this is nowhere near the Great Depression (read The Grapes of Wrath if you want to learn about that!), the fact that the prices of so many things are rising at the same time does concern me.

OH, a girl after my own heart. I the Grapes of Wrath!

[KatWrangler]

Hell yes I am worried about the economy. Its not Media Hype to my family! My husband was laid off 11 weeks ago today. There is no work in his profession in the state we live. We are 100% sure we are moving elsewhere.

Food prices have gone up. Gas is up to $3.38 a gallon (as of a couple of days ago).

But as Applejuice said, "Life goes on." We will survive.

[pauletoy]

Originally Posted by A&A

Why won't it get that bad? Just because you don't want it to?

Good question. Wishful thinking I suppose.

As previous posters have said, people, including me, are much less self sufficient now than then. That is the part that worries me the most.

I guess I am just waiting on the government to swoop in and make everything better. Just kidding.

[crazyeight]

Originally Posted by llamalluv

We've chosen to aggressively pay off our debt, even the low interest, deductable student loan debt, before purchasing a home. We are choosing to save up a significant down payment and purchase a smaller home than what we "can" qualify for, and smaller than what most of our friends feel they need (i.e. one bedroom per child, living room AND family room, a dining room they never use, etc). We are personally hoping that the real estate market continues to contract, because we are looking for a deal when we are ready to buy, and it's going to take us another 2 years.

interesting fact for you: the longest recession/depression was only 23 months and it WASN"T the great depression...i don't remember the years...i think maybe before a world war?? its hard to pinpoint when this recession started but if we are conservative and say NOW then we should be coming back up in 2 yrs or less. i agree that things will NOT be the same as the great depressin. that was a completely differenct society and cant be compared. i dont know what will make this change though......i haven't been alive (or aware) long enough to know what makes things turn around. as for wanting to buy i would say watch it like a hawk...as SOOn as it looks like it will turn up (not false starts) you get your but in there and buy, whether your credit ready (or wahtever needs to be prepared) or not. we bought our house 5ish months ago so although it was a downturned market its certainly not the lowest it will go but we needed to buy. it was buy our own house or move to another house on base and then when we WANTED to buy we would have to pay to move ourselves.

Originally Posted by KariM

We downsized to one car this past winter and we've been trying to drive our existing car less. We're also considering getting a more fuel efficient car that will still fit 5 passengers. (if you have any recommendations PM me!)

no pos any suggestions here!! i am going back and forth but haven't done the REAL math on the savings of getting a different car. we just bought (new to us) our new van last year.

Originally Posted by Tradd

You know, this is one of my pet peeves, too. It's always interesting here, and other places I hang out online, when people who are struggling post their budgets and ask for help, where to trim expenses. Maybe half of the couple is willing to give up the cable/satellite, but the other half or the kids wouldn't stand for it. Uh, hello, people. GROW UP!

I think a lot of folks who are financially immature ("I want it now with money that isn't mine!") are going to have to grow up REALLY quick.

Shelter (including utilities), food, BASIC transportation, BASIC clothing are what you need (this is what Dave Ramsey tells callers to his radio show to concentrate on when things are very tight). Cable? NO! Really tight food budget? Less meat or less expensive cuts of meat.

i was actually wondering what you guys cut out first? we have satelite tv, high speed internet and 2 cell phones (we also have a home phone but its $5/mo and i don't want to rely on it as an only phone). our satelite is $65/mo but will go down to $45/mo when our rebates kick in fo 12 months, cell phones are $68 but sprint makes wonderful mistakes so we haven't paid a bill since we started in jan and won't have a bill for 2 more months, our high speed internet is $30/mo...which of course also begs the question that our home phone uses our high speed so in order to get dial up we would have to pay $20 a month for a real landline and a minimum of $10/mo for dialup!! lol so all in if we cut ALL of it out we would save $150 but then no phone AT ALL or entertainmet...which means we would be useing gas to go do some stuff....thankfully we never got hooked on going out alot, going to tons of movies, or having the kids in a million classes so this $150 is pretty much our entertainment budget.

I would be interested in what you guys actually HAVE and would say that although it might be tight you still keep?

Originally Posted by tempestjewel

For our food, since we have a good chest freezer we've already put down a deposit on a 1/2 grass-fed beef that will last us a full year, and I just sent in a check for our summer CSA. Yesterday I discovered another farm that does cowshares and raises their own eggs (I already had been buying eggs directly from another farm). My beans and grains come from a natural food style grocery outlet. I figure the more middle-men I cut out from the picture the less we'll spend and the better I'll feel about spending it. I know farmers take huge cuts to sell their products to stores, and most even pay a fee to sell at Farmer's Markets, so if I can go straight to their farm where they get to pocket the money and still sell at a decent price, I do.

Wow, I really went off on a tangent but it never ceases to frusterate me that our food budget would go so much further if I bought crap on sale rather then wholesome foods from responsible farms :

ironically i am just now feeling like we are getting ahead. i feel like we are clibing OUT of lower class and into lower middle class. its the weirdest thing though cause we spend MORE on our house than we are allocated so essentially spend more now than we did last year but feel like we are in a better situation.

i really wish that most people could go back to buying from the source. grocery stores are just a pain in the butt anymore! we actually have an extra fridge (although i think it needs freon or something) so we could get a half beef but haven't seen anything worth buying yet. plus i would have to learn how to cut my own beef! i would like to start a garden as well but since i don't even know what kind of thumb i have its daunting.

also i would go opposite on the stinging the meat from meals. we are HUGE meat eaters here and i would much rather cut out veggies (well we would ifwe ate them!) and breads than meat. if i could find a local farmer that hasn't bothered with "organic" labels but growns that way it would be a great find. i was considering looking online to see if anyone sold fruits and veggies by the case and through the mail instead of buying a bag of grapefruits (3 lbs) for $3.00

[Azuralea]

Yes. I've been through a few recessions in my life, and this one feels more severe than anything I've lived through before. For one thing, this is affecting more people I know -- people in various different industries/professions, so not just one industry.

Also, I don't believe it's the media scare-mongering. In the other recessions, there were just as many newspaper articles and media reports. I think that the media reports on it because people are feeling it, not that people feel it because the media reports it.

[shayinme]

Originally Posted by Azuralea

Yes. I've been through a few recessions in my life, and this one feels more severe than anything I've lived through before. For one thing, this is affecting more people I know -- people in various different industries/professions, so not just one industry.

Also, I don't believe it's the media scare-mongering. In the other recessions, there were just as many newspaper articles and media reports. I think that the media reports on it because people are feeling it, not that people feel it because the media reports it.

I'm with you, I am 35 and dh is 40 and this is the first recession that we are really feeling. Having just done our taxes, our income decresed by almost 30K from 2006 to 2007 and coupled with rising costs of gas/food, we are really feeling it. Its not just about being frivolous, its going to the store and seeing what used to be $50 worth of food now costs $80. We live in a part of the country that heats with oil and this winter was just brutal, thankfully we go on a budget plan but now that means last winter's oil bill will be paid off in July.

I lost my job in July and still have not found a job, instead I am back to freelancing which while I am thankful I have the skills and connections to be able to do this, the reality is that jobs are hard to come by and its not just one sector. Heck, I have years of experience in my field and a graduate degree and since July I have sent out hundreds of resumes and only had 2 interviews.

No for many this recession does feel real indeed.

Shay

[justmama]

This recession hurts and it hurts bad. I'm NOT enjoying it. This week my girls and I are planting some veggies in containers and we started stocking away some food for the leaner months that are sure to come. I always hang dry absolutely everything so that isn't new. But we've really become homebodies because of the rising gas prices. I just don't see any other way. We are definitely feeling the squeeze and it really scares me. The thought of what may happen in the next year or two to our economy is just terrifying.

[JackieR]

Like a pp, my husband and I are in good shape despite the current nationwide financial situation. The only thing that's been particularly hard on us is the cost of fuel (my son goes to school about 30 miles away and my husband works about 30 miles away, but not quite in the same direction).

It is saddening to see so many families worried and struggling, though.

[madskye]

Originally Posted by shayinme

I'm with you, I am 35 and dh is 40 and this is the first recession that we are really feeling. Having just done our taxes, our income decresed by almost 30K from 2006 to 2007 and coupled with rising costs of gas/food, we are really feeling it. Its not just about being frivolous, its going to the store and seeing what used to be $50 worth of food now costs $80. We live in a part of the country that heats with oil and this winter was just brutal, thankfully we go on a budget plan but now that means last winter's oil bill will be paid off in July.

Shay

Do you think part of that is your ages, though? I am feeling this recession, but it's the first time that I've been part of my own family. In 1991 (one of the last recessions) I was just out of college, and I was poor, but so were all my friends. And I wasn't particularly bothered because I didn't have the expenses of a child, a home, a vehicle, saving for DD's college and retirement...or no, because I see on your sig that you had a little one about the same time?

I am feeling the gas prices, most definitely. And the gas prices have impacted our lives--I quit my job last June, because the ferry I used to take into the city for my commute raised their price considerably. I had reached the point where between daycare and commute costs, I felt like I was working to pay for work. I started consulting, and now I work from home 4 days a week, go in to the city once a week. I also switched to the train, and now I can make a ten trip ticket last the entire month. DH also switched to the train when the the ferry price skyrocketed. It adds about 40 minutes a day to his already long commute.

The only thing you can do about gas is not drive, right? I am trying to re-evaluate what is walkable these days.

DH is vegetarian, so I don't buy a lot of meat--but I have noticed how expensive it is, and I'm grateful we don't eat much of it. We are growing a big garden this summer.

I'm not concerned about anything dire happening to us, but I do know that my dollar doesn't go as far as it used to. And I really worry about the people living on the edge. I don't think what we're in compares to the Great Depression now, but add in a few more catastrophic events and we might get close.

[shayinme]

Originally Posted by madskye

Do you think part of that is your ages, though? I am feeling this recession, but it's the first time that I've been part of my own family. In 1991 (one of the last recessions) I was just out of college, and I was poor, but so were all my friends. And I wasn't particularly bothered because I didn't have the expenses of a child, a home, a vehicle, saving for DD's college and retirement...or no, because I see on your sig that you had a little one about the same time?

I am feeling the gas prices, most definitely. And the gas prices have impacted our lives--I quit my job last June, because the ferry I used to take into the city for my commute raised their price considerably. I had reached the point where between daycare and commute costs, I felt like I was working to pay for work. I started consulting, and now I work from home 4 days a week, go in to the city once a week. I also switched to the train, and now I can make a ten trip ticket last the entire month. DH also switched to the train when the the ferry price skyrocketed. It adds about 40 minutes a day to his already long commute.

The only thing you can do about gas is not drive, right? I am trying to re-evaluate what is walkable these days.

DH is vegetarian, so I don't buy a lot of meat--but I have noticed how expensive it is, and I'm grateful we don't eat much of it. We are growing a big garden this summer.

I'm not concerned about anything dire happening to us, but I do know that my dollar doesn't go as far as it used to. And I really worry about the people living on the edge. I don't think what we're in compares to the Great Depression now, but add in a few more catastrophic events and we might get close.

I am not sure age is much of an issue, you are right, I had my first child in 92 and while I was young and broke, this time its different.. I believe that last recession was in 2000/01 and honestly that didn't even register on my radar, at that time dh & I were earning almost 6 figures and life was good.

Now like I said in my previous post, we have had an almost 30K drop in income and while we are still in the so-called middle class, things are just harder and tighter. I am not concerned so much about not having food or shelter but the big concerns for me are the fact my eldest is 2 years away from college and I am desperately trying to dig out of debt.

Honestly the last decade I was complacent like so many Americans, did way too much spending and not enough savings, very short sighted and now I am paying for that..

My other concerns are employment, this is the first time in my adult life that finding a job has been almost impossible, what scares me is I am older, experienced and educated and never did I think there would be a day that finding a good solid job would be hard to come by. The flip side is I am able to hobble together an income working freelance which in the shortrun keeps me from starving but does squat as far as my long term financial stability.

I agree that for folks already on the edge with no safety net, those are the folks feeling the impact harder, when gas and food costs rise so quickly that its an extra $75-100 a week, how do you absorb that when you already had no extra money? For us its just a matter of cutting out the fun stuff, taking a walk or park visit instead of something that may have cost money but if you were already doing that, what do you do?

Shay

[alphagirl]

Yeah I am a little worried, but I also agree with those saying the media is hyping things up.

I also don't think we are headed for another Great Depression.

I was listening to the radio the other day,and they were discussing how food prices are increasing partly due to farmers selling a lot of thier corn crop to produce ethanol. So here we are attempting to be less dependant on oil, and we may be shooting ourselves in the foot somewhat.

I still feel that most Americans aren't doing that much to cut back. Dh and I were on the highway the other day, and we were discussing how so many of the cars had only one person in them. Carpooling would drastically cut oil prices if everyone did it. But it is an inconvenience to many.

If things were to get really bad maybe people would start being less selfish, because they'd have no choice.

I don't think most are willing to give up conveniences unless they are forced to. We've had it so good in this country for so long , that many don't have a clue what it is like to really struggle.

[A&A]

Originally Posted by alphagirl

I also don't think we are headed for another Great Depression.

.

Really?

http://www.sltrib.com/business/ci_8984704