Down US Economy... U OK??

[Shingo]

Just reading some stuff on the news... and the economy is looking pretty grim. Job numbers for January 2009 is especially frightening.

Then this afternoon, I hear that my brother was just laid off. He has a wife and 2 kids and is/was the bulk of the income for his family. Just wondering if anyone else on AO is feeling the effects of this down economy... and if anyone is doing anything to help a friend/family or prepairing for the worse under your own home.

[LegumeOfTerror]

Just reading some stuff on the news... and the economy is looking pretty grim. Job numbers for January 2009 is especially frightening.

Then this afternoon, I hear that my brother was just laid off. He has a wife and 2 kids and is/was the bulk of the income for his family. Just wondering if anyone else on AO is feeling the effects of this down economy... and if anyone is doing anything to help a friend/family or prepairing for the worse under your own home.

I'm in school living off of savings so I'm not to badly hurt by it. i just hope by the time i graduate the job market is better. if not, i will likely further my education until a more favorable market arises.

they really need to start turning the economy around by encouraging saving as apposed to supporting one being based off money that doesn't exist.

[Shingo]

I'm in school living off of savings so I'm not to badly hurt by it. i just hope by the time i graduate the job market is better. if not, i will likely further my education until a more favorable market arises.

they really need to start turning the economy around by encouraging saving as apposed to supporting one being based off money that doesn't exist.

Hope your in school for 2 more years and have comfortable savings to hold you over... experts beleive that we have not hit the bottom on this fallen economy yet. And the job market is still expecting more cuts.

[SCpoloRicker]

I provide digital services, in particular services that allow firms to avoid costly real-world meetings and conventions.

So, I got that going for me. Which is nice.

/ignoring the housing market

[Eddie9195]

So far I am not affected by the economy. I hope that it continues this way. I feel bad for so many that have lost thier jobs. It really is bad out there. I feel lucky to still have mine.

I do not have family that lives close to me, but if needed I would help them out if I could.

[Hexis]

Wife's been on unemployment for a bit under a year. She didn't like her job all that much.

I got a new job (voluntarily) in October last year and loving it. Information Security Consulting. When the economy is bad, consulting is big so things are good. When the economy picks up so will spending on IT, so I should be good then too.

[LegumeOfTerror]

Hope your in school for 2 more years and have comfortable savings to hold you over... experts beleive that we have not hit the bottom on this fallen economy yet. And the job market is still expecting more cuts.

yup, 2 years after this. i have about $35,000 saved. i wanted to save most if it to get me on my feet when I'm done with school, but that's not looking likely anymore. at least i won't have any debt.

[DevilMan]

Unemployed since October.... Yep!!! everything is wonderful!

DM

[BigTrucker]

Heck, you would think with everyone out of work that my wheels would stop turning. I'm still trucking along making the same paycheck as before. Taking advantage of it big time, I am able to tell Visa and Master card to work with me a bit more so I can pay them off or they get nothing at all. :D

[Phaelynar]

I just graduated this December from ASU with a degree in mass communications and creative writing. It's hard for me to find a job based solely on my decision to remain in the Phoenix area. I've gone on several interviews though for various positions, and feel that my most recent interview with a small but prestigious advertising agency will net me a position.

My girlfriend doesn't have any problems with the economy and finding a job. She's an accountant, and actually increased her salary by $12,000 in December.

[skife]

I'm in michigan.

we've got it worse than you do.

So far I know alot of people that lost their jobs.
all of them with 10+ years there.

[teufelhunden]

accountant, in good shape, death and taxes i guess

[Swampy]

I own a part time landscape construction company called Landscape Engineering Services. I've already ended up selling a old smaller skid loader, I really didn't need it but I bought it in a package deal and it was nice having two instead of one. Taxes is what really hurt since its called property by the state of WI, ended up having to pay about $10,000. Personally that is what killing WI they tax my desk that use for my business. But as I'm starting to put together my schedule for 09 it isn't looking to full yet.

I think I've dug my own grave this winter cause I told the company that signed on a skid and truck for snow removal to go :cuss: themselves. They didn't pay me for the month of December till about the thrid week of January. I run a business not a bank, I have my overhead costs, fuel bills, and a employee that wants to get paid for his work, not paid in smokes and beer. Since then I've signed those two pieces on with another snow contracting company but it hasn't snowed here in about a month. Next year I'm contracting my own snow work.

I've come to realize that I can't use my old $60/man hour on the bidding as people are spending less on things, like landscaping. I've told my employee that I can't give a yearly raise as my man hour rates will likely drop unless we get rid of the Health and Dental Insurance which I don't want to do since he's a single dad.

This might sound weird but I've been thinking of spending money on land clearing/maintenance attachments for the skid loader to expand into different markets just to get more work. Good thing the loader is paid from work this year, the bad thing is I really didn't put money aside for paying the taxes on it (lesson learned).

I'm thinking I'm going to be looking for a least a part time job or if I can a Municpal job.

[trevorjk]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEDIyztZGBA&eurl=http://www.allbuffs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32881

[Lohman446]

I don't think it is as bad as the press and the politicians will have you beleive. One need only take a look at the pictures from the 30s to understand bad than was a whole lot worse than bad now, I don't see people standing in line 8 hours just to get food.

Unfortunatly bad now means not afforiding a 500K $ house, a big screen tv, going out to eat twice a week, 2 brand new cars, a boat, a quad, heat our house to 72 in the winter and cool it to 68 in the summer, cable tv, cable internet, and anything else we want.

Bad is when discretionary income comes down to am I going to eat cheap cuts of chicken OR ground beef today, and if you look at my earlier mentioned comments on soup kitchens many people from that time period would consider that to be VERY good.

We are simply learning that most of us in America were in fact very rich judging by historic and global standards, and the vast majority of us are still very very well off.

I can walk into a grocery store and buy fresh fruits and vegetables, any cut of meat I want, milk, and any other provision I want. I do this with a minor portion of my budget. When I can no longer do this I will begin to think things have gone badly.

[bryceeden]

Took a major pay cut.

[ne0nwalrus]

Unemployed since October.... Yep!!! everything is wonderful!

DM

same here.... yea right after i came back medical leave. and then my boss trys to block on unemployement.

[Swampy]

same here.... yea right after i came back medical leave. and then my boss trys to block on unemployement.

Do you have a written letter from your doctor stating that you are able to work full time? With this in hand your allowed to go back working full time and as long as you show it to a employer who in turns tells you there is no work you can claim unemployement. Now if you did this and you get a letter that rejects your claims say that your "unsuitable/unable for full time work" beacause addressed employer says so. Fight the claim. Usually state unemployment offices only get info from what the employer says, at least here cause they are a little biased.

[ne0nwalrus]

he waited till the doc cleared me and then wait a week till he laid me off. don't worry i'm going to take him to court if he pulls any more stuff.

[Swampy]

he waited till the doc cleared me and then wait a week till he laid me off. don't worry i'm going to take him to court if he pulls any more stuff.

If you've been laided off you should be able to collect unemployement. Are you selecting the right opition saying you were laided off and will be returning to work for the same employer in the future.

Another question did you only work for this employer last year or did you quit a job to work at another job?

[lather]

Cut the overall staff at my power plant from 63 to 54. RIF'd us operators from 5 to 4 per crew. And then they gave us remaining ops people a raise. :confused:

[MoeMag]

My brother had to move out of state after loosing his job. works for microsoft now...

Dad has been out of work/laid off/early retirement for a little under a year. But he really isnt into getting another job right now because of the retirement.

My best friends family is getting evicted end of the month. His parents lost their jobs almost at the same time... told him to do things on his own now, and that they are going to hit the road and be truck drivers... I kid you not. I LOL'd when he told me thinking it was a joke.

I live in a house with a roommate who I like... but could be without if the horse barns could pay the landlords bills like they should.

Arizona is threatening to close my Arizona State University Polytechnic campus end of the semester... leaving me... well no one knows but our guess is... with no degree.

But... I make weapons... our business is booming. :headbang:
/mixed blessing.

[eckoblazer]

So far not too bad for me, in the hospitality industry. We are still booked pretty solid into 09. My GF was let go in August and is tempting still. Her father was also let go at the same time, engineer for a design house that the big 3 automakers went to.... I really do think it is going to get worse before it get's better this new stimulus plan seems like a joke. :cuss:

[Muzikman]

knock on wood I still have a job and am trying to position myself as a more valuable resource than my co-workers. I only started here about 2 years ago, so I am kind of the low man on the pole, but I have a lot of skill sets to bring to the table, so I am trying to make sure I use them.

I work in IT (Systems Analyst) for a large Healthcare company, so the company as a whole is still doing ok.

[Soopa Villain17]

ive got a job , a roof over my head , a brand new fourwheeler, a nice car, and a safe full of guns , i guess im doin ok :cheers:

[ahellers]

the whole things making me think twice about getting out of the coast guard in two years...
Im not really effected at all right now, nor are most people where i live... but that happends to be an island in alaska so... yeah..

t

[SouthPark22]

I have not noticed much of a down turn out here on the West Coast of Canada. I understand that folks in Ontario (auto industry) are hurting a bit but not real effect out here in Lala land so far.


D.

[teufelhunden]

Cut the overall staff at my power plant from 63 to 54. RIF'd us operators from 5 to 4 per crew. And then they gave us remaining ops people a raise. :confused:


That's called a morale boost -- people around you are getting fired, you worry about your job, so they give you a raise a) to make you feel better and b) to try and assuage you about your employment status. Keeps your productivity up.

[Shingo]

Been working here for nearly 10 years, I've never seen anything like this. Last half of 2008 we saw the company income slump... now nearly 1/2 way through Q1 2009... the company income is nearly flat. very un-nerving.

Normally my company gives a raise (5%-10% depending on the year's income), a bonus that is nearly equal to my monthly income and a $100 to $500 gift credit card good at several local malls. Dec 2008... had my review and got nothing. And for the next work review in Dec 2009... most likely nothing also.

My dreams of becoming a gun whore is slipping away. :cry:

[Shingo]

Looking at the DOW today... it looks so bad. We're still not seeing the bottom of this mess. this economy is going to affect everyone. If you dont feel it now, you will within the next 18 months.

I'm prepping by cutting back on all my expenses and saving whatever I can. I should have a 4 to 6 month reserve by July... I may be able to stretch it to a year if I just plan to survive. hope it's enough.