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.

[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 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.