Is anyone else getting really scared?

[Mahonri]

No.

You are not over reacting.

Edited to ask.

How about those Phillies?

 

[The Chicken Lady]

I think we need to take what the media feeds us with a grain of salt.

It's time make smart choices, but we don't need to run around like the sky is falling and start stuffing our cash into mattresses. A ton of withdrawals at the same time was one of the reasons the banks failed during the Great Depression. Want a Depression? Go ahead, pull all of your investments and your cash out of the banks. It will be a self-fulfilling prophecy fueled by the mass media and "sheeple" who didn't pay attention in high school economics and don't know how to think for themselves.

At the same time, if you haven't been paying attention to what your kids are doing in school or communicating with your children's teachers, you are doing your kids a huge disservice and setting them up for failure in the future economy. I don't think the factory jobs are coming back. The future of jobs in the U.S. is in science and technology and in jobs that just can't go overseas. There will be very little middle ground in jobs for the uneducated and nonflexible.

By the way, I'm religious, but I don't believe that God and His angels will intervene to save me during any kind of economic crisis if I just sit around and pray about it. I believe fully in the philosophy that "the Lord helps those that help themselves." Miracles are few and far between; prayer may feel nice, but it won't put food on my table. My paycheck and my willingness to get off my butt and seek out help will. Someone who is educated, flexible and adaptable is going to survive difficult circumstances much more easily than someone who can only do one job, lets others think for them, and waits around, hoping someone will notice that they are struggling.

Now don't go being all reactive to one line of my post and think I'm somehow dissing people who pray. I pray, too, every night, but I ALSO work hard, which I am assuming all of you guys do, too.

 

[VT Chick-lit]

Something that I have noticed in recient times, is that I always seem to be blessed with what I need right around the time that I need it. This is something that I never noticed before. I am trying to make my household a "more comfortable place" in a bad recession/depression. We don't have a lot of extra money, but I try to use what we have wisely. I am always looking on Craigs List and FreeCycle for the things I need first, and I have been successful most of the time in finding the items there. If an item I need isn't found there, it seems to show up in my life thru a tag sale, free things left on the side of the road or friends and aquaintances who have just what I need and are looking to get rid of it. I guess what I am trying to say, is God looks out for us and provides us with what we need. The things that have not been provided for me are things that I didn't need anyway. I am at peace with what will happen in the future. Times may get tough but I think I will have the things I need to survive, even if I don't have everything that I want.

 

[catchick]

Greater World powers then ours has fallen. I am a Christian I do believe in the end of the world as we know it. When will this happen? Who knows for sure but the Bible tells us things to look for when the time is near. These prophecys were writen thousand of years ago and they are coming ture even as I type this. God is real His word is ture. Only Jesus is our hope. Yes we will face hard times but if you ask Him Jesus will be with you and guide you. If you really want to know what will happen it is in His word the Bible.


Catchick

 

[2manyhats]

I usually ignore the financial world and such. I, too, have been anxious for the first time in my 41 years about the stability of the economy. I am making changes in my life to prepare for the tough times to come. That is why I started raising my own meat and eggs. I grew a garden this year. I feel that I have something to barter with others who farm to keep us fed. (Eggs for milk, poultry for beef). I am in the health care field in my own practice. I am very concerned about paying the bills. We are a new Physical Therapy practice (2 years old) that is often in a cash flow crisis. We have plenty of work, but often wait a long time for the payments.

That said, I have noticed that I am becoming calm in the face of all this by remembering God's promises. I am a Christian. God has promised to care for me and work all things out for good if I seek to do live for Him. We are in the middle of a change over to in house billing from a billing company and it's a little hairy. We have been receiving just what we need in the mail right now to keep our heads above water day by day. It has been quite a faith builder. I plan to move forward making wise choices, reducing debt and trusting God for the rest.

 

[Mahonri]

So lets give you something the extremely liberal media is not.

Unemployment is way up in AZ... It should be over 10% by years end. Our state is so far in debt I don't see a way out.

Mexicans are headed back to Mexico. Last September Mexicans wired 12million more dollars back home than this September.

Class size in our school district is shrinking... again, the mexicans are going back to Mexico.

Foreclosures are at an all time high. I have a friend who lives in a new neighborhood in Maricopa. His is the only occupied house in his long culdesac. All the others are now vacant because folks were upside down on their mortgages and many just walked away.

Restaurants have tons of empty tables.

Movie theatres are almost empty.

Barbershops and salons are closing due to lack of business.

County Hospital has empty beds. Hasn't been this way in many years.

Construction has ground to a halt.

Businesses that are going under in AZ is snowballing.

There is still a slow motion run on our banks. You can't buy a "safe" at Costco... they're all gone.

Not all the news is bad....

Morning and evening rush hours are light now.

Dollar stores are busy!

You can get someone to help you at Home Depot and you can find a parking spot now.

Lines in Wal-mart have shortened.

--------------------------------------------

We are in a depression folks.

Everyone who can should have a 3 months supply of FOOD, FUEL and CASH... even though the cash will soon be worth much, much less than it is now.

Real estate, including land has NOT bottomed out in AZ... values are expected to continue to decline until 2010. It is not a good time to buy land or property, yet.

Best bet for investment at present is short term treasuries. T-bills.

China and Japan own us. McCain has no vision. Obama SCARES ME TO DEATH...

Yup, Stuff you won't see in the liberal news.

 

[jrtpro]

Quote:
very smart person. Great move on your part. Obama will crash it all. Everything is based on supply and demand. I think that when the democrats, Acorn and the like pushed for banks to loan money to low income people. These people now have borrowed money in their pocket, that they have not worked for and have no idea how to spend it or what it takes to pay it back. I had money in the market and moved it when Obama said he was going to tax it more (better safe than sorry). I think this is also part of the big decline in the market. I was raised by my grandmother and she always told me not to borrow money and pay cash for everything. I am doing great at the moment.

One thing I have learned is to listen to is listen to the older generation. I can skip the part where I say I wish I had doen this or that. I moved all my money out of the market a while back, just in case Obama wins. Great move on my part because I did not loose numbers, but will loose in dollar value. I work for people with money. If you tax them more and take their money, how will I get paid?

 

[Rhett&SarahsMom]

d.k :

* Don't know. BUT, I don't have any money riding the market right now. Instead, I'm trying to decide what I want to buy at these incredible prices, if and when, there's a whiff of a break in the log-jam. Haven't seen what I'm looking for yet though. :|

My dh works for a company that makes and supports software for private investment clubs. Their clients all seem to be steady. No one is panicking. Heck we even have money invested and only one stock has dipped. The other two are holding strong. One has actually grown over the last month(dont ask me what it is. I didnt bother to ask) I told him that I wanted to invest more per month right now. Buy low. HANG onto it! Stock investing is not for the short term. It never has been.

Am I worried though? Not so much. I worry more about what my daughter will be facing when she enters the world as she gets older.
I am applying for my FID card and a permit to carry a concealed weapon though. I refuse to wake up some morning and NOT be protected against the crime wave that is only going to get worse.

BTW- I am voting for Obama. I am pro choice. There really is no other way for me to vote. Especially since Palin scares the crap out of me. I actually respected McCain before he chose her.​

 

[jonbanks]

listen the world is and has been on the very brink of war ...famine..and disease since the world began. we are just lucky to have had good years in america. our parents and grandparents survived the great depression... two world wars... veitnam....the gas shortage in the seventies ...crack epidemic in the 80s and 90s and much much more ....we will be ok

 

[FlockEweFarm]

Kodiak, do not let yourself worry yourself sick about these things that you cannot control. I am in a situation where my control of my life has been taken out of my hands, and I have had to just learn to accept that things will work out for the better. My ex-husband was finally arrested on October 2nd for beating my oldest son and abusing myself and the rest of the family, he has asked to have his probation revoked permantly and to be sent to prison rather than pay child support and deal with supporting his family. I now have CPS, Detectives, Social Workers, Counselors, and Victim support specialists in my life, and he left us 3 mortgage payments behind, and with winter looming and no firewood or winterizing done. I just keep reminding myself that it could be worse, he could still be abusing us. The economy is what you make of it, I learned to live on nearly nothing over the last few years, and by bartering and trading and re-purposing things, I have managed to keep my little farm up and running in spite of my ex doing his darndest to destroy it. You just have to disconnect yourself as much as possible from the doomsayers so that you do not feed into the stress, but you do have to be smart and prepare for the worst, just in case. I try to keep cash on hand, dry goods stocked, full gas tanks, and now that he is gone; a loaded gun with extra ammo. I do not watch the news constantly, because frankly, it is depressing as all get out, but one thing I have noticed is that it seems that around here it is the wealthy that are hit the hardest by the downturn and people like myself, who have lived on nothing for years and who have nothing, seem to be weathering the storm fairly well. I will recover from the mortgage payment issue, I have lots of "Community property " to sell, so you have to be willing to scale back and live a little leaner, but toys can be re-bought, and life will go on. Just do not eat yourself up with worry because if you make yourself sick, you will end up in the hospital, and we all know, that is the one place still turning a huge profit.