Is The Economy Still Affecting You (and Your Family)?

[b.hromada]

The hubby and I have been discussing this too. He works for the county, and he is a bus mechanic. We are very thankful that he even has a job. the problem is, with no overtime to be had, we have been hurting real bad, just can't make our ends meet. As with most people these days. Now the darn county is taking away our Vista health insurance, and going with some stupid cost driven thing!!! Oh, where does it end, right?

 

[DuckLady]

Things are looking up around here. The mine that closed last year due to falling prices of whatever they mine is going to reopen next spring because of demand.

 

[AngieChick]

DH's company just put everyone on mandatory furloughs every Friday. It was the right decision and made it so that no one had to be laid off, but it still isn't fun to lose 20% of our income. We just bought a new house, and this doesn't jeopardize it in any way, but it is taking away our project money and any extra that we would have to save up for the eventual necessity of a new roof/furnace etc. His company is staying afloat, and there is a lot of interest in their product. But, clients have been paying invoices much more slowly and getting contracts signed has been a challenge.

So, this Christmas will be one of our very light ones, which is okay. I'm so glad my kids are understanding and not materialistic. I can pinch pennies, and we'll be okay, but it does hurt to lose that much income. We are definitely glad that he has employment, and feel for those who don't.

Aaah well.

 

[Big C]

Here in our part of Texas we are always in a non boom/bust cycle so we have not been affected very much. So far over the last 12 months we have experienced about a 10% downturn in business. Our customers and us always re-trench so to speak in difficult economic times so we were prepared before...
We are in a rural area. This depression/recession seems to have affected the large cities more since people living there do not know or forgot how to stay prepared for an economic downturn.
Not meaning to piss anyone off, but since our economic cycles are not as severe, we are more dependent on ourselves and not as much on the "larger" economy.
We "export" more than we consume.

 

[djackjr]

Well I was out of work for three months, then the company brought me back on tempory basis while a co-worker recovers from lung cancer. Looks like I will work through november then back to the un-employment line. The wife and are just make ends meet on her income and my un-employment, no going out for dinner and slim pickens this Christmas. But we have our health!!!

 

[Chickie'sMoma]

my dh lost his job of 5 years back in mid December. he had since worked a temp job for 2 1/2 months before they let him go from that. good thing he was able to go back on unemployment again after that.

we're panicking about where the money might come from at the end of december to pay for the mortgage. his older car wouldn't pass inspection a month before the temp job let him go so he decided to get a newer car thinking he was doing ok at the place.

i still have my job but they haven't offered me the overtime yet, they've mentioned it. i'm hoping they will allow me to do it some time soon.

our town has been talking about raising taxes to cover stupid stuff-i.e. signs pointing to the downtown area and 'historical' and expensive street lights. they've been ripping up all the access roads and main streets around town all at once and then re-ripping them when they need a repair under the newly paved stuff.

about the only people in our area with jobs are the teachers and road construction crews.

 

[chic little]

The high cost of food is terriable.
this economy has effected everyone,
unless your Bill gates.

 

[StupidBird]

Right now we're ok; DH has survived half a dozen layoffs at work. Health got me in 2004, haven't held a job since. Who wants to hire someone who could pass out from a whiff of the wrong thing and all the other stuff I have? We are quietly terrified about losing health insurance. DH had a heart attack this year, DS had joint surgery, other DS has been sick at dorm for two months and the docs are talking major surgery for me too.
DH calls me a food hoarder. Well, yes. I buy staples on sale in quantity. Especially since DH redid the kitchen last year with more cabinets. We'll be paying for that a while.
Have to support the two grown DS in college, their funding was cut and tuition and fees up.
No vacations unless camping. Even bigger garden next year and forget organic because I can't afford the bugs to eat everything again.
I expect siblings to move in with me any week now. God only knows what we are gonna do about Mom. She lives across country on disability and is determined to be independent but...
I hope nothing else happens; the emergency fund is very very low. Twenty years ago we bought this house and today no equity!

Cripes. I gotta avoid these posts, bp is up and I am all upset.

 

[Goose and Fig]

Things are rough here- but they've always been. We live in the poorest county in the state. Good news is- TN has already been able to create over 8000 jobs with the stimulus money.

Our furniture business has stayed the same- only because we have out-of-state eco-conscious customers. Most of them are in Michigan or New England.
My husband also moves houses- mobile homes- and the sales are booming! With the $8000 credit for first time buyers, trailors are selling like hotcakes.

The wet weather has hurt us more than anything. No moving houses in the rain, no welding furniture in the rain, 1/2 the garden washed away in the floods.....

 

[michickenwrangler]

I live in NE Michigan which has the highest regional uemployment in the country (close to 20% and that's up from our usual 15%). No new businesses are coming in, nowhere is hiring. I've looked at the help wanted ads in the paper and on craiglist and it is very dismal, only one or two jobs open. My mother, who works in at U of M hospital, had to take a 10% pay cut and was told, "If you leave, we're not going to replace you." So now she's afraid that she's going to get laid off.

DH and I have it a lot easier than others. Our house is paid off, our property taxes are low, the house is well-insulated so it takes very little to heat it w/ our pellet stove. We have chickens, a large garden and fruit trees so we won't starve. Our appliances are all high efficiency so our electric bill is lowER.

The main thing about the state is just the depression. People are mopey, there's not a lot of hope so optimism is low right now. Luckily, a lot of people in our area are farmers so the population is staying pretty steady rather than the exodus of people from southern Michigan. I just got a job, so I'm one of the lucky ones. It's part-time, but it's something.