How has the downturn in the economy and the recession affected you?

3/4 of the employees where I work have been fired.

I was not fired because I'm on the lowest wage for my experience and skill. Most of the high earners were friends/relatives/drinking buddies with the department manager who is now under a new manager.
This is the first time that not being a member of the 'in crowd' has helped me here at this job.

I'm now making 30% of what I made before because of cuts in hourly rate, cuts in skill and field bonuses and a lot less work to go around.

This is the first time in nearly 5 years that I've had to count on each paycheck and had to go into my savings to pay bills.

I know a lot of folks who are out of work and hurting. I know even more who are hanging on to their homes and jobs by very thin margins.

The downturn is real and will get worse.

Don't get complacent. There is more change on the way.

Such is the world within the monetary system that corrupts and controls us.

It’s been an up and down struggle in our nest, to say the least!
I have many skills and picked up many others along the way ( 33 years slave experience).
But the one skill I was not born with was $$$$$$ many dollars. I would have to take out that first loan, to buy a car to get to work (not new, but necessary in a rural area). Bingo" there you have it Dept slave...Just what " they" were betting I would become. I am a hard working SOB who has made “the man” a lot of money in order to provide for my family.

Is life really about working…? I am by no means lazy….I felt something just wasn’t right... Is someone controlling these recessions?
I’ve been unemployed for 24 of the last 36 months.
But being employed gave me time to turn off the media and do some research...

I WOKE UP… by educating my self to the facts and to the all too many coincidences
IT SCARED THE SH$T out of me… But it was nessesary...Everything I formally believed in was crushed… I took some time to lick my wounds, but I am “back” stronger than ever.
I know it is not totally my fault... I bought into a very powerful scam… I was not able to make proper choices because all the information was not disclosed…

I learned of the “Straw man”? Never new I had a twin! Monetary manipulation….Secrete societies… power “divide and Control (conquer)”…different religions…and much, much, more, all with an open mind. It was hard to admit to myself that I and many generations before me had been fooled.. I swallowed my pride.


As for particular recession has turned out to be a positive in my life and I now have hope for my children and others.
.
I could have slept walked to my grave... I don’t hope to god. I put hope on myself united with other brothers and sisters…in a peaceful movement..
for a better way.....

I fear no more…

Peace

I was self employed with a small manufacturing business that employed 2 full time and 2 partimers. That business tanked when fuel got up to $4.00gal.

My second business tanked for the same reason. A partnership operation, flyfishing guide and outfitting service in the southern Rockies.



Now I'm working for the film industry as a extra/driver/grip/crew/PA and a few speaking roles. Having a lot of fun but my income is 1/4 of what it was just 2 years ago. Almost no discretionary funds at all.

Having a wealthy GF certainly has it's advantages.

[edit on 6-11-2009 by whaaa]

I went on vacation mid April of '08. When I got back, my company was shut down. I started collecting unemployment. I was and still am completely debt free, but my UI benefit was so low that by Aug '08 I knew I needed to cut my expenses drastically.
I bought/stole a class A motorhome on ebay, gave my landlord 30 days notice and started downsizing and selling my furniture, etc. I sold my truck and bought a car I could pull behind my MH.
I found a cheap place to spend the winter of '08/'09 and made a few bucks freelance writing, while still collecting my measly $650/mo unemployment till it ran out in Feb. '09. I found a job online for seasonal (May - Oct) employment in a nearby State that paid $10/hr + space rent. I was able to save $2500 by the time the season was over last month.
With that $ I am doing routine mainteneance to my rig, and I am currently parked at a dear friend's house in a metro area, paying him $150 mo to park here, electricity, satellite TV and WiFi included.
He also is having a hard time in this economy, so my buck fifty helps him, also.
I am grateful to be debt free and glad that I have noone but myself and my dog to provide for. I pray for everyone with kids and parents to look after.
I am not on any gov't assistance at all, (not even food stamp, even though I certainly qualify and I havent needed to go to a food bank...yet).
I just arrived here this week and am currently looking for work and I am not picky; I just want to be "gainfully employed".

[edit on 6-11-2009 by Elostone]

Originally posted by Longtimegone
reply to post by newworldrev

 

Clear sentence structure, excellent grammer, and a polished vocabulary.

Just kidding. This is a terrible post.

Im sorry I didnt realize i was in my 12th grade english class again.Mrs granderson is that you?how are the little ones?
But seriously I could care less what you have to say about my spelling.your post had nothing relevent to the topic at hand.

anywho my moms boyfriend works at ford and he was saying they want them to take a 10$ pay cut.thats just insane imo,and they just made a billion $ profit.looks like everyone is jumping on the bandwagon to screw over there workers.

Well it seems like there are still places in this world that have no idea we are in a depression. I guess it is just a matter of time...

I myself live in OREGON. Almost everyone I know has had some sort of hardship.
I am unemployed as of last month, place I worked for just closed up.
I get some unemployment.
Husband has had his hours cut.
Daughter lost her job.
Other Daughter lost her job.
Many people living in other peoples yards in RVs. Lots more people at the goodwill and the canned goods outlet.
(driving Hummers and Mercedes)
I have always lived below my means so we will be O.K. but we have made a lot of changes, one thing we cut out completely is Holidays, we don't celebrate them anymore and we no longer buy gifts. It has had a very positive effect on all involved. There is lots of love and home made stuff to go around and we are all better people for it.
I will never be a consumerist again....NOT EVER!!!!!

God Bless you all.
Lizzy.

Just got back from a rural livestock auction and returned home with 25 " Rhode Island red" chicks. ( $ 1.25 each ) They will live in my modified shed. Have been planting vegetable's in homemade 5 gallon "earthbox's". ( I live in southern Florida.) Have been looking at things quite differently since the economy has basically disappeared around here. Now I plan every move more carefully ! I live on a fresh water lake which has some fish and I have a well. The tomato fields nearby will soon be bearing fruit And although I am no thief , I have been thinking about making a midnight run with a 5 gallon bucket.
I guess you could say I have lost my faith that things will get any better before they get worse.

Oh boy. Well...

I lost my job back in July. I have my own business going but over the past two months business has dwindled down to 1-2 customers a month. This month was the first time I missed my bill payments. It is an all new world to me so I don't know what is going to happen from here.

I've been searching for a job in my computer field since I graduated college in April of 08 with no luck. After I lost my main job in July, I've been scouring everything in the job market with no luck. Even the small jobs end up getting hundreds of applicants and I am simple passed over.

Naturally I've had to give up the simple pleasures in life. Eating out, going to see movies, buying video games, ect. I can't really afford gas right now so my traveling is limited to to and from work exclusively.

So at 21 years of age I was looking to be mildly successful but I feel that by the end of this year I'm going to have to close up my shop and declare bankruptcy. I just can't keep up with the lifestyle I had.

I know others are worse of then me and that is what hurts the most. I am just a single guy living at home yet so I feel for those who have families ot take care of.


It seems it is only going to get worse.

Thanks to everyone for sharing their recession stories. I am not surprised that the downturn in the economy has affected nearly everyone. Basically it sounds like all walks of life have been affected and that most people have made adjustments accordingly. This doesn't surprise me, but it is what I was wondering when I created this thread.

I have thought of a few more adjustments that my family has made in the past few months...
*I put up heavy thermal-backed curtains on the windows to keep cool/hot in.
*I used to always buy name-brands but now I predominately buy store-brands and use coupons when I can.
*I no longer drink soda but drink water instead.
*We use energy-efficient light bulbs and never turn the lights on in the house during daylight hours.
*I made my own cleaning solution rather than expensive store-bought cleaners.
*I make a conscious effort to take shorter showers.
*I buy inexpensive shampoo and hair supplies rather than expensive brands from the salon.
*I installed a diverter to the clothes dryer and whenever I can't line-dry clothes or hang them up to dry during cold weather, I allow the hot air from the dryer to heat that area of the house.
*When we do eat out I always bring half of my meal home to have the next day...yummy and helps with weight too!

Those are the additional money-saving adjustments I have made that I can think of.

[edit on 8/11/2009 by xtradimensions]

Originally posted by xtradimensions
*I make a conscious effort to take shorter showers.

Regarding that: soap the entire body first, then wash the face, then the hair. That way less water used for rinsing.

Didn't affect me because I prepared for it.
Was as clear as the writing on the wall for any to see
what was coming down the pike.

Instead, americants borrowed and borrowed and forgot how to save!
Living high on the hog and demanding what they believe they were always entitled to. Regardless of actually paying for it!

Hence the unwillingness of doing anything remotely different now!
We are too greedy to ever change a thing!
Welcome to the great retraction!

"They call it the 'American Dream' because you have to be asleep to believe it." George Carlin

Got food? www.survivalacres.com

I worked in the finance sector but got laid off several months ago. I've had to sell everything in order to pay off creditors, but I'm still about 50k in debt. I can't find a job anywhere. I send out about 200 resumes, but the closest I've come is an interview wiht about another 100 people. That was about 3 weeks ago, and haven't heard anything from them.

Still I"m thankful that I live in America and for all the freedoms we get even if it means they have to spy on us and torture people. The latest event at fort knox only shows we need to rally around our wonderful leaders and crush the terrorists even if it means nuking them. They hate our freedoms so much that they'd kill our patriotic men. I'm going to send my next unemployment check to them. I hope they spend it at a good ole American mcdonalds or starbucks to keep our economy going.

Personally, all is the same, as I have always chosen to live wisely. I refuse to play the game.

Around me and in my travels? Many businesses closed down. Many car dealerships gone. Many empty houses. Businesses are busy, but not doing much business. People seem to like to window shop for something cheap to do. Restaurants seem to be doing well everywhere. Not really any jobs available anywhere. Those who still have good jobs have mandatory furlough days, benefit decreases, pay cuts, and increased workloads as they have to take on the jobs of those who were laid off. Hiring freezes while necessary positions remain unfilled. Stressed out employees everywhere.

It's definitely real.

reply to post by xtradimensions


Well, a year ago I lost my job. I took a 25%pay cut but have another job. I am bitter about it, but hey, I have a job. My husband is retiring next year so we are saving each paycheck he brings home. Our children are grown and on their own, we own our house ( all paid for), and watch our spending carefully. I cannot complain, but I am still very bitter about losing my job when I see new people hired by the same group that let me go....what can I say, I guess I'm venting. Thanks for listening.

Originally posted by ladybuglady
I clean everything with baking soda and vinegar. Much cheaper than cleansers and better for us and the environment.

Hi there.

How do you clean things with baking soda and vinegar? Do you mix them together or something?

Just wondering.

It's been a while since I started this thread and now see nearly daily the MSM claiming the recessions is, or nearly is, over and that people are seeing improvement. I don't see many improvements around here--rural Midwest--not nearly enough anyway to feel like, "Wow, thank god that's over". Which makes me wonder if people are still feeling the pain of the shrinking economy. In our rural community I still see shops closing and fewer people eating out and shopping than a year, or even two years ago.

Is anyone seeing any improvement/difference such as more job opportunities, higher wages in jobs, etc?

I sold my business in Jan.2007. How lucky was that? And I got the amount I wanted with no problem.

To an investor I ran and invested most everything. Thankfully, I smelled trouble in the air and pulled all my investments right before people started loosing their butts.

I had planned on selling a large tract of land in south Ga. and another tract of land in north Ga.

Now I am stuck with high property taxes.

But thanks to joining ATS I began preparing for any situation that could happen.

I've got a beautiful garden, and livestock. My house is paid for so all I have to worry about with that is keeping the taxes paid.

I have learned how to be very frugal and am enjoying gardening and farming animals.

Thanks ATS for making me realize I needed to prepare.

I am currently liquidating everything. I just got an offer on my house today. When the house sale closes, I will sell my car, and everything else I dont need, and will then move to India, where I have lived before (back in the 80's), and where I have quite a few friends.

I dont think things look good for the Western World for the next few years, so I am getting out while I can. Where I will be in India, people still know how to farm the land using oxen, buffaloes, and human beings, as they have done for thousands of years. Plus, the people there are very sweet, especially in the rural areas. Besides, I can live in India for about 1/10th the cost of what it takes to live in the states, thats an incentive all unto itself.

Good luck to you all. Hunker down, there is a storm a coming!

[edit on 22-5-2010 by Angiras]

Well, as with many teachers in my specialized field, I was laid off in July of last year. I was given my pink slip three months prior, but because of contract, was allowed to stay on board until school let out. I lived the summer at my apartment looking for more teaching jobs in the area, but unfortunately did not, ran out of money, and am now living with family again. I am very fortunate to have economically sound family members who learned to invest early and are now living off a very generous retirement account. They have taken over my car payments and some bills month to month depending if I get substitute teaching work or not. I have applied to close to 300 jobs in the past 10 months, everything from teaching to McDonald's. The teaching jobs did not pan out. The latest figures put us at something like 1000:1 ratio for teachers to jobs. I can get better odds betting on a lame horse than I can getting a teaching job. The other jobs told me that I was over-qualified (my response was yeah, but I still need a job...).

I am very in debt with student loans, and have re-upped my unemployment deferment for another six months. I never had a credit card because I don't believe in spending money that I don't have.

I have a very meager 403B account which, if the job market doesn't pick up, I will be cashing out so that I may stay afloat for another month or two.

Overall, I guess I'm not doing so bad. I spend my days looking for jobs, and my nights watching old movies and such, as I don't have the money to go out. I am still getting used to this lifestyle after 10 months, as I was living the high life at my previous job. A 25 year old man making about 15K over someone else his age was nice. I'm taking it in stride, however, and when something comes up, it comes up.



Peace be with you.

-truthseeker

reply to post by xtradimensions


Learn how to make money on others misfortunes.

Probably the best way going forward.

Example

Limit order in a major Dow 30 stock 59% under the national best bid.

Next flash crash you are guaranteed to make 59%+ in 10 minutes or so.

Make sure your calculations are correct, because 61% will not get filled.