Post here if you're not really affected by the current economic downturn...

[Eeezee]

Originally posted by: tfinch2

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile
So far not...but my anger towards the US government/American culture in general continues to grow.

You haven't left the US yet?

It is more patriotic to stay in the country despite its faults and hope for improvement.

Dissent is the highest form of patriotism.

 

[Eeezee]

Originally posted by: ViviTheMage
not really, except gas prices. I am sure energy will cost more as time goes on, more so then it does now. It HAS to, unless we get a more effecient method of getting energy.

We'll be hard pressed to beat coal (which we have to get off of eventually for environmental + public health reasons)

 

[shortylickens]

I forgot to say this:

My new job is only a 6 month contract, and by the way they are tossing people left and right, it wont be extended.

They offered about 3/4 of the old guys an early retirement.
Half of them took it.
A month later the other half were layed off.

 

[dakels]

Oh one way I am definitely affected is I am planning a trip to Rock Werchter. The high euro and low dollar are making this kinda tough on the wallet.

 

[PricklyPete]

So far I've been completely unaffected...so I feel particularly lucky.

 

[Xavier434]

Gas prices, my pension plan, and the quality of all services that government provides me being lesser (despite what it may seem since this sort of thing can go unnoticed by the masses) is what is effecting me. All of our kids are being effected too. With the decrease in spending comes budget cuts nationwide when it comes to schools. My county alone is getting cut 70 million this year in education funding alone. Police departments and fire departments are taking hits too.

 

[Parasitic]

I'm in grad school and my source of income is research funded by NIH and NSF . With that said, if federal research expenditure got cut then I'm screwed.

 

[moshquerade]

Originally posted by: E equals MC2
I must admit I'm not really affected by it. My salary remains fixed (just got a small raise actually)... the only time I bitch a little is that I pay $3-4 extra when I fill up my tank.

My company stock has been going down a little and now it's almost back up to what it used to be in back last november.

I try to conserve by not going out as much, but I think it's more psychological since all consumers are psychologically affected by it.

I guess it helps that I'm only 26 without family to support.

are we actually in a recession?

 

[krunchykrome]

Gas prices are a bit steep. Other than that, Im not affected. I am being a bit more conservative with my spending and saving though.

 

[Xavier434]

Originally posted by: moshquerade

Originally posted by: E equals MC2
I must admit I'm not really affected by it. My salary remains fixed (just got a small raise actually)... the only time I bitch a little is that I pay $3-4 extra when I fill up my tank.

My company stock has been going down a little and now it's almost back up to what it used to be in back last november.

I try to conserve by not going out as much, but I think it's more psychological since all consumers are psychologically affected by it.

I guess it helps that I'm only 26 without family to support.

are we actually in a recession?

Does it even matter what we decide to call it? It is a time of financial hardship across the country compared to normal no matter how you slice it.

 

[Eeezee]

Originally posted by: Xavier434
Gas prices, my pension plan, and the quality of all services that government provides me being lesser (despite what it may seem since this sort of thing can go unnoticed by the masses) is what is effecting me. All of our kids are being effected too. With the decrease in spending comes budget cuts nationwide when it comes to schools. My county alone is getting cut 70 million this year in education funding alone. Police departments and fire departments are taking hits too.

And don't forget the huge 2008 budget cuts to the physical sciences. NSF had its budget massively slashed.

 

[Eeezee]

Originally posted by: Parasitic
I'm in grad school and my source of income is research funded by NIH and NSF . With that said, if federal research expenditure got cut then I'm screwed.

It DID get cut, Fermilab had to lay off a lot of staff.

 

[Eeezee]

Originally posted by: Xavier434

Originally posted by: moshquerade

Originally posted by: E equals MC2
I must admit I'm not really affected by it. My salary remains fixed (just got a small raise actually)... the only time I bitch a little is that I pay $3-4 extra when I fill up my tank.

My company stock has been going down a little and now it's almost back up to what it used to be in back last november.

I try to conserve by not going out as much, but I think it's more psychological since all consumers are psychologically affected by it.

I guess it helps that I'm only 26 without family to support.

are we actually in a recession?

Does it even matter what we decide to call it? It is a time of financial hardship across the country compared to normal no matter how you slice it.

Of course you're right, but I remember reading somewhere that it's not "officially" a recession until the negative economic conditions have persisted for two financial quarters in a row... or something like that. So it's true that the talking heads can deny that we're in a recession, but if it goes on through the end of the 2nd quarter then they won't have any choice.

 

[moshquerade]

Originally posted by: Xavier434

Originally posted by: moshquerade

Originally posted by: E equals MC2
I must admit I'm not really affected by it. My salary remains fixed (just got a small raise actually)... the only time I bitch a little is that I pay $3-4 extra when I fill up my tank.

My company stock has been going down a little and now it's almost back up to what it used to be in back last november.

I try to conserve by not going out as much, but I think it's more psychological since all consumers are psychologically affected by it.

I guess it helps that I'm only 26 without family to support.

are we actually in a recession?

Does it even matter what we decide to call it? It is a time of financial hardship across the country compared to normal no matter how you slice it.

that's not an answer to my question.

what i am hearing over and over in the media is that we are in a recession. are we actually? i think it needs to get worse to claim we are there.

 

[Special K]

Originally posted by: moshquerade

Originally posted by: E equals MC2
I must admit I'm not really affected by it. My salary remains fixed (just got a small raise actually)... the only time I bitch a little is that I pay $3-4 extra when I fill up my tank.

My company stock has been going down a little and now it's almost back up to what it used to be in back last november.

I try to conserve by not going out as much, but I think it's more psychological since all consumers are psychologically affected by it.

I guess it helps that I'm only 26 without family to support.

are we actually in a recession?

Technically you need 2 consecutive quarters of a shrinking GDP to be "officially" in a recession, so we could be in one now, but they can't officially declare it until July.

 

[moshquerade]

Originally posted by: Special K

Originally posted by: moshquerade

Originally posted by: E equals MC2
I must admit I'm not really affected by it. My salary remains fixed (just got a small raise actually)... the only time I bitch a little is that I pay $3-4 extra when I fill up my tank.

My company stock has been going down a little and now it's almost back up to what it used to be in back last november.

I try to conserve by not going out as much, but I think it's more psychological since all consumers are psychologically affected by it.

I guess it helps that I'm only 26 without family to support.

are we actually in a recession?

Technically you need 2 consecutive quarters of a shrinking GDP to be "officially" in a recession, so we could be in one now, but they can't officially declare it until July.

thanks for the clarification.

 

[AkumaX]

just gas, really

 

[Megatomic]

Originally posted by: dquan97
My job is unaffected, but I hate paying top $$ at the pumps

Yeah, my salary is up 25% from this time last year due to a new job. Gas is more expensive, but since I drive a small 4 door 4 cylinder car it's not too bad. All things considered, I've actually improved financially during this downturn.

 

[thomsbrain]

I drive 30K to 40K miles a year for work, and while IRS mileage went up 4% or so this year, gas prices are up 30-40%. That's a difference I really feel, because I am spending well over $100 extra every month on gas. It's not just a psychological thing when I fill up. My bank account really shows the difference.

My investments have sagged, of course, but it's not a catastrophe.

I hope to buy my first home in the next few years, so that may end up being to my advantage.

 

[Xavier434]

Originally posted by: moshquerade

Originally posted by: Xavier434

Originally posted by: moshquerade

Originally posted by: E equals MC2
I must admit I'm not really affected by it. My salary remains fixed (just got a small raise actually)... the only time I bitch a little is that I pay $3-4 extra when I fill up my tank.

My company stock has been going down a little and now it's almost back up to what it used to be in back last november.

I try to conserve by not going out as much, but I think it's more psychological since all consumers are psychologically affected by it.

I guess it helps that I'm only 26 without family to support.

are we actually in a recession?

Does it even matter what we decide to call it? It is a time of financial hardship across the country compared to normal no matter how you slice it.

that's not an answer to my question.

what i am hearing over and over in the media is that we are in a recession. are we actually? i think it needs to get worse to claim we are there.

Maybe or maybe not. The point I was trying to make is that it really makes no difference whether our current state of economics is officially classified as a recession according the big wigs that get to decide on such things or the media for that matter. There is a lot of recovery that needs to occur one way or another at this point and it is effecting the daily lives of a lot of Americans. That's all that matters.

 

[TallBill]

The technical indicator of a recession is two consecutive quarters of negative economic growth as measured by a country's GDP.

 

[abracadabra1]

Yup, I thought I was unaffected. Then 5 days ago I'm told that $75,000 is frozen in an auction market security with no ability to access those funds.

Wooo fucking hoo.

 

[CPA]

Originally posted by: nakedfrog
Dairy has gone up a bit... string cheese had been $5 per package, then suddenly it went up to nearly $6.50, milk went up... sucks when your kids go through a few gallons per week.

time to start having them eat pancakes in the morning.

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: CPA

Originally posted by: nakedfrog
Dairy has gone up a bit... string cheese had been $5 per package, then suddenly it went up to nearly $6.50, milk went up... sucks when your kids go through a few gallons per week.

time to start having them eat pancakes in the morning.

That or write, call, and generally harass your congressman and senator demanding an end to the ethanol mandate.

 

[Koing]

~ -20% on my portfolio book cost!!! But I'm chilling. It should pull up within 12-18months and not in need of the £££.

Koing