How is this recession effecting you?

@icyorchid (2564)
United States
March 14, 2009 2:40pm CST
I got some news yesterday that made me think! My husband's work laid off 3 people yesterday. There were only 7 workers in the plant. Now their's 4 workers who are wondering what will happen next. I'm thanking God that my husband wasn't 1 of the 3 laid off. I'm cutting our cable down, cut our internet down to the lowest and cut our cell phones down lower. I'm praying this helps us out right now. How is the recession effecting you. Good, Bad? Lost your job, lost your home? I know we are all upset over these things, lets express it here. Please nothing that will get this discussion deleted. Thanks ~Icy~
2 people like this
21 responses
@mummymo (23706)
14 Mar 09
I can totally understand how you feel icyorchid. My other halfs company have been paying people off for over a year , a few at a time and it has been he11. We found out in December that every job in manufacturing at that site would finish in May. It is not good to know he is going to be out of work but knowing it is betterthan fearing it! Wouldn't be so bad if I could work but I have been unable to for 2 years! xxx
@icyorchid (2564)
• United States
18 Mar 09
Sorry to hear that, at least you had a warning of when it was going to happen. These people at my husbands work had no idea. They were called into a meeting and 3 people were handed pink slips at the meeting. The boss didn't want to do it. He has a good heart and had a headache for 2 days trying to figure out who to let go. I hope your husband can find something else. I hope you are getting disibility.
1 person likes this
@mummymo (23706)
18 Mar 09
I'm sure the other half will find something to keep us going and yes we had warning - although for ages before everything was on tenterhooks and no one could relax as jobs were being lost frequently and no one knew who was next to go , when it was decided they lost jobs there and then. It is much better to know although he can't really apply for anything else as he will lose out if he leaves the job before it is over. I do understand it must have been hard for our husbands boss - it is a real nightmare for businesses big and small right now and everyone who has lost their job or who is under threat of it has my prayers! xxx
@mummymo (23706)
19 Mar 09
Sorry I meant to say I do get Disability Living Allowance now but it has been a long fight to get to get it and there was a long gap before I even tried to get it as I was determined to get back to work as soon as possible! xxx
• United States
14 Mar 09
i appreciate people sharing their stories about this topic. if you watch the news, i don't feel you get what really is happening to people like us. you know, the real people. i lost my job on black friday (day after thanksgiving) when my boss suddenly closed the business. we had been slowing down but i was hoping it would pick up. i get unemployment which is a cut of $300 a month, but i am used to living frugally. i am scared of the future only because i know someday when i start trying harder to find a job i have no idea what i am going to be able to get. i feel it is going to get worse before it gets better. i am grateful to have a home, my husbands job and a wonderful family. all i hear from other people online is the same story. i don't understand how bailing out banks is helping us. my credit is crap and i need a car right now and without a job and crappy credit i can't take advantage of these car dealers that are giving cars away. all you can do is what you are doing, cutting your expenses and watching your spending. i also suggest trying to save money. i know it is hard but even a small amount done on a regular basis will add up. having any kind of nest egg is good. i have one myself but i am desperately fighting to not touch it. i hope things get better for you. don't waste your time worrying. worrying doesn't change anything. all it does is stress you out for no good reason. i work daily on not letting the fear and uncertainty over the future get to me.
@hotsummer (13837)
• Philippines
15 Mar 09
yeah i think that we should not focus on the negative things in life. we should really fight over this things that makes us afraid of life. i have been doing that for so many years now. cause life here in my country has been difficult for the longest time. and there are not enough jobs in my country. and if you find yourself a job the salary is not really enough if you have a family to support. most of the jobs here have salary that will suffice only for a single person though you have a very good job. anyways, most people here working on a collared jobs will usually leave their work here for an opportunity in other countries. cause salaries are really small.
• United States
15 Mar 09
I know how lucky I am to be American. I have more opportunity than you do in the Phillipines. It is more of a struggle for you. Americans take a lot for granted. I enjoy mylot because i learn so much from others who are in different countries. it humbles me. i have also struggled because i chose to have children at a young age. it made things more challenging but i am sure it is nothing like your struggles. even though we are in different countries we all want the same things. we are all the same no matter where we live.
@dnbuster (442)
• United States
18 Mar 09
tight with the $$ we dont eat out as much..
@sudalunts (5523)
• United States
15 Mar 09
Well, this recession is hitting me very hard. I have been out of work since June of last year. I am collecting unemployment, but I am receiving $900.00 less than what I got when I was working. That is a big chunk of change, therefore, my bills are way behind, I am now receiving shutoff notices, and letters stating that I will be taken to court. I am very scared, and stress and depressed over my situation. It is so hard to get a job, because so many people are looking, and only one person can be hired for one job. There was a news story in my area, that over 15,000 people tried applying for one job, so that leaves 14,999 people still looking. I have been getting food from food banks, only using the car when necessary to save on gas, eating the same thing for an entire week, because you can stretch pasta. I cry myself to sleep wondering what is going to happen to me. My husband had a part time sales job, commission only, which kind of helped, whenever he made a sale, but he lost that at the end of last year. We are in such a bind, I pray that things will get better real soon. Thanks for posting this discussion, I needed an avenue to vent and get some of this off of my chest.
@hotsummer (13837)
• Philippines
15 Mar 09
i am really surprised on how bad things are going now in the US. cause looking at it in the news i don't know understand the impact of it among the people in the US. but reading it here with many saying the same thing makes me feel terrified too to hear this out though i am not from US. cause as we all the US economy somehow affects us and the world's economy. hope every thing will change for the better soon out there. but as of now in my place, though i will not say that we are better off than you. we don't seem to be affected yet by this another global crisis that much but we had always been affected though before. i mean i don't see people being taken out of their job yet that much or i could say that this problem happened already decade before and so there are still lots of people here looking for jobs. but life is no better here. . and so it is like this even before. we had been used to a very hard life anyways, but hopefully it will not get more difficult. cause i don't know what kind of life we will have if we will be affected by this another global crisis. life is actually too difficult already for us. i don't think we could take more financial problems here.
@hotsummer (13837)
• Philippines
15 Mar 09
there is no sign yet in our country that the global crisis will affect us negatively. this latest global crisis seems not to affect us that much. cause before when there was global crisis that we were so much affected that lots of companies closed down. and many people lost their jobs. i guess there were not any more factories and companies that would closed down cause all those business that will not survive in any global crisis had closed down already and what left are those strong enough or needed enough to survive in this kind of situation. but at least things are getting a little bit better. just a little bit though. cause i can see the prices of oil here in getting down. i think that includes the price in world market too. anyways, so the expenses in public transportation fare is little lower than before. and so for long trips it will mean a lot. but i only do travel on short trips. i don't have a car. i just ride in public transportation
• India
14 Mar 09
I lost my Job just this Thursday. I wonder if Recession exixts or is it just an excuse being used by companies to lay off workforce.
@icyorchid (2564)
• United States
18 Mar 09
So sorry to hear you were laid off. Yes the recession exists. My husbands company is the only company that sells Oakum (plumbers rope) and they wouldn't lay any one off. He's been there 25 yrs and I've NEVER seen them lay anyone off for any reason.
@bobmnu (8157)
• United States
15 Mar 09
I am semi retired and work part time in the health field so I have not seen the effects except in my retirement funds. I now may have to continue working past 65. I have some extra savings that was earning 0.005% interest so I withdrew it and have been making some careful investments and was holding my own until President Obama took office and it seems that every time he make a policy statement the market goes down. I have lost 1/3 of what I have invested but hope the markets will go up again. I have invested in companies that are sound but their stock has gone down just following the trend. Most pay a dividend so I get some money from them. What bothers me the most is the government is very free with my tax money. Programs to help people who gave false information on their mortgage applications or who borrowed the max in their home equity and the government will help them out. There is money in the stimulus bill to build bike paths and walking paths and to support increases in welfare, to say nothing of propping up business who mad bad decisions and are now getting rewarded for it. This at a time when Congress voted down an amendment that would have put on hold for one year a salary increase for them. And they want me to believe that they are looking out for me. I don't think so!
@thyst07 (2079)
• United States
15 Mar 09
Even as a college student, the recession is affecting me. A lot of colleges are getting less funding, or are able to do less with the funding they have because of costs going up. My university has hiked fees a couple of times in the past couple years. I was double-majoring in sociology and theatre (weird combination, I know). But the theatre program is having budget problems, so they're going to lay off one of the theatre professors- meaning that the whole theatre department only has 3 professors now, and one of them only teaches every other semester or so. I decided that with such a tiny department and limited resources, it's not worth it to get my theatre degree at this school. And as for sociology, the chances of getting job placement soon after I graduate are pretty much nil. I've decided to delay getting my degree for now- I'm just going to stay in school and take a bunch of random classes, since I currently get enough financial aid to cover my tuition. I figure that at least if I'm in school, I don't have to start paying back my student loans yet. But obviously, this won't work forever. This recession hurts a lot of people, but I think that is particularly challenging for young people who don't have years of earning and saving behind them and no safety net to fall back on. It's a hard time to try to get your start in life.
@kellys3ps (3723)
• United States
15 Mar 09
So far, the recession hasn't hurt us too bad - my husband's work has cut back hours, but I am making more money, so we have ended up even. Unfortunately, we don't know how long his company will stay open.
@Jody20 (887)
• Netherlands
15 Mar 09
I have a disability income so it was always hard to get around with the little bit of money i get each month, so it can't get harder for me.
• Philippines
15 Mar 09
Here in my country we are really affected with the economic crisis nowadays. Employees are getting hired for contractual basis. No regularization policy for some company for they are afraid of some benefits. Hope this problem will solve for our future.
@arnon29 (52)
• United Arab Emirates
15 Mar 09
everybody is affected by this recession even me i dont know how to make ends meet. i am still thankful that i still have my job as of the moment. but who knows the months to come what will happen. im really trying not to spend more. i have my kids sometimes i feel so down that there will come a day if i can still send them to school. im so afraid i dont want them to suffer like this. im praying so hard to the lord to give me more strenght and i hope we could all pass thru to this crisis. i know we only want the best for our love ones we are working hard for them. I just pray to God help us all.
@cburns401 (101)
• United States
15 Mar 09
I am a recent college graduate, and I actually heard that we're one of the biggest classes of college graduates ever. What this means for me in a recession is that I can't get a job, so I'm still living at my parents house until I can get together enough money to live on my own, which at this time is not going to be for a while.
@rakesh284 (1472)
• India
15 Mar 09
Well It has definitely affected me very badly. I was working with my previous employer from 5 months and I was climbing steps of success. Due to recession there was cost reduction techniques implemented by every firm. This include reducing Salary, Manpower, etc. And during that period I was forced to leave my job. Since 3 months I am not able to get a good job opening. I am even sorry about you and your Husband.
• Dallas, Texas
14 Mar 09
It has not been very bad for me you - I make my money on the Internet with my own business tho.... I have not had any friends of family here in Oklahoma that has lost their job -- well 1 family member - I think that had to do with his own conduct tho.. not the recission. Oklahoma is one of the only states that will have job growth this year - They say there will be at least 6000 jobs added in Oklahoma this year alone - So I guess I am lucky to be in Oklahoma -
@littleowl (7157)
14 Mar 09
Hi icy, guess I haven't done much about the recession except I have changed all my light bulbs to energy bulbs, turn off all appliances when not in use and all lights in every room that is not used, do the washing in the evening as it is cheaper turned down gas appliances to save on gas..lots of things like that which is saving on all my bills, I have got my benefits to pay my water rates as I am hopless at keeping up with it so that is another bill off my hands...I am ending the contract of one of my cell phones come June (I have 2) that will give me more to play with too..also I am shopping in cheaper grocery stores and getting their own brand rather than brand names which lowers my shopping bill...there are other things too but at the moment I can't think of them...hugs littleowl
• India
15 Mar 09
Its affecting every one across the globe now, managers in our office daily are coming up with new rules which is making office just like a cage without any freedom or interest in work. I myself feel like sitting at home instead of such torture in the office. But again, we need money and that is the thing with which even our basic amenities are fulfilled, hence, I make up my mind and forcing myself hard go to work. Its such a worst condition every where, i really pray god that this recession must end soon and every one must be happy.
• Philippines
15 Mar 09
Here in my country we are really affected with the economic crisis nowadays. Most employees like me are release by the company after the contract. They are limiting their regular employees and other benefits. I am praying that it will be solve for the future generation.
• China
15 Mar 09
This recession effect me a lot.I am a graduating college student.Now i am worried to my job.I hope this recession come to and end in this year.
• United States
14 Mar 09
My family has a busniess that employes 10 people total, including the family that works there. Four weeks ago they cut ALL over time, two weeks ago they cut hours so that every one worked 35 a week, last week they had to cut to 32 hours. We are all hoping that the business will pick up because the hours cannot be cut anymore because of company insurance. I do not work there but I do know that a skeleton crew is 4 people 5 max. And they guys have been told that if they can find part time work to do it. My husband does not work there either and while his job last year was great it is not great this year, I am working as many hours as I can at my part time job, and he has put in applications for part itme jobs (with no luck) I know that we will be ok, but we are bound to loose weight the hard way if this keeps up.