How is this recession effecting you?

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

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.

tight with the $$ we dont eat out as much..

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.

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

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 -

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

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.

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.

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.

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.