The recession has lasted years and I hope it is going to end soon

I thought 2000 - 2010 was bad enough but it seems it's got worse the last couple of years due to all the cuts. I know they're necessary but the debt is worse now than it was at the start of all this and I cannot see an end to it anytime soon. If I had kids I'd be really worried for them right now as it's a fact that many of them will be worse off than their own parents once they grow into adulthood. You've only got to see it on TV whenever people win money..it nearly always goes to their grandchildren or children, depending on how old the winners are. Sad case of affairs. Unfortunately, no-one can emigrate either as it's just as bad worldwide. Even Australia will implode soon because the mining boom they're experiencing currently isn't going to last forever...look at this country, a prime example of what happens when the mining stops.

I think its bad all around the world. i know its really bad here in Mexico.

I don't think we have seen the worst yet. I do think that it will get much worse and not sure it will ever totally recover.

about 8 years ago ( not that long) i would get pizza every monday and have a braai (BBQ) every sunday. But now... i cant afford that. And i still see people wasting their money on food and sometimes they don't even eat it all !! How is this possible when half the country don't have jobs ??

It feels like the world becoming like the playstation game final fantasy. Very poor, smaller living space for more money, high price of food esspecially meat and low wages or no jobs. scary...

It's only the beginning i'm afraid. The world going downhill let's not lie to ourselves .

I am waiting for the inevitable my friend, the announcement of a triple dip recession! Our government just haven't a clue as to how to get us out of this mess, I fear they are just sticking their heads in the sand and hoping it will go away, well it won't. We need a strong leader, we desperately need a strong party. This country is going downhill fast, there's mass unemployment and both businesses and people are dropping like flies every day! It's always doom and gloom. I can't see it ending to be honest and I often wonder when not if this country will hit the Great Depression!

Our house prices are steady and we are building more houses here in Winnipeg, MB and the recession is hitting us. I do not drive, but when I go with either of my friends shopping or to church, I see that our gas (petrol) prices have gone up even for the self-serve. And when I am in the grocers, I see the price of goods up and the packages small. I also see the difference in laundry detergent, as I have to be careful to see my clothes last longer and do not want a detergant that makes me itch or puts holes in my clothes. Also our services like water and gas is going up. The only way I can save is because my basement is mostly underground. I do not know how long the recession will last. I think it started in the early part of this century about 2004. I remember when we had one in the 1990s and that was bad.

It is so hard isn't it? The budget announements are not ideal for everyone but, there are some elements that might make certain things easier for myself and my husband so we look forward to those!

The recession has badly affected my wife. I have a Master's Degree in Early Childhood Education and cannot find work anywhere. I keep on applying for jobs and gets rejected because I am over qualified. Randy and I owned a house, but had to give it up (we did a rent to own) and moved in with my parents for a while. Now we are renting a trailer and really hope that things will pick up soon so we can move into a bigger place. My brother lives with us so he can help pay the bills. I am hoping to start my online business and that it will be successful so I can start paying off old debt and hopefully move to a bigger place in a better area.

The recession here started much later than just about anywhere else; it's only just beginning to bite now actually, at least in my state it has officially been declared just last week. In 2007 we spent all the billions we had saved for decades before & staved off the GFC for a long time, opting to "spend our way out of it", like the USA & UK also agreed to do at the time. It would have been better had any one of the big projects we spent the money on succeeded! I heard your country just had its AAA credit rating downgraded & our AAA may soon follow - pending the May Budget. But it's a unique situation here with some sectors doing really well, like mining, banking, etc, while others are collapsing completely, like manufacturing & small businesses. People are starting to see opportunities & are aligning themselves more with successful sectors. The National Broadband Network continues to be rolled out, especially in rural Australia, even though it is behind schedule now. Once we have this fibre optic network up & running, it's expected to deliver huge benefits to companies, businesses, schools, hospitals & individuals. China continues its ever-increasing expenditure on housing & exports, which is guaranteeing mining will continue here for quite some time. I'm thinking, with an election tipped to bring in a majority coalition conservative government in September, we've seen the worst of it & will soon be over it. The US is just starting on its "shale gale" & has a robust economy underpinned by a housing boom - strong & steady. We're exporting LNG everywhere in the region & have big, long contracts in place for that. It's all looking "up" from here! I hope conditions will get better for you to keep travelling more as you wish. I hear there's a lot of snow where you are now?

You did ask me what I thought maximax8. It will never end! Ok, so much for this discussion, on with the next one. Talk about depressing. Actually, what I am trying to say is that I think it is all about checks and balances and these things will always be happening. First, like you said there is a boom, then a downturn, then back up again. It is a question of timing. Certainly it effects every individual in some way. Did you know there are industries that do very well in these times? What is true is we are undergoing changes. As for you and I well all we can do is adapt. There is a light at the end of the tunnel if we look for it. Let's see I don't worry about my stocks going down because I don't have any.

My family and I won't be able to go on vacation this summer to visit my sister in Chicago, I wasn't going to Chicago this summer any way, I want to spend this summer with my grand Daughter, and take her to the zoo, and we have lunch together everyday, and just spend a lot of time together having fun, I miss spending time with my grand daughter, but I will get a change to do that this summer, and after I move she will be, at my apartment most of the time.

I have lost track of time of when the recession started here. It doesn't seem to be getting better and I don't for see it getting better anytime soon. It's hard seeing so many families struggling to get by and you want to help them but your barely making ends meet yourself.

well in my country the recession mostly affected the IT industry and plus some of the outsourcing companies..because most of the outsourcing companies over here are linked to the US...but i must say its effects have decreased quite a lot though..same as in UAE..especially dubai...dubai had really gone down cause of the recession..but my friends who are there say that they have pretty much recovered..