DU Consumer Sentiment Poll

[Mike 03]

Every two months I like to ask approximately the same few questions about where you stand as a consumer right now.

This poll is not about the purchase of luxury/dispensable retail items so much as consumer staples such as food, medicine, etc... But feel free to interpret it as you will.

[NRaleighLiberal]

1. Other for me. and complex.

Got laid off last year - am fortunate - director in big pharma, got a good severance package (25 years in), so we are living on that - and I am doing a bit of consulting. But it is very ambiguous going forward, so we are really hunkered down and spending very minimally to stretch things out as much as possible.

[leftofthedial]

4. I made it from 2002 until last year with what was left of my life savings

after layoff and divorce. I also had help from family and some serendipitous small but timely windfalls. Now, though, it's too much month and not enough money all the time. That and trying to constantly find new shitty jobs to replace dying old ones is killing me.

[NRaleighLiberal]

5. Thanks for sharing, and so sorry to hear of the challenges. I try not to worry,

but the future is troubling - my two daughters are struggling in this economy as well, neither with health care.

[leftofthedial]

6. best of luck to you.

we're all in the same storm-tossed boat together.

[Mike 03]

13. Thank you, I appreciate your answer. I hope you get through this okay.

You are in my thoughts. Thoughtful answers like this are helping me try to figure out what to do too. And helping others, too, I'm sure.

Thanks for participating.

[cosmik debris]

2. Retired

I've lost 30% of my retirement savings in 15 months.

I have to live 30% cheaper or die 30% sooner.

There is no third option.

[Mz Pip]

10. Sounds like us

I'm retired but my retirement is not a big one, though I do get medical coverage for myself and Mr Pip which is worth a lot.

Mr Pip still does some part time software consulting but we have begun to draw from savings and IRAs as planned. However, those IRAs are not going to last us as long as we were counting on. He'd like to wait another year or so before collecting Social security, but who knows how that will go.

We refinanced our house at a lower rate and are being careful with the cash flow. We've cut way back on discretionary spending. We were considering getting a new car but now we won't. And there are some home improvement projects that have been put on hold.

We are hoping that this turns around in 5 years. If it doesn't, we are screwed. But then at that point everyone will be.

[havocmom]

3. buying seed, fabric, hardware

and getting damned creative about making do, recycling, fixing. I would love to support workers by buying more, but the corporations aren't letting purchase prices 'trickle down' so why grease their greedy offshore accounts?

[Mike 03]

14. I hear ya'. Thank you for participating.

I have to confess, I am doing some stockpiling and it probably benefits some corporations. I feel awful about this. But I'm getting that bad, very negative, "Eat or be eaten" attitude.

[Fresh_Start]

7. My husband lost his job in January

there went 55% of the household income.
We're already helping support 2 other households in our extended family
we can make it for 6 months on savings (assuming I don't lose my job) since I can't cover the fixed costs on my salary alone
So consider me worried and watching every penny

[Thickasabrick]

8. Other - I'm ok....will be working longer than I had planned. I'm

grateful everyday I still have a job.

[redqueen]

9. Single mom, 2 kids, I provide our only income.

We live paycheck to paycheck.

And well, I'm in college now... but it'll be a while before I start reaping any rewards.

[DainBramaged]

16. If I win the lottery I promise I will remember you

and not just in passing or waving.

[lukasahero]

11. Tremendously complex

My husband and I have been very lucky - we both rode the tech boom up, bought a great house which we were able to pay off and have a fair amount of cash stashed away. Then last year he had quadruple bypass surgery and retired. This year, I took a considerable pay cut from a contracting job to a permanent position just to get the medical benefits.

So we have been lucky. Financially we're as secure as we could hope to be and my job is relatively secure but we are cutting back and stocking up. We've lent money to a friend who found himself in a bad spot and co-signed a loan to help a neighbor's daughter finish college. It's been frightening to realize people we really thought were ok are struggling to the degree they are.

We are worried about my sister and her family as well as my folks. We have tried to put ourselves in a position of some financial security so that we could be there for our families as needed but my husband's heart disease has changed our plans considerably. I'm scared. We weren't quite where we wanted to be before he had to retire but we're a lot better off than many, I know.

[customerserviceguy]

12. Other for me

My full-time job announced that it was taking a hike at the end of 2008, so about three weeks before that, I picked up a part-time job with a utility company. It's my hope that I will be able to work full-time for the utility company by the end of the year, but there are two other part-timers ahead of me on the list.

I'm treading water on my bills, and I consider myself pretty lucky - when I listen to the stories my customers tell me on the phone.

[TahitiNut]

15. "Paycheck"? What's that?

:dunce:

[doc03]

17. I started buying things I have wanted since I think prices

will go up and it doesn't make much sense to save since nothing gives any return today. I bought a new TV, plan on getting a blue ray player, a new car and doing some remodeling on the house. I am also going to get a semi-auto pistol before the gun grabbers outlaw them.