Is your "economy" improving?

[CoffeeCat]

I'm just curious about how everyone is doing economically, because the media has all-but declared
that the recession is over. We're told this will be a jobless recovery--and sure things won't
be rosy next week--but they've pretty much made it official that we are done with this recession!

I'm baffled. Seventy percent of the U.S. economy is consumer spending. The corporatists and the
Wall Streeters may detest us peasants and they may have robbed us blind. However, they are still
dependent on us. We can make or break their businesses.

Most of the people that I know (the peasants in the lower 90 percent) are hunkering down. They're
not using credit cards and they're in saving mode. They're worried about losing a job. Many
have lost jobs and some have been unemployed for nearly a year.

I'm wondering...how is your personal economy? Don't be afraid to tell us if you have a great job
and just got a raise, or that sales are up in your business. I'd really like to hear how things
are going for people.

Is the recession over for you--as the media, Wall Street and the corporations have declared?

[krispos42]

1. After six months of reduced hours, I'm back up to full time

Yay.


And I'm told that I'll be getting a raise at some point in August. It's been over two years since my last one.


Oh, and an insurance change at my work means I'll be saving about a $1.60 every two weeks for AFLAC coverage.


Yay x2.

[Dawgs]

2. Recession over does NOT EQUAL a better economy.

:shrug:

[TheKentuckian]

3. Seeing that I fled a 30% pay cut to eventually get a 10% cut and then cut loose

I'd have to say going down the toilet but then as far as I can tell we've had a functional recession since 2001, a time that I've had to go through four total shutdowns, three staff cut backs, and two pay/benefit cuts. Up, down, up, out, down, up, down, out, down, down.

The entire economy is bullshit as far as I can tell and I'm not pleased that to get ahead of it that I'll have to go through student loans (that I just paid off) again to change to what I hope is something that won't start disintegrating before I can get out of debt (again!) and start making progress in life. Making 60% of what I did three years ago ain't cool but goose eggs is worse. Now more debt and school is required to just regain what I had.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

4. The small business I work for --

has been hit ultra-hard. We have been teetering for months, and two weeks ago we were given the choice between a 10% pay cut or dropping our health insurance.

Even with that change, we (I) will not be out of the woods for a very long time. :(

Persoanlly, I am spending very little, putting off repairs on my vehicle, late on some bills, and sitting here with $1.25 scrounged from my sofa cushions so I can pick-up a tostada for lunch. :(

[Stinky The Clown]

5. I chose your third (middle) option but in fact, I am probably closer to the second

I chose the middle because I am in no mood to feel good about the economy or the country, and mood is a part of it. My personal mood is part of the national mood.

My industry is down. Most of our competitors have seen 10% or more reductions in staffing. Our own business, however, has stayed steady, which in this economy is a huge plus. We owe it all to serendipity. We landed a very big contract in the middle of last year that continues to pay us, even if we did nothing else besides that one job. It meets our nut and will until early next year. But since then we've pulled in three other large jobs and some smaller ones. We could just as easily have seen them go to competitors .... but they didn't. So we're on track to match or exceed last year's volume, which was our best year ever.

NONE OF THAT changes my crappy mood. I am very much in hunker down mode.

[quiller4]

8. I chose 3 since our retirement income is unchanged but enough of

our expenses have declined that we may be closer to #2.

[shaniqua6392]

6. I have one word for you......

Michigan. Enough said.

[frebrd]

7. I've lost interest income on CD's........

but the recession hasn't affected my pension or Social Security.

All things considered, I really can't complain.