Recession

Kindle · Post by **Kindle** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 7:24 am

It was announced this week, here in the US:

We are officially in a recession. This means that the last "three" quarters were bad.

What changes will you make to combat recession in your life?

I will quit buying books and get all my reading from the Library.

I will cut back on my consumption of Starbucks coffee and scones when out and about.

I will make brunch at home after church instead of eating out.

I will invite people to dinner at our home instead of taking them out to eat.

I will borrow movies from the Library instead of renting them.

Mustang · Post by **Mustang** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 7:27 am

I will invite people to dinner at our home instead of taking them out to eat.

What time is dinner in your neck of the woods!! :yh_rotfl

5 is good for me.

mikeinie · Post by **mikeinie** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 7:27 am

Everybody pulling back and stopping their spending will make a ‘recession’ a ‘depression’, I for one am just going ahead as normal.

I will do my part to keep the economy ticking.

Post by **spot** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 7:29 am

I thought the only thing that gets a country out of a recession is people going out and spending the way they did before it was announced. That way shops stay in business, their suppliers stay in business, importers, shop assistance, security firms who police the malls. If you cut down on your spending it'll go on longer and more people will suffer. It's your patriotic duty to consume.

SuzyB · Post by **SuzyB** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 7:30 am

They seem like good moves to make Kindle, how much do you think you'll save each month making those changes?

When the kids were younger I used to spend a lot of time at the library, we always enjoyed going there and the kids considered it a real treat

They are ever so good with ordering new books in to.

I love books and have found some really good deals in my local supermarket, their are a group of us that recycle the books between us, means for £10 I get to read about 8 books :guitarist:guitarist

hoppy · Post by **hoppy** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 7:38 am

mikeinie;1076061 wrote: Everybody pulling back and stopping their spending will make a ‘recession’ a ‘depression’, I for one am just going ahead as normal.

I will do my part to keep the economy ticking.

Same here. I'm even getting a raise in Jan. But, my rent and insurance is going up too. I'll probably wind up about $10 to 15 ahead when the smoke clears.

SuzyB · Post by **SuzyB** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 7:41 am

No doubt I'll keep spending too much as usual, if I left ebay alone I'd save a fortune:rolleyes::rolleyes:

Kindle · Post by **Kindle** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 8:02 am

SuzyB, Mikeinie & Spot:

Most of us can't make major cutbacks in our current living, but some changes, tho they are minimum, help us to consumer smarter and give us, tho false, a sense of some control in things.

mikeinie · Post by **mikeinie** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 8:31 am

Kindle;1076145 wrote: SuzyB, Mikeinie & Spot:

Most of us can't make major cutbacks in our current living, but some changes, tho they are minimum, help us to consumer smarter and give us, tho false, a sense of some control in things.

I guess the fact is that I do not swing with the economy, when the economy was strong with great growth and high employment; I still lived within my means. I have not built excessive dept and I clear my credit cards every month, I still enjoy my holidays and doing lots of fun stuff, but within what I can afford.

So I will continue to live within the boundaries of what I can afford this will not change. If I am effected by the recession and end up becoming unemployed (which I hope will not happen), then I will adjust my life style accordingly until I get a new job and re-assess the situation then.

But I do not think that I need to knee jerk to the news of hard times and stop spending just for the sake of it. I still enjoy picking up my large cappuccino in the morning on my way to work.

Lone Wolf · Post by **Lone Wolf** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 9:59 am

SuzyB;1076086 wrote: No doubt I'll keep spending too much as usual, if I left ebay alone I'd save a fortune:rolleyes::rolleyes:

hello fellow Ebay adict..:yh_rotfl i know what u meen tho..but i guess were are a reason the high st stores are down.. well ebays fault realy i guess, i said 6 years ago whn i lost my high st shop to internet trading , i siad i would support local

bussiness , but its come to a point were i cant afford to shop on the high st.

i also think the more internt trading is done and more BIG NAME move to out

onto big retail parks the lest the towns have to offer.

the next 5 years is sure going to be interesting, my wages are the same as they

were 'more or less' 5 years ago but houses have gone up by 35 % making

a mortage IMPOSSIBLE

SuzyB · Post by **SuzyB** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 10:02 am

Thing is you just can't beat it, I have just bidded and won a pair of Nike joggers brand new with tags on for £5, bargin :guitarist

Lone Wolf · Post by **Lone Wolf** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 10:09 am

SuzyB;1076227 wrote: Thing is you just can't beat it, I have just bidded and won a pair of Nike joggers brand new with tags on for £5, bargin :guitarist

That does seem a bargain, i tend to buy a lot of second had stuff but have to say

nothing for a £5er yet

bought a 200 quid bike jacket for 60 looks new'ish

and some Trainers for a 10er ..

but like u say , u cant beet it

Bez · Post by **Bez** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 10:15 am

My tracker mortgage has gone DOWN

The management fees for for my leashold flat have gone UP

Private pension is FIXED for life

State pension will go UP next year

Utiliity bills will probably go UP but I'm careful with lights etc. and keep the thermostat as low as possible for the heating.

I doubt if my spending will change....as spot said , if we all stop spending, the economy will suffer more. I have already tightened my belt since I retired.

WE'll have to ride it out and hope things improve for those that have lost their jobs.............just before christmas too.....

Raven · Post by **Raven** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 12:05 pm

We have fixed rate on ours, but the insurance bill just came in. Being a student on a bursary is the pits. My income went down, and the bills went up. I am going to be in so much debt by the time i am finished, i will never see daylight again! And they just raised the credit limit on our cards! :yh_rotfl

Post by **Oscar Namechange** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 12:30 pm

mikeinie;1076061 wrote: Everybody pulling back and stopping their spending will make a ‘recession’ a ‘depression’, I for one am just going ahead as normal.

I will do my part to keep the economy ticking. Me too. I've been mega shopping this week for Christmas and then it will be the january sales, then i'll need new clothes for my holiday, then the new autumn range and then it'll be Christmas again. Meanwhile all the shop owners will be dropping their prices. Great stuff. :-6

Accountable · Post by **Accountable** » Thu Dec 04, 2008 4:25 am

Kindle;1076052 wrote: It was announced this week, here in the US:

We are officially in a recession. This means that the last "three" quarters were bad.

What changes will you make to combat recession in your life?

I will quit buying books and get all my reading from the Library.

I will cut back on my consumption of Starbucks coffee and scones when out and about.

I will make brunch at home after church instead of eating out.

I will invite people to dinner at our home instead of taking them out to eat.

I will borrow movies from the Library instead of renting them.
I don't understand. Are you doing this because you're feeling a financial pinch, or because you saw on the news that we're in a recession? [smilie=1,21,4]

Bez · Post by **Bez** » Thu Dec 04, 2008 6:02 am

Raven;1076362 wrote: We have fixed rate on ours, but the insurance bill just came in. Being a student on a bursary is the pits. My income went down, and the bills went up. I am going to be in so much debt by the time i am finished, i will never see daylight again! And they just raised the credit limit on our cards! :yh_rotfl

The banks are still offering me credit cards and loans. Everyday I get junk mail from them....nutters !

How much longer will you be studying ? i'm sure it'll all be worth it iin the end :yh_hugs:yh_hugs

Kindle · Post by **Kindle** » Thu Dec 04, 2008 8:30 am

Accountable;1076931 wrote: I don't understand. Are you doing this because you're feeling a financial pinch, or because you saw on the news that we're in a recession? [smilie=1,21,4]

Guilt!

I'm feeling I've been living too large and with others doing the same, perhaps our cavalier attitude (mine and everyone else's) has brought about the current economy.

I know my small cutbacks can't impact what is happening, but if everyone had a new attitute, perhaps we could make a difference in how we go forward. We have just to look at the 3 CEO's of the US car makers to see what their 'attitutes' regarding their entitlements have wroght on the economy.

I don't want to be part of the problem. I want to be part of a solution. Changing my life a bit makes me feel in control -- if only of myself.

mikeinie · Post by **mikeinie** » Thu Dec 04, 2008 8:55 am

Do you want to hear how crazy this whole thing is?

I want to get a new car, I have spoken to the guy I have been dealing with for years, and he says that the whole car market has come to a standstill.

The only way he can sell me a new car is if I do not trade in my older one, as they cannot take in anymore trade in’s as the car park is full of used cars and no one can shift them.

Of course I am not buying a new car without trading my old one in, so I had the thing serviced and will hang onto longer. Because of this ‘rule’ he (and he works in a major brand dealership) has been selling no new cars.

Kindle · Post by **Kindle** » Thu Dec 04, 2008 5:34 pm

mikeinie;1077103 wrote: Do you want to hear how crazy this whole thing is?

I want to get a new car, I have spoken to the guy I have been dealing with for years, and he says that the whole car market has come to a standstill.

The only way he can sell me a new car is if I do not trade in my older one, as they cannot take in anymore trade in’s as the car park is full of used cars and no one can shift them.

Of course I am not buying a new car without trading my old one in, so I had the thing serviced and will hang onto longer. Because of this ‘rule’ he (and he works in a major brand dealership) has been selling no new cars.

This is just one reflection of the upside-down world we are in right now.

I've been trying to follow the dealings with the 3 major car company's in the US and it is unbelievable to me how badly mismanaged they have been. GM's the worst, then Chrysler. Ford seems to be the most on track. They say they only want the option to borrow IF they would need to because of the current economy.

I remember back, quite a while ago, when the speed limit was dropped down to 55mph to conserve fuel and the government set some guidelines and dates for future fuel efficient cars. This didn't seem to last very long. Like the monkeys who needed to build a roof to keep the rain off........ when the sun was shinning, they were having themselves a good old time. Likewise it is with government and its citizens. We want it all. Now. :-5 :-5