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How are you surviving the tough economic times right now?

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zoebartlett

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I''m just curious. I know there have been threads on this in the past, but more time has gone by. Maybe people weren''t affected so much by the economy before but now they are. I''m hoping things change for everyone affected REALLY soon.

So I''ll begin by answering my own question. Honestly, I''ve been more grumpy. REALLY grumpy.
 

Maisie

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We were affected by the economy by my husband losing his job. A lot of call centres were closed down and his was one of them. He finished there on the Friday and started his new job on the Monday. He was blessed to find another job so quickly. He hates the new job though. He really doesn''t want to work where he is but he is a responsible husband and father and wants to work.

He has applied to join the Royal Air Force and he has his apptitude tests in a few weeks. If he is succesful he will have to go away for quite a while for training. I think thats when things will hit us harder. Trust him to choose a trade in the RAF that needs extensive training!
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zoebartlett

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Oh wow, Maisie, best wishes to your husband!! I''m sorry that he doesn''t like his current job, but hopefully joining the RAF will make him happier.

My husband lost his job in Nov. and he hasn''t had much luck. He had a 1 week position, and then a 3 month gig, but he was let go of the 3 month job after only a week because he became ill. He''d better now though, and back to looking for something else.

I haven''t been handling things well at all. My husband is so laid back about it all, whereas I''m so worried about money all the time. I''d love to say that his laid back attitude has rubbed off on me, but in all honestly, it annoys me SO MUCH. When I come home from work and the dishes aren''t done and the kitchen or living room is a mess, I go ballistic. It''s not pretty. So yeah, I''ve been very grumpy.
 

KimberlyH

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We''ve always been conservative with spending, but have cut back even further. My husbands'' self employed and the economy has made his job much more difficult to do. As you know, Zoe, I finished up my M.Ed last year. The prospect of my getting a full time position becomes more and more grim. I am not at all bitter about it though, as I know that this is common in the field; there are times when jobs are handed out like candy (I remember when my cousin was in school to become a teacher districts were courting students still in college, handing out Emergency Credentials left and right) and times when it is difficult to find employment. I am lucky to have my part time position, and hope that next year I''ll be able to maintain it (I''ll be let go the end of May), but if not I''ll just return to subbing and then go from there.

I have seen the affects the economy has had on my students, and it''s nice to know parents are having to tell their kids "No, we can''t afford X." I''m hoping this causes a shift in priorities in our society back to more simple pleasures, like a day in the park tossing a baseball and having a homemade picnic.
 

gwendolyn

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We can''t afford to do much in the way of fun outings--we spent much of our savings to come to the US to visit my family and friends, and will have to continue to scrape what little we have left a month into savings for our upcoming wedding and immigration paperwork.

It''s also affecting us in that it seems like a bad time to up and move and get new jobs, especially if transferring from one country to another--J''s field has different requirements in the US than in the UK, so we''ll probably stay put for a few years before even thinking about a move back to the US.

Also, he doesn''t enjoy his current job, but since work is hard to come by now, he''ll keep working at his current job to make sure we are bringing in enough. It''s not the best since it makes him kind of grumpy, but it''s what needs to be done.
 

Italiahaircolor

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We''re trying to be more socially conscious. Donating more money, doing more of what we can for our community has become overly important.

Fortunately, we haven''t been extremely effected...however, my husband went without his bonus and we''re stock piling more money than ever before in our rainy day fund.

We''re taking life one day at a time...I am optimistic about the future but understand that we didn''t get into this economic crisis overnight and nothing will solved overnight either.
 

Rhea

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I hate to say it, but it hasn''t affected us at all. At least not yet. We''re young, mid-20s, and just starting out so there aren''t a ton of ways that we can cut back.

For right now, both of our jobs are safe. My company is still hiring. There is a lot of money going towards benefits over here and I work for a charity that helps people on benefits so it''s fine right now. Budgets for some things within the company have been cut, but the company hasn''t cut people and my department very recently hired two new people. A co-worker and I were taken aside and asked to take on a project that needed to suceed. Based on how this was handled as well as appraisals, I think if the company does let people go I wouldn''t be one of the first to go.

We are spending normally, though I wish our savings accounts had more money in them. They don''t because of my visas, DH''s school fees, and the recent purchase of my very expensive yearly travel card for work. All of these were due in the same two month period...sigh.

Mostly it''s effecting me in that I feel slightly paranoid about spending anything on having fun.
 

bee*

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D lost his job last October/November and has only been doing freelance work since then so we''ve been very careful with our spending. I just found out yesterday that work has been telling people that they have to cut hours and wages so it looks like I''ll be losing out also. Every spare penny we have has been going towards the wedding so that''s what we''re putting all of our energy into at the moment. I just really wish that I was qualified so that I had more chance of finding a job that pays better and I could help out a bit more with the rent/bills. There will be no fun spending for a while.
 

diamondringlover

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Things are tough for us right now, our 23 year old son lost his job and had to move back in with us, I had forgot how much 23 year old men eat
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we are trying to cut down on things, because we are also having to pay his bills as well as ours (student loans, credit card, ect), but it is hard, we are lucky neither of us lost our jobs, but all the OT that we work has been cut out and that hurts as well. Hopefully our son will get a job very soon, so some dust would be appreciated.
 

JSM

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I''m graduating in a month and I haven''t found a job yet...
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We just spent money on our elopement, so for now we are only buying essentials (food and gas for the car). I''m saving as much as possible so if it takes me a while we can still pay the rent for a couple months. But I hope my job search turns up, or we might be living in someone''s basement!
 

Abril

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It''s been said, "Never let a crisis go to waste." We''ve been investing as much money as we can in this bear market, and it''s starting to pay off. We''re enjoying the mini-bull market (up 26% since March 9) but don''t know if it will last. Actually, REITs have been one of our best performers, since we bought in so low and they''ve rebounded so high.
 

zoebartlett

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Date: 4/12/2009 10:06:13 AM
Author: KimberlyH
We''ve always been conservative with spending, but have cut back even further. My husbands'' self employed and the economy has made his job much more difficult to do. As you know, Zoe, I finished up my M.Ed last year. The prospect of my getting a full time position becomes more and more grim. I am not at all bitter about it though, as I know that this is common in the field; there are times when jobs are handed out like candy (I remember when my cousin was in school to become a teacher districts were courting students still in college, handing out Emergency Credentials left and right) and times when it is difficult to find employment. I am lucky to have my part time position, and hope that next year I''ll be able to maintain it (I''ll be let go the end of May), but if not I''ll just return to subbing and then go from there.


I have seen the affects the economy has had on my students, and it''s nice to know parents are having to tell their kids ''No, we can''t afford X.'' I''m hoping this causes a shift in priorities in our society back to more simple pleasures, like a day in the park tossing a baseball and having a homemade picnic.

I know you finished up last year, and it''s such a great feeling of accomplishment, isn''t it? Unfortunately, in teaching, as with other fields at the moment, positions are being cut rather than added. Actually though, if you''d like to teach 6th grade and if you''re willing to come to northern New England, you could apply for a position at my school. Ooohh wait, I forgot, we''re also hiring a K-3 Sp. Ed. teacher.
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EricaR

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Date: 4/12/2009 9:43:41 AM
Author: ZoeBartlett
I haven''t been handling things well at all. My husband is so laid back about it all, whereas I''m so worried about money all the time. I''d love to say that his laid back attitude has rubbed off on me, but in all honestly, it annoys me SO MUCH. When I come home from work and the dishes aren''t done and the kitchen or living room is a mess, I go ballistic. It''s not pretty. So yeah, I''ve been very grumpy.

Are you and I the same person? My husband has been out of a job for about six weeks now and I just don''t understand how he is staying so relaxed. Seriously, I just want to light a fire under his tush. If I want anything done around the house I have to make a list and tape it to his computer monitor. His type of job is pretty specialized so some weeks there might only be two or three job postings for this area. We are at the point where he needs to start applying for things that might be a 30+ minute drive away, or that are outside his field but he doesn''t seem to be in any hurry to do so. The California unemployment system is pretty screwy and he''s only received one check. This morning I asked if he could make a point of calling them tomorrow to see what is going on. His response? "I''ll give it another week to see if it comes."

I know that he is the one who is unemployed, but this puts a huge amount of pressure on me. Sometimes I feel like the pressure is so much I''m going to split in half...
 

bee*

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Date: 4/12/2009 3:22:18 PM
Author: EricaR

I know that he is the one who is unemployed, but this puts a huge amount of pressure on me. Sometimes I feel like the pressure is so much I''m going to split in half...

Ugh I know that feeling. Mainly because I''m so worried about D being worried about not having a job. I know he''s taking it pretty hard. Lets just hope that things turn around soon.
 

zoebartlett

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Date: 4/12/2009 3:22:18 PM
Author: EricaR
Date: 4/12/2009 9:43:41 AM

Author: ZoeBartlett

I haven''t been handling things well at all. My husband is so laid back about it all, whereas I''m so worried about money all the time. I''d love to say that his laid back attitude has rubbed off on me, but in all honestly, it annoys me SO MUCH. When I come home from work and the dishes aren''t done and the kitchen or living room is a mess, I go ballistic. It''s not pretty. So yeah, I''ve been very grumpy.


Are you and I the same person? My husband has been out of a job for about six weeks now and I just don''t understand how he is staying so relaxed. Seriously, I just want to light a fire under his tush. If I want anything done around the house I have to make a list and tape it to his computer monitor. His type of job is pretty specialized so some weeks there might only be two or three job postings for this area. We are at the point where he needs to start applying for things that might be a 30+ minute drive away, or that are outside his field but he doesn''t seem to be in any hurry to do so. The California unemployment system is pretty screwy and he''s only received one check. This morning I asked if he could make a point of calling them tomorrow to see what is going on. His response? ''I''ll give it another week to see if it comes.''


I know that he is the one who is unemployed, but this puts a huge amount of pressure on me. Sometimes I feel like the pressure is so much I''m going to split in half...

Erica, we sound exactly alike! I keep saying that my husband needs a fire lit under his bum to get him to be a little more proactive in his job search. Yes, he''s talking to recruiters, and yes, he''s looking online every day and applying for positions. I just think he could do more (or do things somewhat differently) to get his resume at the top of the pile. You know what I mean? He''s just not into networking, which I think is so important these days. I know I''m being very judgmental about this and I''m probably not being very fair, but it REALLY makes me want to scream when I walk in the door after work and see him playing XBox instead of taking care of the dishes in the kitchen, or I don''t know, LOOKING FOR A JOB. I mean, I know he''s searching and applying, and he''s doing it in his own way, but it''s been 5 months already. We''ve fought so much since this happened, and to be very honest, this first year of marriage hasn''t been exactly peachy.

Sorry to vent but I think you know what it''s like. I''m really sorry that your husband (wait, your FI? -- I thought I read your other thread in BWW) and you are going through such a hard time.
 

EricaR

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Date: 4/12/2009 6:37:27 PM
Author: ZoeBartlett
Date: 4/12/2009 3:22:18 PM

Erica, we sound exactly alike! I keep saying that my husband needs a fire lit under his bum to get him to be a little more proactive in his job search. Yes, he''s talking to recruiters, and yes, he''s looking online every day and applying for positions. I just think he could do more (or do things somewhat differently) to get his resume at the top of the pile. You know what I mean? He''s just not into networking, which I think is so important these days. I know I''m being very judgmental about this and I''m probably not being very fair, but it REALLY makes me want to scream when I walk in the door after work and see him playing XBox instead of taking care of the dishes in the kitchen, or I don''t know, LOOKING FOR A JOB. I mean, I know he''s searching and applying, and he''s doing it in his own way, but it''s been 5 months already. We''ve fought so much since this happened, and to be very honest, this first year of marriage hasn''t been exactly peachy.


Sorry to vent but I think you know what it''s like. I''m really sorry that your husband (wait, your FI? -- I thought I read your other thread in BWW) and you are going through such a hard time.

We are legally married - got married two days after he got laid off. We are still doing a more formal wedding in two weeks. :)

I hear you about feeling judgmental and not fair. AND the damn video games. If he spent half as much time looking for a job as he does conquering China or whatever goes on in the game he''s playing now maybe he''d be somewhere? That really isn''t fair. He is job hunting every day, but like I said he really needs to get out of his comfort zone.

I got him to agree to go to a community job hunting center this week. Or at least call and speak with them. I think an outside opinion might help. Maybe? Hopefully? Ugh!
14.gif
 

FrekeChild

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Luckily, we''re doing alright. However, that''s because he''s the one with the job, and as a graduate student teaching stats classes, he''s got some job security. I guess when you''re as poor as we are, you don''t feel it as much.

However, I am selling some of my gemstones, just to have an extra small financial pillow...

7.gif
 

KimberlyH

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Date: 4/12/2009 3:02:02 PM
Author: ZoeBartlett

Date: 4/12/2009 10:06:13 AM
Author: KimberlyH
We''ve always been conservative with spending, but have cut back even further. My husbands'' self employed and the economy has made his job much more difficult to do. As you know, Zoe, I finished up my M.Ed last year. The prospect of my getting a full time position becomes more and more grim. I am not at all bitter about it though, as I know that this is common in the field; there are times when jobs are handed out like candy (I remember when my cousin was in school to become a teacher districts were courting students still in college, handing out Emergency Credentials left and right) and times when it is difficult to find employment. I am lucky to have my part time position, and hope that next year I''ll be able to maintain it (I''ll be let go the end of May), but if not I''ll just return to subbing and then go from there.


I have seen the affects the economy has had on my students, and it''s nice to know parents are having to tell their kids ''No, we can''t afford X.'' I''m hoping this causes a shift in priorities in our society back to more simple pleasures, like a day in the park tossing a baseball and having a homemade picnic.

I know you finished up last year, and it''s such a great feeling of accomplishment, isn''t it? Unfortunately, in teaching, as with other fields at the moment, positions are being cut rather than added. Actually though, if you''d like to teach 6th grade and if you''re willing to come to northern New England, you could apply for a position at my school. Ooohh wait, I forgot, we''re also hiring a K-3 Sp. Ed. teacher.
1.gif
New England is lovely, but too far away from home! It is a great feeling of accomplishment, and I was flattered to be called back to the school where I student taught to take a part time job. I''m one of the lucky ones.
 

Elmorton

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We''re doing OK - honestly, I''m not sure if we''re doing any better or worse than we would be without the recession.

The hardest thing is that since my work is technically part-time (adjunct prof), it''s been a lot harder to find extra work to supplement my income. I''m really nervous about how things will be in the summer, when classes are harder to come by.
 

Alienor

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Zoe, I wanted to say how much I feel for you. Five months is a long time. The same thing happened to hubby and I (also during our first year of marriage). He was out of a job for 6 months!!! He just drove me up the wall, it got to the point that I seriously considered a divorce as he wasn''t really trying to find a job.
It took me leaving my job for another one and being without an income for two weeks(I wanted a vacation). I told him that I deserved it and paying the bills would be his problems not mine. Halfway through my vacation, he found a job!
Like you, I would come home to him playing games on the computer and dishes not being done.

Anyway, I am sure things will turn out okay. :) Good luck to everyone looking for a job.

By the way, has he looked at joining a temp agency specialized in his field?
 

Haven

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We haven''t been hurt by the economic downturn in terms of income, though our investment accounts took a nosedive. However, we have been extra conscious of our spending, and I''ve cut some little luxuries out like mani/pedis and waxing. I guess it''s the psychological effect of all the news about the *horrible* economy that''s making us spend less.

I''ve also been really conscious of the types of social dates we''ve planned, especially with friends who have lost their jobs or taken cuts in pay. I''ve been doing more entertaining in our home, and that sort of thing.
 

oobiecoo

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DH is really starting to dislike his job but he stays because its hard to find work right now. He also needs to do a semester of internship or find a job in the public sector to get out of doing an internship. He has applied many places but hasn''t recieved any responses so I''ve been pretty down about that. I''m start a new job tomorrow to bring in just a little extra income but we''re doing okay and lucky compared to many.
 

oobiecoo

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Ok scratch the above comment... I will NOT be starting a new job tomorrow. Just got an email that they don''t need me anymore
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I think I''ll keep looking though as any extra income would be nice.
 

Diamond*Dana

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It has affected us because my husbands hours were cut at the end of last year, but we are thankful that he still has a job.
I am also very thankful that I was able to find a new job that has more hours to offer me than my current one does.
I pray that this will come to an end (the poor economy that is) very soon.
 

zoebartlett

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Thanks Alienor! My husband hasn''t looked into any actual temp agencies but some of the head hunters/recruiters have talked to him about short term positions. Nothing''s really happened beyond the initial phone call though. My husband''s a database developer/data analyst. He most recently worked at a financial aid company, but he''s had a ton of experience working in the IT department of a local hospital.

Oobie -- I''m sorry that the opportunity didn''t work out for you after all.
 

Rhea

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Date: 4/12/2009 9:58:30 PM
Author: oobiecoo
Ok scratch the above comment... I will NOT be starting a new job tomorrow. Just got an email that they don''t need me anymore
38.gif



I think I''ll keep looking though as any extra income would be nice.

That''s a horrible way to be told the day before you start! I hope you find something else soon.
 

OUpearlgirl

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Well.. since both of my parents are out of jobs, I might take a semester off school. I really don''t want to, because I''m so close to graduation, but oh well.

As a family we just keep reminding each other that this is not permanent and things WILL get better.
 

zoebartlett

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OU, I''m so sorry to hear that both of your parents are out of work. I hope things pick up for them quickly, and I also hope you don''t have to put off school.
 

LtlFirecracker

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Since my BF lost his job, we have scaled back on the things we do together.

We hardly eat out anymore (that was something we did often with me working 80+ hour weeks and him not knowing how to cook). If we do, we have $20 spending limit . Luckily, I bought him a BBQ for his B-day, before all this happened. I am really glad I did now, because we have much more fun cooking together. We have also scaled back our vacation in June. We were planning Europe, now were are going to spend a week in his parent''s vacation home. This has also postponed any chance for an engagement soon. I can''t deal the stress of wedding planning with my BF stressing about his lack of work.

I am still doing pretty good and other than my time with him, have not really needed to change my lifestyle. I am spending as I was planning to spend. I figure if I cut back based on other people''s situations, I will only make things worst. Plus, with my BF in his situation, I have cut back on a ton of things that we usually do together. In a way it is kind of good, we are learning how spend time together without it being and expensive night.
 

musey

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It's been okay. We probably would have been struggling right now regardless as we're both in the beginnings of our careers (and mine is an extremely slow-start career), so the biggest thing we have to complain about is that my husband's company is cheaping out on him, and has been through three promotions now.

It's annoying, but it could be much, much worse.

ETA: I AM planning to send one of my bags this week, though
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