How Are You Being Affected by the Economy?

Well, believe it or not, folks, we hardly feel any "recession" here in Hawaii. Sure, there are those who are homeless, but these characters were always hanging around . We also get Mainland Bums who fly over here for 200.--dollars and want to camp on the Beach and get free food from the hotels.
But, our locals are hard working people.
Homes are about 500,000.--and up.
Tourism is booming.
Only those who have GAMBLED in stocks have lost. This should teach them something...
Long live Hawaii!

We are eating out in more reasonable establishments. I am looking for coupons in the weekly paper more
frequently than I did even 6 months ago!! I am noticing more prepackaged meals in the frozen foods at
Walmart. These seem to be quite reasonably priced and tasty. I think part of that goes along with the
fact that there are two adults in each household working outside the home and meals still need to be
prepared when you have a growing family or teenagers that are as busy as their parents!!

I own my business, and honestly it is booming right now! There are a lot of people getting creative right now and breaking out of their conventions. This is when great things happen, new ideas are formed, and people learn the most about themselves.
As distressing as the news can be, and the personal stories that I hear every day, the silver lining is when those stories are turned positive. Taking a step back to reevaluate and re-engineer their lives and in the end creating something much better.
I'm all about helping people turn the negative into a mind blowing positive experience!

My husbands company has already docked everyone's pay once, and there is talk of another round of pay reductions. There is also talk of quarterly shut-downs and shorter workweeks. We are tightening up our spending. My brother is trying desperately to find work in his field (teaching). My parents lost a lot in stocks that were part of their retirement fund. We have agreed to not exchange gifts for Xmas this year. We spend a lot of time assuring each other that things are going to be okay. We remind each other all the time that we are lucky to have each other.

I just want to add that I am grateful to still have my job, unlike many others. My husband is in an industry where they started massive layoffs last year but he has managed to stay in the same job. We can pay our bills (including our mortgage) and still put some money into savings. We just have to budget very carefully. I feel sorry for those who legitimately are struggling. At the same time, I believe there are those out there who took advantage of the subprime balloon to be greedy and get rich. Some of them got caught in the bubble, but some got away unschathed and are living off others' misery. Obviously I'm angry about that - so that's what's affecting me a lot. Sadness for those who are hurt by this and anger and those who caused it. But I'm trying to focus on gratitude.

I work for a marketing firm, and I see a definite difference in the way people treat eachother in the businessplace. People are feeling the pressure, and I've seen a lot more finger pointing and back biting than ever before. I would expect this from politicians and pundits, but I hate seeing it among my own colleagues. Even coworkers I once thought I could rely on are falling prey to fear and confusion. It's not just sad to see, it's affecting productivity, creativity and morale, making matters worse. I see it with almost all of our clients' businesses too. I just hope people get a grip before the whole thing snowballs, making the economy even worse. What happend to "United We Stand?" People should be grateful we are just losing money, not people's lives and our sense of peace and security, like we did with 9/11. If we can get through a trajedy like that, this should be much easier. We need to pull together to make things better. Stop tearing eachother apart!

here are some people who are going through foreclosures. But remember, these are people who paid $800,000 for a $200,000 home. The sellers of these homes were allowed to move, pay cash for their next home and sock money in the bank. 75 percent of my subdivision are full of people who hit the lottery this way and you and I picking up the tab. I know for sure the economy is not hurting them. I am forking out the dough to support the sub-prime bubble, but I don't have enough dough to fork out to Obama's 'share the wealth' philosophy. I am voting McCain/Palin.

If you are a single,ordinaryincome, frequently broke female the last thing you need to do is vote for McCain, he doesn't have a clue that us little taxpayers exist. Please listen carefully to our next debate on monday. Give this a thought God forbid anything happen to McCain if were to be our president Would you want Sarah Palin as our president? That scares me!

Does anyone out there really know what's going on with our economy? I don't mean this cynically or rhetoricaly--I would really like to know. After last night's debate I gathered McCain had some ideas and Obama hadn't a clue, but knew all the pat phrases. If you're a single, ordinary income, frequently broke female like me, it might not seem like a big deal if the stock market goes down, or if people who never should have bought them lose their houses. But something keeps nagging at me--I'm scared, and I'm not interested in pinning blame or pointing fingers. What is happening--anyone out there have an idea?

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I haven't been affected financially by the economy, but I have heard stories of people being laid off due to company downsizing or bankruptcy, and it scares me. However, I believe that companies with stable and forward-thinking financial departments will be okay through all this. I think it's important to stay up-to-date with what your employer's financial status is. All and all, I'm remaining optimistic. I agree with Joseph that it's important to be thrifty and have faith in America, because we are strong and always emerge from our hardships.

I say, the economy is up the creek at this point. I don't think they know where they are headed and is very confused. Knowing how to get out of this mess is a maze and I think we should spend wisely and look a bit ahead as it will not get better, it will get worse. As people lose their jobs, and prices keep soaring, whether it's gas or food, so if you don't need to buy it, then skip it. A penney saved will be worthwhile.

and the jobs why is it so hard to gte a job now and all this other stuff

yeah where is all the money

I feel a vague sense of unease but it's really hard to pinpoint why, when I try to boil it down. I am not too personally affected -- at least I can't single any one thing out -- but I am concerned that things will get worse. The thing that really bugs me is feeling like I don't understand what's going on, and that makes me feel silly and powerless. I should have taken more economics classes!

the previous commet was left by Joseph25, bettyconfidential

i am also anxious about the economy; as bad as it sounds, i am staying positive and believe it will balance itself out ... groceries and gas will get cheaper and something else will go up ... hasn't it been like that for years? i say not to worry too much and spend thriftly for the time being...

I am anxious about the economy! Although we have not been directly affected (yet) I have been more aware of how I have been spending money and we have put off a remodel project -- right now it seems better to have that money around just in case we need it.

I'm worried for my kids, and how the economy will affect their future! It freaks me out when we're in the car and my 10-year-old is calling out gas prices and when they ask if we can afford to get an ice cream cone!

I'm not worried about personal consequences since I take a long-term financial approach (that's why I'd make a terrible stockbroker). I don't like to get emotional about the daily ups and downs in the market, so right now I'm just hoping that the government makes the right decision that will help secure a more solid financial foundation for America and protect the non-wealthy during this transitional process.

I agree with Rebecca. Job security is probably my biggest concern, but that may also be a result of not fully understanding the implications of the current economic situation and bailout proposal. I need someone (i.e. the government) to give me a little cheat sheet of taxpayers can be expected to profit or lose from this potential investment. Any financial adviser would agree to as much.

I'm not entirely sure what effect this will have on me yet. I think the biggest concern is my 401K (it's not much, but there is some!) and whether I'm diversified enough for this to not make a huge difference. For me and for many of the people I've been talking with, the concerns always seem to also come back to job security. Will companies who need to borrow continue to be able to do so, and if not, what are the effects on employees in industries of all kinds? The fact that this is uncharted territory and that no one seems to know what will ultimately happen only makes it more nerve-wracking. So yes, I'm extremely anxious!