Today's front page of the New York Times stopped me in my tracks. These were the headlines, all at once:

Dow Slides 394 Points; Oil Surges $10.75

Oil Prices Skyrocket, Taking Biggest Jump Ever

Unemployment Rate Hits 5.5% as 49,000 Jobs Lost

This photo accompanied the headlines:

What a way to start the weekend. The dollar is down, gas prices are up, at least 49,000 people lost their jobs last month.

How have each one of you been affected by this economic recession? How do you expect to be affected by it? What measures will you take (or have you taken) to deal with it?

Oh wow, it has hit me so hard.  I am a single mother who just spent 2 years going to school full time and not working.  I barely squeaked by but made it knowing that at the end of the two years I would be able to find an excellent job and play catch up.  Well I've looked full time for 5 weeks now and nothing.  And with gas being this expensive it is killing me to have to drive to interviews every week.  If I'm honest, I'm scared, I just don't know what in the world I'm going to do.

We deal with just the necessities because of my high medical bills. By combining errands, we have cut our gas consumption. We have an automatic thermostat to monitor our utility usage and only run the washer and dish washer when they are full.

I refuse to cut back on quality fresh food instead we buy less expensive fruits and vegetables and eat meat less often. Fortunately there are  many free things to do near us. After more than three months of unemployment, my husband has two interviews next week. Thankfully all of our kids are grown, but one is still in college.

The economy will improve eventually. I believe the upcoming presidential election will put pressure on the US to upgrade public transportation, increase jobs, and develop affordable alternative fuels.

You know, I didn't really want to accept that this might actually be the beginning of an economic recession, but recently my husband and I -- and all my friends, family, neighbors, etc. etc. -- have had to change our lifestyles in some drastic and subtle ways... so that there's just no way of denying it any further.

I just read another article in the NYT today that maps out the price of gas in relation to percent of income people are spending on it. It's sickening. I really urge you all to check it out.

I live in area of the country (Texas), where gas is not yet at the exorbitant prices it's hit elsewhere (e.g. California), but I'm still reeling from the shock of how much it costs to fill up my car. And I need it to get everywhere -- my family is completely dependent on our two cars. To combat the rising price/cost of driving our cars, my husband and I have been car-pooling when possible, and we spent the past two weekends only going to places we could get to by foot (and stroller!) with our kids. It was nice, and a great change, but we live in the suburbs, so it's not going to cut it as a permanent thing.

I really hope that this crisis pushes lawmakers to do what they should've been doing for decades now: Improve public transportation, seriously invest in energy-efficient bio-fuels (i.e. not corn), and start breaking ties with the oil lobbyists.

There actually is an upside to this situation.  You see, I have been working at home for quite some time now and what I am finding are lots of people who are afraid of what is going to happen to them as a result of the national economic slump we find ourselves in.  It has actually been great for me because I am able to offer real help to people.  I can help them save money on their normal household expenses and I can help them earn some extra money on the side to off set the rising cost of everything.

For me, it has not affected me negatively.  I am, however, very concerned about people in general.  I hear the horror stories of people going without food to buy gas to get to work.  I have people tell me that they are cutting out doctors visits because they can't afford to get treated if the doctor finds something wrong with them or something that needs to be investigated through testing.  People are coming to me worried and some down right scared to death! 

My firm belief is that we must all become a part of the solution and not part of the problem.  I don't know what all of the answers are, but this I do know - status quo is no longer good enough.  Each of us needs to make decisions and choices that make sense for us.  For me, it will be to continue to help people who come to me and really want to make a difference in their lives.  I will also make sure that I cast my vote in November for individuals who I think can turn our situation around.  When people ask me my political views, my response is often that we don't need any more politicians on capitol hill, we need smart business people who know how to take a failing company and turn it into a profitable enterprise. 

I will continue to seek out ways to become part of the solution.  I will continue to help people where I can.  I will continue to volunteer and give of myself.  I will continue to pray for each and every one of you, our country and our leadership.  There are bright spots out there, we just have to find them!

My sincerest best wishes to you all!

Virginia

1st qtr hit me hard; many of my clients that are "corporate" cancelled everywhere. I have bounced back and am projected to make more in 2008 than 2007. Actually just hired another part time employee!

I TRULY believe in abundance and attraction - many say they do... I wonder if  thepossibilitycoach would agree.

Daniela says ...

Taking this into consideration, I wondered how all of you are dealing when it comes to fun/vacations/holidays. Have your plans been stunted in comparison to previous years? What are you doing instead?

Good question, Daniela, and I'm interested to hear others' answers.

Personally, my family has had to cut down our usual month-long yearly vacation into a two-week one, and a far less extravagant one. It's not so much that we're in dire straights now as much as we may be down the line, and don't want to be caught off-guard.

Anyway, we'll also make up for our shorter holiday by taking more weekend day trips, and the like.

Meanwhile, gas is up to $5 in so many parts of the country. And George Dubya spent the week hob-nobbing in Paris and London. Fabulous.

George Dubya is hiding in Europe while the middle of our country is in a serious flooding condition.

Nero fiddled while Rome burned....

Have you also thought of going to CCCS?  They can help you to get your payments on your cards down to a very small amount.  It means no more using the cards, you have to give those up.  But it will help you to restore your credit rating and give you some room in the budget.  After about five years, you'll be debt-free, and you'll have the opportunity to build more credit again.  You did go through alot for one year, so it would be small wonder if you're a bit depressed.  To lose so much would be difficult.  But you have your son, and hopefully you have some peace.  You have the knowledge that you were able to get through that year with your sanity fairly intact, so you must be a strong person.  I used to live in California, I did 7 years in Riverside and a bit less than one in San Diego.  I know that jobs can be almost impossible to find.  Have you registered your resume with a few reputable head-hunters?  You might also consider whether or not relocation would be an option.  Granted, it would be difficult under your circumstances.  But the more you open up your options, and the more people know about you, the greater your chances of finding work.  Headhunters are pretty good, if they're reputable, because they get paid when you get work.  That motivates them to find you something ASAP.

The speculation about gas prices is one reason the stock market continues to decline. The other reason is uncertainty about the economy. Lately, contractors from lawn services to delivery people are adding a service "gas" tax to their regular charges. Grocery prices are higher because of increased transportation costs. Not only are the airlines and cruise ships charging a fuel charge so are taxi cab drivers. We can combine errands, use available public transportation, take a day off from driving, but we still have to drive some of the time.

Where to begin: I am 55, born and raised in poverty, married an engineer who made decent money then divorced and was headed back into poverty. I believed all of the “experts” who told me that if I had an education I could pull my self out of poverty, so I took a student loan and earned a Masters degree, graduating in 2005 (the only one out of the entire family who graduated from high school, let alone Grad school).

Since graduating I have been jobless and homeless for a 6 month period in 2006 before finally getting a job in my field. Unfortunately, the two jobs I’ve held since 2006 have paid such low wages, I have not been able to afford the payments on my student loans, so now I am not eligible for any government jobs—they won’t even take my application because I am past due on my student loans. I was jobless again for nearly 8 months, since Nov. of 2007. I now shuttle cars part time at minimum wage for a major car rental company. It doesn't even cover the rent.

Other than food stamps, I am not eligible for public assistance. But what really kills me is that I know people with criminal backgrounds, including one registered child-molester, who receive food stamps, medical benefits and subsidized housing, while I, whose only crime was to take out a student loan in an effort to better myself and to provide service to the community, have homelessness staring me in the face. I have never been arrested, let alone convicted; I have no debt besides my student loans (haven’t owned a credit card since 1995); I have no alcohol or addiction problems (not even cigarettes or caffeine); I have raised two hard-working, responsible children (one of whom is serving in Iraq right now, the other is in shared housing because of being unable to land anything more than a minimum wage job); and I have kept myself relatively healthy, all of which apparently makes me undeserving of help.

The best advice anyone can think of for me when I finally lose my housing is: “Go out and commit a crime—at least you’ll get three hots and a cot!” But lest you get me wrong, please don’t think I believe that safety nets should be taken from one segment of the population and given to another. No! I feel we ALL deserve second (and third, etc) chances, INCLUDING those who have tried to play by the rules and still lost the game. How am I coping? I have parked my car and canceled the insurance, repaired my bike, turned off electricity at the access panel except for a few hours in the evening to cook, wash dishes and shower, cashed in my 401K and will be cashing in my small retirement package accumulated through driving a school bus while attending university. That MIGHT get me through another few months. After that, I will be living in my (now broken down) car, AGAIN!

I know what you mean.  It seems like the system is geared to put you between a rock and a hard place, making it impossible for you to succeed and punishing you for trying.  Once when I was having a difficult time about 30 years ago and needed some help, I was on the bus fuming because once again, the food stamp office had turned me down.  I just didn't seem to fit their criteria for needing help, and having a young daughter who was on the verge of starvation didn't seem to figure in.  I had paid taxes and even served in the military, but when I wanted help, they threatened to deport me back to the UK.  They didn't seem to mind me being there when they were taking my tax money.  On this day, I was sitting close to a man who had just arrived in America from Nigeria.  He was positively glowing, telling all of us what a wonderful country America was, because he had only been there for a few days, and he had a generous monthly cash stipend (welfare), food stamps and a houseful of more food than he'd seen in the past year, a house that was paid for by the government, and the promise of a free college education.  He couldn't stop talking about how glorious it all was.  I didn't say a word.  I didn't want to spoil his joy, and it wasn't his fault.  But it is rather ironic how it seems sometimes that you somehow don't seem to qualify for what everyone else is getting without having done a thing to earn it.  Well, I'm home now, and am doing ok.  I hope that things turn around for you soon.  You definitely have my sympathies.  If it's any comfort, the same thing happens here.