Are you worried? [Archive]

gump

10-22-2008, 04:00 PM

Just wondering how everyone feels about their personal situation - job securtiy, personal finance, local economy, savings, price increases, etc.

Personally, I don't trust any big company and I happen to work for one. Always feel companies see workers as a cost and are willing to let 'em go to save money.

I don't have a big enough savings account to last too long. All and all, if I lost my job I would be worried. I have cut back my 401k contribution temporarily and I am considering a P-T 2nd job for weekends/nights to add to my savings and pay down debt.

Hopefully things won't get too bad...... :-/

OzarkMtnDaredevil

10-22-2008, 04:32 PM

There's no doubt that I'm worried, Gump. It seems to be the fashion these days. Anyone that isn't worried is either on the wrong side of the fence or asleep.
I'm pretty-well insulated from job cuts due to my position at a subsidiary of one of the worlds largest corporations. However, we are seeing orders from large construction firms being canceled for jobs at Dartmouth, Yale and other colleges. Jobs at water treatment plants and military establishments don't seem to be affected.

rockymtngirl

10-22-2008, 04:36 PM

HI Gump - yea I'm worried. I work for a large corp too - Fortune 500. I've known for a long time that there is no humanity left in these types of jobs - if they can get rid of you they will.
Savings - not much
Preps - lots - adding every day
Local economy - deteriorating - has been better than many in the last few years. Construction industry here is pretty much down the tubes. BF is out of work - scrounging for any bid he can get.

The other thing that gets me nervous is the increased swing in my area to the left....oh the govt will save us....

Oh and If I do lose my job I lose my car too (company car) so that would b e tough! That leaves us with a Suburban (thank God gas prices are going down for now) and a Harley - well and 2 bicycles!

So we are tentative at best at this point. Post election we anticipate worsening conditions at least through 09 and possibly longer (certainly longer if Obama gets in - IMO)

RMG

CarolAnn

10-22-2008, 05:23 PM

Yeah - I'm worried too.
The company I work for isn't so big, but some of the management is so BAD that it makes me wonder what they're thinking. (Or "IF"!) Our boss is on such an ego trip that he'll spend anything to make himself feel important - he's disorganized, rude, autocratic, you name it. Yet the owners made him a manager because he'd worked for them for a long time, not because he had any management ability. It's THEIR money he's throwing around! I'd call that poor stewardship of their business, and it's just a small example of this happening on a gross scale all across the country.

Naughty_Pines

10-22-2008, 05:33 PM

I am retired and on a fixed income, social security and pension. When I retired I took a ten year annunity so I would get partial social security along with my pension. July 1st the ten year annunity ran out and my pension dropped to $495 from about $1700.
I messed up on my mortgage bi-weekly payment and ended up paying three times a month instead of two times a month. I currently an overdrawn on my checking account by $1377 and $667 of that is overdraft charges.

Yes, I would say I am a little bit worried. If everyone on the forum would send me a dollar ( $1 ) I would be happy.
Jerry

Cil

10-22-2008, 05:55 PM

By the end of month, I'll have alittle more security when it comes to my family. I'm getting a cell phone. I don't have a land line because I can't relly afford, but my dad who lives about 1.5 hours away is having some signicant health problems. I'll make damn sure I can afford this phone.

Naughty_Pines

10-22-2008, 06:02 PM

Cil,

I hope for the best for your dad. Parents are wonderful people most of the time. I lost my mom thirty days before I retired, I still get teary eyed thinking about her and it has been over ten years in July.

Best wishes to you and your family.

Jerry the NP

bee_pipes

10-22-2008, 08:00 PM

Worried is a good place to be, just don't let it crush you. Worried makes you look at possible futures and entertain the idea the job might go some day.

When I got out of the service I worked as a defense contractor. The pay was good, but it was understood that the work could be gone in a wink. I kind of got used to working under that condition and found I made myself unhappy if I dwelled on that aspect too much - it also interfered with me doing the work I was hired to do.

In '90 the bottom fell out of the defense industry and I bailed - could see the writing on the wall. They were good companies - CDC and Unisys - considered bluechips in their day. There is some safety in working for a larger company, but only because there is so much ballast (employees) that can get tossed from the baloon before it crashes.

The jump was liberating - found I could do any work I needed to. I have been a Kelly Girl, a security guard for a power plant, managed a feed store and done factory work. Even tried running my own business. I don't recommend that unless you are a type "A" personality with little need for sleep, or have a spouse that can keep books and market while you focus on the work.

Learned a few things too - the worst time to look for work is when you're out of work. Better to have a crappy night job and look for a better job during the day. When a "job" becomes a "career" you give up a certain amount of freedom. Your employer does not have "your" best interests at heart - only you can watch out for yourself.

Much of that might seem elementary, but I had to learn it the hard way. It all worked out well. I retired at 50 and live on land that is paid off.

I gotta chime in with CarolAnn too. The last job I had was working for WebMD. They were a big outfit that exploded during the dot com bubble. The board of directors made some of the most assinine moves I have ever seen - they must have thought they were running a different company. I mean, smarter people than me are making these decisions, right? It must be harder than it looks...

Regards,
Pat

Kyhome

10-22-2008, 08:56 PM

Well guess I should be, But!! I don't seem to be too much anyway. This thanksgiving I will have been out of work for two years. Wife is still working thank goodness. I cannot stress enough for anyone to live below their means and save as much as possible with as little or no debt. Only bill is house an utilities. But I am very concerned for the next 2-3 years as feel it’s going to get a lot worst before better. Guess we will see. I have been sending out average 30 resumes per week at 53 and zero college not much conversation going on. If we had not cut out all the wasteful extra's we would be in a lot worst shape for certain. send out prayers every day for friends and folks I have met that are having a very hard time with the current lack of jobs and plant closings. It is sad for sure. Welcome to the world economy the only place for us is down to their levels of pay. Which does not cover our levels of debt, or accustomed life styles. Rick

walls0stone

10-23-2008, 04:04 AM

NO I've got more work than I can stand, but I've been blessed...another story I guess. Just opened another business. not getting home till 1 am and starting my days at 5am. Every closed opertunity is a new opertunity.

zbery1

10-23-2008, 05:13 AM

Nope, Last spring we sold our house in the Wasilla AK suburbs and bought a couple acres in a small, remote alaska community not far from the inside passage where we can harvest from the ocean, rivers and forest. I had an older 14x70 alaska package trailer that's paid for which my husband has turned into a cozy home. With money from the sale we bought a solar system, long term food stores, seeds, necessities, and paid off our bills. We also have a fast running little creek and are exploring hydro power options for additional power. Our expenses are few and a small disability payment from the VA pays the land payment and my student loans. (if the VA checks quit coming the student loan aint gettin paid!). I work part-time in home health and my husband has a hard working little tractor with a snowblower, blade, backhoe and front-end loader which should keep him busy with odd jobs. Our next plan is to build a couple cabins in case family members run into hard times. I'm not saying nothing can go wrong. However I do feel as prepared as we can be for what may come and can hopefully help others if TSHTF.

roolu

10-23-2008, 07:39 AM

Wow zbery1 - sounds like you've got it all under control. I'm envious.
Just lost my house to foreclosure - had the word sucker tatooed on my forehead for the creditors! So now I'm neck deep in dept, no savings at all, living in a rental and working a job that could go at anytime.
Starting to homestead some, but since it's autumn here, not much I can do except stock up on winter supplies and buy seeds for summer. Luckily I live close enough to a major reservoir to walk to and fish or even pitch a tent if need be. Trying to earn extra $$$ any way I can. Well, not any way, but other ways.... ;D
So, to sum it up, scared doesn't qualify what I feel right now - terrified pretty close though.

zachweiss

10-23-2008, 08:04 AM

My current job "ENDS" on November 5th.

(I escort contractors on and off a maximum security prison.)

I am scrambling to find something (Anything!) in a hurry!

I have been unemployed before for a couple months and I know how it is....so Am I worried? Yes.....but for some reason it's not too bad this time around!

Funkhouser

10-23-2008, 08:19 AM

Working in credit/collections, my position is recession-proof (to say the least). Dealing with businesses, it's safe to say they are generally more reckless and irresponsible with their earnings than most individuals I know! :o

Dobelo17

10-23-2008, 08:20 AM

Yes I am worried. I found out yestureday that I will begetting my hours cut from 27 hours a week to 15.
I was told I would start after x-mas but they are starting to cut a few hours a week beginning next week. Did I miss x-mas? I have a call into the union but they are more worried about the full time person who supposedly works their. If that is work she is doing I must be the queen of the nile. Stands with her finger up her butt and whines becasue she even had to show up. Dah if you want to get
paid you sould have to work right? ANyway enough complaining. Husband has finally seen the light dah the economy is getting bad. We are enlarging the garden this
fall and also the berry plots and moved all the apple trees to one spot so the deer can't get to them. We are going to
plant the old garden spot into potatoes only next year. I just read Jackie CLays book starting over boy is there alot
of good info in there. I am keeping it close so I can use it
everyday. We are going to stock up on venison this fall and also make hamburger out of it. We made the last one into
roasts and put marinade on them when we froze them they
taste awesome. I am still worried but we will be getting a
start on the little cabin soon. Husband has even agreed to a budget :o wonders never end. Everyone take care and
good luck.

Becky

Katrina-Sisu

10-23-2008, 03:00 PM

Honestly I'm worried too, everything seems to be changing and morphing around me lately. Recession will hit here stronger next year, we're already in the beginning. Family situations lately have compounded my fears. Next year is so full of unknowns it makes me feel scared sometimes.

I can honestly say that I just have to put my faith and trust in God, all I can do.

Kat

flatwater

10-23-2008, 03:45 PM

Nope, it's a waste of energy. Worry has never changed anything. Worry streses one out then you get sick. Worry makes your feet smell and it causes one to loose their sex drive. Never worry about what you can't control but work on what you can control.
Flatwater

gump

10-23-2008, 03:56 PM

It's both comforting and sad to know there are others here worrying a bit like me.

Keep enjoying the simple things and best of luck to you and yours :).

zachweiss

10-23-2008, 03:59 PM

You are right...worrying doesn't help a bit!

Shoot....if I have to work midnights at a gas station - i'll do it.

If I have to work TWO dead-end jobs - i'll do it.

My family will be taken care of and ....hell, I might even meet a new friend or two.

Money is money / work is work.

TheUnboundOne

10-23-2008, 06:11 PM

Dear Gump,

As surprising as it may sound, I haven't felt fear or worry since 9/11. *I've felt stunned, saddened, and mad and Hell, but not afraid or worried. *Something about the sight of that horrible event must have just burned out all of the fear and worry centers of my brain.

Mind you, without being prompted by worry, I am doubling up on my preparedness routine. *Presently, I am learning to tie different types of knots, I am about to continue my studies of electricity and electronics, in hopes of both getting a better position and of doing my own home wiring and home automation. *

I am increasing and rotating my stockpiles, cutting unnecessary spending, and gradually disposing of un-needed items, hopefully to move to the country within a few months.

So far, my retail job has been going gangbusters, albeit the stock price has gone down. *I'll probably get a second part-time job as a backup and so I can get more preparedness and moving expenses knocked out.

If things went totally downhill, I could always start back up my handyman sideline, get my leaf blower, buy some bags, and blow leaves in the Autumn and snow in the Winter. *Then I could buy a cheap lawn mower and a repair manual for it and go into cutting lawns in the Spring and Summer. *I have a pickup truck, so I could haul some for individuals on the move and for businesses getting rid of surplus supplies.

Or I could always consult people and give speeches and lectures on all the great things I've learned on this and other Forums.

;D

The main point is, and Zach has the right idea, no matter what the circumstance, there is always a choice. *Thoughts like that keep me warm at night.

zbery1

10-24-2008, 08:25 AM

Roolu, your reply made me think of my mothers stories of the depression. She tells of her parents and their extended family living in tents in the forests of coastal oregon during the worst of the depression. I even have a few pictures of that time. I am not sure what her parents felt, but for her it was wonderful. She formed solid, long lasting relationships with her cousins as they spent their days playing and collecting in the forest, and to this day she remembers how good the venison they lived on was. I know she wouldn't trade the memories of those days for anything.

So, I know it's all in the way we look at things. I can't imagine living in a city during hard times but thoughts of returning to a simple life closer to the land brings me a warm glow. The winters here are cold but the mountains are covered with heavy forests that provide warm winter fires just for the work it takes to bring it in. I recently heard one of my native neighbors say that it is impossible for a person to starve here unless they are just plain lazy. I know that most of our country isn't like this anymore it is covered with concrete and steel: however, a tent and a sense of adventure can take you far.

Boris859

10-24-2008, 04:51 PM

I work at a smalltown GM dealership,you can bet your butt I'm worried,but so far we aren't suffering that much ,maybe because of our low overhead well run budget and an owner that actually cares about his employees.but who knows when that will turn around and he can no longer protect us from going down.The Ford dealership down the road from us has already met this fate,doors closed ,inventory sold,equipment sold etc,,,.but I can hopefully find a job close to home,maybe the pig farm,sawmill,or a dairy farm,or the veggie processing plant down the road a 1/2 mile,which processes 85% of the veggies for Gerbers Baby Food,I can pretty much do anything to make money that is hands (or back) on,heck,I will dig basements with a shovel for 5$ if I had too. :D

TheUnboundOne

10-24-2008, 09:41 PM

Dear Forum Members,

In some ways, I am actually ecstatic! You see, this is not only going to be an economic "correction," but it might be a "correction" of a whole lot of things that are rotten in the world.

All of the snooty, snotty, snarky, smarmy little juvinile delinquent punks that are called "youth" nowadays are going to be in for a rude awakening if the X-Box or the Guitar Hero or the Ipod ever goes kaput because there's no Mommy and Daddy's gold card to even get electricity, much less programs and accessories for those electronic goodies.

All the rude bee-otches and bass-turds on EBT, food stamps, or WIC who give cashiers like me a rotten time on my job will have to root, hog, or die in Mother Nature's department store known as the wilderness. They'll find out the hard way that grizzlies don't give a damn for their plastic card and that peaches don't come from a can and aren't put there by a man in a factory downtown.

All of the absentee managers and landlords might have to actually roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty in the real world that their workers and tenants live in. Then, of course, they will have to be carried out crouched in fetal positions and sobbing their eyes and throats dry.

IRS and State Revenue agents might find out that they have nothing more to take from their victims anymore. They'll either have to go legit with jobs that actually produce something or start up roaming warlord robber bands and brave the urban jungles against animals with far more street-cred and even less scruples.

All of the religious con-artists are going to have hard-scrabble times living off of their collection plates. They might even have to stuff their paper "prayer rugs" and church bulletins into their jackets to stay warm.

Hollywood and Madison Avenue might just shrivel up and be as dead as the inner shells that most cities have been becoming for years. Maybe this will mean that new cultural centers will develop elsewhere. North Carolina has been called "Hollywood of the East" for the many movies made here. Maybe NC will be the New Hollywood and hopefully make better entertainment than too much of the junk that is out there.

Truly, this is both a time of crisis and a time of opportunity...It all depends on how we look at it and what we make of it.

RocketMan

10-25-2008, 06:05 AM

I work for the prime contractor on the space shuttle. We do everything from astronaut training, working on the shuttle's, space suits, everything but flying it. As you may or may not know, NASA will be retiring the shuttle in 2010, and they are going back to multiple contractors instead of one prime contractor, which has left the company I work for out of a lot of contracts. I figure I have a couple good years left with them, but after that, I may not have a job. They're offering a severance package if you stay until the end, but a lot of people already see the writing on the wall and are bailing out. I'm gonna try to stay, but I'm also checking on other options in the meantime. I'm sure I could move to whatever company takes over these contracts also, so that might be an option. Until then, I'm working on the homestead so I will have a place to go if it all comes crashing down. I do have a military pension to cover the payment on the property, but it wouldn't leave me with a lot to live day to day, but I think I have a pretty good work ethic and I'm not afraid to do what it takes to make a buck.
Right now though, I'm the only one in my family who is making a few bucks, so they all come to me for handouts, and I can't keep doing that and surviving myself much longer. So, am I worried? Yes, a little bit...but I know that I can do what it takes to survive, so I have faith that things will turn out okay.

WileyCoyote

10-25-2008, 07:31 AM

I live my life worried. But fear is a great motivator.

Fear makes you not overstep your finances and boundaries casually. Fear makes you look at where you are, were you want to be, and draws solutions based on worst-case scenarios. Fear makes you look at all input, all research, all facts and limitations as well as the possibilities.

Yet I am considered Pollyanna; happy go lucky and casual, because I also have faith. I believed that the choices I made, after much thought and consideration, were the right ones - and went with them. Selling everything before the rest of the country went into the oubliette, and buying a rural farm in an area where food is produced and shipped FROM, not to? Other people said I was insane, to 'give it all up' and regress. As the bottom dropped out of the housing market, people said I was crazy to buy what I wanted where I wanted - I could have waited longer and gotten it for cheaper. (The problem then arises, someone else might have gotten what I wanted, and I would have to start all over - or settle.)

Fear made me spend money on food storage when everyone else thought it was a waste. Fear made me gather wood in July, when everyone else was out on the river tubing. Fear made me stock up on canning supplies and can and bake and stash away. Fear made me get a job before I needed it, as quickly as I could, to not only establish local relationships but to provide a safety net. Fear made me walk away from my previous life that was a comfortable dead end and based solely on other peoples' ideas of what I "should" be.

I raised my kids on a simple premise. When they said, "I want..." I would tell them that it is good to want things. It is healthy. Want makes you work harder and do more. Want makes you more sensitive to what helps - and hurts - your goals. Want makes you set goals and achieve them. There is nothing wrong with fear; it makes you more astute, more able to discern if something will get you what you want, or hurt your path to your goals.

So yeah I worry all of the time - and that helps me to figure out where I am headed, what I need to adjust to get there, and which goals are still viable and which are not. If the world falls down, if the recession or depression happens, if I lose my job, if I can't do everything I want in the time frame I want, I adjust my route, change my work schedule, change what I am doing. Change is constant, change is inevitable - and we CHOOSE how we will meet it, head on and with a pocketful of knowledge and experiences, or sitting back open-mouthed and saying, "HOW did this HAPPEN? HOW do I get out of THIS?" ;)

RocketMan

10-26-2008, 08:33 AM

Wiley, I must say, that was a simply awesome post!!

TheUnboundOne

10-26-2008, 06:04 PM

Dear Wiley,

All of those are great things to do...But I would do these things out of zest and love for life on Earth and in the natural Universe and a desire to improve my efficacy to deal with them, not out of worry or fear.

roolu

10-27-2008, 04:07 AM

Roolu, your reply made me think of my mothers stories of the depression. *She tells of her parents and their extended family living in tents in the forests of coastal oregon during the worst of the depression. I even have a few pictures of that time. I am not sure what her parents felt, but for her it was wonderful. She formed solid, long lasting relationships with her cousins as they spent their days playing and collecting in the forest, and to this day she remembers how good the venison they lived on was. I know she wouldn't trade the memories of those days for anything.

So, I know it's all in the way we look at things. I can't imagine living in a city during hard times but thoughts of returning to a simple life closer to the land brings me a warm glow. The winters here are cold but the mountains are covered with heavy forests that provide warm winter fires just for the work it takes to bring it in. *I recently heard one of my native neighbors say that it is impossible for a person to starve here unless they are just plain lazy. I know that most of our country isn't like this anymore it is covered with concrete and steel: however, a tent and a sense of adventure can take you far.

Amen to that sister!! Well said, and I have already planned on bringing the camping gear in if comes to that. Like I said earlier, I'm within walking distance of a large reservoir that includes a state forest. Plenty of meat, fish, and God given fuana to choose from.

cinok

10-28-2008, 02:16 AM

Worried, no concerned yep stocking up yep. My wife is a nurse so thats pretty recesion proof,never mind she having Knee replactments this month. But we live a simple life small land payment house is built pay as we go low vech payment. We have been tough times before eating ramen noodles warmed up with 12v heater element in the cig lighter, but we survided its harder now with kids but they know the differnce between want and need. How 11&12y/o do you know who dont have or want an x-box. They each have a basic laptop. The way I look at itis like Unbound said its going to be a correction in society no more 1/2 million dollar homes when you make 7.50 an hour SAME goes for those high priced cars. Those who work hard and know how towill survive , those who are used to the easy life are going to starve or gonna learn

SPIKE

11-08-2008, 04:07 AM

Worried? Some. I was laid off about a month ago from a job I have had for over 4 years. The last couple of months before the layoff were slow. Sometimes working only a day or two during the week.
But all is well. I have been able to take care of business on the homestead. It has been nice to have the time to use some of the spare building parts I have been bringing home over the last several months. I will bring home anything that is left over, even if I am not sure what I will do with it. LOL
My piles of "stuff" are at least somewhat organized.

As I stated somewhere in a post a long time ago, I have no debt! But I did learn to live that way the hard way. If winter weather is not too harsh, I shall get a lot of things taken care of during this time.
Being without full time employment is not all bad, if you are prepared for it.

SPIKE

walls0stone

11-08-2008, 06:00 AM

My wife was laid off the other day...now I'm happy as happy can be! Her cousin said last night (it's a fam business) that they let her go due to her absence wile on maturnity leave.. Gon'a look into sue'n them :)

they had a business that should be going big right now. They sold electronics to churches. IMO they have been spending like drunk sailers...one family member got a new Preus (sp?) and a year later one of those cross over SUVs..um and then they wonder why they have money troubles and lay off 30 people.

This megga Christian company has been a hypocricy for years. The big mannors and trips are just an illistration of the wild spending and "better than you" way of thinking they have.
Sure it's the company money..they earned it whatever BUT ifyour going to convey one immage, then you can't turn around and make lavish purchases with out some effect.

I've wanted her away from them forever. In the right place, my wife will see her own skills and move up. At that place she worked hard and as is so common, the person with a brown nose and not the proper skills stays on.

So I'm happy...people should look at stuff like this as a new challenge and rise to it.

gump

11-28-2008, 04:55 AM

Just thought I would do an update. My mega corp called in the outside consultants and the word is they are looking to outsource portions of departments to offshore providers.

Still think I am safe but who knows. I think there will be a lot of changes after the new year.

I did enroll in a trade school and will be taking classes at night. They offer programs for:

Aviation Mechanics
Electrician
Plumber
Welder
Machinist
Carpentry
Auto Mechanic
Auto Body Repair
Etc

Wish I would have done it a long time ago. I am real excited to learn a trade even though I haven't picked one :)

Y'all be good

grower

11-28-2008, 06:36 AM

I work for a small daily newspaper. The big-city parent paper just laid off about 30 people, including one man I dealt with on a regular basis who'd been told he would have a job for life. He and another guy had been with the company for about 50 years, and a previous president of the company told them that. But he's dead now, so I guess the powers-that-be did not feel obligated to keep his word to those men.

Anyway, the layoffs haven't hit us...yet.

Dh works a good job at a company with gov't. contracts, so maybe his is a more secure job.

We are living in a small city, but with extended family, so that part is good. I would feel better if we had a farm out in the country, but every time we've tried to move in that direction, God shuts it down. I figure he knows what's going to happen, so we just stay put, pray, and stock up.

Sometimes I'm worried, but I try not to be. I figure if I'm worrying, I'm not trusting God. Prayer works better than worry.

9er

12-04-2008, 08:48 AM

Terrified.

I'm unemployed and I cannot find even a job to apply to. I'm in SE MI. I have no unemployment benefits coming in.

So, with out turning this post into a mess, I have no clue what to do. I've been told by most folks to just go back to college. But I already have a Master's Degree. My last job was working for a city doing labor. So I am not above any job. But there is nothing for a college-educated person these days. Not even McDonalds.

I'm looking into a massive garden for the spring, but my soil is pretty sandy and I don't have the $ for a load of soil. I've been composting like mad, but my pile froze.

zachweiss

12-04-2008, 12:24 PM

I am alot less worried than I have been lately.....

I start a new job on Friday.

I'm taking a significant pay cut.....but the place is about a mile from the house, evening shift.......it's a cake job.

-I'll have no more Daycare expenses ($600-$700/month)
-I will be able to easily walk or ride a bike to work.
-Meals are provided.

Everything in the world seems to be falling apart, but the best way to deal with all of the nonsense is to SIMPLIFY everything! Hope for the BEST, but prepare for the WORST!