Question of the Day | 04/09/2008 8:05 am

What signs, if any, of recession have you noticed?

Read more about: Business, Economy, Meltdown, Recession

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I too have noticed prices rising in grocery stores, and especially in take out lunch spaces so many of us in New York frequent. And, horror, a pizza delivered rose by about $3.00. It’s shocking

By E. K. on 04/09/2008 1:37 pm

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Manhattan is quiet. I am counting my change and wondering about going to France this summer I have to sell my house.I was in Dubai in January and the amount of money people spend is obscene. Just visited Toronto and the Candian dollar is higher than ours. it is very depresssing.

By nahid mahdavi on 04/09/2008 1:43 pm

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My husband and I own a small business and the last five years have been very lucrative. Every time I heard of someone taking out a sub prime mortgage I would cringe knowing that sooner or later the bubble would burst and once again we would be back in this situation. I work at home - never wanted an SUV - get good mileage, but don’t have to drive that much, grow organic gardens and will be putting in more vegies now. When the money was flowing more I was not as mindful of cutting expenses, but since we are part of the building industry, we are definitely being hit. We had to let two employees go which was hard because we know they have bills too. We kept them on much longer than we could afford, but in the long run had to let them go. We have been cutting back for a while knowing that this was coming. It was obvious. People were using the equity in their homes as checking accounts and as the debts come due, and expenses go up and incomes down - there are problems, spending slows down, and so does the economy. I think we rely too much on our government for solutions, and I just don’t think they have them. Too much over legislation and not enough action. Look what happened with Katrina. WE are just as responsible as the government for these problems. If we don’t take responsibility for them, we will never have the power to solve them. If it is always something else doing it to us then it will be impossible to solve. We the people have to stay involved. My mother always used to say “You cannot legislate intelligence.” Unfortunately, so many new laws just burden the tax payer more. What is the solution? I am 56 years old and may have to get a second job to help maintain the business. My degree is in Chinese, but it is a little rusty, so I have been practicing again. A LOT. Whatever it takes. I have one son left at home and just want to make sure he gets through college.

By Frannie Em on 04/09/2008 1:43 pm

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If you know chinese, you should study the chinese art market and invest in it.. My advice to those of you who have some savings buy art with the help of an adviser. NM

By nahid mahdavi on 04/09/2008 1:49 pm

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I understand art is not subject to any kind of capital gains taxes unlike financial investments and property.

By Kay Sara on 04/09/2008 2:48 pm

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As citizens we are responsible for who we vote into office. How did Bush get in the white house? People voted for him (not me). Please make sure you vote for a smart qualified experienced person this next time around.

By Kay Sara on 04/09/2008 2:29 pm

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Finally I hear the media talking about making Iraq pay for our military costs to protect them. Finally I hear the media talk about Iraq paying for their own infrastructure rebuilding. Finally I hear the media talk about the $100 billion oil revenues Iraq is raking in. Americans cannot afford to foot the bill for oil rich Iraq. Enough is enough. Iraq is not stepping up to the plate to be self governing and protecting- why should they when we will do it for them as long as they look like bumbling idiots and we will pay for it for as long as it takes them to get up to speed and we continue to take the risk in lost American lives? This is ludicrous! AS long as we keep pooring billions and billions into Iraq we will crumble even more at home. We actually pay Iraqis cash for their “loyalty”. This and globalization need to be stopped. Then we need to provide everyone health care.

By Kay Sara on 04/09/2008 2:39 pm

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When banks are allowed to charge 30% interest because of an electric bill that is one day late, trouble is on the horizon. Does no elected official know the meaning of the word “usury”?

By TJR 49 on 04/09/2008 1:52 pm

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So far here in Santa Fe, NM, there haven’t been a lot of obvious signs ( The housing market is a bit slower but still strong ) but I spent some time at South Padre Island, Texas this winter where there are many vacation homes - A good third of them were for sale and I didn’t see one “sold” sign.

By Bobbie C. on 04/09/2008 1:56 pm

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My husband is an over the road truck driver. Diesel fuel prices are over $4 a gallon. The companies are having a hard time with the prices so high. Guess who delivers food and everything else everybody uses. Trucks. They go out of business we are in trouble.

By Berta Shoe on 04/09/2008 1:57 pm

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Last night on Charlie Rose I saw the four girls touting their new site. THe site is so liberating, to be able to converse with other smart women, I feel almost like the women in the FLDS in Texas where they have been liberated from the Cult; not because I am dominated by men, but because I have a place to have a voice, and a chance to hear what other women are thinking. My Dad always said that a lot of good comes out of a depression - people learn to depend on each other, find entertainment in their homes, potlucks, baseball games, neighborhood carnivals, talent shows, and walking and bike riding all come to mind. We can all grow flowers and vegetables in a window or balcony if we don’t have land or community gardens. Many communities have gleaner programs where you are allowed to pick crops after the commercial mechanical pickers have gone. Neighbors have windfall fruits in their yards that go to waste. We have friends to talk to, and this site to connect with amongst other creative things. Let’s simplify our lives, clean out extra belongings and let others in need enjoy the bounty while we enjoy the new cleaned out space. Don’t forget the library and parks and picnics, even in your own yard. Think of the possibilities and seek help - no one can help you if you don’t ask, and don’t scare the kids….we will survive and they will learn by what they see. If you share, it will come back to you.

By Sandy O on 04/09/2008 2:00 pm

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I am a Canadian, living in Ontario which has been in a kind of recession like period for a number of years now, especially in the manufacturing and farming areas. Groceries used to cost me around $250 for the month, this past month it’s crept closer to $300. I am on disability pension. Everything from cable tv to hydro on up is getting more and more expensive . I don’t have kids or grandkids,I can ‘t imagine how the working poor and the plain poor people will cope. And then today I hear the IMF is expecting a global recession. It’s very worrying. They say Canada will endure a global recession fairly well, let’s hope so, but I think it depends on what part of Canada you are living in.

By Liz Seger on 04/09/2008 2:02 pm

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I have cut back on movies, going out to dinner, driving, and anything I don’t need. Most of my friends are doing all of the above and more. Gayle, Sacramento, CA

By Gayle Turner on 04/09/2008 2:03 pm

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I too moved to Iowa, but from urban Iowa w/ gambling and its associated crime waves, and McMansion housing, to rural Iowa…a small town where I live in the center of town, one-half block from the courthouse, and 200 feet from the grocery, 50 feet from the best restaurant in two counties, and next door to a small bar that aerves the best! fried chicken and fish on Fridays. The grocery sells $2.50 sirloin sandwiches and $1 hotdogs and $1.50 brats every Thursday and Friday w/ all profits to the Dollars for Scholars fund from Easter thru Halloween. What neighbors…but they like me because I had a 110 yr old building restored-downstairs is storefront, my apt upstairs. Grow vegetables in big clay (on sale) pots or five-gallon buckets, enough produce to freeze/can for me for winter or give away, bake own bread for pleasure at less than $1 per loaf, buy groceries only on sale, make my own laundry soap for less than 1 cent per load, and buy freshly butchered chickens, lamb and pork, pure cream and milk and laid-this-morning eggs from newly met Amish friends who farm 10 miles out of town…am trying to wear out clothes bought in the last 20 years…etc. I agree with the couple who moved to Iowa. It’s really a DIY state, with helpful, friendly folks who will teach one without making you feel stupid. Sometimes I miss concerts and plays, but will figure out a way to feed that hunger later. Come live here…houses from $40-130,000 and internet access. We govern ourselves and thereby feel more invested in what happens…a real sense of community, including newcomers and strangers. Plus daily UPS and FedX delivery with occasional DHL…What more do you want? What do you mean…8 and1/2 minute average visit to this site (quote from Charlie Rose’s show last night…without writing, I am going to assume at least 30-40 minutes!

By Emjay Iowan on 04/09/2008 2:05 pm

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Emjay Iowan, Welcome to rural Iowa! I hope I didn’t leave the impression that we live in the sticks culturally. There are many things to adjust to after living in a city. I do not miss stop lights and all the stop and go traffic in a city. We live about ten miles from town on a highway that is well maintained by the state. So much for getting snowed in, although we have been snow plowed in! While house hunting long distance from Kansas, we used the internet to research the community. I got in contact with a woman who was connected to the local arts council. As soon as we moved, we started attending meetings and were pleasantly surprised to discover just what an emphasis was placed on the arts here. A group of people who wanted to save the old movie theater purchased the building and renovated it and they have been showing first run movies from Thursday through Sunday for $4 for adults and $3 for children. All of the concession items are 75 cents each. Until very recently the prices were a dollar less. The arts council uses the theater which comes equipped with a stage and dressing rooms. We just hosted a performance last Thursday by Robin and Linda Williams of A Prairie Home Companion fame. We sold tickets for $5 each and had many attendees from out of county. Some of the folks called the Des Moines Register to verify that the price was not a misprint! We bring Missoula Childrens theater group here for a week during the summer and the performance by the kids is magical. These kids aren’t afraid to perform in front of an audience because they have been doing so in the schools and being such a small community the events are always well attended. Iowans show their support! We also put on a summer music series each Thursday evening in the courtyard bandstand. Local organizations sell food as part of their fundraising. $5 will get you the works including dessert and a drink. Some of our performers, last summer, were Dan Knight, Scott Davis and Richie Lee. If we have bad weather everyone loads up and we move into the theater. Our county has a population of around six thousand divided up amongst ten small towns. Internet really opened up this community. We have had several artists move here from the east and also from urban places in Iowa. It is definitely a slower pace of life. We have a hospital here that is a first class place and they keep adding on with the support of the community and some very generous donors. The community started a poverty initiative just over a year ago in conjunction with the Northwestern Area Foundation and Iowa State University Extension. During the Study Circles, the consensus of all the groups held across the county was that we had a lot of assets that went unused because they weren’t advertised. Information about help is important if you find yourself in need sometime. So, a small group of people got together and formed a non-profit (took us a year to gain our status) with the mission of reducing poverty in our community. We insist on the group being a mix-not just the same ten people. We wanted to include the poor and the rich. We held leadership training that emphasized talk to action and provided tools to become more active in our community. It’s been interesting to watch the thing grow. We bought a small cottage and we have been renovating it so we will have a base of operations. Most of our work has been done by volunteers. We now present a welcome basket to newcomers in the community. When you are as small as we are you certainly want to retain people and get them connected as soon after they arrive as possible. Well, I should stop for now. I know what you mean about the 8 and 1/2 minutes. Great site!

By B W on 04/09/2008 10:04 pm