We’re still in a recession. People are working harder for their money, if they are working at all. If you are working, you may be working for less money. Have you changed your habits when it comes to spending or saving your money? If you were a spender before and have changed, will this experience have changed you for the future? Or will you go back to old habits when things improve?
I’m still living in my little house, driving my old car, being frugal and thinking about the near future. Has the recession changed your outlook for good? Does it depend on your age/generation?
—————————–
And, speaking of your money…
from RotorNews -
The Obama Administration is reported to be seriously considering a package of tax breaks to help stimulate the U.S. economy. With news of the economy taking a negative turn leading up to the midterm elections, the White House is hoping such a plan will work to their advantage in November. The tax breaks could add up to hundreds of billions of dollars and are intended to boost hiring and undermine the GOP argument that Democratic tax policies are harmful to small businesses. Tax breaks the White House is looking at include a temporary payroll-tax holiday and permanently extending the research-and-development tax credit that is currently expired.
I’d be better off living on just bread and water…period.
The article implies consuming water before eating a meal will lead to weight loss. Women and men in a study group of 12 weeks had their daily calorie intake reduced to 1,200 and 1,500, respectively, from up to 2,200 prior to the study. Those drinking water before a meal did lose more weight than those allowed to drink whatever they wanted.
from the Economist -
Why this works is obscure. But work it does. It’s cheap. It’s simple. And unlike so much dietary advice, it seems to be enjoyable too.
I don’t know about you, but if I reduce my calorie intake but continue to allow myself to eat the type of meals the child has in the photo accompanying the article, even though I’m drinking water – I’m not sure how much weight I’m going to lose.
Many moons ago, my mother owned small family restaurant in Florida. Not only was she a great cook at home, but she carried her talent into her own business. Most of her menu items were made-from-scratch. There are just some favorites that can’t be “homemade” though, and it’s all about how you cook them.
My mom had great customer service skills and before owning her own place spent her earlier years as a telephone operator, then after marrying my dad had six children. She helped support the family later on by waitressing in great restaurants and actually loved the job. A good waitress learns all about good customer service.
There was one regular customer who didn’t care about the home cooking as much as he loved hot dogs. There are always special requests when you run a restaurant. My mom always wanted a customer to “have it their way.” I don’t think you’ll find too many places that will take the time to “skin a hot dog” for you. That’s what he wanted – at the busiest time of the day, whenever he came in.
from Wallet Pop – “Customers From Hell”
Not Worth the Argument
Reader Bgk9876 says: “A customer wanted to return a canteen which she had recently purchased. When I asked her why she wanted to to return it she said it leaked. After inspecting the canteen, [I] noticed [it had] a hole in the center big enough to put your index finger in. When this was pointed out to the customer, she responded by saying, ‘Well, that’s not where it leaks.’ She got a full refund.”
There are many troubled homeowners out there. The housing market is not recovering any time soon. President Obama’s bandageis going nowhere. How many homes are up for sale in your neighborhood? How many are empty? Do you know anyone who has stopped paying their mortgage and is just living in their home because the bank does nothing (yet)? Sometime in the future there will be a sea of forclosures…but when?
The U.S. economy is in decline. The employment situation is going to go from bad to worse. Americans without jobs are Americans that cannot buy homes. Millions of Americans who are employed are finding it increasingly difficult to make it from month to month. The truth is that there is no way that Americans can afford the ridiculously inflated home prices that we have seen over the past decade any longer.
So, yes, the U.S. housing market is headed for a complete and total nightmare. So exactly how bad are things out there right now?
My brother Bill and his wife were fortunate enough to be able to live on Martha’s Vineyard for some time before they eventually moved to Vermont, where he passed away in September of 2001 at the age of 53. He was an outdoorsman and avid fisherman, and participated day and night in the Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby. He once won one of the categories, and a memorial junior award is named after him. My brother’s remains are buried at the Vineyard.
You may find this feature story from the Vineyard Gazette interesting. In the case of President Obama, I would hardly call being President of the United States “the loneliest job in the world.” After reading the article, browse the rest of the Vineyard Gazette for a look at life in the area.
Claims for U.S. jobless benefits jumped to the highest level since November and Philadelphia-area manufacturing shrank for the first time in a year, indicating the economy may be slowing faster than forecast.
The number of unemployment claims unexpectedly shot up by 12,000 to 500,000 in the week ended Aug. 14, Labor Department figures showed today in Washington. The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia’s general economic index turned negative in August, signaling contraction.
America’s baby boomers—those born between 1946 and 1964—face a problem that could weigh on the economy for years to come: The longer it takes for the economy to recover, the less money they’ll have to spend in retirement.
[...]
“We will have to learn to make do with a lot less in material things,” says Gary Snodgrass, a 63-year-old health-care consultant in Placerville, Calif. The financial crisis, he says, slashed his retirement savings 40% and the value of his house by about half.
