One Year Since Collapse Poll

carrieoz_76

Has your financial situation changed within the past year because of the economy? Yes! Have you or someone close lost a job? Yes. If you own a property, how has it been affected, payments, taxes, value? We don't own - we rent (thank heavens). Our rent is reasonable and has remained stable (also thank heavens). Do you think the economy will get worse? Probably not. Neither do I think it will recover very soon and when it does I think it will be slow. Read: ppl out of jobs are unlikely to all get jobs again anytime soon, and those with jobs won't be getting raises anytime soon (and will be lucky to keep any benefits). Has your lifestyle changed because of the economy either by being cautiouis or because you have to? Yes. No vacay this summer. We put off buying a house until we have a bigger down payment. More saving. At the same time, we're in a manageable spot, and still better positioned than others so no pity party here.

[Deleted User]

Has your financial situation changed within the past year because of the economy? Yes. I've started saving much more than I used to because I'm worried that I will lose my job. Have you or someone close lost a job? Yes. I've laid off about a hundred people since last year. It sucks and I feel like part of me has died inside after being an "executioner" for so long. If you own a property, how has it been affected, payments, taxes, value? Our house hasn't been affected, yet. Do you think the economy will get worse? I can't imagine how, but yes. I think it will continue to get worse before it gets better.Has your lifestyle changed because of the economy either by being cautiouis or because you have to? I'm more cautious about buying things.

sarabellam

Has your financial situation changed within the past year because of the economy? oh, yeah it has - ex-h quit his job, moved halfway across the country without getting a new job first, and now can't find a job, despite having a Master's degree and 20+ years experience. No job=no child supportHave you or someone close lost a job? not lost, but my husband's hours have been literally cut in half - he's in the food industry, and that is one of the first to be hit by economic downturnIf you own a property, how has it been affected, payments, taxes, value? assessed value is down, so property taxes are lower, but appraised value has dropped more, so I can't refinance to a lower percentage rateDo you think the economy will get worse? unfortunately, I don't think we've hit bottom yetHas your lifestyle changed because of the economy either by being cautiouis or because you have to? both. out of will and necessity

LesPaul

1.  Yes2.  DH's hideous ex lost her crappy job.  Sucks for us since she's such a pathetic victim personality and expects DH to pay her a salary.3.  I can't sell my house and desperately want to.4.  I think it has bottomed out.5.  Seriously tightening the belt.

arbolita

Has your financial situation changed within the past year because of the economy? It's really hard to say, since money has been tight this year because of the wedding.  My stocks did go down quite a bit, and I had a few furlough days, but for the most part money has just been tight because of the wedding Have you or someone close lost a job? My dad If you own a property, how has it been affected, payments, taxes, value?  N/A Do you think the economy will get worse? No, I think it's on it's way back up.  My stocks have been increasing a dollar per share a month since March,  so that gives me hope Has your lifestyle changed because of the economy either by being cautiouis or because you have to? Again, this is hard for me to judge, because I don't know how much has been the economy, and how much has been all our money going to the wedding

buttaflai

Has your financial situation changed within the past year because of the economy? Not really. Have you or someone close lost a job? My mother has been unemployed for awhile. My BIL lost his earlier this year and H lost his this year before the wedding. He got a new job right away. If you own a property, how has it been affected, payments, taxes, value? We bought the house last October at half price. The value has pretty much stayed the same. Our neighborhood is pretty stable *knock on wood* Do you think the economy will get worse? I'm in Michigan. It feels pretty low already. Has your lifestyle changed because of the economy either by being cautiouis or because you have to? We were always cautious about money so that has not changed. Our emergency is in rotating monthly CDs and we have enough emergency $ to cover a year of both of us jobless. *Knock on wood again* Not as much money is invested in stocks. We stick to the budgets.

SnShne322

Has your financial situation changed within the past year because of the economy? Not terribly.  I was lucky to not have a paycut and keep my job.  I'm fortunate because I'm in one of the few markets that seemed to thrive in this economy. Have you or someone close lost a job? Yes, a couple have.  A close friend and my sister. If you own a property, how has it been affected, payments, taxes, value? My home value plummeted.  We looked into selling this spring.  Although the value is on the rise again, it's still 25K lower than my appraisal from 2 years ago. Do you think the economy will get worse? I'm in no position to really know, but I hope not.  Has your lifestyle changed because of the economy either by being cautiouis or because you have to? No, not really. 

BecW2be

Has your financial situation changed within the past year because of the economy? Yes and No. I was pretty poor before the collapse, but I've managed to save a little and keep my head above water since. It really woke me up and made me realize we are all expendable, so I started stashing cash and dailed down my wedding plans.Have you or someone close lost a job? My boss. Also, my dad's company was underbid for what they do, and the contract expired. He was supposed to lose his job in April, but his company actually bought the company who underbid, and now his is the only supplier of what he does in the country. Whew! Permanent contracts will be final in November, so he's not out of the water, but he's definitely not swimming near the bottom like he was. If you own a property, how has it been affected, payments, taxes, value? Our area didn't see the massive value increases in years past, so when they all fell, ours fell a little less. I've been pouring my money, sweat and tears into my house, rennovating it to sell in January. I bought (stole) it for $75K, and when I finished, it will go on the market for $105K, even with the lower values. That makes me VERY happy. I'll be 100% debt free when I move. I've put about $5K into rennovations, saving on all the labor b/c I did it myself, sot that's a pretty good return on a 2yr investment.Do you think the economy will get worse? I think we'll see a lower 3rd qtr in my industry, because that's the norm even in good times, but I'm hoping next year we can start the rebound. Has your lifestyle changed because of the economy either by being cautiouis or because you have to? My lifestyle changed when I got divorced. I pretty much saved half my paycheck and blew the rest when I was married, so all my fun pretty much stopped when I became single. I'm much more careful and deliberate with my spending. The economy only strengthened those habits.

lyndausvi

Has your financial situation changed within the past year because of the economy?  A little bit.  I'm not making as much.  But nothing major.Have you or someone close lost a job? no one I know lost a job because of the economy.  But I know people who can't find a new job because of it.If you own a property, how has it been affected, payments, taxes, value?  value dropped a little.  I bought it for $96k.. it's worth $200 now, it had gotten up to $220.  So I'm in the black regardless.Do you think the economy will get worse? maybe a littleHas your lifestyle changed because of the economy either by being cautiouis or because you have to? not reallly.  actually we travelled even more this year because of the cheap rates.

pumpkinpumpkin

Has your financial situation changed within the past year because of the economy? It certainly hasn't gotten any worse. In fact, we're making more sales, hence, earning more commissions. We're staying on top of our top 20% of our clients and treating them like gold, it's really paying off.Have you or someone close lost a job? NoIf you own a property, how has it been affected, payments, taxes, value? Our taxes went down about 15% this year, and because we bought when prices were low, our property value has gone up. We have a below-prime mortgage, and currently our interest rate is at 1.75% - we have our payments based on 7% interest rate, so we're paying down our principal at a much higher rate.Do you think the economy will get worse? No...but I'm a sceptic, and a positive thinker...I saw on CNN last night that many economists believe that the recession could be over by the end of the year. Has your lifestyle changed because of the economy either by being cautiouis or because you have to? No, we haven't changed.

girllennon

No, it's more or less the same in the last couple of years. My brother was out of work for 4 months. My SIL has been out of work since December. My BIL and his wife have been unemployed since summer of last year. Our taxes have remained the same (thankfully), but our insurance is going up AGAIN (of course, expected being in South Florida aka hurricane central). I haven't seen it get any better in my area. There's a lot of closed up businesses and more closing every week in my area. The job market has shrunk here and it's increasingly difficult to get gainful employment.The cost of living and inflation has gone up exponentially in our area, so it's way out of control here. We have scaled back a lot on what is spent.

Puppylove*85

Has your financial situation changed?  Not yet.  We're very fortunate that DH has been able to keep his job.  I am still in grad school but my prospects for jobs when I graduate in May are looking pretty slim.Has someone close lost a job?  Yes, my dad and some of my friends have lost their jobs.  It's been months and they still cannot find another job.Propery value decreased?  We don't own a home so we haven't been affected in that way.Do you think the economy will get worse?  Yes, temporarily.  Many companies are still laying off workers.  I do have hope that things will get better in a few years though.Has your lifestyle changed?  We are more cautious.  We are saving money right now in case I cannot get a job after graduation or in case we have to move across the country in order for me to get a job.

Soon-to-be Mrs. Vogt

Has your financial situation changed within the past year because of the economy? No. I actually got a significant raise this year, as did FI. We are so much better off financially than we were last year. Have you or someone close lost a job? Nope.If you own a property, how has it been affected, payments, taxes, value? We purchased property almost a year ago (offer was accepted about now). Anyway, we were able to purchase it for less than it was worth (most likely). Our taxes went down when it was reassed. The value is about the same right now, last time we looked. Resale value might be down because we have so few sales in our area to compare to, but we're not looking to sell. Do you think the economy will get worse? Nationally, I don't know. Locally, I really hope things continue as they are. It really hasn't hit us here. Has your lifestyle changed because of the economy either by being cautiouis or because you have to?  No, not really. We've been saving more because of the wedding, but if that weren't going on, I don't suspect our life would change all that much. We're careful with money anyway, and try to pay down our debts as quickly as possible (student loans, mortgage). If we weren't saving for the wedding, I'm sure we'd just be putting more money toward our bills.