<p>LOL momof3- I had no idea your H’s business catered to those with expendable income! Has he seen any drop in his business? </p>
<p>lefthand-
Hi! Haven’t seen you areound these parts in a while! That is a good question. I have a few friends who run tutoring businesses. So far I haven’t heard of a drop in their business, but I am guessing there may be fewer personal lessons and more group lessons to save $$.</p>
<p>My point wasn’t that the rich were cutting back and a person should feel sorry for the rich. My point was the banks are cutting back. If the banks and other financial institutions cut back and credit becomes less available, the economy’s potential is cut back. Which is one reason I don’t see a strong economy for a long time.</p>
<p>The financial institutions are out of bullets. They need to reload. This takes time. </p>
<p>My other point is banks are cutting back so much right now that they are putting too many restrictions on people who can actually pay back the loans. That hurts the economy too. That’s also poor business.</p>
<p>I hope that’s clear. ;)</p>
<p>jym626 - Surprisingly, no drop in business. Actually his restorations are on the up exponentially compared to his collision work. My DH does virtually no advertising and his shop is way off the beaten path. Word of mouth is his best advertisement and he has a reputation for doing excellent work at fair prices (he does not pro-rate his restorations, he keeps track of his time and supplies and only charges for what he accrues). Also, oddly, a lot of his customers are employed in the manufacturing industry (which as we all know in the US is quite unstable). Maybe these guys see their classic cars as an investment? Most of his customers are middle aged men with children either grown or no children at all. Aside from the restoration he also does a lot of cosmetic work on cars for people who would rather maintain the vehicles he has than purchase new ones.</p>
<p>momof3stars:
If your H’s business is in the San Diego area let me know - I have a couple of old Mustangs and a body shop run by a skilled, honest, and fair person is good to be aware of. And yes, these cars can be an investment of sorts. In addition to the appreciation of the pristine vehicles as one can see on Barrett-Jackson, some, like my Mustangs or American muscle cars, can be a good investment in that they can be driven daily, go up in value instead of down like virtually every new car, are easy and inexpensive to maintain, and are fun to drive. In the over 25 years I’ve been driving this Mustang (and it was old when I purchased it), I’ve seen others go through a half dozen or more new car purchases with their corresponding depreciation.</p>
<p>“I saw a friend at work and asked him how things are going with three kids in college. He’s paying $100K a year (one is on the five-year plan). He just sold some stock to pay for the fall semester.” - I would think that if he were rich, he wouldn’t have to sell any stock. Although, I only pay 50k a year and my wife and I are maxing out on 401-403 plans, I haven’t spent a penny outside of current income and we certainly aren’t rich.</p>
<p>ucsd_ucla-dad: Sadly we are on opposite ends of the country. My DH currently has 4 Mustangs scheduled to restore in the next year!! Being in the Northeast, no matter how well stored these cars have been most require extensive work (usually frame up restorations). On the investment front, one of his customers did a full “Eleanor” restoration a few years ago, had about $40K total into the car and has it listed online somewhere for $60K. A nice profit if he gets that much for it. On the other hand, we also have a 67 Mustang Sedan sitting in our garage right now from a frame up restoration my DH did about 4 years ago for a relative bc the relative had sudden financial problems and my DH (being a softie) traded him a truck we had for sale for the Mustang. We have been trying to sell it here and there ever since but no takers as a standard Mustang Sedan is not as popular or worth as much as the fastbacks.</p>
<p>[Pacific</a> NW | At the pawnshop, the needs and the sacrifices are getting bigger | Seattle Times Newspaper](<a href=“http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/pacificnw/2008079685_pacificpawn03.html]Pacific”>http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/pacificnw/2008079685_pacificpawn03.html)</p>
<p>I wish I * had something* to pawn.
Our refrigerator just died *after * we went to the grocery store, the radiator in my car has to be replaced and the keyboard wore out on my laptop.
I think I can fix the keyboard, but the other things are beyond that.
( we are using a camping ice chest- now when I buy ice cream I have to eat it all!)</p>
<p>EmeraldKitty: If only internet postings were worth money!! Can’t we get paid to do this all day? How about a Garage Sale? I live in the Boonies and never make less that $400-$500 on a sale. My kids old clothes alone are a huge seller and we all have junk around the house we don’t really need. What the heck, lease out the hubby for a weekend to some cougar down the street. It won’t kill him!! LOL :P</p>
<p>emeraldkity, check out the freecycle in your local area. Lots of people would rather give away a working fridge than have to pay to have it disposed, and most charitable organizations won’t take them.</p>
<p>Thats what I am gonna do- I did notice that people who were remodeling had some available, looking to find one in our area. Afterall I don’t need a SubZero.
( I am also weeding out our home library to the used bookstores- Ive never made much on garage sales though- we live in a cheap area- people want a bargain!)</p>
<p>Great article about the pawnshops, EK. Felt bad for the guy who had the $3K (!!) mortgage and had lost his job.</p>
<p>$3K mortgage guy evidently was making good money but didn’t sock enough away for a rainy day.</p>
<p>I felt worse for the people already on the edge and now unemployed and disabled or pregnant.</p>
<p>“I think I can fix the keyboard, but the other things are beyond that.”</p>
<p>Just plug in an external keyboard. You can usually get them for $5 at a used computer parts store.</p>
<p>Just plug in an external keyboard. You can usually get them for $5 at a used computer parts store.</p>
<p>I already have a bluetooth keyboard (of course bluetooth wasn’t turned on)
But the last few models of laptops have keyboards that you have to take the frigging computer apart to swap them out instead of just removing the clips on top- they quoted me $600! haha- they have got to be kidding.(
If I can’t fix it, I can get a replacement for $100.( & I found instructions on how to take it apart online)</p>
<p>We have been putting the maximum into retirement savings, that Hs company will match, since we had lost a lot in tech stock awhile ago- plus made the illadvised move of borrowing from retirement for D’s tuition, one year. ( and the mortgage the year after that)</p>
<p>Im also in the position of being in school- and networking for jobs that will pay well- or quitting school and working for not much money.
Because of learning/disability issues, I unfortunately can’t do both, although I am going to try.
We live in one of the most expensive areas in the country, with the highest inflation, but we have lived here all our lives, its not like we moved here on purpose!
We are researching where to move- I’m leaning toward Portland ( where older D lives )</p>
<p>Heck, you probably have friends who have external keyboards laying around from when they switched from their desktop model to laptop! Wouldn’t even cost you $5.</p>