<p>“If exercise were a pill, it would be the most widely prescribed drug on earth.”</p>
<p>Some guy named Covert Bailey said this. I love it!</p>
<p>Ebeeeee, thanks for the idea about selling old gold jewelry. I can’t wear my post-type earrings any longer, so I might as well get something for them as Dd can’t wear them either. </p>
<p>Most of our other old stuff is going with Ds when he moves. After getting Dd set up in her first place last year and now helping Ds with his, there won’t be much left. I tried to donate an old leather sofa and loveseat last year but the first two organizations sent out men who were too old and/or too small to lift them. Finally, another group managed to send two younger guys who could actually move them to their truck. The downside was that it took two months and repeated calls to get a receipt for tax purposed; they acted as if they were doing me a great favor to mail one to me.</p>
<p>These are the times that try the souls of those who work in finance. Although I work in public finance for a city (investing its surplus funds), I wish I had the kind of job where, during my work hours, I could focus on something other than the economy! In good or neutral times, it’s fun because I can also get good ideas on how to deal with our family finances. However, in times like these, it can be exhausting.</p>
<p>So perhaps it’s not surprising that I got one of those nasty chest/head colds that went on for more than three weeks. I took just one day off from work but totally dropped out of sight on weekends and evenings to try and get better. I have been this ill this long since elementary school. Finally coming out of it makes things a little brighter.</p>
<p>Getting a puppy will be work but oh, so satisfying. We have a Corgi and got a Labradoodle pup last April. No matter what’s going on in your life, they are just so accepting and thrilled to see you. Yes, sitting with a dog (or cat) in your lap has been demonstrated to lower one’s blood pressure.</p>
<p>We’re not as upbeat as usual but still try to remain positive for our S, who’s working really hard as a Jr. I think he’ll be ready to launch into AP Marco Econ/Govt next year, in trying to sort out what this constant barrage of economic data means. If we lived closer to his Gma, a Depression Era baby, she could tell him stories of pulling grass from the side of the roads to feed their rabbits at home, who would then turn into their own meal one day.</p>
<p>I am nesting more and making contact with friends who can help keep me forward looking. At least we here on CC have kids we’re ready to launch to college so we must look to see what the future holds. I told my S I’m glad he’s the age he is and will be entering college in 2010, rather than this brutal job market.</p>
<p>One more thing…we are not cutting back at all (and are even increasing somewhat) in charitable giving. For those of us who are able to, it’s important to remember those less fortunate.
OK, I’m done preaching.</p>
<p>DH’s job is secure, though incredibly stressful with everything going on in the markets. I see my boss cutting back on expenses, but no layoffs so far. Also contributing to local groups who feed the hungry – demand at food pantries is way, way up. We’re squirreling away every acorn we can before both kids are in college.</p>
<p>I can’t imagine <em>not</em> discussing the economy with my kids.</p>
<p>I find gardening very stress-reducing; it is a very nice exercise-like activity as well. Of course, when the newlyplanted garden gets eaten by pests, the stress goes up. But this year my precious plantings will be surrounded by The Great Wall of Chickenwire - yay!</p>
<p>BB, I actually did a little yard work today. I did feel better afterward. We have a weekend late in the month skedded for heavy-duty yardwork/gardening.</p>
<p>It’s kind of funny for us in a sick way that of all the people in both families who’ve always looked down on my husband for being uneducated and having a messy job, he’s the only one whose job is completely secure. He may pick up garbage for a living, but he makes good money doing it, gets great benefits that he doesn’t pay for, and is keeping his wife and kids stable in this economy. Most of the snoot-noses to whom we’re related can’t say the same thing. So for that job security, I am grateful.</p>
<p>My boss brought me a cupcake today and I asked if it was a consolation prize because I was about to be laid off or something, and he said that if I go, he goes, and he’s not going.</p>
<p>I find this thread very comforting and supportive.</p>
<p>FallGirl, while I appreciate your comments on charitable giving I may be cutting way back on mine. Not to get too political since this isn’t the political forum but if my tax deductions for charitable giving go away it will influence my decisions.</p>
<p>^^ I agree. I want to contribute to all of our schools, church, causes etc., but something has to give.</p>
<p>Zoos, you always make me laugh. Enjoy your cupcake; enjoy your husband’s steady job and steadiness. You’re lucky to have them both.</p>
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well that makes me (wait for it!) VeryHappy! Thank you.</p>
<p>Stress relievers–take a walk when possible! Another reliever is to turn off the TV or at least any news-related show! It is one thing to try to stay informed, but when it becomes a monotonous string of bad news now almost 24 hours a day, I just turn it off! And not to plug TV shows, but I watch Food Network (almost NO depressing news other than wishing I could taste the food) or HGTV (again only wishing my home might look like some featured). They are good pick me up channels if one watches TV from time to time.
I have to wonder if the media has fanned a lot of the flames regarding our economy right now!</p>
<p>Have been out running all day/night long, but have had a few opportunities to check in on this thread throughout the day from my phone, but knew if I tried to reply from it, it would take all day.</p>
<p>Missypie, I can’t thank you enough for starting this thread. Over the past several days, I’ve been trying to think of an appropriate way to start such a thread. </p>
<p>Although our 401K took some losses over the last few months, we still had our stock options to fall back on; company H works for had a temporary dip in the fall, but rebounded and was relatively stable until last Friday. I just made the last payment on D2’s tuition for the year and have a few months break until I start paying for junior year. Up to this point, we had socked away enough money to pay entirely for D1’s degree, as well as the first two years of D2’s degree. But I knew to finish off her college expenses we would be needing to dip into stock options, and I was literally weeks, if not days within exercising some (we also needed to tap into them to help pay the IRS this year). Then Friday came, and I am kind of frozen right now, not knowing which direction to go in. </p>
<p>To make matters worse, we agreed to support D1 who is an unpaid internship out of state, until her lease comes up in September. She is incredibly stressed out because initially it looked as though the internship could lead to a paying job, the agency just cut back the hours of two people, so that basically they’re job sharing one job. So before they’d even consider hiring D, they’d have to get enough business to offer the other two full-time work again, then D’s shot would come. She is applying for other jobs, but she says there is absolutely nothing out there for entry level in her career (PR). Anyway, although she really enjoys the work she is doing, where she lives, and all that comes with it, she is now stressing over what might happen if she doesn’t line something up that pays soon… like move back home (which, in and of itself, will also cost us more money). She actually sent me an article from the Boston Herald about dentist seeing an increase in people coming in with TMJ symptoms due to stress about the economy; she thinks she has developed it. We have her on a very limited budget (more encouragement to look for a paying job), and she wants to join a gym, but obviously doesn’t have the money for it. She says she’s ‘getting fatter’, but turned down any options I suggested (like walking… she doesn’t think it’s safe to do it alone because it’s always dark by the time she gets home from work; buying a work out DVD… says her neighbors below her would not appreciate it, etc.).</p>
<p>I think she’s the type of kid who would benefit from an antidepressant or anti-anxiety (one of the non-addictive ones) script temporarily because I can see this spiraling downward quickly. But of course, she’s living in an new area for her, and thus doesn’t have a doctor or anyone to give her a referral.</p>
<p>Now, I’m feeling guilty that H and I are leaving next Monday for Mexico. We planned this trip a couple of months ago for our 25th anniversary, when money was not such an issue. I’m afraid I’m going to spend the whole time worrying about how we shouldn’t have spent the money. We have a wedding to attend in Boston this summer, and D2 is studying abroad next fall, and I really wanted to go see her (I visited D1 when she was abroad, so I feel I owe it to D2), so I keep running all this stuff through my head and it’s driving me crazy. The only bright thing is that my hours at work increased slightly this year, but unfortunately I’m not nearly at my husband’s pay rate, so it doesn’t make a huge difference.</p>
<p>Of course, the company stock drop may just be a temporary glitch. I’ve read on a couple of web sites that it’s actually a stock to buy right now. Someone up thread mentioned antidepressants and sleeping pills; I should check to see if H’s company makes any (he works pharma) because if they do, that alone might be enough to keep their business solid in these times.</p>
<p>D2 wants to stay at school this summer and take summer school. I told her if she did, she really needed to get a good paying job (she attended bartending school last summer). But even if she doesn’t, I don’t know what makes me think she (or D1 for that matter) would have any better luck finding a job back here at home. So why insist they come home to work if there are no jobs to be had here?</p>
<p>Other than this trip next week, I’m accepting of the fact that our travel will be scaled back dramatically, which hurts because a lot of our travel these days involved visiting our kids. As D2 was talking about whether or not she’d come home for Easter this year (her school gets a four-day weekend), I had to stop myself from saying, “Well, it might be something we can’t do this year.” I am absolutely unwaivering in my goal that D2 will get all the college experiences that D1 had, no matter what that takes.</p>
<p>So yea, I’m stressed, and really, it’s only been since last Friday that I started to panic a bit. H and I have not had a chance to sit down and explore our options for ways to cut back, or how we might borrow money if we need to, to pay for D2’s remainder two years. She would be eligible to graduate a semester early, but her school has a lot of neat traditions for seniors that she’d miss out on.</p>
<p>Thanks for letting me get this off my chest. Hopefully I can let go of it while we’re in Mexico. And thanks to everyone who has shared their insecurities and vulnerabilities here. I do have to say, I am grateful that we got one through college, and are halfway through with the second. I would definitley be panicking more if I still had high schoolers.</p>
<p>Sorry for the length of the post.</p>
<p>Try to enjoy Mexico. Let’s hope you can’t even get English language TV stations! (Not likely, of course - we were in Mexico for the Clinton-Dole election and that’s all anyone wanted to talk to us about.) </p>
<p>In TWO WEEKS we hike down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon! That’s not a trip we’re going to cancel…the Grand Canyon part of the trip was actually paid for about a year ago (they make you put it all on your credit card when you book). I was able to get great rates on the Sedona and Phoenix hotels - the Phoenix rate has fallen three times since I initially booked. But the spa and shopping time I wanted to spend in Phoenix doesn’t seem so desirable now. I don’t know if we’ll be able to stand more hiking, but maybe we can just veg out at the resort. I do wonder if (once we’re out of the Grand Canyon) I’ll be able to enjoy the trip, or will I be stressing every time I pull out the credit card?</p>
<p>Big hugs to you teriwitt- I just wanted to mention that I noticed most of your post is about your kids and how you are worried for them. </p>
<p>I think that is what is bothering me- we told our kids that if they worked hard and got good grades they could be anything that they wanted to be. </p>
<p>We know our kids are not stupid, they can understand the economic climate. I am sure that they feel that the world fed them a big pack of lies while they were growing up. They are probably the first generation that does not have a realistic shot at being more successful than their parents. And that is a horrible shame.</p>
<p>Anyway, teri, you have something that no one can take away from you- you have your heart in the right place and your priorities straight. Good for you. You will be okay.</p>
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<p>All is not lost. The economy in my rust belt state was very bad when I graduated from college…25% unemployment. I took a teaching job that paid next to nothing and was glad to have the job in a tiny town where there was nothing to do…I rented a furnished one bedroom apartment, drove an “economy car” and had almost no disposable income. Ended up in Texas, in law school, financed by grants and loans and scholarships (not a penny from my parents), never had more than a dollar or two for “lunch money.” I did well in law school and got a very good job. So yes, the reward for doing well in high school and college was not immediate, and was not without a bit of pain, but it came.</p>
<p>We’ve always told our kids that life is hard and that there are no guarantees in life. I’m a believer in bubbles and that what goes up eventually comes down.</p>
<p>I’m too busy to be stressed out. Way too much to do in life and that helps push the worry away.</p>
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<p>As a lawyer, the work I am doing lately is almost all related to bad things caused by the economy…I’m not just stressed over my own issues, but so much of my client’s problems…people I’ve known for over 20 years, under serious stress because their tenants can’t pay them. They’ve done nothing but be a terrific landlord, but when your tenants’ businesses are tanking, they don’t pay you, you can’t pay your lender…the downward spiral continues…</p>
<p>My Lenten reading for yesterday was the following: “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:34) I thought it was very timely.</p>
<p>I am fortunate to work for a well-managed company and while we are in an industry that is perhaps the hardest hit right now, I am very optimistic that we will survive. I still worry, but as our CEO says, “Hope is not a strategy”. I am trying to do my part to conserve cash for the company so that we can have jobs. </p>
<p>H and I are planning a 25th anniversary trip this summer- probably to St. John (USVI) where we will stay at a very moderately priced eco-campground/resort. We love it there and, frankly, this trip appeals to us more than going to Europe or something a lot more expensive. It’s off-season, too, which helps.</p>