How have you been personally affected by the downturn?

Well, I had one stock that dropped to the point where I owed them money. But no matter how bad it gets, I’m rich at the dollar store.

Not really. I actually got hired for a job, I don’t owe mortgages or anything like that. I’m a college student and tuition is still more expensive than a heart from a saint on the black market, but that has been the way it is for a while. (Luckily, I got a few scholarships to help out with this.)

My 40 k just evaporated, but I won’t need it for nearly 20 years so it has time to recover.
I have friends who are custom builders in Las Vegas. They are REALLY hurting. They have one house that a huge celebrity (you all would know her name) was renting, but she no longer is. They have a huge mortgage on the house and had already started building the next HUGE house. (11000 square feet.) If no one is buying and no one is financing eve if they had a buyer, this could destroy everything they have spent their whole life building.

On a fixed income, I have already tightened my belt. But I find it interesting that I no longer get any pleasure from silly spending.. the list of charities that I like to give money to at the end of the year may shrink.

I can no longer support the local merchants (at least for the time being) except our wonderful second-hand clothing shop and used book swap (which really makes sense all the time.)

When I am at the market, I am shocked at how many choices (many of them ridiculous) for most products; toilet paper, coffee, cookies, jams, detergent – over-packaged and over-advertized. I’m sticking to baking soda, vinegar, and a “clean” soap like Dr. Bonner’s.

Judi; I am sorry for your friends, but I can’t imagine anyone needing an 11,000 sq.ft house unless he is filling it with more than two people and staff.

It’s not loosing the house. it’s loosing their business and their life savings. When I visited them last month they were living in a very modest 3 bedroom house. The “big house” was rented to a celebrity. They would LOVE to live in a smaller home and sell the one that until recently would have sold in an instant. They are near retirement age and all they have is tied up in this business.

Also, think of all the jobs that went into building that house. If they can’t sell it then they can’t build another one and put those guys back to work.

I do understand the trickle-down effect and I know that it wasn’t their house. I hope that the big spenders return soon.