Where is the world headed.....?

[NeyNey]

I guess it's hard to avoid the media lately and those terrible words "recession" "depression". The market is about a reliable as my ovaries at the moment!

But on a serious note. How is each country being affected, and how are you personally affected...if you are at all...?

We are very recent first home buyers. At the moment I'm not seeing much of a change...but I know it's coming. I've taken up a second job, because my first is only a small business job, and I fear it's not that secure, where as my recent second job is a government education job...so I know it's more safe.

But our home loan interest rate was recently dropped...Our government is announcing a pay out to pensioners and mothers. Good on them, I know how much some people over here suffer, but at the same time I fear the sudden wealth will drive the nation into a spending spree..therefore depleating our dollar value and sending us into a similar situation the USA is facing...

i want to bitch slap our country leader sometimes...the idiot has no clue how the long term affects of this current plan will crash....

Anyway...How is everyone else feeling?

 

[Suz]

Its tuff over here. no one wants to spend the money... and people are loosing their jobs. Its really sad. My work has cut back alot.... so far and keeping fingers crossed hubby and I have not felt it, but we are saving our pennies whenever we can just incase.

 

[oOKayOo]

We are suffering with food prices once it cost us £60 a week and now its going over £100.
Our electric has gone up to £60 a month and we are only in a 2 bed flat and dont use much.
Thankfully OH has just gotten a new job which nearly doubles our wages each week so im very happy we got that otherwise we would be in serious trouble.

 

[FEDup1981]

Yeah like Kay says, my weekly food shop has gone up loads, electricity and gas, and petrol. We are just managing to get by, a few lil luxuries, but no big spends.

 

[PeanutBean]

Yeah utilities and food are expensive at the moment and I don't know if we're going to get our much needed mortgage holiday during my maternity leave. It's a huge problem for us simply because of my maternity leave, couldn't come at a worse time!

 

[nikky0907]

Like Suz said,getting tougher in US.

Well,I live in a quite small town,and I have a job in a small bookshop thats part of a big frenchise.
I personally haven't been affected nor has this particular area.
*knock on wood*

 

[polo_princess]

Work wise the motor industry is suffering greatly and production of vehicles is pretty much at a standstill. A roof over your head and food in your belly comes priorIty over your car at times like this. Saying that we've been given all of our budgets and whatnot for next year so i take it unless things get reaaaally bad my job is safe.

Other than that nothing has really changed for me, i've always been smart with my money and am adapting to the changes that are going on around me

 

[Farie]

I think in the UK the watch word is 'denial'

I work in retail and peeps are still spending!

 

[Arcanegirl]

Were not really feeling it atm, i dont know if anyone else is around us (most people around my area live on benefits)
At my work there was a notice put out to all the stores that the company was going strong and nobody needed to worry about loosing their jobs becase of things.

 

[brownhairedmom]

The only real issue here is the gas prices. but they've dropped significantly in the last weeks and hopefully they'll stay that way. That and when the Canadian dollar got so much above the American dollar, a lot of people lost their jobs because the US stopped buying so much of our paper (paper mill town), so they shut down some machines.

Its difficult to get a job here, but jobs here have never been plentiful so it isn't exactly because of this situation.

 

[PeanutBean]

I just heard on the news tonight that the plans to extend paid maternity leave to 52 weeks and to extend the flexible working rights to parents with older children is being reviews as a consequence of the economic issues.

 

[sparkswillfly]

Our weekly food shop has gone up from about £50 to £70. Utility bills have doubled. Im temping at the moment because I cant start me new job whilst pregnant its really hard to find consistent work. Trying to find a christmas retail job at the moment but its soooo hard because theres just so many people looking. Rent in my area has gone up so much recently, a 2 bed flat was £280 a week on average last year and 1 bed £240. 1 bed is now £280 and 2 bed £330! Its ridiculous!

 

[PeanutBean]

I'll never not be astonished by how inflated London prices are. Your weekly rental prices are more like monthly prices in the NE and not far off in the NW.

 

[sparkswillfly]

Paying £1200 a month in rent in a poxy one bedroom flat makes me feel sick. Luckily tho when I start my job in the spring Ill get a location allowance which makes up for it. We wont live here forever tho I want a better standard of living.