| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| melody |
Posted - Aug 02 2012 : 08:57:58 AM
I just don't see the economy getting better here. Employment is at an all time low-more and more shops have pretty much given up and closed and we found out the other day that our school system will be losing over 80 students next year-that's a lot for us in our little town.
What's it like in your town? Is the economy getting better or worse?
Talk to me ladies...
Melody
Farmgirl #525 |
| 25 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| oldbittyhen |
Posted - Aug 14 2012 : 11:30:03 AM
if they would bring back the home ec. classes in schools, along with the ag. and wood/metal/auto classes, maybe the kids would be able to learn things that they need to know in this economy...it scares the heck out of me knowing that the average kid and adults , do not know how to grow even a tomato plant, let alone raise a chicken for even just eggs, and I live in a rural area with a county fair and (used to be) tons of 4-H kids...people are finding they veggy gardens stripped clean, chickens disappearing and livestock butchered out in their pastures, they is only 1 foodbank left in our area, and the people who really need help are lucky to get 1/2 of a meals worth once a momth...the cost of grocerys/gas/clothes etc are so high now, I don't know anyone who can afford it, even the thrift shops prices are going up...I truely believe that there will be major civil unrest soon, cause people just can't survive, and when you can't feed your kids, you will do what it takes...
"Knowlege is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad" |
| AlyssaMarie |
Posted - Aug 14 2012 : 11:08:08 AM
For financial reasons, we cut TV. The benefits have been greater than just the financial. I love it that I can read the news online, only when I want to and I don't have to have that negetive input into my life everyday. I'm a lot happier.
AlyssaMarie @ Link'd Hearts Ranch
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| nabrown42 |
Posted - Aug 14 2012 : 10:14:43 AM
Our area is depressed but Kentucky has been that way for ages. The closest town of any size, though, has been seeing a growth of industries relocating to the area because the land prices are so low. Our personal finances, IRA, has grown enough to replace the funds we lost in the crash so that's good. The big box stores have eaten up the mom amd pop establishments...I guess it's a wash. Good news and bad news. Some places are better than others. I'm still happy to live in the US even with the bad news.
"I've wept in the night for the shortness of sight that to someone's needs I've been blind; but I've yet to feel a twinge of regret for being a little too kind." |
| Melina |
Posted - Aug 14 2012 : 09:51:33 AM
I quit getting a newspaper about 10 years ago. I just watch one local and one national news report a day, no more. I find I'm a lot more positive than I've ever been and I still stay informed. As for the economy, we retired last year, so we are more or less on a very fixed income. Things will get tougher for us, but I'll grow and can more, shop at the thrift store more, and find cheap ways to entertain myself.
The morning breeze has secrets to tell you. Do not go back to sleep.
Rumi |
| Bear5 |
Posted - Aug 14 2012 : 08:39:24 AM
Deborah, I so agree with you on that point.
Marly
"It's only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth- and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up- that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had." Elisabeth Kurler-Ross |
| Room To Grow |
Posted - Aug 14 2012 : 06:42:27 AM
the media is just as bad or worse than the lobbyists...they need to both be quite so real people can get on with there lives.
Deborah
we have moved to our farm...and love it |
| melody |
Posted - Aug 07 2012 : 08:52:19 AM
I think your right Sherrie about media influence!
I don't know how people make it at all with the just the basic price of milk and bread and other groceries-let alone for growing, new families that have to buy diapers and formula-And what about that "American" dream of building your own home? Is that even within reach anymore?
-How is it that the economy can even grow at all when one is struggling just to get along with the bare essentials? I worry so much about my kids and what the future will hold for them. It certainly won't be in this depressed, stagnant town-They will have to move away to a larger city to have an opportunity for growth.
Melody
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| knitnpickinatune |
Posted - Aug 07 2012 : 07:19:42 AM
I've noticed with my online store that the media has a lot of influence-if they say the economy is down,my sales drop suddenly. If they say that the economy is improving and more people spent money,orders increase. I've often pondered what would happen if the media shut their mouth on the whole thing and let things flow as they will. Would the economy improve on it's own? We'll never know because the media being what it is.
What has amazed me is it's taken over 20 yrs for most Americans to wake up and realise the typical job does not pay a living wage-even if one works full time. I knew this in the 80's and 90's when I worked for a major theme park-I belonged to a union,worked 5 days a week & still couldn't afford to live on my own in a small apartment. I'm hoping more people go into business for themselves as I see it as the only way to truly prosper.
http://www.mandolinbabe.biz
@MandolinChick on Twitter
mando pickin,uke strummin,banjo pickin, & fiddle sawin' Farmgirl #702 |
| farmmilkmama |
Posted - Aug 06 2012 : 5:13:45 PM
I remember learning in school that the worst time in the Great Depression was NOT right after the stock market crashed, it was actually about four years after. Gee. Doesn't that sound familiar? I really don't think its getting better (from what I've seen here) and in fact I would say its getting worse. I think this winter (with the drought and food prices) will be harder than the last few.
--* FarmMilkMama *--
Farmgirl Sister #1086
Be yourself.
Everyone else is already taken.
-Oscar Wilde
www.farmfoodmama.blogspot.com
www.thehmmmschoolingmom.blogspot.com
www.amydingmann.com |
| goneriding |
Posted - Aug 04 2012 : 9:16:54 PM
We're on the fence. Sometimes it's much better, sometimes it's worse. I still have my CDL and IF I need to drive a truck again, I'll do it! Don't want to, though. Same with hubby.
There aren't any jobs for people my age around here. I put in lots of applications but I only see young people working in those jobs. So, that's why hubby and I have struck out to make our own business. We aren't making a lot but we get the bills paid and have a roof over our heads. We keep our 5th wheel for 'just in case' we have to live in it. I haven't been in it for six months but it's staying put. That way I feel like I always have a place to live.
Another thing, the taxes have about eaten us alive. I could have used quite a bit of that money for our business but we had to pay the IRS. Personally, I have no use for them but that's the way it is, so we pay.
As for Walmart. I'm not a fan, really, but I have to shop where the prices are the best right now. I do shop online and get good deals, even Wmart can be beaten online!!
We go to little towns around us, looking for things for our biz, and I'm telling you, I've been appalled at how many are drying up!! The main streets are just full of closed businesses! Even here in southern OR, it got pretty bad but the town fathers got their thinking wigs on and things seem to be turning around....hopefully!!
My website:
http://twohorseswalkingdesigns.com
http://antlersantiqueswindchimes.weebly.com
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| rphelps4 |
Posted - Aug 04 2012 : 9:01:31 PM
Here in Indiana most of the farmers crops are going to have very poor yields due to the high temps and lack of rain, so all food items are on the rise, and gas is 4:00 dollars a gallon, so things here don't seem any better. |
| marjean |
Posted - Aug 04 2012 : 4:00:45 PM
I don't see a change for the good anywhere. Did you see on the news recently that all of India lost power? That country is twice the size of the U.S.
We buy at a local Dollar Store where meat and veges are $1.00 a bag. If you really shop around you can stock up on things now before the prices skyrocket.
All my food has to be organic but thankfully my dh and dd can eat the cheap stuff. It is not a laughing matter. We are just thankful it is available.
I will be doing a feature on my website in the Inspiration page section on the Image of Daniel and the beasts in Revelation that correspond to our time and what they mean and what we have to do now to prepare to survive the coming destruction.
Take courage you can survive and the secret is in the Bible. One of the main things we have to do to keep surviving now is help each other. Those that know how to dehydrate food could do it for a small fee and that would be one way to stock up while prices are manageable.
You can ship them in the sealed bags very cheap unlike a glass jar. Don't just stockpile for yourself, help others. Get the word out that you are willing to do this and start helping others who are in need.
No one is going to get rich in this system ever again. It is always going to be living from paycheck to paycheck for the majority. I'll start a post under the Garden section and any who are willing to pitch in and help their fellow farmgirls can post what they have to offer.
This is not a way to make tons of money either, this will be a way to just help each other while we still can. Knowing we have a nice support system can keep you going and give you that extra desire to get out of bed each day.
Farmgirl sister #308
handmade cards, vintage organizer bags and more at www.jeanpatchbymk.etsy.com
http://jeanpatch.blogspot.com
www.chartreuseprodcuts.com/marshajaramillo.html
www.watkinsonline.com/rjaramillo
www.sunshinefarmgirlcoop.com |
| laurzgot |
Posted - Aug 04 2012 : 3:41:36 PM
I don't think it's getting any better here. Lost my teaching job last year. They say budget cuts which is true but I also think it was my age. I had turned 60 last year. I've got a home sewing bussiness that I have had for over a year or so and that is slow and not making any money. At least DH has a well paid job. Prices are up on everything and I have seen alot of homes for sale that have been on the market a very long time. I have also seen good times too. It's so hard to tell though.
Laurie
suburban countrygirl at heart
http://www.etsy.com/people/lauriescott60
Aprons and More by Laurie |
| FieldsofThyme |
Posted - Aug 04 2012 : 1:02:11 PM
Not better here. And even so, the school is planning on doing their annual 8th grade trip to D.C. again. Hmpf! I have barely put one through the 8th grade, and now I get an e-mail saying first payment is due in October. Why do schools insist on taking these trips when the economy is bad? Ugh. I understand band and choir trips, but for simply the 8th grade? For no special reason? And don't get me started on fundraisers. No one can afford to buy the stuff.
I just don't get it. I'm already paying $45.00 x 2 kids for school fees and have no idea on my high schooler yet. With the high costs, and low pays, I really don't see it getting better anywhere. I'm concentrating on self-sufficient lifestyle even more.
Farmgirl #800
http://pioneerwomanatheart.blogspot.com/
http://scrapreusedandrecycledartprojects.blogspot.com/
From my hands: http://pioneerpatchworkhomespun.blogspot.com/
From my Camera: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pioneerwomanatheart/
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| Room To Grow |
Posted - Aug 03 2012 : 5:03:03 PM
Melody, I have gone back top teaching Cosmetology part time at night and I am working at my shop during the day. I dont think things are getting better either. The gas had gone up 55 cents in a week. It has been slow at the shop and my husband is getting unemployment. I am glad that I have been storing some things but I now dont have time to do much..But my DH is home now and i think he will be doing more cooking...and things around the house. The one thing that we ARE going to be getting is a gun and ammo.... I pray that everyone is safe and does well in all your endeavors...
Deborah
we have moved to our farm...and love it |
| emsmommy5 |
Posted - Aug 03 2012 : 2:29:16 PM
I don't think it's getting better and honestly, I think it's going to get alot worse. We've been extremely tight with our finances not wanting to get in the hole on anything. Thus far, blessed with work. Any extra $$ goes into our self-reliance efforts. Our biggest blessing living in the NW -rain. I have quit whining about it drowning my garden after seeing the rest of the country!
Do what you love, love what you do. |
| AlyssaMarie |
Posted - Aug 03 2012 : 11:56:15 AM
The last couple days have been especially hard for me in this area. I finally just had to stop reading and ask myself... what can I do in the next several hours that would help my family in the next couple of months? It may not be a full solution, but it certainly can't hurt - got my kids off their rears and we went out to the garden. Shored up the braces for our hoop house and then planted seeds for the fall. I went ahead and planted seed in any place I felt I could squeeze it in. I do feel a little better now.
AlyssaMarie @ Link'd Hearts Ranch
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| sherrye |
Posted - Aug 03 2012 : 07:03:28 AM
yes we are truly living in hard times. here in oregon things re no better. papa is working today. this is the first work in over a year. we are hoping this will be long enough to pay back into unemployment. we need to get to his ssi money in feb we are trying to be careful with every penny. so tough times everywhere. the bible does for warn us that this was coming. world wide hardships. with man trying to do it with out God he is bound to fail. JMHO.
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
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| Dorinda |
Posted - Aug 03 2012 : 06:53:19 AM
I know it has not gotten any better here where i live. Alot of our friends have went to north Dakota for work. My sister and her husband lost their house and moved to alabama for work. Now my other sister said she may have to move for a while to north Dakota for work or she is going to lose her home . My brother also sold his home and moved to alabama for work. My other brother is still here but is having to travel alot for work. My son still does not have a job. Been looking 4 years. I am watching every penny . I am not spending any money i don't have to. Our work has been slow but we have been able to keep our heads above water . We do not have alot of bills. I do not believe in credit cards. I have always been one of those who say if you can't pay for it in cash then you don't need it. I think my motto is what has saved us. That and thrift store shopping. But to your post no i do not see it getting any better here.
Seize The Day!
Dorinda |
| rough start farmgirl |
Posted - Aug 03 2012 : 03:25:05 AM
I think for a short time, we need to take care of ourselves - the US - and let the rest of the world take care of themselves. Maybe stop some of the importing or tax it so that the US companies can afford to compete with the prices and still pay their workers a liveable wage.
It sure isn't any better around here. My daugter has been looking for a job forever! Recent college grad ... so demoralizing for these kids.
Marianne |
| Okie Farm Girl |
Posted - Aug 02 2012 : 7:34:36 PM
Audrey, what is different today is that numbers are not calculated the same way as they have in the past. Today, we have the U-6 number which is the actual unemployment rate, but we aren't told that number. We are only given a number of those who are actually looking for employment. From an article:
"The government's most widely publicized unemployment rate measures only those who are out of a job and currently looking for work. It does not count discouraged potential employees who have quit looking, nor those who are underemployed — wanting to work full-time but forced to work part-time.
For that count, the government releases a separate number called the "U-6," which provides a more complete tally of how many people really are out of work."
According to the US Dept of Labor, the actual unemployment rate has been above 14.5% since June of 2011. http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t15.htm We have been in a recession for the last two years and so that, by definition, puts us at the level of a Depression.
Mary Beth
www.OklahomaPastryCloth.com
www.Oklahomapastrycloth.com/blog
The Sovereign Lord is my strength - Habakkuk 3:19 |
| acairnsmom |
Posted - Aug 02 2012 : 5:51:52 PM
I've noticed the newscasters are starting to call this "the great recession" which sure sounds an awful lot like "the great depression". I think they are finally starting to tell the truth, we are in a mess. DH was unable to bid profitable work around the Cheyenne area so we are now up in MT/ND working on some oil pipeline projects. It's booming up here and they are getting rain almost daily, so unlike the rest of the country,work and water.
Audrey
http://prairiecairncottage.blogspot.com/
.jpg) Good boy Hobbs! I love and miss you. |
| Kammi |
Posted - Aug 02 2012 : 4:34:00 PM
Things are not any better here in Phoenix; we have 12 homes vacant, 3 more for sale, just in our small neighborhood. And like other areas, more and more businesses are closing. We own a construction company and are hard pressed to keep all of the guys working. We are taking more and more smaller jobs just to make sure they all have a paycheck coming in to keep their families going. You can only tighten your belt so much (I am starting to look like a Barbie Doll...thanks to the belt). te he te he....well, have to laugh about something.
Remember… Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well-preserved body. Instead, you should slide in sideways, glass of wine in one hand and chocolate in the other, in a body thoroughly used up, worn out and screaming “Woohooo! What a ride!”
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| kysheeplady |
Posted - Aug 02 2012 : 1:21:38 PM
Ahhhh ... Walmart the double edged sword!
Teri
"There are black sheep in every flock"
White Sheep Farm
www.whitesheepfarm.com |
| craftingram |
Posted - Aug 02 2012 : 1:20:14 PM
I don't think things are getting any better here. Gas has jumped almost 50 cents a gallon in two days, food prices are already up. I know the drought is making things even worse. I don't know how to fix it, but the government giving more and more of our money away isn't the answer. I try to have a positive attitude, but it's really hard. All I know to do is keep praying. Our government has pretty much forsaken us to do whatever they want, but God never will.
Karin
Farmgirl Sister #2708
Romans 8: 38,39 |
