How is the Bush Depression treating you? Bankruptcy? Foreclosure? Laid off?

[Stephanie]

Poll question: How is the Bush Depression treating you? Bankruptcy? Foreclosure? Laid off?

I'm curious how DUers are doing these days. What's been your experience in the last few months? In this multiple choice poll, if more than one answer applies, please select the one that's affected you the most.

[nonconformist]

I chose the first option, but more than one apply to me and my family

We filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy to save our house, which was foreclosed on after a layoff left my husband unemployed for over 3 months.

Things are better now, this all came to a head two years ago, but it was extremely rough.

[hfojvt]

3. that was before the recession officially started in December 2007

although most DUers have been in a depression since 15 Nov 2004.

[nonconformist]

14. We like to be trend-setters

We were going through economic hell before it was popular.

[Skip Intro]

1. I'm in bankruptcy. Still got my house, but just found out my job is gone at the end of June.

I hate that job, but I had health insurance. No retirement. Three weeks vacation, tho.

It's done and over at the end of June.

I'm 47. Very little savings.

No idea what I'll do next.

I am a survivor, tho.

Getting a little old to be interviewing for bs jobs tho.

I'm sure it'll all work out.

Has so far.

Little nervous, tho....

[hfojvt]

2. We almost quickly had one vote for every category

an 8-way tie.

I voted for "hasn't affected me" although I am semi-undermployed since October 2006 and I am a little bit nervous and the State government makes cuts that may affect the cities. But not that nervous and my underemployment was a choice, albeit a choice I made partly because I worried that a horrible economy would wipe out my savings anyway, so why work full-time and save a bunch of money?

[Two Americas]

4. kick

Good poll idea Stephanie.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

5. I'm not really profiting from the recession, but my household income has doubled.

More a result of timing than anything else. It was the closest choice though.

David

[Stephanie]

6. What is your secret?

[Name removed]

7. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Stephanie]

9. thanks

:hi:

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

11. Come now skittles that was uncalled for.

I felt like I should qualify the vote as it wasn't an accurate description but was the closest option.

David

[Liberal_in_LA]

26. lol n/t

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

8. My wife finished her PhD and got a really good job.

I also got a promotion.

David

[Stephanie]

10. What industry is still hiring?

Nobody's hiring in the NE.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

13. Engineering.

She's wicked smart. PhD in P-Chem.

David

[Stephanie]

16. Aha

Maybe if I had four or five years to study...

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

17. She worked really hard, I'm proud of her.

She's got a BS in Chemical Engineering.

David

[Missy Vixen]

12. My husband's been out of work since November 17th

We have several friends in the same boat.

He looks diligently every day for a job. We've lost our health insurance. We applied for the homeowner restructuring, but haven't heard back from our mortgage lender as of yet. We've been getting unemployment and surviving on a combo of unemployment/severance, but that cash is gone. Unemployment lives on, (thank God,) but after making the existing house payment, we'll have $300 a month for everything else.

The next few months could be interesting.

[Common Sense Party]

15. Very nervous. I'm in the financial services/401(k) industry.

So far, so good.

[Fumesucker]

18. You should add a category for "divorced"..

The financial stress ended my thirty year marriage and very nearly ended my brother's twenty plus year one, if he had not found work in the movie industry a few months ago I'm pretty sure he would be divorced now too.

[Stephanie]

19. I'm out of poll questions but those who answer Divorce can reply to your post

Never occurred to me, but that makes perfect sense. I'm sorry to hear it, that sounds like a really rotten time.

[Fumesucker]

27. I never saw it coming..

Totally blindsided, one evening my wife told me it was over, I moved out the next morning after staying up all night thinking things through and crying.

My daughter and her family have been great though, now I care for my grandkids while their parents are at work and that gives me a focus on something other than my own misery.

Thanks for your kind words..

[InkAddict]

47. Not divorced, just surviving together with apparently irreconcilable issues

[SeattleGirl]

20. Filed for bankruptcy (it went through) and husband laid off in Dec.

Thank The Maker I have a good job, and he has unemployment benefits.

Still, the overall picture in this country sucks the big one.

I know so many people who are barely making it.

I help when I can, but it's gonna take a lot more than that.

[Stephanie]

31. I think it's worse and more widespread than we thought

Many people are suffering in silence due to reduced wages or hours or one partner being laid off leaving the other to support both. It's brutal out there but I think it's not really showing up in the numbers.

[sandnsea]

21. It's completely destroyed my kids

Jobs, homes, credit, medical bills, marriages. Two of them. Kaboom.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

22. Sorry.

I hope the best for you and them.

David

[sandnsea]

25. Thank you

The son is teetering, a job would help enormously. My daughter was doing spectacular a little over a year ago. It's been one thing after another since, and their personal coping skills have been the absolute worst they could be, until now it all seems to be beyond repair. It's just heartbreaking.

Did you find some solutions for your mother?

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

42. No in fact.

She had my brothers baby at the kitchen table and "looked away for a second" and the little one took all of mom's medication. So now she's in the hospital. She will be fine. Thanks for asking.

David

[old mark]

23. Hasn't affected me at all. I retired nearly 2 years ago, my money is

relatively safe in a stable money market fund, we are paying off our 2 remaining credit cards over the next few months, starting social security in less than 6 months, having a great time.
I had not planned on retiring till this coming August, but I left early becvause of my wife's health. The best decision I ever made.

mark

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

24. Hope your wife's health improves.

[kedrys]

28. Almost all of the above

First the s.o. lost their job, the we stopped making mortgage payments, then we filed for Chapter 7, under which guidelines the s.o. couldn't find another job otherwise we would have been ineligible because of the salary I was making. Then our debt was discharged, then we were foreclosed on - we moved to Montreal the week before we were due to be evicted and our house auctioned off on the courthouse steps.

The s.o. can't work up here because of the conditions of the entry visa, so until the sponsorship papers are done, I'm it as far as supporting us. I'm very fortunate to have a good job that pays well, so that's not a problem - yet. My contract expires at the end of the year, and I've already put out some feelers for January 2010.

I'm still very stressed out. Other circumstances in our lives make it difficult to deal with the whole situation. :(

[Vinca]

29. Other. After years of scraping by, we're doing better.

My husband appraises real estate and for years the lenders didn't really care if there was a house on a lot or not . . . they just let people have the money. Now we're back to the pre-deregulation days work-wise and are finally getting back on our feet a little.

[Stephanie]

32. Interesting!

A clue to a growth industry.

[sendero]

30. Wife...

... laid off. Ex wife laid off. Ex wife's husband loses job in June.

Fairly secure in my job, but nothing is certain in this scenario.

[Mari333]

33. you need a retired people's column

and their loss of their savings..which is substantial.

[Stephanie]

34. Too late to change the poll but people who lost their savings can reply here.

[guitar man]

35. Still working but nervous, struggling

Underpaid. :(

I'm not dogging the company I work for by saying I'm underpaid, they're doing the best they can for us in this economy. The reason I'm underpaid is the huge and unreasonable chunk that comes off the top of my paycheck for health insurance. I get a raise each year, then the cost of health coverage wipes out the raise and then some. While my gross pay is going up, my net pay keeps going down. :(

[dembotoz]

36. generally sucky

I am in sales and for two months i did not recieve my commissions.
they said they were defferred....
I have a salary + commission position so commission defferal meant an income drop
of over 1/3

Things have improved somewhat and supposedly i will be getting my back commissions on
thursay's paycheck.

Nick of time
been cash advacing for the rent and utlities last 2 months. And running closer to credit limits.

We will have to see my paycheck tommorrow to see if i can breathe again or not.

[kctim]

37. Doing ok here

Better off than 10 years ago. Getting ready to go to Florida on vacation.

[justabob]

38. part time work at 8.50 an hour

After several months of searching, I landed a job as an office manager at a retail store. I am glad to have a job, but it isn't helping me much. This time last year I was making over twice as much. I am very fortunate to be living in a property owned by my family, so my housing situation is good, but everything else is sort of up in the air.

I decided to take matters into my own hands as much as possible and declared myself a bookstore. I listed a considerable portion of my history book collection for sale at Amazon.... over 200 titles and growing. I have made some sales, but it is slow going because I am new and my inventory is very small by Amazon seller standards, but I am going to try to make a go of it.

[Stephanie]

39. I wish the four people who are making a profit on this downturn would chime in

I'd love to know the secret.

[kctim]

40. Dave Ramsey!

[mnhtnbb]

41. Hubby has been laid off one day/week from the county mental health clinics

where he works 3 days/week. The other two days are in jeopardy.

Of course our retirement/investments have taken a big hit. Hubby started collecting social security
last November (65+) so we may be semi-retired before long.

[Stephanie]

43. We're evenly split btw "everything's fine" and "it's a disaster"

Looks like 40-40, not counting the depression profiteers.

[Blue_In_AK]

44. I don't fit in any of your categories.

I'm self-employed and not working as much as I used to, but by choice since I started collecting social security this year. My husband is retired with a pension. Our energy costs, etc., have gone up but we're doing okay.

[jillan]

45. My 401k and my investments are worthless pieces of crap.

I did everything right to have a nice retirement . . . .

[MzShellG]

46. Was laid off in July.......

Remained laid off for 4 months, then got a job in a pretty good company but had to take a huge pay cut. Barely making it.

[SpiralHawk]

48. "Our war profits are still bitchin beautiful. Smirk." - Republicon War Profiteer Cronies

[EFerrari]

49. I've been in and out of foreclosure twice in the last year

and haven't worked full time for about 18 months. Scary is the new normal.

[sarcasmo]

50. My choice isn't on the list. Company closed April 2008. Wife became Disabled May 2008.

Three surgeries in May one to place a shunt and two others to fix the drain tube. We are now getting ready to be forced to sign a reduced pension and she will loose her insurance. I can not work because she needs someone to take care of her. I guess you didn't have room for that choice.