"Crisis, what Crisis?"

[Tophat Dan]

Crisis?

What am I doing during this time of seemingly worldwide financial turmoil?
Exactly what I was doing before it all happened. Trying to hang on. Poor economy is nothing new in Michigan, where I live. With the states main employers, the auto industry all slowly sliding into financial woe over the past five or so years, there is nothing unusual about how things are now. It's just that the rest of the U.S. has started to catch up with us.

Even the neighborhood I live in seems like a testament to the long gone days of relative prosperity. It was built hurriedly to house workers for the willow run assembly plant during WW2 and is known locally to this day as "bomber plant housing". Willow run is now a huge empty factory. During WW2, B-24 Liberator bombers were built there at a rate of one an hour at it's peak. The plant then transitioned to Ford, then to nobody about ten years ago. There is a special bypass from the freeway made especially for this plant that now rots. It is poorly maintained by the county and mostly only used by locals.

To call my neighborhood a slum is inaccurate. Crime is very low, what children are left play in the street and it is generally quiet. It is quiet mostly because every third house is empty, foreclosed on by banks long before this bailout business was even heard of.

A little while ago I went to a local shopping center that used to cater to the needs of this neighborhood. There was a largish supermarket, a hardware store, a UAW legal center and a few other businesses. Now all that remains in the 30 year old strip mall are the hardware store and a couple of dollar stores. The UAW legal center went from owning several shops worth of space to one tiny storefront crammed down in a corner. Not that I'm weeping for the United Auto Workers, they dug a lot of their own grave.

So what do I do? I keep working and doing what I can to improve my situation. Occasionally I torture myself by looking at cool vintage clothing, guns and other antiques that I will most likely not be able to afford until I am too old to appreciate them.
Please excuse me if I turn green with envy at some of the awesome stuff you folks display here.
I know things won't be the way they are forever. For forty or fifty years there were a lot of high paying unskilled or semi-skilled jobs and it wasn't that hard to find work. Now we have to change how we do things here. Things will get better when the state finds its new niche. When that will happen is anyone's guess.

Regards;
Dan Peterson

 

[59Lark]

new and old auto industry

When i read of abandoned auto plants, we just had toyota build a big plant here in our town even arnold wanted this auto plant but they built it in cow town, woodstock ontario, the dairy capital of ontario Canada. Cows to cars, the japanese wont allow a union, the quality is really high and the standards are tough compared to north american cars, but hey i drive buicks, studebakers and gmc, no rice here. I have been like the michigian fella and used to tough grapes for a while and just pray it doesnt get worse, my wife cant work due to a back injury. Now i agree with previous people if you are okay and safe dont stop spending sure save some but dont shut off the wallet you will make it worse. We are spending wiser and getting out of debt but we wont shut off the money valve for fear of hurting the economy. We are buying fabric, too make our own clothes, we grew a garden and we are eating home more, but we are still spending money but just a little wiser and we are not using credit at all. pay off the cards and pay cash. 59Lark:rage:

 

[Mike1939]

thinking i should do the "Right" thing and tighten my belt due to the looming finnancial storm clouds gathering , I tried to do the right thing yesterday.

I had to travel to Fremantle, a nearby town to change my Library books and order a coconut, at the green grocer. There was a display of Vintage Citroen light 15's from the 40's to ogle too. Thinking I could save money i purchased a 3rd class train ticket, then thinking i didn't realy want to make eye contact with any 3rd class type people I had to by some reading material, so i bought "Tatler" "Horse and Hound" and "Razzle" ( for the articles), but when it came to the crunch i just couldn't go through with it, sitting in a crowded carriage, I mean, so I jumped into an empty 1st class compartemente. Imagine the shame when on arrival at Old Fremantle Town my ticket was checked and I had to pay the full 1st class fare, and 3rd Class fare , adding the cost of the periodicals, which I had subsciptions to anyway, and were sitting on the grande Rhulman table in the Library at "Baumont Court"

Its all just false ecconomy when one thinks about it "Carry on as usual, say I"lol

What are you doing to save money?

Binkie,

Your train ride put in mind of Cary Grant in Suspicion leaving his third class compartment for first because of a vile man smoking a cigar. Perhaps you should have offered the conductor a postage stamp to make up the differance....It's leagal tender old boy.

 

[Miss 1929]

I'll bet the conductor would be nonplussed...when was the last time you used a stamp for money?

 

[Dr Doran]

We have a certain income because we are both grad students. It isn't going to change unless McCain gets elected and enacts his "government spending freeze." (We are in a public university.)

We started posting our expenditures ON THE REFRIGERATOR. On a chart. So it's all right there in front of our eyes. Every last dime. We take out $25 each for cash non-grocery spending money each week with a theoretical $75 more each week for more non-grocery spending. We never touch much of the $75.

We actually have been toying with the idea of buying a house in Oakland now, since they are at an alltime low. There are several under 100,000 dollars for the first time in 6 years (yes, I've been watching the prices that long). But we don't want to stay in the Bay Area.

I have enough suits, enough hats, enough wingtips, enough leather satchels, briefcases, and backpacks, enough little tie clips and 1940s badges and old lamps and old tin tobacco boxes and old copies of books and ancient clocks and candlesticks and antique doodads, old bricabrac and vintage thingamajigs for a while. I have a 1930s typewriter, a 1930s victrola, a 1940s desk, a 1910 desk. We don't need to collect more crap. If I bump into something for free, I'll take it; if it costs money and it's really exciting I'll make a lowball offer. Otherwise, no need, no need to spend any money for a long while.

 

[HungaryTom]

Crisis - the last weeks have been just the prelude I guess

I also have enough suits, enough hats, enough wingtips, enough leather bags, briefcases plus a house.
Inherited some vintage stuff from my grandfather a few years ago.
I stick to my old vice - books.
I have a huge backlog - tons which I purchased but never read.
I aim to consecrate more of my spare time and energy for painting.
Just listening to classical music on the radio - painting at the same time would be the real thing - so I 'll stop now.
I can not change anyway what has been messed up in the financial sector.


Later

Tom

 

[Dr Doran]

I aim to consecrate more of my spare time and energy for painting.
Just listening to classical music on the radio - painting at the same time would be the real thing - so I 'll stop now.

Sounds very sensible to me. And pleasurable.

 

[Decodence]

Nothing. My spending is actually up. So in income though, so no biggie. Life has never been better in these "troubled" times.

 

[Warden]

I was trying to reduce my spending even before this 'who ha'

Guess I am just tight with money

Harry

 

[Dr Doran]

Nothing. My spending is actually up. So in income though, so no biggie. Life has never been better in these "troubled" times.

Sounds like you either make enough money as a magician, or whatever it is you do, to do very well, or you married wealthy, or you inherited money. In any case, bravo and good for you. I wish you continued good wealth, good health, and good times.

 

[Foofoogal]

I am moving to Arkansas. Nuff said. Going to live off the land and find me the roughest hillbillies I can find and make some new friends. the kind that just may have a smokehouse hidden somewhere. Ever eaten deer sausage?
Not all people in Ark. look or act like hillbillies and there are most of the regular chain stores.
Bet it used to be easier to spot one of them. lol
Sort of kidding but I am cutting back when I can and where I am able.
Shutting my stores down till I figure out how to do my business there so that is going to cost me. :eusa_doh:

 

[Dr Doran]

Ever eaten deer sausage?

No, but it sounds delicious and now that you mention it, I want some!

Oddest sausage I've had is horse sausage, heavily cured, almost like salami, in Poland. It comes in a narrow-gauge format. I loved it. Plus, you can let it dry indefinitely and then it's even harder and more salami-like. Put a few thin disks of that on a baguette with some soft or hard cheese and you're good to go.

Send me some of that deer sausage when you find it ... mmmm.

 

[Foofoogal]

doran. not sure unless I was very hungry that I could eat horse though I know people do. Ever had dove and dumplings. Those are good also.
All things depend on the cook. They have to know how to take the wild out of it all. My mom actually made racoon once. If one was not told they would of thought they were eating beef roast dinner with gravy. My mom could sure cook. Ham and dressing she made was the best though.

 

[carter]

There are all kinds of things that I have too many of. We could begin with hats, shoes, ties, shirts, pants, jackets, sweaters and overcoats that I don't wear. Then we could move to a garage full of stuff that has been in boxes for years and a mini-storage unit with more of the same. I have a crisis of STUFF ! I know that I'm not that odd, so I suspect that there are a lot of Stuffers out there.

I'd really like to see more barter and less buy in my life. There was a time in this country where this was common. There's a theatre in VA called the Barter Theatre specifically because this was one of the ways admission was paid in the past. For all I know, it may still be true.

I know we can make charitable donations, have yard/garage sales, etc. and they all are viable means of reducing our Stuffage but I think there should be a place for barter. What do you think?

 

[Foofoogal]

you can barter on Craigslist but be careful. Freecycle.org is good to get rid of and get more stuff.
I also have a crisis of stuff. Doesn't slow me down though I don't think. I have a need to buy myself little baubles. I don't spend alot but just like the find. Trying to at least get an appreciation for small. I love small vases.
Currently into sweater guards also.
Figure I have done damage to Texas so now may go wipe out Arkansas.
I also have a quilt I started when my 31 year old child was born. Hoping to find someone to finish it for me. lol
I believe AR. is known for quilting.

 

[BinkieBaumont]

Since I started this thread I have been saving pennies in two ways. Afternoon tea has been downsized from a three tier cake stand, to a two tier affair, cucumber sandwiches on the bottom and Scones on the top, no Eclairs or pastries. I did have to chastise a friend who after loading her scone with blueberry jam, was about to reach for the whipped cream, when i had to chastise her "Jam or Cream darling, but not both!"

And on Sunday I hid the sherry when the vicar called, he looked a little confused as he walked over to the sideboard and saw that it had "dissapeared" he looked like a dog waiting for his master everytime the drawing room door was opened.

 

[Dr Doran]

And on Sunday I hid the sherry when the vicar called, he looked a little confused as he walked over to the sideboard and saw that it had "dissapeared" he looked like a dog waiting for his master everytime the drawing room door was opened.

That is priceless.

 

[Fletch]

I'd really like to see more barter and less buy in my life. There was a time in this country where this was common.

:eusa_clap Give the man a cigar! Best recommendation I've heard all week. Can you please contact Secretary-designate Richardson as soon as possible and ask him to consider putting the resources of the Dep't of Commerce behind a national payment-in-kind campaign?

 

[Mike in Seattle]

A poem from an elderly client of the firm I worked at when the market "corrected" in 1986 - she brought us a big batch of cookies "like I was making before the correction in 1929" with it:

The market has its ups and downs
One brings laughs - the other frowns
The best advice, some people think,
Is just relax and have a drink.​

And in honor of the 75th anniversary of the repeal of prohibition, I'm on my way to do just that...

 

[carter]

Fletch, You'll be glad to hear that barter is, in a small way, alive and well in Corsicana, TX, a small town about an hour south of Dallas. My daughter and I drove down this evening to see a stage presentation of A Christmas in Graceland. Admission was either $15.00 or a wrapped Christmas gift for a child or an adult. There were a lot of wrapped gifts at the ticket counter.

:eusa_clap Give the man a cigar! Best recommendation I've heard all week. Can you please contact Secretary-designate Richardson as soon as possible and ask him to consider putting the resources of the Dep't of Commerce behind a national payment-in-kind campaign?