"Has the economic situation put a crimp in your style?"

[bburtner@moran]

Since the economy took a dive has this had an impact on your so called luxury purchases?Basically this is for the so called "middle class"or the majority of taxpayers.

 

[Yeps]

Not really. My style comes from the thrift store at $3 and some patience a pop. I never had a lot of money. Although, the competition might be stiffer.

 

[Michaelshane]

Upper crust need not respond?

 

[Atticus Finch]

I don't think so. I've always tried to live below my means so I haven't had to change much in my life since this "Great Recession" began. I still bid on vintage Stetsons when I can find them. I still wear the same kinds of clothes. Still drive the same vehicles. Thankfully, I still live in my house.

I believe that the people most affected by our economic down turn have been those who were most burdened by debt or who were living on fixed incomes. Sadly, I think that translates to young people just starting their careers and older people living on fixed incomes. People like me, who are toward the end of their careers, but not yet retired, probably haven't been so badly affected. We tend to be much less leveraged. We generally don’t have house payments, car payments, student loan payments and the like, and we usually are at the peaks of our earning capacity.

I know this: Had this recession occurred twenty-five years ago, I would be singing a much sadder tune. I cannot imagine how I would have managed had this happened in the mid-eighties while I was trying to spread my little 1985 take-home pay between house debt, car debt and education debt. I doubt that there would have been much left for vintage Stetsons.

AF

 

[Rayson]

Aaaaaarrrgh! Real life invades one of my places of distraction! The economic situation has put a crimp in my style, and I should be busy working to rectify it. Thanks for the reminder. Right, that's it, five more minutes and I'm on it...

 

[Qirrel]

Not the recession, no. Sometimes I think about how wonderful it would have been to have a hundred thousand dollars fall in my lap; after a while though, I come to the conclusion that the never ending search for good deals means a lot more than i think it does.

 

[scottyrocks]

I think my divorce affected my lifestyle more than the recession did.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

Yes, I've really tightened down on my purchases. Shopping for even basic household things is now done at the Dollar General to keep costs down, everything is perfectly budgeted. I have a 'vintage budget' that I have to stay within. Rent, insurance, and groceries always come first.

 

[repeatclicks]

No, not at all. My wife and I have a budget for everything, including when we go out to nights in London. Our earnings are never used for our own personal vintage purchases, unless it is for the home. We don't use credit cards and never will. If I see something I want on ebay or elsewhere and I don't have the spare cash from selling something of mine or doing an odd job at work, etc... I don't get to buy it. And I have to say, that is really satisfying.

 

[Doug C]

I was thinking the other day how (to me) it seems like this forum was much more active before the economic downturn. For me, yes definitely... I've always been a bargain hunter but with a "slurge" here and there. Those slurges are way fewer now though for me.

 

[ScionPI2005]

The only difficulty I've had is getting into a decent-paying entry level job. I got my degree at the end of 2008, and after struggling with trying to find a job, and then a minimal paying full-time security job, I've gotten into the government entry-level, although part time. I don't have any debts to pay off, and am just trying to live simply until my pay starts increasing and I can move up into what I really want to do. I've never been a big spender, and although at times I'd love to be able to spend a little extra money on my hobbies, I'm not too put out by putting some of my collecting on hold.

 

[Mr Badger]

Like several of your good selves, I had very little money for many years and was darn good at making it work for me.

Over the past few years, I've finally started to earn a decent income (low 20s) so with the mortgage and bills paid, and no kids, there is now a decent amount left over each month for good home-cooked eats, the odd bit of reasonably priced vintage clothing, mostly secondhand books and generally used vinyl. That said, we still don't eat out all that much or buy 'expensive' things.

With the US/UK exchange rate less favourable and general prices on the upswing, we did have to watch our cash last time we were on holiday over the 'big pond', which meant actually having to think about going out for dinner, buying something, etc, instead of out usual experience of being able to pretend we're middle class for a spell!

Additionally, due to current/upcoming house ownership obligations (boiler repair, getting a chimney stack sorted out, etc), I doubt if we'll be able to have a 'big' holiday this year. Happily, there are a few little trips planned, and we punted out the cash to get our Morris Minor sorted out last year so that's gonna be great come the Spring and Summer! Good times are a-comin'!

But will I be purchasing any more high-end leather jackets, pairs of jeans, etc this year? Hmmm, probably not... it's best to be prudent, after all!

 

[dr greg]

Hell yes, my band has gone from an average of 40 well-paid gigs a year two years ago to less than 20 now...cobbled-together bands of low-rent amateurs are travelling hundreds of kilometres to play in our venues for 1/3 of what we charge...the scummiest drongoes with midi-file backing are everywhere like a plague, it's worse than I've ever seen in over 40 years in showbiz...so obviously high-end Hawaiian shirts etc are OFF the menu for me these days....

 

[Tailor Tom]

Yes it has, mainly because it has had a huge effect on my clients. Some were laid off, others had to cut back on purchases, and some simply told me that they would love to order new good, but that they would feel uncomfortable walking into work in new duds when they were laying off others, capping pay, reducing/eliminated bonuses and benefits. I can even see it in alteration business. I see an uptick in cheaper suits, etc. versus previous years.
Lets hope this corrects soon.

 

[Burton]

Not really as now I am able to use the excuse that I am aiding our economy when I buy things that I dont really need.

 

[Edward]

Hell yes, my band has gone from an average of 40 well-paid gigs a year two years ago to less than 20 now...cobbled-together bands of low-rent amateurs are travelling hundreds of kilometres to play in our venues for 1/3 of what we charge...the scummiest drongoes with midi-file backing are everywhere like a plague, it's worse than I've ever seen in over 40 years in showbiz...so obviously high-end Hawaiian shirts etc are OFF the menu for me these days....

Did Aus get his with the same licensing laws changes as the UK? There was a serious upswell in this a few years ago, and now the average pub night in the UK that has 'live' music is far more likely to involve a solo or duo with maybe one guitar, a keyboard, and backing tracks (or even, Heaven help us, karaoke) than a full band. The reason for this up here was simply that the government changed the rules on entertainment licensing so it became very significantly cheaper for a venue that isn't a specialist music venue to have a licence that covered them for acts of "up to two musicians". Real shame, but there you go.

I imagine that pubs and places are also looking for ways to cut their outlay as the downturn brings in less custom - not to mention looking for cheaper ways of pulling in custom than a full band. Crying shame, but there's just so little appreciation for live music nowadays. The number of musicians I see get sniffy about covers bands is unbelievable. We could argue all day about whether there are sufficient outlets for new music nowadays, but to dismiss the value of live performance so readily is something that I see as a great failing in any musician. No fewer than four pubs in my area have closed down over the past year, one of them the historic Grave Maurice. Two of them are now curry houses, the other two bookmakers.

 

[dr greg]

No it's not legislative, just economic, and yet it's a negative spiral....as the bands get worse, less people go to the pub which makes the manager hire even cheaper and shittier bands which drives more patrons away leaving the hard core of aggressive morons and losers who want to fight those who do turn up, and now you have in our town pubs shutting at 8pm on a Saturday night because they don't take enough over the bar to pay the bouncer.....