Recession, depression reprocussions???

[FarmerChick]

I must admit early this past summer when things started to change around here. Housing market etc. I got some erie feelings.

****I got those eerie feelings too Gina.
I know what you mean. Like "something" is out there and looming.....just not sure how it will effect me. I know.....

 

[lupinfarm]

It was declared I think yesterday or the day before by the National Bank in Canada that we are in Recession now. I'm not TOO worried, because despite the economy and the recession and possibility (likelyhood) of a depression, people still need their amenities, etc. We're keeping two gardens, our private vegetable and fruit garden in our Knot garden we're building at the front of the house, and a 'for sale' vegetable and fruit garden to the right of the garage, which is a large plot. We will also be keeping two flocks of chickens, the girls we have now their eggs will eventually go for sale to the public, and the 5 EE chicks we're getting in the spring, their eggs will be for our use only until Easter time, when we will sell their eggs as a special promo Because of the built up areas, the local economy in small farming towns will be booming, it already is here, last year two more small farmers markets opened up because of the demand that the cottagers put on the area the previous year. If you sell at the market in Marmora, during the summer months you are almost only selling to cottagers who come from the biggest cities, Toronto and west.

So if you're lucky enough to live in the smaller areas, with the smaller markets, theoretically you shouldn't fair too badly. Like I said, we're not TOO worried, but I won't lie and say we're NOT worried. My dad works in the financial sector as a computer consultant, fortunately for him his job is one of those jobs that is a staple to running the financial sector, he manages, organizes, and keeps the computer systems that watch your money flow working. He also is a staple during tax season for stocks/bonds, he is the guy that packages up your statements for taxes and sends them off to the government via interwebs in PDF format. (and by your, I mean Canadian's lol).

So yeah, a recession is a recession, a depression is a depression. As my mum said, "I've lived through a couple in England, Life gets tough, but not too tough to function. What goes up, must eventually come down, it's just something we have to live with."



Also, OMG WE HAVE GHOSTS. No joke! ... I was upstairs filming the windows in the north bedroom, and the potlights over the sink and stove area were on down in the kitchen, and mum yells up, "Oiii, did you flip the breaker up there?" and I said, "Err no, Why?"

Well as it happens, SOMETHING TURNED THE LIGHT OFF, light physically flipped the switch and turned it off! The north bedroom always feels kind of weird, and no one sleeps in there, I'm actually a little hesitant to sleep in there when my room gets painted, it's always cold despite the vents and you ALWAYS feel like you're being watched. Eek. I'm more scared of that north bedroom than I am of the looming depression LOL.

 

[Dace]

Gina, I think you are on a very good track! You sound like you have it all pretty well together and are moving nicely in the right direction!
Could you please have a chat with my hubby? He is the eternal optimist which of course means he wears rose colored glasses and does not see the writting on the wall....must be rose colored paint!

 

[enjoy the ride]

I have lived through 2 recessions and heard stories of the Great Depression from my family. Basically the recessions seemed to mean that unemployment was higher than normal but it seemed like some work was effected more than others. Somethings cost more and some things cost less. I remember meat went up a lot at one point and livestock theft became a problem.
But it was never universal- lots of people hardly noticed a thing. I think it depended on what your job was. Expensive items like cars took a down turn and people involved with things like that suffered more unemplyment than others.
I remember stagflation where prices went up a great deal on various things but wages did not so there was a squeeze- but only for some people. My wages during that time went up a bit but well below inflation and things got tighter for me- less disposable income but never even close to food crunches or unaffordble utilities. It took years for my wages to catch up to the point where things were as good as they were previously.
Stories of people lining up for job openings, unemployment running short, students at universities struggling more and stuff just like what is going on now. But no riots or mad crowds running around destroying stuff. Older people were hit hard by inflation but since then Social Security has a regular cost of living increases so that is not likely to be so bad now.
My father had basically the same story of the depression- his wages were cut and cut again and there was a lot of make do and little to waste but again no one he knew starved or something like that. Most of the pictures you see of the bread lines are single men who had lost work at the lower levels of employment. Similar to food banks today.
It seems like disasters like the dust bowl caused more disruption and caused a migration to California of people looking for work- rough times for them but again, no one starved. But a lot of people had little to spend on dentists, medical care, etc.

Again not everyone was so badly off during the depression.

Everything time has different aspects with it's own fears and tensions but I can't remember any time in US history where starvation was caused by economic problems.

I think a recession is a period where the gross national product declines in value rather than raises. In otherwords less is produced so less people are needed for employment. I don't know the definiton of depression.

 

[TanksHill]

Thank you ETR that was a great personal experience story, just what I was looking for.

lupine... How old is your home? What type of history does it have? Do you know?

Dace, As for my husband, he is kinda like yours. But his office (mom & dad owned) has laid off approx 75 employees in the last 3 months. Friday he has to fire three more men, he has known them for years. They all have family's and homes. It makes him sick to his stomach and he is not sleeping. So I think he is starting to appreciate my efforts.

I think our efforts, yours and mine, as wives and mothers, is to do what we can without disturbing their normal routine. Pantry, garden, savings etc.. Then, if and when it's necessary WE will be helping to provide. And be well prepared. For whatever is coming our way. g

 

[lupinfarm]

Thank you ETR that was a great personal experience story, just what I was looking for.

lupine... How old is your home? What type of history does it have? Do you know?

Dace, As for my husband, he is kinda like yours. But his office (mom & dad owned) has laid off approx 75 employees in the last 3 months. Friday he has to fire three more men, he has known them for years. They all have family's and homes. It makes him sick to his stomach and he is not sleeping. So I think he is starting to appreciate my efforts.

I think our efforts, yours and mine, as wives and mothers, is to do what we can without disturbing their normal routine. Pantry, garden, savings etc.. Then, if and when it's necessary WE will be helping to provide. And be well prepared. For whatever is coming our way. g

We are told it was built in 1870, but it the key signs of its age don't match ones built around the same time of the same style in our area, we think it may be a bit older than 1870. We only know right now, that it has only had three owners including us, and that it, and the rest of the street at one point, was owned by the same family. It was the first house built.

 

[Dace]

Gina, I am sorry your husband has to face what is going on at his office...it is heart breaking to have to let people go, especially right now the way the economy is.

Lupin...can you search the history of the home on line? Maybe start with the address and try a few key words like death or accident and see if anything comes up. Sounds interesting!

 

[TanksHill]

Thanks Dace. You have so much going on yourself it is very kind of you to feel for others.

Lupin, I would focus on being positive and not letting whatever presence you feel scare you. The home belongs to your family now and I believe that is a point of respect. I know that sounds loopy. It would be nice to know who might be lurking though.

 

[2dream]

edited to move to lupins journal section. Sorry, wrong place for this post.

 

[DrakeMaiden]

Well, we won't know we are in a depression until we've been in one for some time. It worked that way during the Great Depression, anyway.

Actually, the definition of a depression is several years of economic downturn, so it will take at least another year before we know for sure.

The best advice I have is to keep plugging away at the things that will keep you viable -- your garden, your job (if you have one and/or can find one), your self-sufficiency. Working on these thing will ease your worry. Learn how to live without things, even if you can still afford them. Preparation is mostly mental, like a lot of things (say, marathons). You will be afraid of something until you've done it and survived it. Experience is a great teacher. Make your mistakes while you can afford to.

Best wishes to all of you for the future!