A sad reminder of the times we are living in...

**ladytoysdream** · 12-19-2008, 11:38 AM

Scary around these parts.
I have a DIL who got laid off from a factory late this summer. They make auto parts.
I have a stepson whose factory has cut them back to 31 hrs so as not to have to lay anyone off. He did pick up some extra hrs for a farmer part time.

The factory where my son works is going to be down from Dec 19 to Jan 5 with no pay, except for the Xmas and the New Years day. That is not normal for them. They make tools and their factory is doing good, it's the momma company's other factories, etc, they are worried about. Son also works for a farmer part time on the weekends, and was hoping for a few extra hrs these next 2 weeks, but the farmer doesn't have extra money to pay him

I got laid off back in June, and still have not found anything.

One of the local factories just let go 216 people. Some who thought they were safe still got the pink slip.

Locally the jobs are real scarce. You know it's bad when the unemployment people, tell you not to bother looking. Nothing out there

**LastDragonfly** · 12-19-2008, 12:17 PM

I live in NM and the auto industry ripple effect has made it to my house. My dh was told the day before Thanksgiving that his last day would be 12/23. He worked for a place that builds deisel and natural gas engines.

fortunately, he has applied and has been hired for a job at a different kind of plant 45 miles from here. he took it immediately.

I know our Canadian neighbors to the north have begun to feel the pinch as well as our neighbors from mexico.

**Grayce** · 12-19-2008, 03:35 PM

My best friend's husband has notice that he will be laid off in March. My DH has notice that he will go down to part-time in March unless they get a lot more orders. He makes car washes. I am feeling OK about it because we have been seeing things deteriorate over the past few months and we have structured our budget so we can live on just my pay if we have to.

**LuvMyHubby** · 12-19-2008, 10:01 PM

Around here it is paper mills and shoe shops. So many of them have closed over the last several years.

**rowdy35** · 12-19-2008, 10:15 PM

things are not so rosy in the Seattle area either. Alot of stores have closed and the layoffs are coming. I was really surprised when I drove past a gym in Tacoma today and it was closed for business too. Wow

my property in Calif has depreciated 50K in the past year

it's not pretty out there

**MommyBliss** · 12-19-2008, 10:17 PM

I've been seeing these hard times really hitting so many people I hold near and dear. Hubby and I are starting to really reel it in and be better about paying off our debt.

**Marie78** · 12-20-2008, 09:29 AM

My Dh and I have struggled the last few years while he is in grad school (he gets a living stipend to live on each year and tutors for extra money) and I work at a non-profit job to help support us while he earns his Doctorate Degree in mathematics. We have always thought our current situation was temporary, until the economy tanked. Now Dh worries that there won't be many jobs in his field when he's ready to graduate in a couple of years. That may delay his graduation, which will leave us in our current state indefinitely. We have a warm, rented roof over our heads. However, we are 29 and 30 and we have just started our family, we are really counting on Dh having a good paying job in a couple of years to support our family of 3 or 4.

**Jellybeanz** · 12-20-2008, 11:45 AM

Deep South here. A year to year and half ago work was available in the construction industries.. Guys who had experience could usually find something and if you had experiences there were even more to choose from.

Since we don't have much in the way in industry in the south, construction related jobs were the way most without college educations supported families, women either have college degrees ( nurses, teachers, and so forth) or worked in lower paying jobs.

My husband works sawmill repair and construction and I will be surprised if he and my sons who also work for the same company aren't laid off after Christmas. Work is already slow. Lots of mills have /are closing.

We do have the refineries on the coast, many work there,( Chevron) and I don't know how all thats going, but I have heard it's slowing down a bit.

There are going to be many people laid off this coming year I suspect. I think the south is just a little behind the north in layoffs but we'll probably be catching up this year.

I really feel for folks who got laid off before Christmas. Goodness knows we went thru that back in the early 80's and it wasn't fun.

I hope everyone enjoys Christmas, even if it's just good food and good family. That's really all that matters anyway.Knowing layoff was coming has finally tamed in my husbands annual wild Christmas spending sprees... lol so I guess that ones good thing. I've tried for years to get to stop buying extravagent presents. I think this year he is finally getting what a blessing it is if you are able to have good food and family to share it with!