[Swansen]

Literally, EVERYONE i know, and i'm not kidding, nearly every business and person i know of in my area (the tri-cities, Saginaw and Freeland specifically are where my understanding is) are BARELY scraping by and its just really scary. I have a friend who isn't sure what he is going to do, his roommate lost his job and doesn't have anything going for him, all the while he is just finished with the community college and is starting at the university in town... Thats crazy to me, he is working a very small amount right now, barely enough to survive and he is going to school.. i mean, thats great but its not like its going to pay off tomorrow... Its basically the same story everywhere. I'm foregoing school because the small business i work for had ground to a halt these last two winters and surviving is goal number one right now. I have a plan for long term-ish employment, but in the meantime i am really considering just moving to where ever i can find a job.

That aside, i'm getting by, i have money set a side so if my job ends tomorrow, i'll be ok for a little while, but thinking about winter in MI for a while has scared me and its right around the corner.. I have a plan for long term-ish employment, but in the meantime i am really considering just moving to where ever i can find a job.

Its really unsettling though, nearly everyone i know is just barely making it by... its crazy.

[Cliffie]

I'm seeing businesses cutting down their hours to save wage outlay, but of course that cuts down on customers, too. Everyone here where I work is more secure than ever -- the agency is solvent, business is huge, and we're even getting a full 3% bonus this year, compared to an affiliate of ours which is getting across-the-board pay cuts and eliminating more than a few jobs.

People who have lost all their income are getting by on side work. The "haves" are making an effort to find work for the "have nots." New businesses are opening up and even thriving. Some businesses are closing, but others are just moving to bigger or smaller workspaces. Storefronts that stayed empty for months or years are now filling up faster. I'm seeing signs of hope.

[Swansen]

^what area are you in?^

[xlabel]

I don't see many signs of recovery around here. One thing I have noticed is the increase in traffic at the cheaper stores like Dollar General and Family Dollar with more cars in the parking lot and longer lines. Houses in my neighborhood still aren't selling and there have been a few more for sale signs going up lately.

[MTUCache]

Originally Posted by Cliffie

I'm seeing businesses cutting down their hours to save wage outlay, but of course that cuts down on customers, too. Everyone here where I work is more secure than ever -- the agency is solvent, business is huge, and we're even getting a full 3% bonus this year, compared to an affiliate of ours which is getting across-the-board pay cuts and eliminating more than a few jobs.

People who have lost all their income are getting by on side work. The "haves" are making an effort to find work for the "have nots." New businesses are opening up and even thriving. Some businesses are closing, but others are just moving to bigger or smaller workspaces. Storefronts that stayed empty for months or years are now filling up faster. I'm seeing signs of hope.

I've got to admit, I've been reading more and more posts like this on this forum, and honestly this is the only place I'm hearing any of this.

Call me crazy, and maybe it's because 90% of the people I know are in the construction and engineering fields, but I haven't heard of a single person with a positive outlook on things right now. I haven't heard one person describe their situation as "stable" and nobody is describing their business as "huge".

Don't get me wrong, I'm not calling you a liar, and I'd love to hear that kind of good news all the time, but I really must not be seeing what you're seeing. Everything I've heard has pointed to an even rougher winter this year. Small companies that had to slash everything to get by last winter have nothing left to slash and no business coming in the door. People who were laid off last year are starting to come down the end of their benefits and haven't gotten even a sniff of a new job prospect. Housing prices may have stablized, but no developers are looking to start expanding and no banks are eager to start lending, so nothing is going to get built. What sector are these new thriving businesses in? Are the people running them just the lucky few entrepeneurs who found a niche after they got cut last year? Or are they actually bringing new jobs on-line? Big difference for the people who are still looking for work and don't have the options to throw their hat in the new-business ring.

Available office space around the city (everywhere really) is at an all-time high, as more and more commercial developments continue to empty out. Hundreds of thousands of square feet of workspace is sitting idle while the landlords continue to woo new tenants. I shudder to think what will happen when that securities/mortgage market bottoms out. There's at least as much money wrapped up in the balloon-loans on those business parks as there was in the housing industry. What banks are holding those right now?

Can't say I'm looking forward to seeing the headlines in the news come January/February. I know so many people that got laid off between the holidays last year who's UI benefits are going to end. Those of us willing to leave have done so, and those who aren't willing to leave are quickly running out of options. Scary times. I wish I had a positive outlook, but I'm just not seeing any light yet.

[scolls]

I got a good job before I even graduated. I guess I have to mope around and whine and complain to fit in with everybody else.

[Driller1]

We are busy drilling. Foreclosed on homes are starting to sell. We have drilled wells on some, took water samples and inspections. As far as private home owners with well problems, I have had to get more "creative" in helping them get the money.

[jeanniepep]

I can't speak for everyone, but my husband and I are doing just fine. He has a very stable job and no worries about downsizing whatsoever. I teach Pilates and am now turning down classes because I already have so many to teach this fall. Only one of my neighbors has mentioned that she is nervous, the rest are all quite happy and secure (I really don't know what they do, but they seem completely unconcerned). We all live near downtown Ferndale which seems to be jam-packed with paying customers every weekend and most weeknights.

My only worry about the winter is how much snow we'll get this year!

[MTUCache]

Wow... guess I'm just way off base here. I guess that's what my wife and I get for being such a "diverse" household (civil engineer and automotive engineer).

Hell, maybe it's just been drilled into my head for so long about how bad things are that now I can't get it out. Some kind of strange throwback to the Great-Depression-era mentality that people always poke fun at. I suppose more than anything I probably need to just re-adjust my idea of "scraping by" and "doing well" to this new era of business.

Well, like I said, I'm glad to hear others are looking up and seeing something bright. Now I just have to figure out how to do that for myself.

[Driller1]

Originally Posted by Swansen

Literally, EVERYONE i know, and i'm not kidding, nearly every business and person i know of in my area (the tri-cities, Saginaw and Freeland specifically are where my understanding is) are BARELY scraping by and its just really scary. I have a friend who isn't sure what he is going to do, his roommate lost his job and doesn't have anything going for him, all the while he is just finished with the community college and is starting at the university in town... Thats crazy to me, he is working a very small amount right now, barely enough to survive and he is going to school.. i mean, thats great but its not like its going to pay off tomorrow... Its basically the same story everywhere. I'm foregoing school because the small business i work for had ground to a halt these last two winters and surviving is goal number one right now. I have a plan for long term-ish employment, but in the meantime i am really considering just moving to where ever i can find a job.

That aside, i'm getting by, i have money set a side so if my job ends tomorrow, i'll be ok for a little while, but thinking about winter in MI for a while has scared me and its right around the corner.. I have a plan for long term-ish employment, but in the meantime i am really considering just moving to where ever i can find a job.

Its really unsettling though, nearly everyone i know is just barely making it by... its crazy.

Yet, people protested two new coal plants. Now they will not be built.