Are You Feeling the Recession? (Sioux Falls, Mitchell: low income, how much, layoffs)

[SDHomesteader]

Where do I get my share????????????????????

[Jammie]

CNN has been reporting that there is starting to be a light at the end of the tunnel and signs of the recession turning around are starting to pop up. They said that people are finally starting to buy some items~washers, dryers, microwaves, etc. That's wonderful because the unemployment rates in some states is just horrible. One of the counties in NC has now hit 18% unemployment and just yesterday the Sen. from Illinois said they've hit 14%. But if people start buying little by little it'll put people back to work.

Housing sales are starting to improve in a few areas of the country. Unfortunately, the Midwest isn't having the same luck. A recent article stated that we're seeing something like an 18% drop in house sales. Not sure what that's about.

[NickWins]

I've heard a little of both. That there's a light at the end of the tunnel and that the light is a train. Depends on the current week I suppose.

Either way, S.D. has been one of the lower unemployment rated states through out this, and even previously.

Are there full time jobs to be had up there? 40 hr a week employment that a single person could live on. I've done a mix of things for work, and am willing to carry two jobs again if I could find two. Currently coming off work as commercial framer, making 13.00 dollars an hour. That would have been more than enough money for where I live in Florida to cover bills and to live and rents here seem higher on average.

A ten or nine dollar an hour, full time job, would be equitable, I believe. Cost to heat in the winter is something that I'd have to factor in. Been a long time since I paid a heating bill.

So in short, , full time work; how's it looking now and over the next couple months?

[DannyBanany]

You can easily find full-time work up here but if you don't have a skilled profession it will probably be entry level work or something random like retail or human resources. There is a lot of new retail coming into Rapid City too with the building of a second mall and stores/restaurants around it.

Utilities (heating, A/C, gas) is higher in the winter than in the summer. My 3 bed, 2 bath home costs about $50 in the summer and $80-120 in the winter. Luckily, I have thermostats in each room so rooms that I use less don't have to be as warm. Western SD also has some of the lowest utility rates in the nation. Rent here will be way cheaper than in Florida too.

All in all, I say move up here but don't expect to get the perfect job with the perfect pay just yet. We're feeling the recession up here now too. Not nearly as bad as Florida though.

[NickWins]

Thanks for the response

[debey]

Originally Posted by DannyBanany

You can easily find full-time work up here but if you don't have a skilled profession it will probably be entry level work or something random like retail or human resources. There is a lot of new retail coming into Rapid City too with the building of a second mall and stores/restaurants around it.

Utilities (heating, A/C, gas) is higher in the winter than in the summer. My 3 bed, 2 bath home costs about $50 in the summer and $80-120 in the winter. Luckily, I have thermostats in each room so rooms that I use less don't have to be as warm. Western SD also has some of the lowest utility rates in the nation. Rent here will be way cheaper than in Florida too.

All in all, I say move up here but don't expect to get the perfect job with the perfect pay just yet. We're feeling the recession up here now too. Not nearly as bad as Florida though.

I would say, low utlities! our winter elc. bill is $120+ ....summer, depends on the AC. propane, for this winter, about $1000.....we filled that 500 gallon tank @ $2.19, to start the season. now propane is about $1.45......

[Madhatter68]

The recession is scaring us stiff!!! ESPECIALLY NOW THAT I'M RETIRED!!! I went to the grocery store and what used to be my weekly amount of about $138.00 to $140.00 now climbed to $235.79 last trip out. I nearly cried when the clerk handed me the slip! What scares me more is the way this government is going, I ask....will they take our Social Security checks away? Be it ever so small and the bills becoming ever so BIG, I am frightened to death!

[NickWins]

Electric runs about that here in the summer. I'll be renting, more than likely, but even there was a house to rent that I had to pay for heat, that's not too bad. Would you say most places are using propane to heat? I would think so, but it's you'd know better than me.

It is a good sign that oil and natural gas have gone down in price. Hopefully there isn't a spike again.

[Jammie]

Originally Posted by Madhatter68

The recession is scaring us stiff!!! ESPECIALLY NOW THAT I'M RETIRED!!! I went to the grocery store and what used to be my weekly amount of about $138.00 to $140.00 now climbed to $235.79 last trip out. I nearly cried when the clerk handed me the slip! What scares me more is the way this government is going, I ask....will they take our Social Security checks away? Be it ever so small and the bills becoming ever so BIG, I am frightened to death!

Hi Madhatter, I think (and hope) that Social Security will stay intact. But I totally understand how you get sticker shock when you go shopping now. Scary, isn't it? I'm younger then you are (since you get SS already ), BUT I'll bet you remember the days when you could scrape by with a twenty dollar bill at the grocery store. I can't imagine how the generation that is older then we are must feel about the prices of things now.

Nick, if you're going to live in town, you'll more then likely have natural gas for heating. Debey lives in the country so if you'd live in the country, it'd probably be propane. Keep in mind that eastern So. Dak. has some of the highest utility rates in the nation and western So. Dak. has some of the lowest. I live on the wrong side

[NickWins]

Originally Posted by Jammie

Nick, if you're going to live in town, you'll more then likely have natural gas for heating. Debey lives in the country so if you'd live in the country, it'd probably be propane. Keep in mind that eastern So. Dak. has some of the highest utility rates in the nation and western So. Dak. has some of the lowest. I live on the wrong side

Good to know. Point for western So. Dak.