Just how bad is the economy?

[Bowyn Aerrow]

I am a 'handy man' - I do 'odd jobs' and also do lots of subcontracting - basically organizing larger projects. I have a few regular clients who has me come out fix things, do many odd projects for them, I rely mostly on new work, new people calling for work to be done, from unclogging sinks to room additions.

Today 11/15/2011 I had two clients. Both regulars. I drove 15 miles to hang two pictures . The other wanted me to come over, and was excitedly talking about painting a guest room and the 'mainroom' dining/living and kitchen. I was pretty excited because this looked like a decent job, one to earn a bit of money. So she went on and on about colors and what not. It ended with her wanted me to use my contractors discount to buy the paint for her.


4 years ago, in the month of November, 2007 I had 23 painting contracts on the table, 3 carpet removals, 2 of which wanted laminated floor installed, one of which needed the hardwood floors sanded, stained and refinished. And more than a handful of tiny odd jobs. I hired 3 guys full time temporary and kept them flush with work until January 2008.

In 2007 around this time I was doing 16 hour days, a frenzy of activity trying to get these jobs done before Thanksgiving. all of these clients wanting to have a nice, clean house for their holiday guests.

This year.... people aren't spending money.

And that is the economy.

[dfiant]

Even though Australia's economy isn't on the same tenter hooks as the USA and Europe, we are feeling what we call a pinch. People are not spending money, our housing market has slumped and people are preferring to do minor renovations rather than buy a new house, build a new house or undergo extentions.

As a result Real estate agents and the Building trades are suffering enormously as is the retail sector.

We have a whole different set of problems over here. We are not in recession but the word recession has been talked about so much by Propagandists (AKA Politicians) that they have people believing that we are in recession with the rest of the world.

In 4 years, the price of fuel (Gas) has gone up 150% in same areas, Electricity has gone up 100% in lest than 10years, Water has gone up 1000% in some areas, land rates have doubled in 8 years, house prices have doubled, tripled and even quadrupled in the last decade and we are paying twice as much for a trolley of groceries today compared to 10 years ago.

Australia has a total of 124 different taxes (Usually disguised as levies, excises etc to hide the fact they are a tax), that every day Australians are forced to pay (The UK has 27), so while it may seem that Australians are payed wellafter the government, banks and the other reapers get their hands on our money, we aren't left with a greta deal. I mention banks...do you know Australians pay for the priveledge of using an ATM? We pay upto $5 a transaction through and ATM.

So our Propagandists have taxed our nations people into believing we are in recession and forcing us to 'tighten' our belts and the first things to suffer are what are considered luxuries, but builders, retailers and tradesmen are suffering enormously under the false pretense that Australia is broke and in recession...Oh! and the propagandists and multi-nat CEO's have the hide to ask for a pay rise to their often multi-million $ contracts?

The rich get richer, the poor get the picture.

[princealbertofb]

We probably all need to rethink the way we work and do transactions... and the way we spend. It'll take some thinking and re setting...

[jbd555]

BA, Here in Florida it is a lot like California. I know there have been times when your state has been hurting real bad. Here, I bought a condo in 2006 for 295k and sold it in Feb 2010 for 119k. People are holding on to their homes instead of buying but they are holding off and cutting back on remodeling too. I've worked for an autodealership for over 15 years, this year has been the worse. Business is off by 50% and more. Used car prices are through the roof, food prices are high. Since Florida doesn't have an state income tax, we are taxed to death on other things such as utilities, gas, etc, you name it. (I know gas prices are higher in CA than probably the rest of the country). Also Florida is a right to work state... hardly any unions, good old boy politicians, carpet baggers from the north and penny pinching retirees. Our economy is tourist based and service jobs pay a little more than minmum wage. A lot of companies associated with housing sales, construction etc have gone bust like furniture companies for example. But in the long run I still have a job and unemployment is not as bad as it is in some other states.
Dfiant, The cost of water is going up everywhere. Watch the news and the doomsayers state that wars will be fought in the near future over water more than oil. I believe it.

[Inchante]

Well, the economy looks very different depending on where you are at. For one thing, we in the United States are not in recession nor is most of Europe from my understanding. To be in recession, the economy has to be receding, thus the name "recession". mile: Stagnancy at lower levels is another matter entirely. Where I live there are quite a few decent paying jobs, the real-estate market is strong, gas prices are cheap, taxes are low, and the unemployment rate is more than 3% lower than the country as a whole. All this is due to the fact that I live in an energy rich part of the country. Yet, the area I live in has still been effected, if to a smaller degree. Still, It has been far worse, and provided there aren't any big surprises out of Europe or Washington in the future, things will continue to get better. It is just going SLOW.

[princealbertofb]

I don't know, Inchante... the news today said -1% growth this year.... not good, I think that's recession.

[dfiant]

I don't know, Inchante... the news today said -1% growth this year.... not good, I think that's recession.

a technical recession is 2 quarters of negative growth, so fewer countries are in recession than we are led to believe, but yeah the propagandists of each country have made us THINK we are in a reccession.

[fredv3b]

People tend to get far too hung up on the word recession. Slight economic contraction is only a little worse than slight economic growth. The media, in their effort to make a story out of economic statistics, convinces people that if the economy contracts, even only slightly, then that is the start of another great depression.


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[Almac]

For those isolated from the real world and have jobs that pay well, that's all fine and dandy, but for the rest of us struggling on low wages I can tell you it's no fun, petrol/gas prices are so high I tend to walk most places now, heating costs e.g. gas and electric are crippling high, food costs are increasing, so in real terms yes the economy is in a terrible state for many of us. And Bowyn Aerrow my heart goes out to you and millions of other self-employed people who have the initiative and drive to be self-employed. I know I could never run my own firm, but then I'm just a glorified typist...

[fredv3b]

I never said it was fun or easy, times are plainly difficult. I just pointed out that it matters little whether the economy is technically in recession, but only just or technically not in recession, but only just.


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