how's is the recession affecting your builds?

I will probably be unemployed by the end of the month. I run a retail electronics store that relies strongly on satellite tv and internet sales.....guess what people are cutting back on first. Itd be a different story if I were running a grocery store. Oh well, I can always take some schooling.

Those of you who fail to see the impact that the media has on the economy need to come on out from under that rock you're living under. Talk to others, listen to what they say. Everyone I come into contact with daily has something to say about the doom and gloom they see on the news or read in the papers. Thats what they have to go by. Ive been preaching it all year to my co-workers to get ready because when it happens we are going to be "thrown" into it. Eight months ago it was high gas prices and lack of credit killing consumers. Now you can go to MSN and read all about how the LOW gas prices are killing the global economy because they reflect a lack of demand!! Isnt that what they wanted? Werent the prices high to counter the demand because of lower supplies? ********. "Somebody" benefits from all of it. Dont get me wrong, bad business practices concerning large companies that could affect large numbers of people should be brought to light and not ignored. By the same token people should learn to go back to ways of taking care of themselves and not relying on others to do it all for them, live within YOUR means. Example; If you buy a $60,000 home and a $50,000 Escalade and have an income of $20,000 a year......well then theres going to be a problem. Then people will blame the credit companies when things go to **** even though they directly contributed to the problem. Most Americans will never wake up though...too much greed in our culture.

 

No matter if you believe in recession, depression, agression or progression, what we have here is a lifestyle and economic adjustment, and adjustments are made by outside force that either force or invite peopl into the systeme.

Look at it like our style of cars and our way of life...one year we like 39 Pontiac rat rods and few years down the road we favor 69 Camaros, then we want sport rucks or 4x4's and so on. It never ends. It is just one of the many cycles we go through in life.

We change our minds about what we want to spend money on, new house, remodeling, new clothes, change the color of the walls, breast inplants, long hair, tats, wish I never had tats, **** carpet, disco lights, hip hop to rock, then country, lose weight, gain weight, become an environmentilst, feed the starving, go to street rod shows, hate street rods, go to bike shows...the changes never end with humans. We always want something else to make our lives exciting and challenging. Things change, not people.

So it goes for our economy. We get rich, we go broke, we grow up dirt poor, we figure out how to get exrtremely wealthy, the feds promise tax cuts, we still pay them because we fear, (or not) the banks need to create a diversion, they come up with huge made up mess and we get duked in the rear, then peole get scared, they stop spending, people get laid off, we keep wondering what is happening, we , you and me, watch the news and read the papers, we keep our money, we wait hoping things get better, then it all comes full circle..we start the whole process over.
Just deal with it and create your own economy.

You gotta Hustle, Survive, Thrive...VROOM!

Like the feds, big biz and economics, what I said above makes absolutely no sense!

Mikey
www.MikeysPinstriping.com
www.HotRodConsulting.com
"I do bad things to Money"

 

I am still somewhat busy at work so I am still spending money on my projects,I dont have any pre 64 major projects but I am working on a 66 F250 work truck and hope to get the body work done and some paint on it by spring and still get a different set of gears in my 37 chevy p/u and get my 55 sunliner raised up some. Jeff

 

I have a STEEP drop in sales and people canceling or postponing work and i have always been diligent in my self employment maybe after the 1st of the year huh?

 

It's put my project on hold. My wife worked for Bear Sterns, and will be laid off at the end of the month.
The old 31 Tudor will just sit until things start looking up. Still owe my buddy $$$ for the original motor and ******. Bummer.

 

It has slowed my build down, and my search and shopping for parts.
I will carry on with what i have, and get as far as i can with the parts i have at hand.
may have to resort to making more stuff, and not completely finishing it the way I had visioned. But still hopeful to have a "driver by the end of this coming summer.
When things get back to where i can continue with my vision I will move forward than.

 

I AM LUCKY ...

The current recession has not really affected my build. I am fortunate enough to have almost everything needed for the coupe ... to finished it except the upholstery and I have that money set aside for it.

Becaue of the recession and being a retired guy ( and the wife retired also ) ... I do have to watch my money a little closer than in the past. I own stock in several different companies and the dividend checks keep getting smaller and smaller. My investment portfolio is also down a good bit. I am really worried about the future of our country. My home and my vehicles are all paid for and I have outstanding real NO DEBT. My only expenses are the usual stuff .... electricty, food, clothes, insurance and of course TAXES.

I am fairly well set in for the long haul.

The current recession has affected my buying, selling and doing real estate deals. There are some GREAT buys out there now but the buyers cannot find financing and the market is soft ... so I sit and wait.

I do believe that is it going to get much worse before it can get better ... But there will be some great buys on stuff if you have the $$$. I saw a 2006 HD FLXTCU bagger with 4,400 miles change hands for $12,500 ( loan payoff amount ). Perfect bike ... not a mark. They just needed it gone.

Just waiting for the 32 Fords to come down ... I need another one or two

 

i like the cheap gas

 

It's the War of the Worlds all over again, only global. I had a high cl*** trash customer tell me he had a hard time paying his power bill at home from sitting in the hot tub stressed out too much....makes me want to puke! Also, if GM and the rest would go back to one GOOD car and one GOOD truck, chop the crazy price in half, they may survive. Too much FAT these days! Who said a pile of dirt, 220ft x 220ft was worth this much now?

 

My lay-off has slowed progress to a crawl, once again. Will make do with "elbow grease"
efforts this winter as the new budget dictates.....

 

only about 20% of these posts were people sniveling. for those 20% dont worry you'll get your check at a heavy price. God bless our wonderful country. i like the way hot rodders and bikers think. staying busy, keep focused on country and family. we cant change whats happening ( like the man said "i voted. mine lost. deal with it!") but we can deal with it like grownups. and yes i do think the last 8 years were as great as i could make em. i guess if i bought a house i couldnt afford that would be on me. and i guess ill just primer my car. oh! thats right i was going to primer it in the first place! Merry Christmas HAMB!

 

I've put the build on hold and have been buying stocks that are on "sale."

 

Tman and Marcy got it in one.

I for one have ZERO respect for the media and even less for people who believe everything they see on the tube , hear on the radio or read in the papers; in fact, I refrain from wathcing, listening or reading anything that i cant control. Think about it.......

The media seeks to MAKE the news now, not to REPORT it.

You control your own destiny and let the "newsmakers" control the simpletons of this world, just as they always have. They DO have their own agendas, HISTORY tells us that and the same individuals are the ones who profit from the environments that THEY create.

So try and create your own environment.

Rat

 

Just glad I planned and provided for my own retirement. I've never been one to stay with a job for very long. Usually got bored or fed up with something and moved on. The wife and I ,at an early stage of our marriage, started a retirement program and regardless of the factors that seemed to control our destiny we always kept the contributions to the plan up to date. As a result, an unplanned accident that put me out of comission for a few years, didn't affect our retirement. In fact I kicked in the benifit payments 2 years early when I found out how little the difference in the monthly payout was going to be.
We also decided that there would be NO credit card balance at the end of every month so we've been able to save a bundle in finance and interest charges over the years. I think credit card debt is almost the death knell of anyone who expects to be in control of their destiny.
As far as the projects are concerned I've NEVER taken a dime out of our regular money for any project. They have come from extra work, bartering, exchanging work for parts or labor, or buying and selling.

Frank

 

you need to wake up you must have slept through it for some time now! maybe mexico will keep you awake?

 

I've had to cut back quite a bit, but I'm still cruising.-MIKE

 

i think we are on the same side. elaborate

 

>>> The myth created by the news media to sell adverti*****ts to scare people....>>>

Yeppers and it seemed to work as my bidness (real estate) is dead dead dead, I lost my *** this year and am out looking for work this week.

Have one side job right now building a FC ch***is but that's it. Anyone hiring in Connecticut? I wouldn't mind a winter gig (or more permanent) doing some welding & fabbing......

Al in CT

 

Try cleanharbors.com check out website. truck driving, mechanics, field techs. Exellent company to work for going VERY strong. biggest environmental company in north america. they are out your way too

 

I agree kill the ****ing TV and newspaper. Never anything positive. I watch what I spend and maybe a little less now that things are rough but wtf? You only live once!

 

I agree with most of everyone. The media is negative and people are influenced by what they see, thats a ****ing fact. A perfect example is Pitt Bulls, the media has my dogs portayed as killers yet last year there were more people sent to the ER by domestic cats than Pit Bulls. ****ing ****er spaniels put mroe people int he hospital than pit bulls. Why???, the media. Now I also think that in fact we are in a recession. Look around and tell me things arent the greatest. Reason I say that is I see people getting laid off first hand. Tahts not not a figment of imagination. They are getting fired. Its not a ****ing illusion people.

Anyway the question was about how am I AFFECTED by the recession. Yes its affected me so I watch what I do and where I spend, however its so truw that you only live once and everyone needs to enjoy themselves or one day you may realize your life really did ****. Im bringing my truck into a shop tomorrow to get some work but made sure the guy Im bringing it to is a good guy that works hard and needs the work. I hope we are both helping each other in this time. He gets paid I get some things done to my truck, the ol' fashion way. I hope everyone here makes it out and gets back to where they were.

These are the times I wish I was in ****. No matter what the economy is you still want to see someone naked.

 

You know whats ironic? Marcy and I both went to school for journalism. Know thy enemy.

 

Things sure changed fast for me since this morning - I am now a proud Meineke Shop manager. I guess that 16 years I spent in the bidness before I started schlepping used houses came in handy afterall.

Now I have to figure out what to do with my real estate brokerage; doesn't make a lot of sense keeping this office space rented.

Just in case, I think I'll keep looking for something else to cover myself, or build cars on the side maybe (anyone want a front engine dragster built?).......

Al (wish me luck) in CT

 

Best of luck Al.Always glad to hear good news.

 

Yeah, but maybe the people who are hurtin' just cant respond. Not me though, internet would be the last to go.

 

Even here in europe we feel the recession of america in our jobs and builds