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Donziweasel
10-23-2008, 09:30 AM
Talked with 3 freinds this week. All of them make a annual trip to Jackson at seperate times to ski. All three said due to the economy, they can not make it this year. We have never had a lack of visitors.

Due to this, my question is, has the economy affected you finaincially? Kinda poll happy this week. This is a very diverse board and just would like to see what percentage of you have been affected. Poll is anonymous, but I am definetly affected as tourism and luxury items are the first to go. Preliminary reports have innitial bookings to Jackson down 18% over last year. Will definetly hurt my bottom line.

The Hedgehog
10-23-2008, 09:55 AM
There is no column for my situation. My net worth has declined but I am making more money than before the crisis. Long term I am not worried much about my balance sheet so I guess that I am better off.

McGary911
10-23-2008, 12:12 PM
I'm making the same money. Like many, my investments have lost a ton of value, but they're not losses until i cash them in, and that's not until 25 years down the road.

I have curtailed my spending lately. My company has been hammered by the crisis, which led to us about to be bought out by Bank of America. I could very well lose my job as a result of the acquisition. In preparation for the worst, I want my war chest to be as overflowing as possible.

ChromeGorilla
10-23-2008, 12:44 PM
For me, setting aside 401k "losses", things are pretty decent right now. Nothing really negative. On the contrary I am benefiting from lower fuel prices.

vonkamp
10-23-2008, 01:39 PM
Just got back from 3 weeks in Europe. If you think prices are bad here, try $11 for a beer in Munich. :eek: I won't even mention gas, food, lodging, ect.

The beer is much better though... :worthy: :pretzel: :drinkbeer: :beer:

Donziweasel
10-23-2008, 01:40 PM
On the contrary I am benefiting from lower fuel prices.



From someone who burns $250,000.00 worth of fuel a year, I am hoping lower fuel costs will offset my losses. I set winter prices based on 4.77 a gallon for deisel. They have dropped almost a dollar a gallon.

Looks like more of the board has seem some loss vs. those who have had no change. Looks like no one is doing better.

mrfixxall
10-23-2008, 01:43 PM
well from looking at my last 1/4 im down 49%..thank god for old vehicles and having everything paid off,well almost :)

onesubdrvr
10-23-2008, 04:23 PM
Well, I'm not sure it's the crisis itself, but it has been coming down the stream, and the crisis,... well, I'll deal with that too.

My mortgage is 28% of my monthly income, 1 vehicle paid off, other financed, $325.00 a month.

Credit cards are pretty low, but not paid off.

Where I get hit hardest? Well, with the fuel costs (when then went up), food prices went up, and I'm feeding 7. Milk that used to cost me $2.50 a gallon is near $4.50, and I go through 5 gallons a week. That just spreads throughout the grocery store for me. Many of these "small" things in a family my size has a BIG effect.

As far as the crisis itself,.... there has been a definite decline in the number of jobs available, and since my wife finished her degree in June, and I'm due to finish mine December 1st, the outlook for higher paying jobs is somewhat gloomier than I thought it would have been, especially for me who is making a big change from turning wrenches to programming computers. We have also been considering selling the house to move closer to family, and our houst (we owe 280k on), originally financed at 383 (three years ago), was appraised before completion at 475k, and now I would be LUCKY to break even, so that dashes any hopes for moving (for the moment).

So, I have been affected, perhaps more than some, but I'm still floating :biggrin.:

Wayne

Donziweasel
10-23-2008, 04:27 PM
Barry, that must have been some beer at 11.00.:wink:

Wayne, glad to here you are doing ok. Make sure to keep some aside for "Nutty Chinese Chicken".:biggrin.:

onesubdrvr
10-23-2008, 04:29 PM
Barry, that must have been some beer at 11.00.:wink:

Wayne, glad to here you are doing ok. Make sure to keep some aside for "Nutty Chinese Chicken".:biggrin.:
Will do :biggrin.: ,.... being a decent :wrench: turner has it's advantages,.... used BW trannies aren't that expensive, and can be rebuilt :wink:

I think I'll get Nutty Chinese Chicken t-shirts made up, what do you think? :biggrin.::wink:

Donziweasel
10-23-2008, 04:39 PM
I don't know about the t-shirts, but everytime I read that name I laugh. Hope you stick with it, great name for the project.:biggrin.:

If you do the t-shirts, count me in for one, Large please. LOL

Donziweasel
10-23-2008, 05:41 PM
The economy made me make a few choices today. Could really use a couple of new 21 passenger busses, but am going to milk my older equipment through the winter. Bummer.

Biggest one is I think I am going to keep my 16 for now. It is not my dream Donzi, but it runs great and I like it. If I see an 18 at a "deal of a lifetime price", I might pull the trigger.

Holding off on a big bore kit for my snowmobile.

Wanted to buy a new saddle, not now.

New wheels for the truck (the 20's ride too hard). Not going to happen.

New snowmobile trailer (mine's 15 year old). Not this year.

Guess it is affecting me like anyone else.

BUIZILLA
10-23-2008, 06:27 PM
yeah, I wanted a newish Liberty H3 this year, but that's for another year :rolleyes:

sweet 16 1966
10-23-2008, 08:06 PM
I bought my boat this year so that's good! 401K paper money loss will not allow retirement anytime in the near future. Still have a job but more and more people don't. Money loans to small business will hurt many in the near future. OEM's business-exporting due to weak dollar is proping many up. Steel doubled in price this year and is falling quickly. Scrap dealers are not picking up in some areas until recently declining prices bottom and rise again.
Until confidenance is restored, we are on a roller coaster ride.
I hope to read this in the near future and see how wrong I was!

zelatore
10-24-2008, 12:50 PM
Working in the boating industry, we're way down. Several dealers in our area have gone under.

That said, I moved from a commisioned sales job to a saleried service/mgr position several years ago. I make less money than I did in the good years in sales, but now that sales are down I'm making more than I would be otherwise. So technically I'm not making any less.

Still, I'm (over)due for a raise that I'm not even bothering to ask for at this point and I don't see any time soon where I'll get that. So if you figure the 'cost of living' increase over the last 5 years vs the fact I'm still making the same money, I'm in the hole.

Luckily, she makes the real money in our house :yes: and she's doing fine.

Lenny
10-25-2008, 01:17 PM
Just got back from 3 weeks in Europe. If you think prices are bad here, try $11 for a beer in Munich. :eek: I won't even mention gas, food, lodging, ect.
The beer is much better though... :worthy: :pretzel: :drinkbeer: :beer:

Deneen and I did 6 weeks in Europe last year. France/Spain/Switzerland/Monaco and a host of others.

The prices there BLEW ME AWAY :eek:

Not uncommon to pay 6$ US for (1) one BLACK coffee. No refills. Beer, as you said, was brutally expensive as well. Rooms were about $300 US a night in Paris for a DUMP that here would be $29.99.

Very lucky "here" (North America) still if you ask me.. (I know, you didn't) :D

Lenny
10-25-2008, 01:20 PM
and I'm feeding 7.

You got tapeworms ?

Lenny
10-25-2008, 01:22 PM
Biggest one is I think I am going to keep my 16 for now.

You should tow it up "here" when you go travelling the PNW and let us sell it for you in a better market and a place where they are not common and more cherished.

Just a thought.

onesubdrvr
10-25-2008, 02:22 PM
You got tapeworms ?
Me,.... no,.. not that I know of,... but my 2 oldest girls,.. they can EAT!! :eek:, they can put teen-aged boys to shame. :yes: , never be able to tell that by looking at 'em though.

I don't guess the apple falls far from the tree lol.

Wayne

txtaz
10-27-2008, 10:30 AM
Lenny, Behave.

Wayne has a very nice family.

Da Taz

onesubdrvr
10-27-2008, 08:53 PM
Lenny, Behave.

Wayne has a very nice family.

Da Taz
Thanx Wes,.....

You're gonna make me blush :redface:

They're all right,.... I guess I'll keep 'em for a while :yes:

Wayne

ChromeGorilla
10-27-2008, 09:33 PM
Lenny, Behave.
Wayne has a very nice family.
Da Taz


The girls are perfectly fine..... it's that Wayne character ya gotta watch out for....:wink:

Donziweasel
10-29-2008, 06:52 AM
Got preliminary reports on advanced bookings for the winter season here in Jackson Hole. Down 24% over same time last year. Got me worried. One thing, and I saw this in 1996, 2000, and 2004. On election years people tend to book winter vacations after the election. Hopefully we will see an increase in bookings once the election is over or I might be in trouble.

txtaz
10-29-2008, 04:05 PM
Wayne, The Gorilla has got you nailed. :nilly::):wink:

Da Taz

chappy
10-30-2008, 01:42 PM
I'm surprised that not one member has voted that they're better off since the crisis. I thought at least one persons business or trade would directly benefit from the lower fuel costs, enhancing their bottom line.

zelatore
10-30-2008, 01:46 PM
People are getting tigher with the purse strings.

I'm feeling it more from my subcontractors and from my clients. My subs are wringing every penny they can out of jobs - billing for little things that they would have let slide before. 'oh well, they do a ton of business with us...I'll let that $20 slide' has become 'oh, we had to bill for the 10 minutes to install that zinc'.

In turn, I have to pass that along. And customers are getting really itchy about cost overruns. Hey, it's called an estimate because I can't know 100% until the boat's out of the water, pal!

Just this week I pulled a boat for some work. The guy had gotten lazy about keeping zincs on his boat, and the rudder had literally broken in two! This boat had a full keel and the lower shoe supported the rudder to keep it from falling off the boat entirely. However, with the rudder free from the shaft, it could swing in the current and had at some point swung around to make contact with the prop. The original estimate from the prop shop was about $235, but they said up front they might have some trouble welding it. When they got a hold of the prop, they revised the estimate to $300. I forwarded this on to the client who had a fit - 'I did NOT approve $300!' So I told him fine, we'd put the prop back on the way it was. Of course, I'll have to charge him some labor for removing and re-installing the prop, and he's getting nothing out of it. Plus, (as I told him up front) he's going to pay even more when he gets an offer on the boat and it goes to survey - the last thing a buyer or surveyor wants to see is a beat-up prop. Doesn't exactly instill confidence in the rest of the boat.

zelatore
10-30-2008, 01:47 PM
I'm surprised that not one member has voted that they're better off since the crisis. I thought at least one persons business or trade would directly benefit from the lower fuel costs, enhancing their bottom line.


I've got a client who's making a killing. He owns a real estate brokerage and he's hiring more people because he's selling a ton of repo's and forclosures.

He's looking to move up from a 42 to a 57...