~Markets Fall ~Wages and Spending Flat~

http://economywatch.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/07/09/12644722-falling-prices-point-to-further-global-slowdown?lite

My favorite line, "when the recession ended three years ago". I must have slept through it. lol.

The "recession ended" fabrication is wearing thin on everyone I know, employed or not. I believe people are waking up because the effect of our sinking economy is becoming more widespread. Wait till EUC08 ends completely. Millions with no income, not buying, no demand for goods = Great Depression Number3.

This is what we have all been saying for two years. Some of us have lost our benefits, well just a little over two years ago and have been living it, couple that with 10 million more and what happens???? Disaster. Many of us are working doing odd jobs, cleaning houses, selling recycles for cash, walking dogs, babysitting etc, but in this economy, while it's helping some of us, we are very disposable. When people are having a short money week, these odd jobs are the first to go.

Right now, I spend exactly $200 per month on food, with my NJ Families First Program. It's issued on a debit card. It's all I have. I can't make the card have more money. I keep a list of what we can buy monthly and use that list when shopping, carefully checking each item, I take my calculator and when it hits $200, game over. The $200 doesn't go nearly as far as it did a year ago when I qualified for the program. My $200 order has gone up to $250 and that's bare bones minimum. It doesn't cover cleaning supplies, paper goods, personal hygiene items, just food. I get heart palpatations grocery shopping. People give me looks with my list and small calculator, but it's life right now and I stopped being embarrassed a year ago.

What's also interesting is how busy the Walmart Superstores (food section), Aldi's, Bottom Dollars and SavALot's have become. I would never have shopped there before, but I have learned much during this trying time, one, we wasted too much food, too much money and two, some of these stores have good brands not sold elsewhere and are cheaper and "safe" (no pink slime etc). I drive to Bottom Dollar for produce and dairy. Their milk is the cheapest in NJ, eggs, large 1 doz $.88 to .99 every week, butter, 1lb 1.98, everywhere else it's no less than $2.50 on sale. Produces is purchased from the local growers, and if you've ever had a Jersey tomatoe, they are fabulous. At BottomDollar, they are $1.25/lb, everywhere else $2-2.50/lb. So I do what I have to do, but if my $200 doesn't goes as far as it used to, I guess spending is really flatlining.