so what is your 'plan, plan and deal' with it involve? oh wait...it can't be too much, cause that wouldn't be good for your 'not getting an ulcer over it' theory..would it? just curious. like I always am when people claim to not be in any kind of panic or concern. ya know...makes me wonder why you feel so comfy. truly...not some spin on words. ok...cause we all can say 'HEY..I'm NOT gonna panic, people...that's lame'. and I'd just curiously ask....why? cause it isn't worth it in the long run anyway? (cause government is gonna do what they do...and don't give a whit about you) OR...you believe the bailout saved you? REALLY...is THAT it? or...you go to work each day, and honestly believe YOUR little job is totally secure. (like when all hell breaks loose, your little corner of the world won't be touched) cause you're just someone that can't imagine anything bad happening?
I'm not trying to rain on your parade. I sincerely hope the failing economy doesn't effect you. I still just can't grasp why some people really think they're so safe..spared...hey, THIS CRAP doesn't involve ME. LOL
but then again...maybe that's all a good thing. and IF you are all doing great..and are SURE you will continue to do so..........go shopping. guess you're the glue that keeps the economy cruising. we are depending on you big spenders out there. LOL
That's exactly it, I'm NOT shopping right now. I don't want to boast or brag about dollars, but you asked...so this is my situation.
Hubby and I are socking away almost half our take-home pay right now. We are choosing to stay in jobs we don't like, because they make good money. I am taking classes to get my masters degree in a very stable field (secondary math education), so that if one day our more lucrative IT careers get cut, I'll have a stable back-up plan.
We are not starting a family now. Yes, we could easily afford a kid or two at the moment, but until we have a more solid base (a year+ of living expenses should tragedy strike, plus the ability to save extra money for college), I don't want to have a child. Not saying it's wrong to at all, but I couldn't handle the stress and worry of feeding another mouth!
We are not buying a house, until we can afford to live in the nicer area where we want to be, so that we are thinking long term. If you buy a house as a "starter home" and hope to sell it in 3-5 years, you're hit hard if the market drops. If you buy it for 20 years, the market can drop and you're still okay.
However, that said, we still have a modest vacation fund and can go out to dinner with friends. We give often to charities, and I always offer to buy the homeless dinner if they say they're hungry. We budget, we plan, and we enjoy what we have now.
What good does panicking do? Running around like a chicken with my head cut off is not going to save my job if my company folds. Nor is it somehow going to increase what I have in the bank. However, because I've planned, and have 6 months living expenses socked away in a completely safe account earning decent interest, hubby and I can both be jobless for up to 6 months and not feel it. Would it be scary? Yes. But it wouldn't be the end of the world for us.
I'm not trying to be an ass. I know some people are in dire situations, and it sucks and I'm sorry and I wish that it wasn't so. But like someone mentioned before, it's just as bad and the same kind of stereotype to say "Man, they must have maxed out their credit cards/bought a mansion/driven a lexus when they couldn't afford it" as it is to say "Anyone who's doing well will suffer later". The bigger the cushion, the less you'll feel the impact. It's true for physics and economics.