Yes it is a great question,,,,

I'm still buying stocks,,,,the more I buy now at low prices, the more I make eventually,,,,,I've got 20 years or more til retirement, so I've got to act quick to make the most money,,,,,

My DH has been getting less and less work at his job,,,,,where he used to have plenty of overtime, there's been a few weeks he hasn't even made 40 hours,,,,we figure he's lucky to be working right now, considering the company he works for makes roofing shingles,,,,

This is the first year in I don't know how long that we will be saving our tax refund,,,,,we may need to live on it for a couple months if things get really bad,,,,,I'm also picking up any extra hours I can at work,,,,,,,I used to work just 2 days a week, but have picked up a third, and am hoping to pick up a 4th soon, and I take any days others call in sick, whenever I can,,,of course, what I make in a week, he used to make in one overtime day, which is why it wasn't worth it for me to work very many days,,,,,,SOMEONE has to do the housework, shuttling children around, etc,,,,but right now even an extra 100 bucks will buy groceries,,,

I have to tell you, I'm scared,,,,,I'm limited in what I can do for a job because I have 5 herniated discs in my back,,,,I'm pretty limited to desk work,,,I can't even get a part time job in a convenience store because I can't lift 10 lbs. And if my back goes out, I can't walk or stand up straight for at least a week, usually 2,,,,and I must visit a chiropractor (30.00 each visit for copay) every day until I'm healed, or it won't get any better,,,,and there goes even my desk job for a week or two,,,,,frankly, I'm worried I'll get fired if that happens,,,,,so I'm doing everything I can to make sure I'm careful with my back,,,,,

The only good thing is we bought a house we could well afford, even though the bank said we could afford twice that amount ,,,,,,not something we can't afford,,,,so if my DH gets laid off, we'll still manage the mortgage,,thank  GOD we listened to our instincts instead of the banks,, ,it's the other things I'm concerned about,,,we are considering giving up cable and cell phones until things pick up,,,,just so we can bank that money for the future,,,

The one thing we are planning to buy when we get our tax refunds is the renewal of our Disney passes,,,,it's my husband's and my treat to ourselves, and for Florida residents, pretty dang cheap (about 230.00 each for a year),,,,of course, even that could change, if things get bad enough,,,,,we'll have to see,,,,they renew in May,,,,I'll bank the tax refund and make a decision in May,,,,

Her's wishing you all well,,,,,,,,,,,,hopefully things will get better in a few months,,,,for all of us,,,,

Holly

We're watching all our PENNIES these days.  My husband could get laid off any day now.  But even if we weren't facing that I'd feel guilty spending money on unnecessary items when SO many are struggling just to put food on the table and have a roof over their heads.

My husband lost his job in management and it took him 3 months to find another, just selling.  Both of us are dependent on  people's credit being good  for the products and services we sell.  A credit crunch exists in that the banks are only buying people with 700 FICO scores or better.  That is good credit, average credit is out.  We gave the banks 350 million dollars to bail them out and they are not loaning the money to people. Sales are down 65% from a year ago in my husband's field.  The floor is flooded with hungary salespeople and no customers.  He is currently looking for another career.

I've recently become a vegan for health  and moral reasons and can't believe how much money you can save as a vegan!

I still buy good, wholesome, healthy food for me and my critters. At times like this it is important to take care of your health - we are more at risk for poor health when we're poor because, at least in the US, crap food is cheaper than healthy food generally speaking. So I'm going to wait till I get paid from my second job in February to buy PANTS (I'm down to 1 working pair that are office appropriate), because that money is better spent on food.

Paula

Yes am still buying  next purchase will be air cleaners.  I live in an apartment building which has 100 apartments and no circulation system. Since its winter here opening the window will just make the hot air heat turn on.  Since I smoke I do crack the window, but that doesn't help. I even turn on a fan in my bedroom for air circulation when I sleep. Since I turned on the heat in Nov I have had a sinus infection.  Hopefully the new purchase will clean up this infection.