What is your survival Plan for Recession[modified]

[Joe Woodbury]

First, see if there is even a recession. It sounds great to be all pessimistic, but believe or not the economic signals that we are actually in a recession are mixed. FYI, the stock market is almost never an indicator.

Anyone who thinks he has a better idea of what's good for people than people do is a swine. - P.J. O'Rourke

[Ashley van Gerven]

If the property prices are decreasing, it will probably be a better time for first-time buyers (e.g. me). Except for the interest :~

"For fifty bucks I'd put my face in their soup and blow." - George Costanza

[Chris Austin]

Christian Graus wrote:

I'm contemplating solar. What are your thoughts ?

It's really cool. :) It's just really expensive, at least in my part of the world (Dallas). We decided to do it just because we were was getting pissed off when we saw our electric bill go up ~15% despite our year to year consumption going down by more than 20%. If I could get away with it in my HOA I'd put in a wind turbine as well.

Christian Graus wrote:

Also, out of interest, are you holding stocks ?

Very little actual stocks. But, I am tempted to buy into vice related stocks for mid term if I can find any that pay decent dividends. I do play options quite a bit, and it's been a really good time to straddle (short and long at the same time) a pretty broad range of stocks. Still, there are really no short term safe harbors that I see right now including cash or gold. My primary long term investment vehicles are, BELIVE IT OR NOT, well performing rental properties and some good mortgages (beats the heck out of being a landlord).

Christian Graus wrote:

If the market doesn't go back up, we're all screwed anyhow, right ?

Only if you are holding stocks. :-D If your broker allows it, you can purchase short options to semi protect your portfolio. This saved a portion of my hide a few years ago when a certain energy company in Houston went under.

Sovereign ingredient for a happy marriage: Pay cash or do without. Interest charges not only eat up a household budget; awareness of debt eats up domestic felicity. --Lazarus Long

[Ashley van Gerven]

True. Doesn't it sort of *prompt* a recession when everyone cuts back on spending because there *might* be one coming...

"For fifty bucks I'd put my face in their soup and blow." - George Costanza

[Chris Austin]

How's the garden doing? More to the point how are you able to deal with the buggies. I've been trying to go as organic/green as possible but some darn beetles managed to really hammer some of my squash (summer and cucumbers). Also, have you grown your own corn yet? I am contemplating giving a dwarf varieties a shot this next season.

Sovereign ingredient for a happy marriage: Pay cash or do without. Interest charges not only eat up a household budget; awareness of debt eats up domestic felicity. --Lazarus Long

[Christian Graus]

yeah, I hope to buy some property as it bottoms out.

Christian Graus Driven to the arms of OSX by Vista.

[Christian Graus]

I am starting to drift away from total organic, b/c for some things, it plain doesn't work. curly leaf on the peaches is one of those things. I've not planted corn, I may well not this year. We've had mixed success and corn takes a lot out of the ground, I want to put a lot back in for a couple of years, b/c we've had 2 years of terrible results now.

Christian Graus Driven to the arms of OSX by Vista.

[DaveX86]

I'm going to grow potatoes on the family farm and make moonshine vodka on the side. When they bring Prohibition back in the U.S. I can sell it to people across the border like in the old days :)

[Chris Austin]

I was thinking something like that as well since I've been brewing my own beer for a few years now. I'll just have to learn to grow my own hops and barley.

Sovereign ingredient for a happy marriage: Pay cash or do without. Interest charges not only eat up a household budget; awareness of debt eats up domestic felicity. --Lazarus Long

[DaveX86]

Good strategy...guys will always need beer :)

[Chris Austin]

And I think I'll have one right now.

Sovereign ingredient for a happy marriage: Pay cash or do without. Interest charges not only eat up a household budget; awareness of debt eats up domestic felicity. --Lazarus Long

[Paul Conrad]

I plan on just pressing on to the best of my abilities through these uncertain times.

"The clue train passed his station without stopping." - John Simmons / outlaw programmer "Real programmers just throw a bunch of 1s and 0s at the computer to see what sticks" - Pete O'Hanlon "Not only do you continue to babble nonsense, you can't even correctly remember the nonsense you babbled just minutes ago." - Rob Graham

[Paul Conrad]

Chris Austin wrote:

I've been brewing my own beer for a few years now.

Cool. A friend of mine has a microbrewery going and it's pretty sweet :)

"The clue train passed his station without stopping." - John Simmons / outlaw programmer "Real programmers just throw a bunch of 1s and 0s at the computer to see what sticks" - Pete O'Hanlon "Not only do you continue to babble nonsense, you can't even correctly remember the nonsense you babbled just minutes ago." - Rob Graham

[micmanos]

To all you feeling a bit assured ... Murphy Lay No26. ------------------- If you perceive that there are four possible ways in which something can go wrong, and circumvent these, then a fifth way, unprepared for, will promptly develop. Sweet Dreams to all ... ;P

[Lee Humphries]

Live in a least developed country. They are largely isolated from first world financial meltdowns thanks to long term aid commitments, and let's face it, they usually have bigger problems to deal with. Not so great if you've got kids and you want them to get a decent education. And if you want a simple answer as to how long it can go on for just consider that there are still large tranches of the US sub-prime mortgage belt to flip over to the higher interest rates, probably around another year of that. That will continue to be a highly suppressive influence on any desired recovery.

I just love Koalas - they go great with Bacon.

[Duncan Edwards Jones]

I have invested in cattle - if their value drops I'll eat them :-)

'--8<------------------------ Ex Datis: Duncan Jones Merrion Computing Ltd

[BillWoodruff]

Hi Tapas, First I will ride Depression with a saddle : if he throws me, I will sell him to the glue factory, or the cat food factory, whichever offers the better price. best, Bill

"The greater the social and cultural distances between people, the more magical the light that can spring from their contact." Milan Kundera in Testaments Trahis

[hairy_hats]

Christian Graus wrote:

I have a three year contract ( if I get fired, they pay me out )

Why not get yourself fired and take three years off?

[stevepqr]

Starting my own business - www.keepitunderthemattress.com Only problem is as I get more customers I will find it harder to sleep... ;)

Apathy Rules - I suppose...

Its not the things you fear that come to get you but all the things that you don't expect

[ghle]

Best career move I've made. I took a job as CIO for a company that buys bad loans. Business is better than ever. Sorry folks.

Gary