Cutting Back?

Every day more and more people are losing their jobs. Companies that seemed to be strong are laying off thousands. People are even cutting out that morning cup of starbucks coffee so now they are laying off baristas and closing shops. Is anyone safe?

Or is everyone who still has a job afraid to spend any money on anything but the essentials 'just in case'?

We're feeling the effects of this failing economy with my sales on etsy having dropped dramatically these past few months. This January my shop is doing about 1/3 of the normal January business of the past two years. What to do? I'm used to listing a lot of new things each day in an effort to stay ahead of the game here, but I'm starting to feel like it's a losing battle. My fees add up but the sales aren't coming in at the normal speed, so listing seems like a waste of money. But, if I don't list new things, my shop will quickly slide into oblivion and be lost amongst the thousands of other etsy sellers trying to make a buck there. I'm listing more on shophandmade-no fees for listing, but also no buyers buying. I've got my artfire shop up for a flat fee of 7.00 a month, but also, no buyers buying. Sigh...

Do I go get a part time job (within walking distance since we only have one car now?) or do I just ride it out and hope things turn around within the next few months. Are there any part time jobs to be had? Don't think so, but maybe McDonalds is hiring? Ick.

I guess we'll just ride it out and pinch those pennies even tighter. There are no bills that we can cut back on, we don't have cable that we could cancel, or cell phones that we could turn off. I kind of need the internet connection to try and run my business, so that can't be turned off. We are trying to buy smarter at the grocery store, but you know what? No matter how cheap Hamburger Helper gets, it still tastes like crap.

It's the 'always something we need to buy each week' that really cuts into the old budget. Toilet paper (an absolute necessity, no Cheryl Crowing using only one sheet for me!) A cheaper brand of toilet paper? No, sorry, my tender bottom needs its Charmin, thank you very much. Cheaper cat food? Already been there. Make the cats go outside to go poop instead of buying cat litter? No, if they go outside, they get fleas, which gives them worms, which means bigger vet bills in the long run. Have Keith take lunch to work instead of eating out? Already there, he's always brought his own lunch, and we even pack the sandwich in tupperware instead of a plastic bag.

So, we'll just have to hang in there for now, doing our best to not get too discouraged. Keith's job seems pretty recession proof and the company appears to be strong, so we're not too worried about that. We've got a few dollars set aside for emergencies, so it's not like we'll be standing in a soup line anytime soon, and we're not living in a cardboard box yet, so we'll just ride it out and see what happens.