Have you slowed down your spending?

[rob62521]

The article discussed the fact the DOW went down because so few jobs were added and that July's layoffs were high. It then went into detail about American's aren't spending. Have you saved more or spent less?

Stocks retreat after disappointing jobs report - Yahoo! Finance

Personally, summers tend to be bigger spending times for us. Since I'm on vacation and this is when we do things like get the a/c checked, carpets cleaned, dry cleaning done for the winter, etc., we tend to do a lot more spending. We also take short trips.

[disneysteve]

We haven't changed our spending patterns. We are fortunate to have our jobs and our investments. The recession hasn't had any major impact on us. We already save about 25% of our income and have continued to do so. We still spend on luxuries like dining out, travel, clothes, toys, casino gambling and other things we enjoy.

[EconoMutt]

The only change we've made is to pump up our emergency fund account to 6 month's expenses instead of just 3.

[snshijuptr]

Our habits changed, but that's because I just graduated college and as a "child of the great recession" we can't afford to not have an efund. My teacher husband has been fired the past 2 summers. In addition no one is going to lend us a mortgage without a 20% down payment. So, yeah, me and all of my friends are saving instead of spending on houses, having kids, large weddings, etc.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

Our savings have steadily increased over the last two years, but at a rate ($/month) the same as previously. This is in the face of less income. I think this has to mean we are spending less. Some expenses have gone up while some have gone down, but we don't seriously track expenses or budget, so I could not put together any actual numbers without a lot of work. (No, thanks.)

[Broken Arrow]

No change here....

Actually, my consumer spending did increase back in 2009, when all those awesome recession discounts were happening. I got a lot of great deals on things that I've been either putting off or really wanted but didn't want to pay full price for.

Otherwise, no change. However, my spending habits does not reflect the general economy. Due to my belief in frugality, I would not have spent any more money if the economy is doing great.

But I do get what the article is saying though. In our consumer economy, consumer spending plays a role in our overall economic health.

[zakity]

Our spending has changed, partially because of the economy and partially because of family changes. The boys are eating a lot more and I am trying to not increase the grocery budget which means different shopping and cooking. Grocery prices have also increase which has made the task interesting to say the least.

[GREENBACK]

Otherwise, no change. However, my spending habits does not reflect the general economy. Due to my belief in frugality, I would not have spent any more money if the economy is doing great.

Mirrors my thoughts exactly. Many people are now starting to watch their spending the way a lot of us always have regardless of the economy. I personally haven't made a single change but feel fortunate to have a very secure job.

[PMMM]

We have slowed our spending quite a bit. But mainly because of job considerations. It does not seem to be as stable as I once thought it was. I am still contributing to my 401K though it looks pretty bad of late what with the stock market on the way down again. I have increased our emergency fund funding by a lot and have surpassed 1 year of savings at current spending rates. If my job tanked I could cut our expenses by about 43% which would extend that period by quite a bit.

I currently am not helping the economy but I have to look out for the family first. We are also refinancing the house to reduce the payment by about $300 per month. I am taking zero out of the equity.

I'm hoping the job keeps on keeping on.

Regards,

PMMM

[wincrasher]

I've been spending like a drunken sailer all year.

But this week I'm cooling it. So far, I've only pissed away $127.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Increased spending but we increased our family size so I guess that's how it should be.

[curtis.lesa]

We tried hard, but are not able to slow down our expenses. They are just escalating day by day. Our income is the same. We are still able to save 10 percent of our income this year compared to the 20 percent last year.

[snafu]

We have been paying closer attention to spending June, July, August and asking ourselves 'do we need this, is it better to delay/decline to make this purchase' and spending increased. There has been an increase in costs nearly across the board. Gas, food, dog food & grooming particularly noticeable. We have just been told natural gas heating will increase 57%. I wonder why since the product has dropped to $ 4.77 per jj.

I increased investment purchase on serious market downtick in August. My furnace is kaput and will be replaced this week $ 4K unexpected expense ouch.

[CraigThor]

Spending lately has increased for me with my new job. They provide most of the bare essentials but the money I have invested has a few things working in my favor:

1- Make me more efficient at my job which means my hourly wage is higher when figured for vacation time.

2- Makes me more organized at my job which means less trips to the truck to look for things.

3- I can write it all off at the end of the year to help offset taxes.

I still have another $800 I want to spend this month to get the last of my tools to make my job easier but will hold off till my next pay period as Friday covers the monthly bills, food, and the gas auger I bought today.

We rarely spend outside of needs anymore as we were both unemployed for over 8 months each so there was little extra to spend anyways. The only wants I have purchased are tools for my new job so I can be faster and more efficient which means I get more jobs done and get home sooner so it is pluses all around.

Craig