Is the recession making you depressed? Cranky?

[OneTimeSBX]

i am always a self-imposed Scrooge around this time of year. i dont go shop anywhere other than grocery stores, all my regular shopping is done online. i hate christmas crowds...

that said, this year i am in a particularly pissy mood. i havent worked since LAST NOVEMBER...so the little bit of holiday spirit i managed to scrape together is long gone...especially since i was let go after an unpaid maternity leave, so technically i havent had a paycheck since october 07. the recession, other than not being able to find a job ANYWHERE (not even a damn 7-11! MY DEGREE IS USELESS!), isnt really hitting me as much. its just general moodiness.

[epchick]

Originally Posted by OneTimeSBX

the recession, other than not being able to find a job ANYWHERE (not even a damn 7-11! MY DEGREE IS USELESS!), isnt really hitting me as much. its just general moodiness.

I agree with this sentiment. I can't blame the recession for me not getting a job, because there are plenty of places hiring. Why I haven't gotten a job yet, I have no idea. That is what contributes to my moody, that I can't get even a simple desk job (I agree, my degree seems pretty useless at the moment). I've been out of work since Dec. '07, so it just frustrates me.

[AGDee]

I haven't been able to find a link, but they said on our morning news today that Michigan's unemployment rate went from 8.8% in October to 14.6 in November (seasonally adjusted). All I can say is ... isht.

[UGAalum94]

There's something about being reminded that other people are worse off than you that actually can intensify routine crankiness. Yes, we should be appreciative of the things that we have absolutely, but it doesn't make your employer doing its typical morale destroying stuff any more fun. Feeling trapped by knowing that there's no place better to go doesn't improve the management you're getting.

[aggieAXO]

I am very depressed about the economy. We are starting to feel it here in Austin. It sucks when I have to euthanize an animal that is treatable due to finances (this is not new but lately it has been much worse). I have paid for some of the treatments myself and saved a couple of animals but I can't keep doing this. Sometimes I send the animal home with minimal treatment but I am always thinking about how that pet is doing and wondering-are they suffering?? We had 2 full grown cats dumped at our south location, they were so frightened and cold (a tech took them in thank goodness). More and more people have to give up their pets, the shelters are full. People get mad at me when I can't take payments even though I explian to them I do not own the clinic, I have no control over pricing. I had one lady say to me: "well I guess only rich people can have animals" in a vey nasty voice. It makes me hate my job and is very stressful.
All I can say is try and plan for the worse and hope for the best.
ok I am going to jump off a cliff J/K (maybe)

[AKA_Monet]

Originally Posted by aggieAXO

I am very depressed about the economy. We are starting to feel it here in Austin. It sucks when I have to euthanize an animal that is treatable due to finances (this is not new but lately it has been much worse). I have paid for some of the treatments myself and saved a couple of animals but I can't keep doing this. Sometimes I send the animal home with minimal treatment but I am always thinking about how that pet is doing and wondering-are they suffering?? We had 2 full grown cats dumped at our south location, they were so frightened and cold (a tech took them in thank goodness). More and more people have to give up their pets, the shelters are full. People get mad at me when I can't take payments even though I explian to them I do not own the clinic, I have no control over pricing. I had one lady say to me: "well I guess only rich people can have animals" in a vey nasty voice. It makes me hate my job and is very stressful.
All I can say is try and plan for the worse and hope for the best.
ok I am going to jump off a cliff J/K (maybe)

Thankfully, I was laid off from my lab position that demanded I euthanize 300 mice over 2 days. That was painful because all those experiments that "could have been done". Scientists need to plan their experiments better!!!

My husband said that when he had to put down a few large animals because they were too sick, that it takes 2-3 days to get over it. It took me 2 weeks to be "fine" with it...

I feel for you!

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by aggieAXO

I am very depressed about the economy. We are starting to feel it here in Austin. It sucks when I have to euthanize an animal that is treatable due to finances (this is not new but lately it has been much worse). I have paid for some of the treatments myself and saved a couple of animals but I can't keep doing this. Sometimes I send the animal home with minimal treatment but I am always thinking about how that pet is doing and wondering-are they suffering?? We had 2 full grown cats dumped at our south location, they were so frightened and cold (a tech took them in thank goodness). More and more people have to give up their pets, the shelters are full. People get mad at me when I can't take payments even though I explian to them I do not own the clinic, I have no control over pricing. I had one lady say to me: "well I guess only rich people can have animals" in a vey nasty voice. It makes me hate my job and is very stressful.
All I can say is try and plan for the worse and hope for the best.
ok I am going to jump off a cliff J/K (maybe)

Do y'all do the CareCredit thing? We recently got one of our cats a P.U. (for non-vet-folk, it's basically taking your anatomically male cat and buying him a $2,000 vagina so he [now it, I guess] can pass bladder stones). The surgery wasn't that expensive, but we had a few post-op complications which resulted in about 2-3 weeks of hospitalization.

There's a 10% financing fee and it's zero % for 1 year (which we'll easily pay off). It's a decent deal though, I guess.

[SWTXBelle]

It's time to get more heartworm medication for my dog. I can't afford it, but I can't afford to NOT get it and have him get sick. I need my doggie more than ever now! ARRRGGGHHH. And it is a weekly debate at the grocery store - get the cheap yucky food for him, and save a few dollars, or bite the bullet, get the good stuff, and try to keep him healthy. So far, I get the good stuff. (Not the old at the vet good stuff, but the grocery store good stuff.) I never thought I would be in this situation . . .sigh.

[aggieAXO]

Originally Posted by Kevin

Do y'all do the CareCredit thing? We recently got one of our cats a P.U. (for non-vet-folk, it's basically taking your anatomically male cat and buying him a $2,000 vagina so he [now it, I guess] can pass bladder stones). The surgery wasn't that expensive, but we had a few post-op complications which resulted in about 2-3 weeks of hospitalization.

There's a 10% financing fee and it's zero % for 1 year (which we'll easily pay off). It's a decent deal though, I guess.

yes we have CC. I remember about 2 months ago on one Sunday all of my clients had to apply for CC (8 of them that day) and no one was approved!! That is when the credit market was tightened. It has been better lately. I had a client today get 4400 on CC thank goodness. Still probably about 50% get declined for CC and then what do you do??? My boss is very generous for the most part and will let us give some injections for free (we make clients sign a promise to pay but only about 1% actually end up paying). Luckily all my clients could pay today.

[Munchkin03]

Originally Posted by UGAalum94

There's something about being reminded that other people are worse off than you that actually can intensify routine crankiness.

YES! This is so true...I have a friend who does this ALL THE TIME. Anything, from "I'm tired," to "I haven't dated anyone in a while," to "This is going to be a tight month..." he always tells me that he has it worse. Grrrrr!

[KSigkid]

Originally Posted by Munchkin03

YES! This is so true...I have a friend who does this ALL THE TIME. Anything, from "I'm tired," to "I haven't dated anyone in a while," to "This is going to be a tight month..." he always tells me that he has it worse. Grrrrr!

It sounds a whole lot like the "There are starving kids in (insert country here)" line that parents always give...

[texas*princess]

Hmmmm

I'm thinking this might be worse than I thought it would be in the beginning.

Several months ago (August/Sept-ish) I figured it was going to get crappy for a little bit longer and all would be better once '09 rolled around...

but it's not really looking that way.