How has the economy affected you?

Thanks for sharing Kizu, Iwakuralain16, and magiktori! =) It's awesome that everyone else is not being affected by the significant economic downturns since last October! For those of you who are still keeping strong with your purchases (cels & other hobbies), can you share some of your tips on how you've kept your resilience? Gracias! =) I think during these troubling times we could all use some pointers on keeping positive about life and this hobby as well.

I don't think that it's that no one but four members are affected, but that a lot of people do not enjoy talking about their finances, especially if they are not doing so well.

Even though my job will always be around, because of the surplus of cheap labor, they've hired so many people that it's cut into my overtime. Overtime is still there, but now I'm ending up doing it on days that I really don't want to instead of having the luxury of working whatever days I choose.

In terms of purchasing, I find myself purchasing more domestically than I would on YJ. This may be because there aren't many items that I want on YJ, but, with fluctuations in the exchange rates, shipping and deputy fees, I'm more prone to buy something on E-bay now than in the past.

i think the exchange rate affected mostly european country.
for example 200usd in october is equivalent to under 100 pounds, but now its pretty much 'jumped' to 135pounds..
in the past i wouldnt hesitate paying $150 for a cel i want, no its totally a diffrent story..maybe time to quit collecting :(

Thanks cutiebunny and love song for sharing. Personally cutiebunny if the reason you suggested is the reason why others aren't sharing, I find it a bit sad... since in these troubling times many of us are not banding together to emotionally support one another. Even during relatively good times it is hard to manage this hobby, but isn't it true that especially during challenging times this is precisely when we really need each others support and coping tips? I agree finances are getting tougher, so I for one would like to learn from others how they are coping. Would anyone be surprised if some of us are encountering similar concerns/struggles?

I think that recently I've been buying a bit more^_^ people are selling things that they wouldn't normally I guess.

The economy has made me a little nervous, but I've been trying to respond to that in healthy ways. Getting everything paid off that I can, having a savings cushion in case of emergency, and just trying to watch how I spend my money better. Honestly if this had happened 2 years ago I would have been out of luck, but I worked hard to get to this place.