Any Change Of Plans?


christo930

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 4, 2004
Messages
1,095
Location
Pennsylvania, USA
With the US economy tanking and taking the rest of the world with it, I'm wondering how many people around here were planning on getting a Pandora or Wiz and are now seriously rethinking their purchase due to uncertainty about their job or having less credit available to them or whatever. I am probably going to put off the purchase of any new gaming system for the immediate future, especially an expensive one like the Pandora. I was thinking of a new laptop and I decided against that one too. I would like to upgrade (both my gp2x and the computer), but I think I can get by just fine with my existing hardware, given the severity of the situation.

Chris
 
I still have my Pandora on the way and I recently spent $750 on a new quad core PC with a $240 video card.

BUT I'M JUST A LOONEY!
 
ShyGuy said:
I still have my Pandora on the way and I recently spent $750 on a new quad core PC with a $240 video card.

BUT I'M JUST A LOONEY!
where the hell did you find stuff that cheap
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Okay, yeah, the economy's bad, but this isn't the goddamn Great Depression. It's not even as bad as the Carter administration slump was, and people still managed to buy Ataris and shit back then. If your economic situation is bad, I feel for you, but the melodrama's getting really old really fast. <_<
 
Actually, the only effect of the current problems on me personally is the fact that it now costs me only $25 to fill my gas tank, less than half what it was a few months ago. So, in fact, I now have more money to spend on stuff. :lol:

Admittedly, I'm a student without a full-time job.
 
CronoTriggerfan said:
Okay, yeah, the economy's bad, but this isn't the goddamn Great Depression. It's not even as bad as the Carter administration slump was, and people still managed to buy Ataris and shit back then. If your economic situation is bad, I feel for you, but the melodrama's getting really old really fast. <_<
QFT People are acting like we're out standing in soup lines. Unemployment is still in the single digits unless I missed something (certainly possible). I'm seeing Help Wanted signs all over the place, so employment must not be all THAT bad. That's my personal indicator of Bad Times™. Now, I'm speaking U.S. here... not sure how the rest of the world's doing on employment.

Tom: I agree. Cheaper gas = more cash for me. Unlike you though, I'm a father of 2 with a full time job, so you'll be happy to know it's not killing us either. ; )
 
Last edited by a moderator:
As long as I can find a dry cardboard box to sleep in and newspapers to wrap my feet in, I will still buy the Pandora.
 
@ prophet: talk about dedication.

I just hope the device gets to my house before anything... unwanted happens in the world that would cause issues
 
Foehammer said:
Unemployment is still in the single digits unless I missed something
You mean rate, right? Even so, 6% unemployment is nothing to shake a stick at.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
If you REALLY needed the money, you could still buy the Pandora and resell it on eBay. I can almost guarantee that it will be worth more than what you payed for it. :)
 
No rethinking here, as I had already put money aside beforehand specifically for it.
 
Consequence9 said:
Foehammer said:
Unemployment is still in the single digits unless I missed something
You mean rate, right? Even so, 6% unemployment is nothing to shake a stick at.

The unemployment rate in the US is very misleading. You are only counted as unemployed if you are using the unemployment center for something, like getting a unemployment check or looking for a job through the unemployment center. Once your checks run out, or if you don't qualify, and you aren't looking for a job through them, you are no longer unemployed. Also, gauging the employment situation in your area by looking at help wanted signs, really isn't a great way to do it. Most of those signs are for part time, entry level low paying jobs like retail clerks who are in demand because of the coming Christmas rush. They don't represent good paying, family supporting jobs.
Sure, there are millions of people who are doing just fine right now, buy even if you are doing fine, if you loose your job, you will have a lot of competition finding another and that is what scares people. That is why people are saying that they plan on spending less money this year for the holidays then they did last year.
I tend to be financially conservative and I personally would like a bigger cushion if something goes wrong in my life, than have a new toy. Some people aren't in the same boat, like students and young people living at home and some are and still don't worry. But I don't think I'm so conservative that I am the only one who is going to put off unnecessary purchases until things start to look a little brighter. I also realize that people are sick of hearing about it, but that doesn't change anything that will or won't happen. Being prepared looks silly if nothing happens, but you're much better off when it does.

The lower cost of energy has been a big help for many folks and is helping a lot with people heating and gasoline costs and has put a lot of extra money that people didn't know they had into their pockets. But, it is the bad economy, at least in part, which has created a glut of oil on the market and the lower cost that comes with an imbalance of supply/demand. Over the summer, people were worried how they were going to pay 1000 a month heating oil bills. That has been the one silver lining in the cloud.

Chris
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Consequence9 said:
Foehammer said:
Unemployment is still in the single digits unless I missed something
You mean rate, right? Even so, 6% unemployment is nothing to shake a stick at.

It certainly isn't. Especially for me, since I'm part of that statistic as of last week.

I will still be getting a Pandora though. It's already paid for.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
check out these videos; shows why the next 20 years will be 'interesting' times according to the author
and yes will get my pandora even though money is tight as i see it as an investment that will replace my GP2X that i use reguarly for work (english teaching) :)

http://www.chrismartenson.com/crashcourse

---What is it?

The Crash Course seeks to provide you with a baseline understanding of the economy so that you can better appreciate the risks that we all face---
 
Chip said:
Consequence9 said:
Foehammer said:
Unemployment is still in the single digits unless I missed something
You mean rate, right? Even so, 6% unemployment is nothing to shake a stick at.

It certainly isn't. Especially for me, since I'm part of that statistic as of last week.

I will still be getting a Pandora though. It's already paid for.


I'm sorry to hear that. I wish you luck in finding a new job. ;)

-God Ginrai
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Chip said:
It certainly isn't. Especially for me, since I'm part of that statistic as of last week.

I will still be getting a Pandora though. It's already paid for.
I also lost my job two weeks ago. Ended up getting it back though, when they realized the place wouldn't run without me. :rolleyes:

I wish I were kidding, but I truly did get that lucky. I hope things work out for you as well, Chip.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
CronoTriggerfan said:
Okay, yeah, the economy's bad, but this isn't the goddamn Great Depression. It's not even as bad as the Carter administration slump was, and people still managed to buy Ataris and shit back then. If your economic situation is bad, I feel for you, but the melodrama's getting really old really fast. <_<
how much taxes do you pay a year? are you a homeowner? do you have to pay for life insurance policies on multiple people? do you have to feed a household?
hm?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Chip said:
It certainly isn't. Especially for me, since I'm part of that statistic as of last week.
I'm very sorry to hear that, Chip. I wish you luck in finding a new job soon.

What exactly is your line of work?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
PoisonedV said:
CronoTriggerfan said:
Okay, yeah, the economy's bad, but this isn't the goddamn Great Depression. It's not even as bad as the Carter administration slump was, and people still managed to buy Ataris and shit back then. If your economic situation is bad, I feel for you, but the melodrama's getting really old really fast. <_<
how much taxes do you pay a year? are you a homeowner? do you have to pay for life insurance policies on multiple people? do you have to feed a household?
hm?


I feel the same way, seems Cronotriggerfan is a rich boy living it up in a palace. If you had to pay taxes, insurance and so on and so forth your tune would change so fast your mouth would disintegrate.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Thanks guys, for your kind words.

Getting laid off is a bit of a hassle, but I'm confident that I will find another job soon. I am an HVAC controls engineer, and not that many people do what I do. My previous employer was kind enough to give me a couple weeks severance pay, so I'm taking it easy this week (haven't had a vacation in 18 months!) and I'll start making phone calls next week. With a little luck I'll be working again before Thanksgiving.
 
Back
Top