OT: Is anyone else tightening their belts due to the economy?

[NoirAbattoir]

Part of our problem is that we've relocated twice in as many years. Both times, we lost a chunk of income from one or the other's professional salary. We've got a lot of debt, but we're keeping our head above water. But it seems this economy sucks ass so bad, many people are dealing with these kinds of issues.

 

In order to be able to go out to eat once in a while, buy small frivolous items once in a while, and still keep up with all our bills, we've cut back on a few things:

 

- Netflix gone

- Emusic gone

- No more online paysites (ahem)

- Make my own coffee as opposed to buying on the road

- Cable cut back to basic channels and high-speed internet only

- We take out books from the library instead of buying them

- I spend far less than I ever used to on gear, though I've turned a bunch of stuff over in order to fund the purchase of different items and once again racked up my MF card on a costly amp.

 

It hasn't been this crappy in America since the late 80s.

 

Anyone else feeling this?

[FuzzShifter]

I get fast food once per paycheck. (bi-weekly)
Trade for pedals, instead of buying.
Build pedals, instead of buying.
Go to the grocery store on the way from work, to save gas.
No ppv movies.
Listen to pandora, instead of buying CD's.
I could go on, but it's really getting depressing. (pun fully intended)

[dap99]

Yeah, we got rid of cable long ago. We got rid of Netflix for a while, but since we don't go out a lot, we have it again. I'm definitely trying to drive less. I use an agency vehicle whenever possible just to avoid the wear and tear on my car (we do get reimbursed for gas w/ our own cars at least). I can't bring myself to get rid of my Sirius Radio. Regular Radio just sucks soooo much compated to Satellite. I'm not buying much beer these days (but part of that is b/c I'm a fatty and I'm back in the gym and watching what I eat - but I have saved some $$ this way).

[jamesclark]

I've been tightening my belt for along time now being a single father of 2.
The last one is graduating this year so lookout world:D Daddies ready
to spend some money on himself. AW {censored}!! College:mad:

[Fender&EHX4ever]

The only thing I spend money on anymore are pedals, our cat, and holiday travel. My wife and I don't watch television other than to borrow DVDs from our local public library. The only cable service we get is Roadrunner, and I'm considering dropping it since I mostly use the free wifi downtown. I always brew my own coffee in the morning. It's the only thing that gets me out of bed at f'in 5:45 am. However, we have been spending a lot on eating out, which we'll have to cut back on bigtime. Luckily, we don't spend much on gas, because our offices are less than a mile away. Most of the time I walk to work.

 

If the economy gets any worse, my lifestyle won't change all that much since I've been living as if it was bad all along.

[driverhasabomb]

I've always been tight as hell so I haven't really changed anything even though I make twice as much this year as I did last year.

I'll be getting a new car soon though so that will make things a little tighter.

[OldCrankyDouche]

I relate to EVERYTHING mentioned here.

 

You know what the most PATHETIC thing about this is:

 

We are at war. And when a country is at war, money FLOWS IN like a broken dam.

 

From the mouth of Dick Cheney: "We need another Pearl Harbor".

 

Think about it. All of the {censored}ing billionairres are cashing in while we struglle to make rent/mortgage.

 

ImVERY SERIOUSLY thinking about leaving my home country.

 

I cant wait to hear the replies.

 

BTW: anyone catch Bush throwing out the 1st pitch at the opening day Washington Nationals game? LOL X 14,000,000,000

[pbone]

You guys buy CDs?

[phishmarisol]

What kind of paysites were you using before? I can't think of a single thing you can't already get for free online, but of course there may be things out there that I'm not aware of.

[mrweems]

gas.

food.

gear.

[mrweems]

 

You guys buy CDs?

 

 

I bought InRainbows yesterday for $7

 

Last cd i have received or bought since xmas. Prior to that the summer.

[pbone]

 

I bought InRainbows yesterday for $7

 

 

I got it for free.

 

I might take a semester off at the end of the school year and move to Seattle, which means I'll be supporting myself. So. Yeah. Looking forward to that. I have a job, and I'm pretty much close to done when it comes to buying pedals, so every penny that I make there goes to dinner (plus a little bit to HCFX)

[Fatso Forgottso]

You guys buy CDs?

 

{censored} you, its people like you that are ruining the music industry.

[pbone]

{censored} you, its people like you that are ruining the music industry.

 

 

No, it's not at all. It's {censored}ing big-name label execs who aren't catching up with modern times AT ALL. $17 for a CD? {censored}. That. {censored}. How can they possibly expect me to pay for that? I have 12000 songs in my itunes, and I paid for maybe 10% of them. No way am I apologizing for that.

 

Read this.

[Fatso Forgottso]

No, it's not at all. It's {censored}ing big-name label execs who aren't catching up with modern times AT ALL. $17 for a CD? {censored}. That. {censored}. How can they possibly expect me to pay for that? I have 12000 songs in my itunes, and I paid for maybe 10% of them. No way am I apologizing for that. Read this.

 

 

I agree with you about the label executives point, but that doesn't change the fact that you're not supporting the artists you like.

[sdresdre]

No, it's not at all. It's {censored}ing big-name label execs who aren't catching up with modern times AT ALL. $17 for a CD? {censored}. That. {censored}. How can they possibly expect me to pay for that? I have 12000 songs in my itunes, and I paid for maybe 10% of them. No way am I apologizing for that. Read this.

 

 

lame

[pbone]

I agree with you about the label executives point, but that doesn't change the fact that you're not supporting the artists you like.

 

 

A tiny fraction of a sale of a CD goes to the band. Tiny. iTunes gives more than a CD sale would. I support the artists I like by going to their shows, and buying gear. I have lots of band shirts. Not to mention that I make mixtapes every night for people of bands that I like and spread their names. I'd rather support a band directly than through their label (indie labels aside, but I still don't have enough money to buy CDs.)

 

Read the Demonbaby article, man.

[dap99]

I relate to EVERYTHING mentioned here. You know what the most PATHETIC thing about this is: We are at war. And when a country is at war, money FLOWS IN like a broken dam. From the mouth of Dick Cheney: "We need another Pearl Harbor". Think about it. All of the {censored}ing billionairres are cashing in while we struglle to make rent/mortgage. ImVERY SERIOUSLY thinking about leaving my home country. I cant wait to hear the replies. BTW: anyone catch Bush throwing out the 1st pitch at the opening day Washington Nationals game? LOL X 14,000,000,000

 

 

Not to mention the RECORD profits the Oil Companies are making. Thank god those hearings are going on. I don't see how those asshats can tell expect the $18 Billion in tax cuts while they make money hand over fist and the rest of us are barely scraping by. We're talking PROFITs here so they have some audacity telling us that their costs are this and that. If that's the case, it would be reflected in the profits.

 

Of course we have a fekkin' Oil Guy as our president so it's no G.D. surprise.

[Drifter182]

-Gas
-Lunch at campus occasionally
-New shirts/pants/etc when they need to be replaced
-Everything else is banked/guitar funds

Can't imagine living on my own though

Would like to say though that the worst part about all of this is that it probably could have been avoided somehow. I won't lay blame anywhere, but lets face it, this has been a DRASTIC change for only about 7 years worth of time.

Hopefully the media shuts the {censored} up about recession though. If it does happen, it's because they brain washed everyone into thinking it would.

**EDIT** just to piss on Cheny more, when asked about how he felt about the soldiers in Iraq dying - "So?".........not April Fools either

[Dolf]

Not to mention the RECORD profits the Oil Companies are making. Thank god those hearings are going on. I don't see how those asshats can tell expect the $18 Billion in tax cuts while they make money hand over fist and the rest of us are barely scraping by. We're talking PROFITs here so they have some audacity telling us that their costs are this and that. If that's the case, it would be reflected in the profits. Of course we have a fekkin' Oil Guy as our president so it's no G.D. surprise.

Oil companies are making exponentially larger profits than they ever have been...EVER.

The price keeps going up and simultaneously...SO DO THE PROFITS! Isn't that amazing, since they keep "having to raise prices to offset the rising cost of oil?"

Sounds like bull{censored} to me!

[Fatso Forgottso]

A tiny fraction of a sale of a CD goes to the band. Tiny. iTunes gives more than a CD sale would. I support the artists I like by going to their shows, and buying gear. I have lots of band shirts. Not to mention that I make mixtapes every night for people of bands that I like and spread their names. I'd rather support a band directly than through their label (indie labels aside, but I still don't have enough money to buy CDs.) Read the Demonbaby article, man.

That article has definetely changed my P.O.V, especially with the part about how its an industry of excess. But for me, nothing says dedicated fan like the entire discography and piles and piles of cd's. Maybe its just because I take my music listening very seriously. I listen to cd's all the way through and read the lyrics and look at the artwork, and I'm saving up for a high-fidelity stereo. (www.tivoliaudio.com) Plus, I don't have an iPod, so music on the computer is basically useless to me.

[cg_25]

US economy sux. I live in Canada!

[pbone]

That article has definetely changed my P.O.V, especially with the part about how its an industry of excess. But for me, nothing says dedicated fan like the entire discography and piles and piles of cd's. Maybe its just because I take my music listening very seriously. I listen to cd's all the way through and read the lyrics and look at the artwork, and I'm saving up for a high-fidelity stereo. ( www.tivoliaudio.com ) Plus, I don't have an iPod, so music on the computer is basically useless to me.

I don't know how not buying a CD makes me less of a fan. I'd rather have a hard drive's worth of music instead of a small collection of CDs.

So let's do the math then. I'll assume that every CD in my library costs $13. I have 986 albums. That's $12,818. I could buy 32 Timefactors with that, or probably one car. It just ain't happening, cap'n. My music collection is ever-expanding, thanks to the internet. I couldn't do that if I bought all my CDs. No dice. I listen to more bands, more songs, more albums, more genres, go to more shows, and tell people about bands that they don't know more often all thanks to bittorrent.

Point is: bands make much more through shows and merch than through CD sales. I'm still just as much a fan as anyone else, I just don't think that I need to pour money into that to prove it.

[Fender&EHX4ever]

Oil companies are making exponentially larger profits than they ever have been...EVER. The price keeps going up and simultaneously...SO DO THE PROFITS! Isn't that amazing, since they keep "having to raise prices to offset the rising cost of oil?" Sounds like bull{censored} to me!

 

Every time I fill my gas tank, I feel like I've just bought a bag of heroin, and the pushers keep getting richer and richer.

[Drifter182]

I don't know how not buying a CD makes me less of a fan. I'd rather have a hard drive's worth of music instead of a small collection of CDs. So let's do the math then. I'll assume that every CD in my library costs $13. I have 986 albums. That's $12,818. I could buy 32 Timefactors with that, or probably one car. It just ain't happening, cap'n. My music collection is ever-expanding, thanks to the internet. I couldn't do that if I bought all my CDs. No dice. I listen to more bands, more songs, more albums, more genres, go to more shows, and tell people about bands that they don't know more often all thanks to bittorrent. Point is: bands make much more through shows and merch than through CD sales. I'm still just as much a fan as anyone else, I just don't think that I need to pour money into that to prove it.

 

 

 

Careful, my bro got fined by the RIAA for illegally downloading

 

12,818

-2,000

=

10,818

 

 

or

 

12,818

-Lawyer cost x length of defense suite -win/lose

=

lol

 

FYI:cop: