How to Survive in an Economic Recession

A country’s economy is a cycle. Sometimes it’s at the top and sometimes it’s below. Being at the lower part of the cycle is what you may have heard and read over and over again in televisions and newspapers as economic recession.

An economic recession is characterized by weakening business environment where there is low demand and in turn lower production. Most of the time, this results to a high inflation rate, which in lay man’s term is the lowering of the value of one’s money. This happens because of the rising costs of food and other retail items in the country. The same number of items that you can buy with for instance a hundred dollars will not be the same as number of items that you used that with years ago.

An economic recession, when it charges forth without any intervention can wreak havoc in a country’s overall economic health. It can lead to the loss of jobs, closure of businesses and rising costs of living. This is what the United States is currently feeling right now. 2008 has not been a good year for the country with large losses in its real estate industry as well as in other business sectors. Many lost their jobs and had their homes foreclosed because of non-payment of monthly fees. The country is also feeling the burden of skyrocketing oil prices as well as food and living costs.

With the United States as one of the main driving forces of global economy, their slowdown is felt all over the world. Countries which they have business interests have also suffered economic slow downs. The dollar which is being used in transactions all over the world is also weakening, affecting people who have either invested in the American currency or those who use it for their business. Often, in this scenario, those who are in the export business are affected by this as they are given dollars as payment for the products that they manufacture.

But don’t get worried. Although the economic recession may seem hard to deal with, it is not impossible to do. In fact when you really think about it, the whole family can actually do their part in saving during these economic recession times. Here are some ways:

1. Involve the whole family
You are not only one who should be saving during these hard times. Doing this should actually be something that the whole family should be doing. This way, you can be sure that everyone is pulling their weight. Saving as a family will also help keep the family closer in this hard times.

2. Explain the situation
You may not realize it but young children are actually smarter than they let on. When they are given a clear explanation, they will understand the situation and will even act on their own volition. You don’t have to constantly remind them or order them about. Explaining the situation will also allow your kids to feel that they are needed and that they can do something significant for the family. As young as they are, they also like to feel that they are needed.

3. Be a role model
Asking your children and other family members to save up when you are not is a bad way to encourage them. Make sure that you serve as a good role model to them by doing your part and making sure that they see you doing your part in this economic recession.

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How to Survive the Economic Recession

People in the prehistoric times are not the only ones in survival mode. Nowadays, people all over the world especially in the United States are feeling the heat of the prevailing economic recession. With the sudden downturn of the economy, a lot of people are more hard up than they were in previous years. Some have even lost their jobs or have lost their homes because of the real estate crash in recent months. The problem with rising costs of gas has also affected the prices of food and other products. Times right now are tighter and harder.

But this is not to say that times are impossible to survive on. In fact, with a little creativity and a lot of forbearance, you can actually ride the economic recession tide and come out the victor. In this survival game, the most likely to survive are those who are willing to change their lifestyle and adapt to the times. Here are some ways to survive the economic recession:

1. Save!
This is not the time to buy, buy and buy in the excess. Buy only those that you feel you can eat or use. Do not buy more than you need. That way, you can be sure that you will not be wasting food. If you don’t need additional clothes or things at home, don’t buy any. Save your money for other things that you will be needing in case emergency times are called for.

Saving does not only mean saving money but also saving in electricity, gas and water. You may not realize it but these are things that get a large chunk from your monthly expenses. The same goes with clothes and snacks. This is the time to scrimp. People will not think less of you when you do that.

2. Plan ahead.
You may not want to become an obsessive-compulsive but there are a lot of advantages to being one. Planning ahead and keeping the household organized can help save you some money in utilities, gas and even food. Planning your meals for instance will help you determine just how much you need to purchase at the grocery stores. The same goes with the gas that you use when you cook food or the electricity that you consume when you use the microwave over.

Planning meals allow you to cook food at the same time. This saves energy big time. Designating a day to go to the laundry shop, the bank, the groceries and to do other errands will allow you to save on gas by going on one road trip instead of going on multiple trips to town. You can even plan your trips in between sending your kids to school.

3. Partner with your neighbors
If kids in your neighborhood go to the same school, ask the mothers to form some sort of group that will take turns sending the kids to school and fetching them afterwards. This will not only allow you to do more during the day, it will also save in gas as the kids travel in a carpool. If this is not viable, considering getting your kids into a school bus.

This way, you can be sure that your kid is safe and of course, school buses are cheaper than driving your kids to school everyday, truly a good option for kids in this time of economic recession.

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How Can You Survive During an Economic Recession

An economic slowdown can happen at any time so you should be prepared for it. Here a few tips so you don’t get caught with your pants down until things get better.

1. If you are in debt, get out as quickly as possible. If you need help, see if you can consult with a financial adviser who can help set your budget for you.

2. You should also switch your bills to cheaper services. This includes electricity, gas, mobile phone, television broadband packages, insurance and maybe even your bank account.

3. There should also be cuts in daily spending. If you buy a lot in the grocery, see to it that you finish whatever there is first before you decide to replenish it. If there are items in promo, buy them instead of what you buy usually because they could be just as good or even better than what you are used to getting.

4. See if you can get free samples. This may sound silly but you are sure to find a few every time you visit the grocery. You can also cut out some vouchers in magazines and then redeem it on your next visit.

5. For those who go to work, instead of going out and having lunch, make it at home then bring it with you to the office. This includes coffee which you can put in a flask if there isn’t any being offered.

6. You should also conserve on energy by lowering your electricity bills and fuel costs. Perhaps you can ask your boss if you can work at home two or three times a week. If this is not possible, see if you can carpool with someone from the office.

7. If you own a large vehicle, perhaps it is time to sell it or trade it in for a smaller one because of better mileage.

8. As for your electricity, see if you can change your light bulbs to those with lower wattage. Perhaps you can also put your heater down by one degree, reinsulated the place or stop drafts coming from the windows and doors.

9. Reducing your expenses are not the only ways to survive an economic recession. You can also make money by selling some stuff in a garage sale or renting out a spare room if there is someone out there who needs a place to stay.

10. If you work in an industry that gets badly hit when cash is tight, perhaps it is time to switch to another career that is more stable.

11. Since that will take some time and you will have to go to school for awhile, you can also engage in some other business on the side like bake cookies or sell some of your vegetables in your garden. Everyone has a niche so you just have to know what it is.

12. The last thing you can do to survive an economic recession is to take advantage of the situation. If you have the money, invest in long term investments so you can sell it when the economy has improved.

An economic recession is a fact of life and this often lasts for months, which is why it is better to be prepared. You should remember that your ability to stay financially stable is the only way you can deal with a potential loss of income and also inflated prices.

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How Can Your Business Survive an Economic Recession

Your business will surely be affected during an economic recession. If you don’t find ways to make it ride out the storm, chances are you will have to file for bankruptcy and close. Fortunately, there are things you can do to keep it afloat.

Remember that the heart of every business is customer service. If you give special treatment to your customers, these people will leave feeling satisfied and always come back. This is something that your employees must understand because if they don’t, these individuals will be the first one to go since you have to cut back on your expenses.

One way of doing that is to reeducate your employees. You can hold seminars on customer service or simply give them a refresher course of the products and services that you are offering because this will impress the customer the moment they walk in through the door.

You should also motivate them because good morale always achieves positive results. Being the owner of the business, you should lead by example by rendering longer hours at work. If they see you are doing whatever it takes to  stay afloat, they will do the same because again, their jobs are on the line and they could be dismissed if things get worse.

Most businesses think that letting people go is always the first option. You don’t have to make the same mistake when these reductions can be made elsewhere as long as quality is not compromised. If you have to buy things, see if you can get longer credit periods or better rates so large expenses can become smaller ones making it easy to manage.

It is always nice to have customers pay in cash but during an economic recession, that is hard for the consumer so if you don’t use a credit card machine yet, now will be a good time to get one. Studies have shown that more people will be able to buy from you using a credit card especially during a time of financial downturn.

The objective of any business is to make money so part of surviving an economic recession will be also to lower your profit margins. By informing your customers of this move, they will be able to buy more at a very reasonable price. You can raise prices again when things get better since such a crisis is only temporary.

Instead of relying on people coming through your door, you can also look at other ways to promote your business. One of the most affordable ones to date is the internet so create your own website. If you can’t do this on your own, hire someone to do it and then make sure that is it both attractive and interactive.

Other businesses are also feeling the crunch and they are also doing their best to stay afloat. Ask around what they are doing and share the same information as well so you will have other ideas and options when the ones you have right now are not working.

We are not yet out of the woods in the recent economic recession. A lot of people are still losing their jobs and their homes, which is why it is important for you to take the steps mentioned rather than doing nothing and hoping for a miracle.

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Road Sign Ahead: Signs of Economic Recession

An economic recession is defined by a negative growth in gross domestic product for two consecutive quarters.  In other words, the gross domestic products are decreasing in production.  Recession is a national or world even regional event.

Economic recession lasts from six months until a year or two, which could be the worst time frame for a recession.  Based on the experience of the United States with its last three recessions, the labor- market recession would last between three to four years.  (Schmitt and  Baker, 2008) with the actual recession only happening for more than a year and a half.  The effects of a recession could be felt longer than the actual span of the recession itself.

There are several telltale signs that a nation or region is experiencing economic recession.  MarketWatch lists seven things to watch out for to be full-warned for an economic recession event.

Accoding to MarketWatch, it is important to look at the increase of interest rates in the credit market.  Lenders are tightening lending policies because of market troubles. Companies not making any profits is another sign of a recession.
Skyrocketing oil prices are also indicators of a recession.  Oil prices have big effect on the economy, especially if the economy is experiencing little growth.  Oil is not the only one increasing their prices.  Prices of essential commodities are
also increasing.  But the stocks and property prices are going down but nobody is purchasing them.

Housing problems and foreclosures are also clear indicators.  Foreclosures happen when people and consumers are unable to pay mortgage and finance homes.  Borrowers are failing to pay back loans for homes, vehicles, businesses and credit cards.  Even banks and credit unions are missing out payments for their financial obligations due to borrowers unable to repay their loans.

There is also a relative increase of people truing to pay their bills with credit cards.  Credit card purchase is increasing. This means that people are having problems paying cash.  Using credit card to  pay for loans despite excessive interest rate shows desperation.

Consumer spending or making sure that the money from the consumers return to the economy is also something to check.  Government intervention in economic crisis resulting to fruitless efforts can also be a warning.

There is also a relative increase of unemployed people.  During an event of a recession, companies tend to release workers due to low production demand.  Low production demand means lesser income for the company owners.  Companies and firms are then obliged to release employees to reach the target income.  For the last seven years, unemployment has been rising steadfast in the United States.  Overall employment, which is still high is historical terms, is declining since the start of 2008.

So how can ordinary people foresee recession?

AOL listed some interesting real life indicators that we are experiencing economic recession.  People are stealing not only the whole car but different car parts from vehicles in parking lots.  An example is a catalytic converter, which helps the car’s emissions.  Meanwhile, inside retail stores, lesser people are shopping for merchandises.  They are now opting for wholesale store membership.

Personal and family affairs, like weddings, are also being regulated in terms of guests and food. While corporations are cutting back on country club memberships and out of town travels.

Car companies are having difficulties getting buyers even with lots of incentives.  Suddenly, the most popular restaurants in town does not have any waiting list at all.  Small and local business are closing because they can’t keep up with the expenditure.

There can be countless ways of figuring out if a nation is suffering from a setback like an economic recession.  But if these signs can be immediately detected and can give us a hint on our economic and financial future, then we should be better learn how to read the signs. Or we might not have the future.

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Collateral Damage: Suicide and Economic Recession

Economic recession and depressions are well known to bring about depression and suicidal risks. There are stories of businessmen jumping out of windows following the stock-market crash of 1929.

Unknown to many, people who commits suicide in the wake of economic recessions and financial crises are not individuals with pre-existing mental illnesses.  They are commonly middle-aged men in the verge of debt and bankruptcy.

About sixty percent of suicides in 2006 (worldwide) happen in the Asia Pacific region.   In Japan, Sri Lanka, and some parts of China report that more than 20 out of 100,000 citizens kill themselves each year.  More than twice as many in Australia and New Zealand.

It is also relatively higher in places where it is culturally accepted like in Japan and India.  When several countries in Asia- Pacific were hit by an economic crisis in mid- 1990s, there was a relative increase in the number of suicides among middle-aged men.  This group were said to be the most affected group by the economic recession.

Aside from economic factors being a reason for suicide, it also has to do something with the Asian values in terms of shame and humiliation not being able to provide for the family.

In Asian culture, loss of face or shame is take more seriously than it is in Western culture.  In Japan, there are samurais that took their own lives to avoid disgrace after a defeat. They call this tradition hara-kiri. There are some corporate executives who have done the hara-kiri tradition in the eve of an economic decline.  A stretch of forest  in Mount Fuji is called “the suicide forest” due to dozens of bodies retrieved from it every year.

Economic recession has great effects on the youth and children, poverty and financial difficulties have pushed them towards suicide.  In Israel in 2003, a 15 year old killed himself when their electricity has been cut.  In the suicide note, the teen-ager mentioned that he does not want to be a burden for his mother who raised him as a single parent.

In the Philippines back in 2007, an 11 year old girl ended her life because of poverty.  In her suicide note, she wished that her parents will have a stable job and that her siblings would be able to go to school regularly.  This incident drew attention towards the poverty programs the government has in the country.

Governments and concerned institutions globally are taking steps to address this issue.

An example would be the steps being undertaken by the Japanese government.  Some new measures are changing work patterns to allow more flexibility and funding early detection and treatment programs.

The Japanese government are also providing better mental health counselling at the workplace, networks of community psychiatrists and public campaigns to raise the awareness of the problem. Telephone hot line services are also readily available. There is a new software being developed to filter out websites that promote group suicides.
Australia, in Asia-Pacific, is the first country to initiate the prevention of web based suicide groups.

Aside from government efforts, there are personal ways you can do to help a suicidal person:

1. A suicidal person is carrying a burden that they can’t handle anymore. Listening is important.

2. Be sympathetic, non- judgemental, patient, calm and understanding.

3. Avoid trying to offer quick solutions by belittling the person’s feelings.

4. Dealing with a suicide threat is stressful.  Seek assistance o decompress afterwards.

5. If personal efforts fails, don’t blame yourself. It is the person’s choice. It is wise to ask for grief counselling and suicide survivor support groups.

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 Teaching Your Kids to Save During Recession

Economic recession is taking its toll. A lot of Americans right now are feeling the heat of the tight times as more and more people are losing their jobs and losing their homes. High prices of gas and basic commodities are also making it harder for American families to survive without additional income.

During these times, people are thinking of ways on how to save up. This is especially true with families that support one or two or more children. Between feeding them and sending them all to school, these families will surely have to scrimp on some areas in order to survive.

But parents should not be the only ones who should be scrimping. When it comes to saving money during economic recession, their children can also play important roles. In fact, they can use these tight times to teach them children about saving for the future and saving money. This will help them deal with tighter times in the future should they experience it when they have families of their own. Below are some of the ways that you can teach your children about saving up.

1. Explain to them
You may not realize it but kids do know what is going on and when you explain the situation to them clearly and with examples that they can relate to, they will be able to understand you. Some will even help out on their own volition without you telling them what they have to do.

Telling them why they should do something is more effective than telling them outright what they should do. The latter will sometimes antagonize them or will cause them to rebel as they feel that you are ordering them about without any reason. Kids, as you well know, do not want to be bossed about.

2. Give them piggy banks.
Having coin banks may seem outdated in this digital age but it is nevertheless still effective in teaching kids how to save up. Tell them that saving up will allow them to have some money should they need to buy something that they want. A portion of their lunch money, for instance a quarter or two, is a good way to start.

Of course, do not discourage them to buy food when they need to eat but tell them though that if they are not hungry, they can save the money so that they can use more for the next day.

3. Get what they need
Controlling what they put on their plates during dinner will help control the urge to get more than they can use. Ask them to clean their plates every time. That way, they will only get the food that they will be able to eat. This will teach them about saving and buying only the things that they need. This is a great training in the future so that they will not grow up with maxed out credit cards, buying things that they do not really need in the first place.

4. Being a role model
Face it. Whatever your child does is only a reflection of what you yourself are doing at home. So if you want the kids to start saving up, make sure that you are also doing your part in saving in this times of economic recession.
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What Economic Recession is all About

Economic recession is gripping the United States right now and people just don’t know what to do about it. In truth, economic recession isn’t something new anymore. In fact, it has been happening all through out the decades. People don’t just know about it because it has not been as widely publicized as now. This is perhaps because of the ongoing political race between the Republican and the Democrat. And mayhap also because, the country has never experienced such downturn in economy than now, with losses in the real estate, banking and insurance sectors.

Economic recession is actually a term used to refer to the slowing down or downturn of the economy after a period of upturn. You can better picture it with a cycle that often turns. Economy is sometimes rosy and bullish but after a period of progress, it will slow down and become bearish as what they use in the stock market.

The cycle of economy

Often, economic recession is not a problem as the government’s financial sectors have solutions for it. One of the most common is tax cuts where the government gives up a portion of their income and gives it back to the people so that they will have money to buy goods. When consumerism becomes good again, companies who lost a lot of money during the period of downturn and low demand will regain their losses. This will lead to the hiring of new people and increasing their production. More supply in the market will lead to lower prices which will hopefully encourage higher demand for products. Thus, ending the recession.

Easier said than done

It is however easier said than done. Sometimes even with tax cuts, the government cannot balance the economy. This is especially true if the country do not have much budget to augment the situation or if there have been occurrences that are outside their control.

For instance, the problems in the real estate industry and near bankruptcy of a lending firm associated with properties are not exactly brought on alone by economic recession. Problems in the company way way back have contributed to its losses, only aggravated by the current economic situation. The same goes with the problems two major banks in the United States is experiencing right now and also the losses that are beginning to show from the portfolio of a multinational insurance and financial firm.

All these are not all the fault of economic recession. However, what is happening to their company is made much worse by the economic downturn as people will not spend as much. Because of the hard times, some will not also be able to pay their loans or pay off their mortgages like before. If a company has a solid money background, it will not matter as its assets can absorb the losses. Unfortunately, if a company is already suffering from problems even before economic recession can make it bankrupt.

Although economic recession is basically something that happens to a country, individuals are affected not only in the country where it is happening but also worldwide. This is especially true if the company has interest worldwide or the currency is being used all over the world. There is however not much that people can do except take a calming breath and just take one day at a time, hoping it will all come to an end soon.

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What to Watch Out for During Economic Recession

Economic recession may be normal occurrence but it does not mean that it cannot hurt you. In Economics, recession refers to the period in a country’s economy when there is slowing down of progress and rising inflation rates. Like a cycle, a country’s economy is sometimes up and sometimes down. We just don’t feel it before because the economy oftentimes bounces back fast. It is only now that recovery seems so slow and damage has become far-reaching with the crashes in the real estate industry as well as to the banking and insurance sectors.

So what makes an economic recession? What do you need to know about it and what is it all about?

1. Rising costs of living
Because of the slowing down of the economy, production will not be as active. This stems from the lesser demand that comes from the consumers. When this happens, prices will rise as there will be lesser products in the market than before. Basic commodities will usually rise especially those that people consider as basic necessities such as food, shelter and home. Oftentimes, what you will normally be able to buy for a specific amount money will not be as many. This is when we say that the value of the money lessened.

2. Job cuts
During recession, many companies will suffer from cash flow problems. Because of the lesser demand, more and more companies will shut down their production lines to cut costs. This leads to cutting off jobs just to make both ends meet. Right now, many companies in the United States have already done job cuts. Although it does not sound good, these companies do not really have a choice as often, they will need to let go of some employees to keep the company running and still employ the others.

3. Expense cuts
Because people do not have much money in their pockets, most of them will be scrimping on their expenses. They will only buy things that they need. Some do this because they want to save their money while others do this because they don’t really have a choice, having a much lower income than before. This however contributes to the economic recession as low demand will also lead to low supply which can affect company earnings. When this happens, jobs may become at risk and companies may suffer from financial losses.

4. political turmoil
Although it is not often the case, most countries suffering from economic recession will have political turmoil. This is especially true if the country has not responded to the economic recession well and the situation has ballooned 10 times over. When this happens, people will naturally blame the people in the government and their policies. This is the time when people troop to the streets to protest or they announce their displeasure through surveys on job approval ratings of government officials.

5. Tax cuts
Because of lesser income and less value for your money, the government tries to augment people’s financial problems and also to help companies by giving people more money that they can spend on basic goods. They do this by giving back to their people a portion of their income— tax cuts.

In this instance, the government is cutting off the income that they get from people in order to stabilize the economy during economic recession.

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What is an Economic Recession

What is an economic recession? This occurs when there is a significant decline in the economy which usually lasts for months. This is visible in terms of consumer spending, employment, industrial production, real income and wholesale trade. A technical indicator of this is 2 consecutive quarters of negative growth which is measured by the country’s GDP or gross domestic product.

Experts say that an economic recession is normal because it is part of the business cycle and things usually improve within 16 to 18 months.

During the business cycle, there is a period of recovery, expansion, slowdown and then recession. During recovery, the GDP of a country starts to move up. When the GDP grows robustly, this is the time that it expands. When consumers are not buying that much, this is when you have a slowdown. Because there is weaker demand, you have a recession.

The last economic recession occurred in 2000 and 2001 which featured three quarters of negative growth followed by three positive quarters then five more quarters of sub par growth. Experts say that the same trend will happen right now.

One solution that the government usually does is lower interest rates to help stimulate the economy. Just last year, the Federal government slashed interest rates three times towards the end of the third and fourth quarter year so that overnight loans between banks could be borrowed at 4.25% which happens to be its lowest in the past 2 years.

What makes the economic recession different from what occurred after the Second World War is that this one is caused by falling home values and a crisis of confidence among fixed income investors.

Despite the fact that the country has endured this time and again for over 50 years, there is still no way to predict when it will happen.

Some use the stock market as an indicator. Others use the inverted yield curve which uses yields on a 10 year and three month Treasury securities and the Fed’s overnight fund’s rate. The unemployment rate is also another which happens to be one of the things that make up the index of leading indicators.

There are people in the Bush administration who do want to call it an economic recession because this will make people panic but there are others who are brave enough to admit that it is here. Since it is going to be some time before the economy recovers again, everyone is advised to stay calm, save up and look for long term investments worth going into.

Apart from the war in Iraq, the economy is going to be one of the critical issues that both candidates have to address as they are campaigning for the highest post in the land. Whoever wins, they have to find a way to reduce the unemployment rate, help people save their homes and a lot of other things that affect the average American household.

An economic recession lasts months at a time. If it should continue for a much longer period, then this is called a depression which is something that the world and not only the US experienced at the end of the First World War. This lasted for up to 4 years that many hope will never happen again.

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