"In an Age of Austerity, the Miserly Thrive"

This article is all about being frugal, saving money, and finding easy ways to make money. It had a bunch of examples of how to do these things. One example was a woman cleaning and mending a couch that she found on the street rather than buying one. Another example is the son of a frugal mom finding a sectional sofa on the street and selling it online for $200.00.

More ways to help save money are getting rid of club memberships that cost money, such as gyms, or video stores, and cut your cable short. Buying your own exercise equipment will help you save rather than spending a monthly fee for a gym membership. Also, someone referenced in this article got rid of her blockbuster membership and started getting videos from the library instead.

This article is right up my alley. I'm always looking for deals. Whether I'm looking for clothes, food, or school supplies, I'm always trying to find the best deal. The article said that during this recession people have managed to save their money successfully. In past recessions people always spent more than they saved. I have to say that I have saved more that I have spent and that makes me a little happy (considering that I'm going to really really need this money in about eight months). This article has listings of informations websites and blogs on how to save money. I'm glad to have found this article because I'm already trying to save a lot of money, but this article may have given me even more ways to save. I found it very useful, and if you would like to read it, I found it on New York Times website.

"Unemployment Rise Shows Recession Far From Over"

My topics haven't been too bright lately. I think I've only had about two posts that were about something good. It bothers me to know that this country has to suffer for who knows how long. I never thought that the recession would be over soon, but I was really hoping it wouldn't be long.

For those of you who have been keeping up with my blog, it's obvious that I think it'll be tough for me to find a good, well paying job. At this time in my life, I need that more than anything, but I have to get used to the idea of rejection. I have to get used to the fact that it may take me a while to find a job, and even then, I might get layed off because of reasons not even related to work.

I guess I feel it's just hard to even deal with the fact that this country may be in this situation for quite some time. I know that recessions come and go, but this one seems pretty bad. Seeing the headline above in New York Times doesn't help me deal with it either. I already knew it would last a while, but it doesn't help when that's all you really hear about. How come there aren't many articles talking about companies creating jobs? How come there are more articles about the unemployment rate than what this country can do to help the unemployed? Why are we so consumed with the depressing articles? Why can't there be some articles to give us Americans hope? I guess I just feel that we should stop focusing on the negative and start focusing on what we as a country can do to change and better our situation.

"When the Stork Carries a Pink Slip"

So, this article discusses how pregnant women do not have much luck with job security in this country. It is against the law to lay off a pregnant woman, lay off a woman on maternity leave, or not hire a woman because she is pregnant. The only problem is that an employer can easily create an unrelated reason to layoff a pregnant woman or a woman on maternity leave. It is terrible that the law can be broken so easily.

I guess you are wondering how this relates to me..... you guessed it, I'm pregnant. I just found out on Monday, and here I am looking for something to write about and I found this article in the New York Times. From reading some of my earlier blogs, you already know that I'm unemployed at the moment. Obviously my job search just got a lot much harder.

I've been really worried ever since I found out the news on Monday. I've had all of these questions about how I'll be able to pay for everything. How can I afford a good doctor to aide me through my pregnancy? How will I find a job? Will I have to lie about being pregnant? All I can do is try my hardest and wish for the best. Hopefully everything will work out.

"Two Words for Fall: Toughen Up"

There is an article in the New York Times with the headline that I have put above. This article discusses designs for fall fashion. It appears that the recession has inspired designers in a positive way. It says that the designs are more "sober" and more wearable. The designs of of people in New York are matching up to those in Paris and Milan for once.

Because of the recession, designers created less styles than normal. Because they didn't make as many styles, the designs that were seen on the runway had to be perfect. The designs were made to be sharper and more precise.

As a designer, this makes me feel like I might come out of this slump I've been in. I haven't been designing like I should, but maybe I should be letting my troubles be my inspiration. I guess it would be a way for me to turn lemons into lemonade. I have to play the hand that I was dealt, so why not make the best of what I have?

"Another Byproduct of the Recession: A Flood of Ex-Convicts"

I found this article on Time Magazine's website. In New York, the corrections department is the largest agency. They employ more than 31,000 people. That's just in the state of New York. Because of the recession, the government is going to have to let some of these employees go. Not only will they have to let go of some employees, but also some inmates. Since there won't be enough employees to watch over the inmates, it only makes sense to let some of them go too. The plan is to let about 700,000 every year so by 2012 one third of inmates will be released from all of prisons.

So what does that mean for our communities? Will they be safe? Are all of the ex-cons rehabilitated? If they aren't, then our communities will not be safe. They could be letting murderers, pedophiles, and thieves run free. What if these are rehabilitated ex-cons? If they are, what are they going to do for work? It's already hard to get a job, and I don't know from experience or anything, but I do here that it's harder to get a job when you have a record.

For our communities, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little scared. I grew up in a bad community and I know what it is like living with people like that running free (not because they were let go, because they were never caught). I feel like you shouldn't have to live in fear. Also, I feel sorry for those who are rehabilitated. They are being released into a country where the unemployment rate is 8.1% and growing. They really want to do the right thing this time, and might find themselves drug dealing again just to make it. It's really sad. But what is the government to do if they can't afford to keep them?

"Do TV Commercials Make You Happier?"

Hmmmm..... according to the article from Time Magazine, they do. They enhance our enjoyment of watching television. In this article, they talk about a feeling of euphoria when one's favorite show is on. This feeling only last for a moment, and eventually that person is not happy that their show is on anymore. The cure to this is a set of commercials. You get so annoyed that the commercials are on that when the show returns you are elated.

I think it was quite funny that I found this article in the Business section of Time Magazine. Though commercials have a lot to do with business, why is it relevant to us enjoying television? The article talks about how upset people get when commercials come on and that is indeed what makes the audiences enjoy their shows. They weren't talking about if commercials actually work. I thought that the effectiveness of the commercials would be more appropriate for business discussions.

I must say that I enjoy my favorite shows with or without commercials. Commercials don't make my shows more enjoyable because they put me in a state of waiting and I don't like to wait. On the other side, I do like commercials. I find that a lot of them are funny. Some of them do persuade me to want certain products. Anyway, I guess that's off topic since that wasn't in the article. As I said earlier, if it is my favorite show, it is not affected by showing or not showing commercials.

"After the Stimulus, Can Obama Tame the Deficit?"

Well, I honestly don't know if Obama can tame the deficit. Is it supposed to up to Obama all by his lonesome? The deficit is approximately at $1.5 trillion. If all goes according to plan (according to this article from Time Magazine) in 2014, the U.S. will still be in debt by $546 billion. The government as a whole needs to collaborate on this issue if you ask me. I don't know enough to tell them what they need to do, but I can say that I don't think it should be all up to Obama. Just because Bush added a lot to the deficit doesn't mean that this president should be expected to get rid of it altogether. There are a lot of irresponsible politicians when it comes to money. In a class today, my professor said that a congressman (I think) spent $30,000 on a portrait. Really? Was that necessary? Not at all. That money could have went towards something important.

First let me address the stimulus...YAY for those of you who are actually getting help (I guess). It doesn't do me any good, I don't have a house. It doesn't do my family any good, the house we have is already owned. Now if we could get something to help with these layoffs of me and other family members, then I'd be happy. Other than that, I'm not really upset about this stimulus. Some people really need the help.

The deficit on the other hand, man it's really got me down. The economy is doing horribly and I'm going to have to deal with it head on in a few months. I've already encountered some of it and I'm not feeling it at all. I am seriously considering becoming a Canadian citizen when I graduate. Free health care... sounds good to me.

"Retail Sales Show Unexpected Rebound in January, According to NRF"

So the field of retail did better than expected after the holidays. I saw this on the National Retail Federation website as well as WWD. After the holidays comes nice markdowns that apparently consumers couldn't resist. Even though retail has done well as a whole in the month of January, the question is will this continue?

Hopefully the good sells keep up for a while, but in all honesty I don't see it. Most people want to save their money in this economy. I don't think retailers believe that that kind of business will continue either, that is why most retailers have already started their layoffs. If the sells continue to pick up though, there will be some hope for us. I could possibly have a job when I'm out of school, maybe even before the semester is up. That would be awesome. So I'm going to hope for the best.

"As Layoffs Surge, Women May Pass Men in Job Force"

Well, I honestly have to say that this kinda makes me feel good. This headline was found in the New York Times today. This article goes on to say that the reason that it seems more women will be employed than men during this recession is because of the type of work that women are more likely to do.

Women tend to work more in fields such as education and healthcare. Though men do work in these fields as well, women certainly have surpassed the men there. These fields are fields in which women are able to provide care for another.

I'm elated elated because I have worked with children before and for a long time at that. I wouldn't mind doing it again. Working with children of course is not my field of study, but I do love children and they love me back. Who's to say that working with children couldn't open up another door for me? Maybe working with children will inspire me to design for children...huh? Sounds good, right? I'll always be a designer, all I'm saying is that all hope of me having another job soon isn't lost.

"Job Cuts Hit Retail Industry Hard"

Well, it's not a big surprise that the economy is not doing so well. This article from WWD specifically talks about the retailing and fashion industry. It was posted yesterday after a few retailers handed out a huge amount of pink slips. If anyone thought that fashion and retail were going to be solid jobs, I guess it's obvious that they need to think about it again.

This headline definitely hits home for me. I worked at Belk for a year and a half, and was layed off during the holidays. They let me go home for the holiday season, and led me to believe that once I got back, I would be on the schedule. I called managers at the store I had been working for for three weeks before someone had the guts to tell me that they were letting me go.

Now that I'm looking for something new, I know that I have to try to stay encouraged, but I'm honestly quite scared. I graduate in May. I'm afraid that I won't find anything. I'm afraid that I'll be forced to move back home to the country with my big city dreams and ambitions. Hopefully those dreams and ambitions pull me out of this funk I've been feeling and let me know that I'll get out of this thing on top.