[Pole2pole]

With increasing food,diesel,council tax,energy etc etc etc etc etc etc etc, how do you guys think your life would be going if you were in a job with a fixed income,hoping that "maybe" this year you'll be getting a payrise(priobably below inflation). I personally think that if i wasn't a "window cleaner" with the ability to do 2 or 3 jobs a week extra to combat the financial demands facing all of us on a daily basis. There are times i really do believe we could all be a whole lot worse off. And that's coming from the world's biggest pessimist.  Your thoughts please x

[Helen]

Having kept in touch with my last employer, I know that round here, there has not been much in the way of payrises for the last couple of years. I was on a good salary, but it would not be enough to live comfortably on now. Hubby would be in the same position with his salary and we would be stretched to the limit.
The salaries advertised in the local rag and recruitment agencies are not rising and haven't for a while, in fact it seems that when a new job is advertised the rates are going down. I wouldn't want to be on that rat race anymore! That's the gloomy side.................... Now for the brighter side............
You are right we do have the option to go out and get more work for ourselves as you say only 3 good paying jobs per week can make all the difference.

[rugby]

on the plus side,yes the harder we work the more we can earn,on the down side,as the Recession starts to hit the uk customers will have to re think their finances, and as a very non essential outlay you can bet we would be the first debt they cancel.

i have already noticed a slight change in some customers attitude,had 2 customers yesterday question whether i had come too early " are you sure we are due already,doesnt seem very long since last clean"
and im getting asked this more and more,and and i work on a 5-6 weekly round.

i think it could get tough out their 

[Pole2pole]

I think both of you are so right. I really do believe the cr*p is gonna hit the fan very soon. Will we be the first to feel the pinch? Probably. Will we somehow manage? More than likely. But to somehow manage has got to be better than going under. I don't know if it's just me,but i think it's all about to go very Pete Tong. I hope i'm wrong. I'm just soo glad i managed to make the final mortgage repayments on my 5 large coontry properties today.................... I wish 

[Ian_Giles]

The depth of recession we are heading into is worrying, how deep it is going to be and for how long it is going to last is something the so called experts can't agree on, but recessions come and go, an advantage of being a window cleaner is that our eggs are all in a great many baskets, this spread gives us a big cushion against recession, and as said, we can always replace accounts we lose...

It's effect on me is that many places I would put in a price increase on I have put on hold, certain purchases I am doing the same thing on, I want to get a new car, but I'm holding back for a few more months to be on the safe side.

Time to go and earn a few more pennies...

Ian

[pjulk]

I want to get a new van but now waiting a while as i bought a new car 6 months ago and with talk of a possible recession i don't want to overstretch myself.

I was window cleaning in the last recession think it was the late 80's and it didn't affect me one bit.

Paul

[Pole2pole]

That's comforting Paul. That's just what in wanna be hearing  Its so true what Ian says. It's the beauty of having 2,3,4,5 hundred eggs in one basket. I'd sooner be doin this than being a Northern Rockie anyday. 1/3 of the nations window cleaners won't be laid off in the next 2-3 years.

[Paul Coleman]

With increasing food,diesel,council tax,energy etc etc etc etc etc etc etc, how do you guys think your life would be going if you were in a job with a fixed income,hoping that "maybe" this year you'll be getting a payrise(priobably below inflation). I personally think that if i wasn't a "window cleaner" with the ability to do 2 or 3 jobs a week extra to combat the financial demands facing all of us on a daily basis. There are times i really do believe we could all be a whole lot worse off. And that's coming from the world's biggest pessimist.  You're thoughts please x

If I was in a job with a fixed income, I would start window cleaning on Saturdays to make up the shortfall.  I bet more and more people are doing that or similar (not necessarily W/Cing).

[Paul Coleman]

I want to get a new van but now waiting a while as i bought a new car 6 months ago and with talk of a possible recession i don't want to overstretch myself.

I was window cleaning in the last recession think it was the late 80's and it didn't affect me one bit.

Paul

I suspect that the last recession was a very different animal to this one though.  The last recession in the UK had a (relatively) quick fix.  Interest rates were high in order to shore up the currency in readiness for joining the ERM.  Once it was apparent that this policy was unsustainable, the UK withdrew from ERM and interest rates plummetted giving rise to an eventual recovery.  I feel that the problems now are far more complex.  Interest rates were already pretty low.  Oil prices are escalating - with possible, eventual supply problems.  Population growth is escalating (I'm not referring to immigration.  I mean worldwide population).  There are a lot of strains and possible extra strains on economies.  There isa no single cause.  Ironically, oil prces are being fed by investors investing in it as a commodity.  Perversely, this is helping to cause economies to wobble.  When economies wobble, people invest more in commodities than currencies - thereby feeding the cycle.  I suppose one way would be to remove oil from commodity markets and bring oil production and supply totally under state control so that a fast buck can't be made from it.  That's probably easier said than done and sounds a bit reminiscent of communism.

[Pole2pole]

Bloody hell......What are ya doing window cleaning? ? ? ? You wanna be in parliament 

[Ian Lancaster]

I've lived (and worked) through a few recessions.  None have given me much bother - you lose a few customers, but as has already been said, there's always more.  Bit more difficult to get, perhaps, but there nevertheless.

The trick is to keep faith.  All the time you believe things will work out, they will.  If you start worrying that you're going to lose business, get into debt etc., it's a destructive downward cycle - you get into the state of mind where you think everything is going pear shaped and it will.

Work hard, keep faith and never let an opportunity slip by.

This time next year we'll all be meooyonairs.

Cheers,

Ian

[TVCS]

I suspect that the last recession was a very different animal to this one though.  The last recession in the UK had a (relatively) quick fix.  Interest rates were high in order to shore up the currency in readiness for joining the ERM.  Once it was apparent that this policy was unsustainable, the UK withdrew from ERM and interest rates plummetted giving rise to an eventual recovery.  I feel that the problems now are far more complex.  Interest rates were already pretty low.  Oil prices are escalating - with possible, eventual supply problems.  Population growth is escalating (I'm not referring to immigration.  I mean worldwide population).  There are a lot of strains and possible extra strains on economies.  There isa no single cause.  Ironically, oil prces are being fed by investors investing in it as a commodity.  Perversely, this is helping to cause economies to wobble.  When economies wobble, people invest more in commodities than
currencies - thereby feeding the cycle.  I suppose one way would be to remove oil from commodity markets and bring oil production and supply totally under state control so that a fast buck can't be made from it.  That's probably easier said than done and sounds a bit reminiscent of communism.



Thats just what I was about to type.   LOL      

What are ya doing window cleaning? ? ? ? You wanna be in parliament

I agree

[poleman]

Black Wednesday

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Wednesday

[pjulk]

Andy why's you profile now    .

[Wayne Thomas]

Some of my customers are feeling the pinch. I've lost 30 customers in the last 2 months and picked up 15. These customers I've lost weren't recent customers I've just picked up, they were long standing. Some of them are really feeling the pinch moneywise. I am going to have to make a point of getting some new work because I can see a trend of cancelling customers coming in the next few months. Luckily I have my work/customers varied to spread the risks. I don't have all my eggs in one basket, so it's not such a blow to lose one here and one there.

[jonah]

Dont you think some people are just natural worriers ?    They see the latest news about a looming recesion and panic !        Its like a defence mechanism , they go into " safe mode "  ie ...... cancel the milk, window cleaner , stock up on tins of tescos own brand beans !          By the way the reason banks are having a tough time now is because they are greedy and have loaned out billions to people who they new would have a hard time paying it back !         

[Wayne Thomas]

I blame the youngsters who want everything new on credit and live beyond their means until repayment day cometh and their banks refuse them anymore credit leaving them cold turkey, maxed out with huge loans to repay which their banks may have to write off.
That's the credit crunch problem that is making all the banks nervous of lending to each other for fear of going out of business by not having enough cash reserves to trade daily despite having a wealth of capital.
Once a young person has been in serious debt, they normally change their views on borrowing and start acting like their elders who save for those rainy days.

[Paul Coleman]

Bloody hell......What are ya doing window cleaning? ? ? ? You wanna be in parliament 

I'm too honest to be a politician though.  I care too much as well.
I had to smile at the report on Gordon Brown's speech about the economy being in safe hands with him.  OK, I would rather him be at the helm than most politicians but it did smack of the "trust in me" scene from Jungle Book.   

[windowwashers]

recession is getting boring now

I for one am not worried if it does come I will just work harder

[dd]

Bloody hell......What are ya doing window cleaning? ? ? ? You wanna be in parliament 

I'm too honest to be a politician though.  I care too much as well.
I had to smile at the report on Gordon Brown's speech about the economy being in safe hands with him.  OK, I would rather him be at the helm than most politicians but it did smack of the "trust in me" scene from Jungle Book.   

Who's been the chancellor for the last 10 years spending the countrys' money, racking up debt with no funds in reserve? If I conducted my affairs like that I would be in a right mess now. But I am just a simple window cleaner, what do I know. Ignorance is bliss.