How bad is the meltdowns?

You'd be amazed at how you don't even know where your money goes. It took us a couple of months to get a firm handle on our expenses. There are some things you only pay a few times a year and you forget them, and then they crop up and you don't have $40 for the water bill or veterinarian...

...and told friends we'd brown-bag our lunches. One of them said we could go to a cheap restaurant, but I can't. I'm not sure they really understand how it is. I know I didn't until it happened to me. -- Umemployed.

I cut the staff from 18 to 14. We've eliminated the dining-room manager, the second highest position.  -- Restaurant Owner.

I had worked at the GM plant here since 1995. I was in a press room stamping out exterior parts for the Chevy Cobalt — doors and body sides. As recently as nine months ago, it looked like a really solid place to work. When gas prices were high, the small cars were hot. In December 2008, things started to look bad. Sales just fell apart. People couldn't get financing. I got laid off in January. I'm hoping that maybe by January 2010, we can start getting people back in the plant. -- ex-GM worker

'One of my clients — 45 years old, a top executive — e-mailed me, "Should I sell everything?" I wrote back, "No, you're fine, you can ride this out." His return e-mail said, "I knew that was the right answer." I've been telling a lot of people that they're going to be O.K. They need to hear that right now.' -- Financial Adviser

Now we have $2 and $3 blackjack. I would say that came about in the last six months. Some of the Strip hotels still have $10 and $15 minimum games, and I'm seeing more people coming downtown for at least part of their visit. I am averaging about $2,000 a month gross. Tips are steady. Even though a lot of people are having hard times, there's always the need for entertainment and relaxation. Gambling is entertaining for a lot of people. -- The blackjack Dealer

I used to see about five M-15s sold a year. Until about two weeks ago, we were selling about five a week. Now it's three a week. More women are buying, especially older ones. A lot of them are widows who are alone, and they want to have self-protection, just because of the economy. We've had a lot of robberies and break-ins in our area, and they're attributing that to people being out of work. -- Gun Store Owner

In 24 years, I've never seen anything like what's happening now. What I've noticed more than anything is that people are completely staying away.  -- A Boutique Owner

We're selling more wine; we're selling more organic food; we're selling more produce, more fresh things. Maybe these people who were eating at restaurants are cooking more meals at home. The awareness of people that I'm seeing is really keyed into value, where it wasn't before. It seemed like we were going through a period where people would see something and think, "Oh, that's a good deal," and then keep walking. Now it stops them. It's more important to them somehow.  -- Grocery Store Owner

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