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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I am a 100K employee with an emergency fund and a spouse who will continue to work. We have no credit card or student loan debt, a good emergency fund and also short-term savings.

Here's how I will likely spend my time and money when the government shuts down.

At first it will feel like I have even more money than usual. I won't be hitting the food trucks for lunch, or grabbing a coffee at the deli in my building. I'll pick up my dry cleaning from the neighborhood dry cleaners, but won't need to drop off a new batch of shirts and suits. I won't have to take any taxis to off-site meetings, nor will I have to tip the guys who who park my car in my regular lot on the days I drive. We'll skip our regular pizza night at our small neighborhood pizza place--this will be a good time to pull some stuff out of the deep freeze and open some of the wine we never seem to drink.

After a few days, I'll forgo the $30 drop-in aftercare fee at my child's school since I'm home anyway. It will be fun to spend some extra time together even if we can't go to the zoo. We'll also save the $15 that we normally pay the dogwalker--she's expecting that more than a few people will be cutting back on her services. At this point I'll be looking for projects, so I'll get the spreader out and overseed my own lawn rather than calling my regular lawn service, saving $300. I won't have the neighborhood guy wash my car for $20 every week; it doesn't need it and it's an easy expense to eliminate. We'll put off replacing the shed this fall; the contractor we usually use for jobs like that will be happy to do it in the spring. We'll skip our regular weekend visits to Eastern market--luxuries like fresh flowers and fancy bread can wait until I go back to work. And I'll skip my bimonthly trip to the salon and do my own haircolor and pedicure--that's $110 plus tax and tip.

At no point will I be in danger of not paying my bills or my mortgage, but I will cut back on dozens of expenses that affect other people. How much do you think the dogwalker and the parking attendant have in their emergency funds? What about all the goods and services that they won't be able to afford because I didn't pay them? I will keep our housekeeper as long as I possibly can, but I know other people will need to cut back on her services. Now multiply those effects times hundreds of thousands of employees and you'll see why a shutdown is a terrible thing for everyone. We're not all spending our money on cheap Walmart crap or designer shoes, but in our neighborhoods.[/quote]

Very well put.[/quote]

And yet totally missed the point. [/quote]

I have little sympathy for people who maintain the services of weekly landscapers, daily dog-walkers, daily after-school caregivers, weekly farmer's market, on-call handymen, weekly car washes, bi-weekly dry-cleaning services, daily lunches out, coffee stands every morning, and dinner out several times a week.  If you and the local economy suffer (although you gloat that you yourself will not personally feel the cut, but will instead pass that pain along to the little man/woman that provides your services), it is because all of you exist in an area that lives fat off the hog and way beyond its means.  Welcome to the real world.[/quote]

You have grossly misinterpreted what I wrote in order to make your point. For example, a weekly pizza night with the kids does not translate into "dinner out several times a week." Getting my grass seeded once a year doesn't mean "weekly landscapers." But I don't really care what you think. I was trying to illustrate for some ignorant people how the effects of the furlough ripple through the local economy. There are plenty of people on these boards and elsewhere who are gloating because they think furloughing government workers will teach them a lesson and forget about the impact of lost wages on everyone else.

Actually, it sounds like you ARE one of those people because you think that everyone in this area lives fat on the hog and way beyond their means. Everyone in the District area lives above their means! Facts are overrated![/quote]

What's interesting to me about the long post describing the "savings" is that that poster could probably retire early if they really cut back and lived a frugal lifestyle.  Probably half of their discretionary spending could be easily cut out.  After the kids come, after middle age, they are going to look back and regret a lot of that spending.  It was for what?  an extra-seeded lawn?  some food truck lunches?  dry-cleaning?  You don't need any of that stuff-- if one of you lost your jobs and you just suddenly stopped spending that way you would make do and do just fine.

Anyway, I'm 50 now, and really budgeting carefully because of all the mid-life expenses -- saving for college for kids, traveling to take care of elderly parents, long-term care insurance premiums for spouse, dental work (sooooo expensive, you would not believe it).  So poster, I'm saying this will happen to you too.  These are your big "stash money away and compound" years.  Don't waste the money or the time. [/quote]

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