The recession is not only killing my gadget budget, it's destroying my wallet, raping my savings account, ravaging my wardrobe, and I've got no money either.

gooooooo Canada!

Yea, 2-8800GTX cards, a canon XSi on order, 2 26" Samsung monitors... what recession?!

I was poor before the "recession." Although, I'm coming out of it since I kicked the GF to the curb.

It's weird because our financial situation hasn't changed, but it does feel tighter for some reason. I'm still going to get a 3G iPhone when it comes out, and we have been buying like crazy, but there definitely feels like there is something in the air...(We do have one of those by the way too)

ATL local economy is doing pretty good, to me anyway. Not sure about everywhere else. Me and my wife just got pretty decent raises, buddy of mine just got a new job making 20 grand more a year doing way less work. Looking forward to a lot of other things career wise. New PC, new Widescreen, new phones. Just not feeling it.

Im good. My parents both are in the military which is considered a government job. Next summer is when I plan on getting my first real job so until then everything will be the same.

Everything is pretty good right now.

I've always tried to strategically position my gadget buying to coincide with another gadget dying however, economy or no.

always been happy with livin i sweden,

poor once mighty us of a is imploding,

well you can only hope some new thinking (obama) straightens things out.

@strider_mt2k: Yeah, like buying that new camera so you wouldn't get your other camera dirty.

@strider_mt2k: Same philosophy here. Although there are a couple of things that tax refund is going to help introduce to my home.

Now I just cross my fingers that my short-term thinking won't cause problems a couple of years down the road.

the government isn't afraid of the R word yo. If we're splitting hairs here, there has to be a specific number of quarters (i think 3) where there is negative gain. And we haven't had one yet. its the damn oil prices that are effing my budget. damn non-supply and demand regulated products.

~BC

I'm in grad school, I can't get much broker.I already get my internet from the museum across the street, it's a wifi hotspot.

Perhaps we shouldn't borrow money from other countries to give to us to"stimulate our economy" and get ourselves out of this recession.

What a joke...

I've always been poor, but I've always managed to stay on top of my gadgets.......not this year. With heating oil costing $4 a gallon, gas prices through the roof, higher rent to pay, and even milk costing over $3 a gallon, I've got no money to spare. If it doesn't let up soon (or I win the lottery) my cell phone will be going bye-bye as well.

If you look at the amount of shipments though the ports coming from q3 07 to q1 08 the amount of shipments has gone up, which is a good indication that we are climbing up out of the recession. Now, it may falter so don't hold me that we wont have a whole sleuth of problems but it looks like things aren't going to be that bad off this time.

@92BuickLeSabre: oh it will trust me it will. This economy is bleak... I am worried about a full flegged depression. I know its highly unlikely, but the chance still looms out there. I think greed and short term fixes led us (America) to this point.

I have nixed all plans to expand my HT setup. I got a 37" Sharp Aquos for my BDay and debate daily wether to take it back or sell it in order to get ahead on a month of daycare for the kids (3months & 2yrs old). I had plans to purchase a 47" Vizio, PS3(Blu-Ray purposes only) and Harmon-Kardon Reciever to get me ready for SB XLIV, but all is lost.

F.U. to the following

George Bush
Dick Chenney
Haliburton
Exxon-Mobil
Chevron-Texaco
BP
Wal-Mart
Bear-Sterns
Fannie Mae
CountryWide
Bank of America
NAFTA
Texas Department of Public Saftey (what a joke)
Harris County Toll Road Authority (FUCK THE BELTWAY AND WESTPARK TOLLWAY......fucking rip-offs)

hahaha that bestbuy logo on the building made me lol.

my job (real estate) has been plagued due to the recession. 5 layoffs in 1 month. i still bought an iPhone last week though. hah.

I was about to get a new 16-85 Nikon lens, another flash, an arduino board and some parts, and then a cheap point and shoot since I gave my old one away. Then all at once my car gets hit, my car payment/insurance are due, student loan payments are due, cell phone is due and my job pays shit considering the fact that I'm mentally on edge from having to deal with the future mouth breathers of the world. I had $-7.43 in my account today until I put in my check from my second job, and after I bought gas I'm at $50.00 until Friday when I get paid. I need my government hand out stimulus money so I can get some saving going again. But as long as I have booze money and $1.00 beer night all is right with the world. (I would be a lot better off if my ex-fiancè didnt put $5k up her nose but that's my fault for letting her get away with it)

No. Cause I wasn't stupid and spent my money on immediate gratification every single time. I'm actually spending more money right now because I'm moving and getting married.

@Goatspunk: Yeah, screw that bitch man! Why have a GF when you can just "date" / "random attractive chick sex" with!

@tricky69: "I'm actually spending more money right now because I'm moving and getting married"

ROTFL, TFSU!

No, not having a job is killing my gadget budget.

We at the bottom have the least distance to fall. That's how it works, right??

Damn school loans are killing my gadget budget.

I have a good job and am looking at moving into another field. I think we may be experiencing a small recession, but I have more gadgets now than ever before. I think the media plays this up more than it actually is.

I have a ton of disposable income right now... I'm with the "what recession" comment. New 26" LCD for the bedroom, 360 up there, new Blu Ray player today and possibly a new (used) car next week.

@one2manycords: Houstonian?

"recession" is just another retail word for "buy now while it's on sale and others are afraid to spend money"

suckers...

::quietly enjoys his new D300 with grip and 70-200mm F/2.8 IS for $2800 because someone got cold feet and put on their tinfoil hat::

What recession? Oh you mean that recession.

But seriously, there are ways for me to maintain my gadget budget as long as I make sacrifices on some other things like not go to Starbucks or Peets too often.

No problems from the recession here. People need energy regardless, and the green field is only getting bigger.

My six-month old IS cutting heavily into my gadget budget though. My wife is taking 2008 off to care for him so our income has taken a hit.

On the plus side, my wife reminds me that when he is a couple of years older, I'll have a new gadget buddy to talk tech with.

No, but my upcoming wedding is...

It's not the recession, it's the gadgets themselves, and the fact that I don't have a job.

And that I've never really had a job at all.

Actually, I'm not technically 18 yet, so I don't have thousands of dollars to spend on super-awesome things, but someday I will and then I will come whine about the recession to you.

@Simpsons-Movie-ruled: yes, and pissed. On a off note: They are talking about making the Katy FREEway and TOLLway and charging congestion pricing like they do in L.A. Ok we have more refineries here per capita and we still pay REDICULOUS GAS prices. Now we have to pay to SIT STILL in rush hour traffic, OUTRAGEOUS....

OK done venting

@GOKOR:
For the record I returned that camera!

Even _I_ am not immune to the lures of false economy.

(jerk) ;)

@bigMoneyMIKE: for reals.

Budget, what budget?

Be sure to sign up and help America pay its due to GWB.

[www.presidentialmemorial.org]

@One2ManyCords: [www.chron.com]

It won't be officially declared a recession 'til there's a run on Gizmodo and Brian "George Bailey" Lam is at the cashier window yelling:

"If Engadget gets hold of this blog there'll never be another decent blog built in this town. He's already got charge of the bank. He's got the bus line. He's got the department stores. And now he's after us. Why? Well, it's very simple. Because we're cutting in on his business, that's why.

Jesus! Jesus! Help me, Jesus. Get me back. Get me back. I don't care what happens to me. Only get me back to my Addy and Adam. Help me, Jesus, please. Please! I want to live again. I want to live again. I want to live again. Please, God, let me live again."

2x24" monitors on order, speakers, a new case, and likely a sansa clip soon. what recession?

I do not believe the recession is killing the gadget budget. For most who love gadgets, they already have what they want at least one desktop, one laptop, a smartphone or two, a MP3 player or two( ipod or others), a few digital camera lying around, at least one digital camcorder, harddrives everywhere, SD, one portable gaming machine (DS or PSP), one game console (PS2 or higher), portable stick everywhere and etc.
What is really killing my gadget budget is that "what's next"? So far nothing really look that interesting nor different from what I have already own with a reasonable price.

I'm handling it pretty well but only because even when times were good, I was smart enough not to be an idiot with my money.

@digodemais: Thats word

Best year ever for me. New PS3 (to go with the 360) and an iPhone for the wife and myself with plenty left over for the bank and a 2 week vacation to China next month.

I was counting down the days until my Verizon contract was finally up so I could switch to an iPhone, having set aside beer money so I wouldn't feel guilty about spending the money. Two days before No-V-Day my laptop fried and now due to a lack of work and having to drain my savings I have neither an iPhone nor beer.

If you haven't gotten into debt and have a secure job, a recession is GREAT for the gadget budget. Everyone desperate to sell to anyone that hasn't maxed out their credit cards.

Just don't buy on credit, develop your skills, and be high-value in the marketplace and you'll actually enjoy recessions!

Well, except for what they do to your 401K.

@Goatspunk: yeah. YOU kicked HER to the curb. Riiiight. Because that's usually the way it goes when people feel the need to "clarify" how things went down.......

@One2ManyCords:
You know what the fucked up thing is? You didn't mention The Federal Reserve, which is the source of all this bullshit economy twisting.

my fucking beer budget kills my gadget budget... if i stopped drinking beer, bought an iphone and had all the little bells and whistles, i'd actually have a net gain.