On Nov 16, 2004, at 17:59, Clay Blackwell wrote:
Point being... how many members of our list have been affected by the downturn in the US economy? I know of several, and there may be many more.
Affected in many ways (just watching the interest on my investmens dwindle, since *early* '01 - not after 9/11 - hurts :) What price "tax relief?" At least, before, I had something to pay the tax *on*...) but I'll quote only a lace-related one.
When Batsford published Sandi Woods' "Alphabet Inspirations" (May? June? July? of this year), in what I have to think of as an excess of the famous British sense of humour, it printed the price in GBP - 17.99, in US dollars - 26.95, and in Canadian dollars - 39.95. Presumably, *at that point*, 17.99 in GBP translated to U$ 26.95.
An Arachnean e-friend was coming from UK in October, asked me if there was anything I wanted her to bring, and I said "Sandi's Inspirations, if it's not too much trouble". So, before leaving UK, she went to a nearby lace day on October 4, and bought the book for me. Paid the printed price of GBP 17.99 but, by that day, it was no longer U$ 26.95; it was U$ 30.76. Out of sheer cussedness, I checked the currency converter on the day of delivery (Oct 19) and it would have cost me U$ 31.30, had she not been honest. I checked again today, and the same GBP 17.99 "translates" to U$ 33.32. That means, that the buying power of the (once almighty) dollar has shrunk to 80/% in half a year (or less).
Which is why lace vendors in this country, who heavily depend on imported goods, have to keep hiking up their prices every time they do a major re-stock.
Until fairly recently (less than 3 months), we were affected - mostly - only if we had "international dealings" (like subscribing to Kniplebrevet or Lace, or planning to go to OIDFA/Prague, or buying threads/books produced abroad), or had investments in "diversified" funds, or else if someone in your family had been laid off and you lost an income (praise be, not in my family). But the world economy is now coming home to roost *at home*. In the last 2 weeks, prices have been skyrocketing... We needed a new fridge, and DH priced them, 3 weeks ago (before elections <g>). We got it yesterday - the basic price was up by $20, the delivery (about 6 miles away) charge up by $15. Both were "credited" to the hike up in oil prices. Since the sales tax went up half-percent at the beginning of September (which is why I had to up the price of the Two-Pairs), that's also 18 cents extra in tax alone. $35.18 (a book or a good start on a thread stash) to be credited to you-know-who.
Affected??? You betcha we're affected. And it's gonna be a long (4 yr), cold, winter for the most of us... For a while, I'd hoped that the Brits would buy most of Florida, but, with 4 hurricanes in one season, that's not likely :)
--- Tamara P Duvall http://lorien.emufarm.org/~tpd Lexington, Virginia, USA (Formerly of Warsaw, Poland)
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