How are things in your neighborhood?

22 thoughts on “How are things in your neighborhood?”

1. Son-in-law a UPS driver, says business is booming.
   Liquor salesman, for hotels and restaurants, says business is up.
   Wegman's building monster two story store.
   Things are improving but prices of goods and services are inflating due to increas in oil prices.

   Columbia,MD

2. Restaurants, Bars and Walmart are always full no matter what the economic situation.

   Mortgage rates are at all time low: but it would appear majority of sales are bank owned properties or Short Sales.

   The internet and news says to short the buck and buy gold or silver for the worst yet to come with Gas expected to be 5-8 dollars.

   Getting better? Coulda fooled me...

3. Nothing seems to look good in South Africa at the
   Moment. We pay more than twise as much for maize than
   What we export.

   We exported 1.2 milloin tons last year and now we are
   Running short for local consumption.

   Even high fuel price has come into effect.

4. Continue to see vacant stores

5. Minneapolis and St. Paul each have according to my electrician friend about 800-900 electricians sitting on the bench. So construction has not picked up. Their Minnesota licenses are recognized in North Dakota where the oil jobs are. But the ND electricians get first pick (the nice inside with A/C and other easier jobs. The MN electricians get the outside !00 degrees in summer/pretty darn cold in winter jobs. But still better than those warming the bench back in MN. Housing? What housing? There are people living in tents and trailers in ND. Motorhomes and trailers bring a premium price. Better have good insurance because thieves are common (unemployed without job qualifications or pros?) The economy is getting a tiny bit better in spite of government. After the "stimulus" (wasted funds sent to crony pals), after the stimulus ended, things seem to be slowly improving on their own.

6. The wife and I went out to our favorite restaurant last Saturday. It was after 9:00 p.m. so definitely past peak dinner time yet we had to wait 30 minutes to be seated. There had been times recently when we would show up right at peak time and be seated immediately so this was quite a surprise. Looks like disposable income must be improving.

7. Was at the local super Walmart last weekend & while my wife checked out I walked along the checkouts & discovered that everyone was paying using the food stamp card , I watched as they paid separately for their beer & smokes. To me looking at all the people in the store that day the people just had a look that they just had their asses kicked. So up here in North East Ohio their ain't to much sunshine especially when one can't go and get refinanced for cash out money.

   The economy as a whole is still enjoying the trillion or so of stimulus money still being spent, once that dries up we will see the real economic conditions. The dollar is going to crash sometime by the fall. The real reason why gas is going up - it's not because of Iran, it's because Foreign countries are dumping their dollars. Harsh times ahead, the worst this country has ever seen - remember this posting

   1. If we are lucky in this country it will happen before the election but if after and nothing changes in D.C. then God Help US because everything always come to a head and when it does it is never a pretty sight.

8. My neighborhood in Wellesley, MA is rapidly changing. All of the $700,000 house are quite rapidly being demolished and rapidly being replaced with $1.5M- $1.6M houses. The new houses sell immediately.

9. Here is a article in the Pittsburgh Business Times of how it is going in my local area which is Washington County in Western Pennsylvania. I have Two things to say. Roll the Dice Baby, Mamma Needs a New Pair of Shoes! AND Drill Baby Drill! Our depression was the 1970's through the early 80's when the steel mills all picked up and moved South so it is a releif to see my local area economics 3rd in the Nation.
   http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/news/2012/02/23/washington-county-leaders-talk-energy.html?ana=fbk

   1. Oh, I forgot to mention there is a third thing I would like to say. Growing up in the seventies and my school teachers trying to make me a Mush head with Global Cooling BS and we were headed for a ICE AGE BS. I love the mild winter we are having in the NE US. I love global warming! Just look at how devistated Europe is with the winter they are having. Could everyone please by a Hummer and keep the Global Warming comming.

10. I need food panhandlers up 50% and this is in a supposedly affluent area - Palm Springs!

    1. Bob,

       Your right. Palm Springs is supposedly an affluent area. I have fond memories of Palm Springs, I went to High School not far from there and spent many a summer running around Palm Desert and Palm Springs.

       I sure hope you play a lot golf on those beautiful courses!

       Best,
       Jeremy

       1. I am from Palm Desert/Rancho Mirage, too, and right now, in the fall time, we see a lot of traffic coming in.

11. Judging from what I see in the grocery carts, carts just don't have things shoppers are buying filled to the top, like it was before inflation started about or almost 2 years ago. People are buying store brands, not known brands. I usually shop Kroger, as their brands are just as good as known brands & it saves quite a bit. And at Kroger you get better deals when you use their card for on-sale groceries prices. I think Kroger is the only National Store in town. others are large, but their store brands are not so hot. The only thing I buy at those stores is sale items and one store at which I like & buy their mustard potato salad. Meat & Fish have really gone up a lot, and I only cook a roast when it's priced on sale & I often freeze an extra roast if the price is really reduced.Ground chuch now sells for what a roast used to cost.

12. Considering many r living mortgage free and have cut expenses to the bone, it would seem those with jobs have more disposable income 🙂 meanwhile the debt here in Quebec and ontario continues to pile up to the tune of about a billion $ a month in each province 🙁 it's only a matter of time before governments become layoff artists.

13. Wow things are looking and feeling better all the time. Its due to a mild winter and a improving outlook for the economy. We are feeling much better where I am,

14. Considering many r living mortgage free and have cut expenses to the bone, it would seem those with jobs have more disposable income 🙂

15. housing still a nightmare and real unemployment still over 18%

16. things may be better in the media but there is some economic activity but no real increase

17. Hi Jeremy. Things are about the same here in Calgary Alberta, steady and busy.

    1. Al,

       Steady and busy is good. Hope your having as mild of a winter as we are having here in Maryland.

       Cheers,
       Jeremy

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