My thoughts and prayers are with you all that the economy will turn around quickly. I'm retired and have SS, which the government didn't give us a 2% raise because the cost of living didn't go up. I wonder which planet they live on because the cost of living has gone up where I live.

I was laid off almost 2 years ago after over 13 years at the same company. I firmly believe there's a reason for everything that happens. I now cook more instead of us eating so much fast food, get to the grocery store early, and I get to sew a whole lot more. I can hit all the sales first thing in the morning. I do miss my friends from work, but we usually get together for lunch about once a month. Fortunately, our house and cars are paid off, so it's not quite a burden to us as it is for others.