My coworkers and I were discussing the economy at lunch. Being in commercial real estate, we have not felt the same tremors as those in the residential market UNTIL now. The credit crunch has now hit us as well. And I don't think we're going to see the light at the end of the tunnel for some time.

One of the guys said, "I don't remember the economy being this bad EVER," and I said that I did because my husband and I both lost our jobs during the last recession, me in Februrary of 1991 and he in January of 1992. As long as you're employed, even if you have to stretch your dollars, at least you have dollars to stretch.