If You Love America, Keep the Money Hole Open

The Onion’s video about America’s money hole (the place where we like to throw all our money, sometimes adding gasoline and a light) is funny, but dated.

Or is it?

This week on Slate’s The Big Money, Heidi Moore argues that the next entity the government needs to bail out is the government itself. …

Recessionwire’s Recession-End View on Portfolio.com

Portfolio.com, where two of us worked pre-Recessionwire, asked us to weigh in on all the assertions on the recession’s end. You can see our story there today:

The Recession is Over. But the Change is Not.

And here’s an excerpt:

If you really want to know if the downturn is done, try this: Turn off CNBC and unplug your WiFi. Look around and take stock of what you have. Chances are, you haven’t made many purchases in a while, and you probably have no plans to. The fridge is stocked because you don’t eat out as much as you once did. Instead of your regular summer vacations…

Recessionwire is Seeking Interns

Yesterday, the Intern Queen wrote about a surge in demand for interns, as well as a broadening of their responsibilities. Well, now Recessionwire needs an intern as well. We’ve had some great folks fill the spot, and we’ll let you speak to them about it if you like – we occasionally let them take a break from the grueling tasks (kidding! kidding!). Olga might even post a video testimonial.

If you or someone you know is looking for an internship opportunity this fall, please consider ours…

Video: Work the Way It Should Be

Working? Nope, we didn’t think so! Thankfully, College Humor’s Hardly Working series will help remind you of how it was back in, oh, 2006 or so. Remember? Go to job, turn on computer, fetch coffee, return to desk, look at computer, pick up coffee, head to co-worker office/cubicle, catch up, return to desk, click through emails, rinse and repeat. Pretty much like now, except you also collected a paycheck.

So you’ll love the guy who shows up in a camouflage shirt only to not be seen by his co-workers. Or the time the office’s favorite band stopped by. Or the discussion of the movie one of the employees saw the night before. Ah, life before the recession. These clips are new, but they sure are nostalgic…

10 Deals for Back to School

There are lots of ways to cut back on your back to school budget — you might, for instance, do a full inventory of any pencils and scissors you have in the house. But if you do have to get to the store for some missing items, you’ll find lots of retailers are eager for your business. According to the National Retail Federation, back to school spending is expected to fall by 7.7 percent this season, while more parents report plans to purchase hand-me-downs at secondhand stores (though they’re also expected to increase spending on electronics, like laptops, by 11 percent).

The big chains are doing all they can to encourage you to buy from them at any price. And the government hopes to help, too, as several states are offering “tax holidays” for back to school shopping (see a list of states and dates here). We’ve compiled a list of some of the best deals out there…

Young Jeezy’s Next — “The Recovery”?

Unlike the Great Depression, the Great Recession hasn’t produced quite the same amount of artistic output. Remember “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime”? We’ve still mainly got lots of dimes. Even dollars (oners, natch). Or, “Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries”? Despite the “forgotten, silent crowd,” the recession hasn’t really required everyone to throw one’s hands up and “laugh at it all.”

So we’ve got Young Jeezy’s “The Recession,” which was released last year. In it, he raps about tough times paying bills and getting work. And we don’t think that’s going to change even in the Recovery.

Love in the Time of Layoff: First Money, Then Love

They say you’re never supposed to talk about money, but in the recession, it’s kind of hard not to. Despite a growing savings rate, there has been massive income loss and a dramatic devaluing or even obliteration of assets. For a lot of us, money is forefront and ever-present on our minds.

But should you bring it up in relationships? Absolutely, say CPAs, therapists, love coaches and relationship experts. In marriages, money has always been the number one cause of tension, regardless of whether we’re rolling in it or dining on Ramen noodles…

Recessionwire Wants YOU

Well, it’s been nearly four months to the day, and Recessionwire has seen amazing growth and heard from amazing readers who have shared stories and helped us spread the word about the website. We’re thankful for all the help — and of course now we’re asking for more as we continue to chronicle these tough times.

Recessionwire is looking for contributors and interns to help with writing, design, production and PR and marketing. Not your skill? Got something better? Let us know—we may need that, too…

Barterpalooza

In New York, a caterer is offering services for free in exchange for new carpeting for her home. An Alaskan drywall laborer is looking for “what you got you don’t need” in return for his services. In hot, hot Phoenix, an air conditioning contractor is seeking services in auto repair, landscaping or carpet cleaning, for which he will barter his own trade.

Currency isn’t going out of style, but in the Recession, new old ways of trade are coming back…