Recession Concessions
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Recession Concessions: Lost the Business, Keeping the Cleaners
Ryan M. Salinetti, 33
Suffolk County, N.Y.
Keeping: Cleaners
I’ve kept my cleaning people because I love them and I don’t want to see them suffer the way I have.
Letting Go: Employees, childcare, extras
I have a graphic design business [Breakwater Design Studio] that works with locals and local businesses. They did not just go into hibernation for the off-season—I drive down Main Street and see For Rent signs in the windows. There was a wine merchant who was doing excellent; I worked with him for six months on a website project and now he’s gone. Landscapers—their clients were V.P.s for Lehman Bros., and they were the first to get chopped. I do their graphics and marketing, so I got chopped next. It happened in three weeks. I had to lay people off. I gave up the idea that I could have a business, I moved everything home. It was horrible…
Recession Concessions: Keeping My Coffee
Laura Yona, 36
Glen Rock, N.J.
Keeping: Starbucks ($5 per cup)
I used to commute into NYC before I got laid off from my management position at Tutor.com. The one real just-for-me splurge that I’ve kept since being laid off is Starbucks in the morning. I have cut back to 3-4 times a week instead of every day, but it’s still $15-20 a week on coffee. For me, though, a lot of it is about actually going to my local Starbucks. The people there know me and are super nice to me and chat with me about what I’m reading. They are really the only people I get to talk to these days that I’m not related to or talking to about my kids. I always walk out of there with a smile on my face—totally worth the $5 or so I’ve paid for the coffee. (I also justify a little because I get four shots, so I’m really paying $5 for four coffees…they’re just all served in the same cup, right?)
Ditching: Salads, manicures, sitters, yarn and more
After being informed that my position was one of 13 being eliminated at the end of October, the second phone call I made was to cancel my cleaning service (the first was to my husband)…
What are you keeping and giving up in the recession? Email us, or discuss it in the comments section.
Recession Concessions: HBO vs. The Cleaning Lady
Sara Clemence, 34
New York City
Editor, Recessionwire Co-founder
Keeping: My cleaning lady ($75 every two weeks)
Ditching: HBO ($15 a month)
Recession Concessions: Dog Food v. Daycare
Ditching: Daycare
Keeping: Gourmet dog food
Few are immune to the necessary cutbacks that come with shrinking assets. Even dogs.
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