Economic Issues vs Reef Hobby

[revhtree]

With the current strain on the economy and the high gas prices and all that comes with that, how has this effected your reef hobby expenditures? We have had a poll before, but now we are in worse shape economically speaking.


NO POLITICAL POST PLEASE!

 

[oceanparadise1]

doesnt effect me thank god! i work hard and play hard

 

[ahayes13]

well, i had taken a year and half off of work by choice when i moved to tampa and then figured i would find something when i was ready. so.... i started looking a few mths ago and still nothing. luckily we arent totally BROKE yet... lol... but its tight enough now that i am having to be careful and not purchase very much. if i want something from my lfs, now i trade frags for store credit to use to purchase new items. i try not to spend too much on things i dont really need. right now its pretty much purchasing water and chemicals. and then trading frags to get new things. i put up a frag tank on fri so that i can grow out my zoo frags and use those for credit to get new goodies.

 

[Tankguy001]

It has affected me. Wife lost her job and spent the next 5 months looking. Another 4 months at a job that just didn't cut it. Now started a good job but you don't recover from that for awhile. Plus with a new job she low man on the roster meaning any down turn and shes the first to go. I have bought something here and there but mostly just what I need. Sure hope things get better but I honestly don't see any changes for a long time.

 

[FateX8]

i took a year off too to help my parents but now im employed and i havent really thought much about money
i spend it when i find something i like which doesnt come around very often so its ok

 

[ofblong]

My wife lost her job just shy of 2 years ago. Still hasnt gotten another one. I think she just doesnt like to work. With that said I dont buy much for my tank but I will buy here and there. In all honesty there is only 1 coral (bali Tricolor) I want to buy yet and I want to get a crocea clam. However I dont feel my tank is ready for the bali and well I am paying down my debt asap right now. I was just looking thru quicken and I have paid just shy of $40,000 in debt down just this year.

 

[Hypertek99]

It really hasn't affected me. I think i'm actually buying more stuff now than before. Prices are down a lot on a lot of the corals.

 

[Lytehouse]

Pretty serious fall couple weeks ago. Selling few things to pay some doctors bills. Grateful things weren't worse.

Actually haveing the tanks has been a great pick me up and very therapeutic. Bills have slowed my purchases.

 

[Paintguru]

I've cut back as much as possible. Probably going to take my frag "vat" down and reduce it to a small frag tank. Putting off major purchases like a doser until I feel it is a NEED. If I came on to tougher times, this hobby would be the first to go.

 

[psychedelicwonders]

Thats why you just get a nano and RAM it with coral!

Cheaper on utilities and cheaper to fill.

Consumes less salt, less time, fish are smaller and cheaper, food lasts much longer.

right now I just have a 26 bow on a custom stand with a 24" 250W MH unit, actinics & moon lights.

Basically I took the solana, re-designed it a little bit and had it custom made.

Eventually I'm going to get a 24x24x20 custom cube built out of 1" acrylic... which will cost me about $650 shipped probably.

I wont be getting that for a little while though as I am trying to survive.

But I am in mortgages and its sad to say, when the economy does bad, we do good.

things are starting to finally pick up around here.

Nanos are so cheap to run its not even funny.

Now the RK2 I want is obviously a pricey upgrade, so I wont be getting that any time soon either.

 

[deepbluescuba]

Hadn't worked in a couple of years due to forced retirement by the economy. Couldn't find other work because I was over qualified? Now working in the hobby. Worried that any more bad economic news and it will affect the hobby even worse.

 

[reef-nut]

Forced to go on disability at the age of 39. I had at least 4 tanks when I went on disability. I had a 150 stuffed with ricordea. Slowly had sell it to eat. All I have now is a 20 gallon nano. At this point I should not have a tank. If I did that I would be in a rubber room. I eat, sleep. and dream corals. My wife wants to comit me to a instatution. My homepage is R2R. Its all I look at on the net. The only way I make it is the LFS where I worked still loves me and helps me out.

 

[JGoslee]

It really hasn't affected me. I think i'm actually buying more stuff now than before. Prices are down a lot on a lot of the corals.

Same here.

 

[AlexStinson]

About the time things started looking bad i got a job at a LFS, so now i actually buy alot more and spend less, but i took a pay cut from about 600 to 200 a week, and with being in college it's still tough for me to stock my 100 .

 

[reef-lover]

if i want something from my lfs, now i trade frags for store credit to use to purchase new items.

+1 on trading instead of buying...

 

[gflat65]

It should be affecting me. We moved to Montgomery for a promotion with Country Wide (we all know how that went). 5 months with no job (my wife), then in a job for the last year that pays at least a 1/3 less than she was making and going to 100% commission... Not been great times. Nonetheless, like an idiot, I still spend like I did 2 years ago (well, quite a bit more, actually).

 

[kateater]

luckily the company i work for is booming. dont have time to spend anything working 7 days a week. but when i get an off day i buy what i want.

 

[ofblong]

luckily the company i work for is booming. dont have time to spend anything working 7 days a week. but when i get an off day i buy what i want.

lol I work 7 days/week as well.

 

[Nate82]

well dow just went up 936 points so were good :-D

 

[laskopyre]

My wife lost her job when her company closed a year and a half ago, and she hasn't been able to find another. I do pretty well, but with a new house and the prices for everything going up, it's harder and harder to buy the things that are outside the budget. Gotta do whatcha gotta do, and hope everything turns around.