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Colorado Livin'

Recessions Suck–How Have You Been Impacted?

By Amber Johnson on 38 Comments

On Friday, I blubbered like a baby. It was not because of the lice infestation that pervaded our home. Or my daughter’s chicken pox outbreak.

Though those may have contributed to my fragile state.
[photopress:RMN.gif,full,pp_image] It was because I read the final edition of Colorado’s oldest newspaper–The Rocky Mountain News, which closed its doors on Friday. A cut of Colorado that, after reporting on historic events for almost 150 years, has become a part of history.

Six months after I got married and moved to Colorado, my husband and I moved in with his parents as we waited for our house to be built. Every morning I would drag my big, pregnant self to their kitchen table and read the Rocky Mountain News. The strange new world of mine became familiar as I fell in love with Colorado through its pages.

Many businesses have gone under and it has been personal to everyone involved. Even my own husband lost his job a couple of months ago when the client for whom he was consulting declared bankruptcy.

And now, even though I certainly have my loyalties to Mile High Mamas (which is run by The Denver Post), I feel like an important part of Colorado has died. And that is about as personal as it gets.

As RMN staffer Jim Sheller wrote in his final good-bye to the newspaper:

Despite the hundreds of life stories I’ve told–after all of the tear-smeared drives returning from funerals–this remains one of the most difficult.

We’re not trained to write obituaries in first person.

Best wishes and prayers to everyone at the Rocky Mountain News and those struggling in this recession.

How have you been impacted by the economy?

Amber Johnson
Author: Amber Johnson

Amber is the founder and editor of Mile High Mamas, travel writer and former columnist for The Denver Post. She is a passionate community builder and loves the outdoors. She has two awesome teens and is happily married to a man obsessed with growing The Great Pumpkin.

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Amber is the founder and editor of Mile High Mamas, travel writer and former columnist for The Denver Post. She is a passionate community builder and loves the outdoors. She has two awesome teens and is happily married to a man obsessed with growing The Great Pumpkin.

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38 Comments

  1. We have been struggling, too. My husband and I both have our jobs but they’re on the brink of folding so every decision we make is related to our economic status.

    I was so sad to see the Rocky go, too!

  2. We have a catering company that does mostly business catering and businesses are really cutting back. It’s scary but we are taking one day at a time. We have been effected for sure but still have a roof over our head so we are thankful for that!

  3. I am sorry that your historic and beloved paper is gone.

    The economy is so depressing.

  4. I really wonder what the hardest hit industry is. Certainly, catering is one of those “cut-back industries” in tough times. I have a neighbor who is in construction management and his company is about to go under.

  5. Man, I feel like the news is so depressing. We were considering moving to Germany for the next few years, but with the slowing economy and uncertainty we are putting that plan on the back burner and sticking close to family.
    Mostly, life is good. It’s hard to remain positive though when everything seems so bleak.

  6. Germany? What would be quite the move and it’s smart to stay closer to home for now. I can’t even imagine try to sell our home in this economy!

  7. My husband just got his 60 day notice and he has been working in the banking industry for the past 11 years, so yeah, we are feeling it just a little bit.

  8. Ice Cream–I am so so so sorry to hear that. 🙁

  9. It was incredibly depressing to watch the paper go. They were fighting so hard right up until the day they announced they were shutting the doors. It was heartbreaking.

    My husband and I both lost our jobs and are working freelance (barely) right now. The economy hit us hard. It’s terrifying, to say the least.

    http://7cubed.net/babycubed

  10. It is so hard. It was sad to see the Rocky go, I have lived here since I was 8 it has just always been there.

  11. listening to the almost daily reports of job losses and company failures in the US is depressing & heartbreaking. the effects of the recession are beginning to trickle over to Canada. although people here aren’t holding their breaths yet about job security, it depends on how bad things get worldwide.
    On a different note —
    Amber, why don’t you write a book? your columns on child-rearing are so frank and interesting. you could do a book aka sex in the city style…a complilation of columns plus general tie-ins. or isolate the whole ‘brown’ saga with Hedley. What a great toilet-training manual…I can just see it in comic book pictorials. if Jamie took over the child rearing during the day (I’m assuming he’s at home most days) you could probably knock out a first draft in less than six weeks. I think you have what it takes to become the next Erma Bombeck or Lynn Johnson.

  12. Geesh, I go and get knocked up and sick for awhile and I see you have lice and chicken pox descending on your tribe? (I will try to get a flock of seagulls fly over there to prepare for the cricket infestation that is surely about to come. Heh.)

    The recession means that we will probably be living in a town home until the end of time. The plan was a year, maybe two while we drew up plans and built our house.

    Right now I think we have better chances of getting heart lung transplants than getting a building loan. Since we have a lot, we can’t buy a home, which sucks because it is a GREAT time to buy.

    So? We’re stuck renting for a very long time. Which blows, but at least I have more than one bathroom in this house. Sigh.

  13. I feel like the Rocky was victim to two problems at once – the economy’s fall meant there were fewer risk-takers out there willing to try to save it. But all of journalism is changing. Papers can’t keep up with the pace at which the news changes — how often do I read a headline that’s already out of date? Perhaps they should aim to be the in-depth source, rather than just a rehash of what I learned on the 10 o’clock news.
    Personally, we seem to be okay right now. But we have neighbors with their own businesses who are struggling. How to help, when we can’t be customers? It’s hard to know how to help sometimes.

  14. Saturday without the RMN was one thing. But today has been off. The Rocky pops into my mind often and unpredictably. I loved the digest on the inside front page — a great summary I’d read while I fed the kids breakfast. I enjoyed the little Extra! items scattered throughout. I felt in touch with my community by staying in touch with the columnists who wrote about.

    I can only imagine how many of them feel today.

    I had missed the quote from Jim Sheeler — it’s brilliant. Thanks for including.

  15. So sad. My Uncle worked for them for years, and just got laid off seeing as how they’re finished. It’s just awful.

  16. Bibi–laughing over your flattering suggestion. Sex in the City I ain’t. 🙂

    Jess–I am so sorry to hear about you and your husband. It hurts that much more when it is a double whammy.

    Loralee–Serious bummer about being stuck in your town home. Here’s for hoping things turn around soon so you can get that gorgeous house underway!

  17. Kagey–so glad you’re OK with the economy and it IS difficult to know how to help!

    Lori–I read both newspapers and was definitely feeling bereft this morning with the Rocky.

    Skye–Here’s for hoping your uncle finds better horizons.

  18. I was just worried you were going to say he’d lost his job–so I was kind of relieved.

  19. Very sad about the newspaper- I was just thinking about that this morning. This seem to be just going away….. So far we have not been hugely impacted -however my husbands travel has slowed a bit…as much as I like him home, he needs to travel -makes me a bit nervous.

  20. Oops need an edit on my post-
    Things that we are used to seem to be just going away

  21. The recession to me….?

    Means that I can’t get married right now. My boyfriend and I can’t sell his house and get a bigger place until the housing market goes back up, or something gives.

    With 7 kids between us, we need a bigger place to fit everyone. It was feasible, until everything went down hill.. so the rest of our life, is on hold.

    So until then… we live in separate houses hoping that something will give….

  22. Only one newspaper… What a pitiful way to save the trees.

    All I have to say is this – the Post better make it’s layout less confusing.

  23. My hubby has been without a job since last June thanks to an invitation from the company he has worked for since 1996 to retire early. At 65, it is not easy to find a company that is hiring–even though he has years of experience in the transportation industry. Many companies are in trouble but are not able to hire right now. Here’s hoping things improve SOON.

  24. I’ve never read the paper and this makes me sad.

    I haven’t noticed anything at all where I am living (Alberta). We are very lucky, Canada is fairing much better than the rest of the world and Alberta is doing much better than the rest of Canada. I am hoping we get through this OK. Trying to help out others as best I can by donating etc. (prayers too).

    http://mommyknows.com

  25. We’re lucky, the hubby is doing very well. We are secure, but whether his job is safe, we just don’t know. I think that is the biggest problem today, no one feels safe and secure in this economy.

    I believe as credit tightens and layoffs get worse, the struggles will worsen and the pain will increase.

    http://onemomsopinion.blogspot.com/

  26. When we found out we were expecting back in August we knew the economy was going to be a bear, but we could have never dreamed. My insurance benefits changed and caused me to have to pay more out of pocket for prenatal services, causing us to pinch pennies just to get by. With 6 weeks to go we are now worried about being able to buy the things we will need to bring our baby home.

  27. Writing obits in the first person. Youch. I’m sorry.

    My own hometown paper has been getting thinner and thinner, and its parent company filed for bankruptcy recently.

  28. Six or seven years ago, my hubby was laid off. It was a huge shock and a struggle, but we made it. In a way, it forced us to put things in place for if it ever happened again. (Knock on wood!) We are so fortunate to be in a better position now than we were when that happened.

    So many people around us are losing their jobs, and our hearts go out to them. It’s hard to remember that “this too shall pass” when you’re in the midst of it all.

  29. This was sad to read. Unfortunately, the same story is repeated throughout many communities. A friend from church, a single Mom, is losing $300 a month due to cut backs in hours at work. She is worried she has to sell her house, and the worst part is she might not even be able to sell it with the housing crisis still raging on. My company has eliminated bonuses which translates into a $10,000 salary loss for me. Fortunately, we never included it as part of the regular budget. It will still be greatly missed, as it helped us with our daughter’s college tuition.

    I hope your husband’s job situation will work out for the best.

  30. Of course, I don’t know the paper but I can just imagine. So many of my friends and family have been affected by this stuff. The 2 companies I worked for previously have laid of great numbers and I would have been one of them. I’m still dodging the bullet for now but who knows for how long. It’s a scary world out there right now.

  31. i didn’t cry, but i feel it’s a great loss to our city and state. i think we will see more newspapers lose their battle to the more popular medias.

    RIP rocky mountain news. we will miss you.

    http://www.sunshine-on-my-shoulders.blogspot.com

  32. I didn’t know that!! Having grown up in Colorado this is really sad news!

  33. I haven’t lived in Colorado long enough to develop an attachment to either paper but this just breaks my heart. I’ve been out of touch with the news over a long weekend so I’m just getting caught up today. Ugh! Newspapers are so important to the history and culture of every city and the industry as a whole is struggling to find their place between print and electronic media. Me? I love my online news and information sources but there is nothing better to me than the tactile experience found in holding a hard-bound book, a newspaper or a thoughtfully crafted note on nice paper.

    The restaurant biz is really suffering. One of my downtown favorites, Nine 75 went under last fall and I was so sad to hear it. I know that we don’t eat out now nearly as often as we used to. Even my husband has been taking his lunches to work in an effort to save money. … Among so many other things …

  34. Fortunately Houston has fared better than most of the country. The high price of a barrel of oil fueled our good fortune up until recently. Falling gasoline prices mean a tougher time here too.

    My company is doing ok so far. We are Canadian based so I think that has helped some. They started tightening budgets towards the end of last year and they are letting contractors go but are adament that they will not reduce the permanent workforce if at all possible.

    My husband is in software sales for the energy industry. New software is one of the first things companies give up in tough times so we are a little concerned but trying to stay positive. Business has been good so far.

    mrssquirrelassassin.blogspot.com

  35. 401K has been nailed – down by around 30 percent compared to 1-1/2 years ago; however, I’m blessed since most of my co-workers have “lost” over 50 percent of the value of their retirement plans. I’m also blessed in the 401K area because of direction gained through prayer. The skinny is I felt directed to get out of majority stock holdings in early 2008, before the market fell and start reallocation back into stock funds as the market tanked. When the market comes back, I’m holding about 40 percent more shares than I was two years ago. And that is a good thing.

  36. Ugh. It’s so sad. Everyone’s on pins and needles, never sure if tomorrow they’ll still have a job. For us, we take it a day at a time. We LITERALLY have no idea if hubby will be employed tomorrow. Ugh, i say again. Wishing everyone the best of luck…

  37. I just close my eyes and don’t want the news. It’s not a very good technique, I know, but it’s working for now.

  38. Which will take longer? The recession to be over or ridding your house of lice. You may know that once you get lice, they seem to reoccur. However, many moms use the Fairy Tales Hair Care Rosemary Repel spray, my kids even put it on before going to school. You know what they say, an ounce of prevention.

    http://www.fairytaleshaircare.com

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