1) E. Borrow the same.

2) B. Spend the same.

1)E. Borrow the same (none)
2)B. Spend the same (little)

1) E. Borrow the same (none)
2) B. Spend the same

1) F. Not borrow at all
2) E. Spend less by 10%

Unfortunately some charities will be included in this 10%

1. Not borrow at all
2.Spending will depend on actual earning

1. Not borrow at all (same as this year)

2. E.

1. Borrow less - or nothing
2. Spend less - hopefully.

Our family will,
A - borrow less
B - spend less, trying to drop it
by 10%

Borrow less and spend less by @10%

Because the interest rate will be low in 2009, I intend to

D. Borrow more and will

A. Spend more than last year and invest heavily.

1-A
2-A subject to adjustments for inflation/deflation in food and fuel, whichever applies.

MIT'CourseX 1973

I have tred to live at half my income and save the rest. I am retired from the oil industry that failed to evolve into a full-spectrum energy industry as I had hoped back in late 70's/early 80's.

I ran a 40 Mbd refinery in PR for 5yrs before moving up o PGH and then Houston.

D. borrow
A. spend more and invest(spending more because of schooling, but saving excess student loan money at a lower interest to pay off debt at a higher interest, then taking the left over from those saving to put towards interest incurred from the unsub. stafford(student loans).

(A) Borrow less.

(G) Spend less by 15%.

1. borrow not at all (just like this year)
2. C or D

1. borrow more. i'm buying a house
2. spend more.

Borrow 0 - The same - Except for short term credit card use. Although I'm paying off a mortgage so in some sense I am borrowing less.

Spend less - 10% - We did a capital improvement this year which will not be repeated. (But there is the fact that my wife wants to get a new car, so the emphasis is on the "I intend".)

1. Borrow the same (just pay on existing mortgages)
2. C. Spend less by 2% (may not take a winter long-weekend trip to Key West as last year; slightly more conservative overall--wish I felt as I did post Sep 11th and wanted to spend more--but focused on trying to figure out when I can "afford" to retire)

A
B - "same" meaning not the "same" amount, but "same" spending mindset, i.e. what I want/need that I can afford. Which may be more or may be less.

1. Borrow less (if you call using a credit card twice a month for a %25 meal and movie borrowing.)

2. Spend less than 5% (my family already saves 45-50% of income a month, so all I can do is hope the exchange rate improves.)

Bottom line: even less credit card use, cost cutting on food, and more saving.

1) A. borrow nothing; in fact, reduce my mortgage by more than minimum (we have no revolving credit or other debt)

2) F. Cut spending by 15% - vacations, dining out

Not sure if you'll want to put me in a different category since I'm an Australian.

1) A - borrow less.
I managed to sell off an investment property this year (at a huge loss), which brings my net debt to zero. I will relish in the freedom while it last.

2) A - spend more. There will be some crazy bargain next year from the liquidation auctions.

D. Borrow more to buy car
B. Spend the same

A. Borrow less, assuming I can borrow less than zero. That's it, I'll become a lender. :)

A. Spend the same

A. Borrow Less

c. Spend less by 2%

1. A. Borrow Less.
2. D. Spend less by 5%

A. Borrow Less
A. Spend more than last year (only because in 9/2008 my husband had to take a job in another state for 2 years and we now must maintain 2 households: a mortgage plus apartment rent, more air travel, furniture rental, more phone expense, etc.

1. In the next year, I intend to:

B. Borrow more: I would consider refinancing my home mortgage if rates dropped low enough.

2. In the next year, I'm going to:

A. Spend more: Gas prices have declined but increases in food and other basics are putting pressure on my expenses.

1. Not borrow at all.
2. Spend less by 15%+ - based on the assumption that I will have no income from investments this year.

A. Borrow no more. Zero. Cash only.

E. Spend less by 10% ___

1. NA - I owe no money and do not intend to owe any money.
2. spend less by 15%

I have a son in college and my income has been reduced, so I'll be pulling from LT savings for the college and reducing expenses until my income increases again.

I was fortunate that I had pulled enough out of the stock market to provide for this year's college expenses. Next year will be an issue...

1. Borrow more (I plan to buy a car next year but may not need to take out a loan)
2. Spend less by (probably) more than 15% (however, will spend more in tuition money since I will be going back to school)

1. Borrow Zero

2. Spend less, no major purchases unless the price is too good to pass up(50% off)

1 -A. borrow less
2 - C. Spend less

It's time to end our consumption binge and to save and invest in ourselves. Its in our personal and national interest!

1 - A I don't borrow and pay off cards monthly

2 - A Have no debts - intend to spend some savings (before being rendered useless) buying what the desperate want to turn into cash

There are great deals out there for us frugal types. All you "have to have it today" types are going to sell it to my kind for 10 cents on the $.

1. Paid off family loan. Will borrow none.

2. Reduce spending by 10% -- with one child in college we will continue to use LT assets and hope they do not become dust.

1.D. borrow more for a rental property. I normally do not borrow at all and pay off credit card fully every month.

2. spend the same. not a big spender from my point of view

Here is my idea how to fix the auto industry. Ask the Big Oil companies to lend some of their profits to Detroit, strings attached! One string would be to replace current auto managers with a new crew who would look beyond the next quarter, and make cars competitive with Toyota. Another string would be to cut the fat from the bloated UAW ranks.
Just a thought.

1. Haven't been borrowing and don't plan to start next year.

2. Try to reduce spending. I'm 65 and my retirement savings have taken a hit. We'll try to live on our anticipated retirement income before I retire.

1 - Try to borrow more, as a cushion, by refinancing my mortgage, since I'm lucky enough to have plenty of equity left in my house. I'm self-employed, and expect work to diminish. Since we seem to be in a deflationary cycle now, I keep in mind that I'd be repaying current dollars borrowed with more valuable dollars later.

2 - Spend less, hard to say what percentage. Yes, 15%+ if I can. Many frugalities are in place for to save on food, heating, transportation fuel. When I see signs that healthy inflation is coming, I won't hesitate to borrow prudently, and thereby stimulate the economy.

1. Borrow nothing (incur no additional debt)

2. Cut spending as much as possible (>15%, I hope)

3. Cross my fingers and hope that the ensuing poverty doesn't kill me.

1. In the next year, I intend to:

A. Borrow less (or the same).

As business owners we sometimes use credit lines for short term cash flow and we will continue to do so although in general we're doing less of that because we've been making more this year and have less of a need to borrow.

2. In the next year, I'm going to:

A. Spend more than last year

Capital improvements to the business. We are making more so spending more, but as a percentage of income our spending is about the same.

A. Borrow less (which we don't do much anyway)

D. Spend less by 5%

We're both freelancers (artist/writer/photographer), but have a diversity of clients, and so far are okay re: actual business income in 2008 (but do have tanking investments). We're just carrying on. But some of our clients are not doing well...

Borrow less

Spend less by at least 10%

1. Borrow less
2. Reduce spending by 15%+

1. Borrow: Zero, as usual

2. Spend 2% less, aiming for 5%

a. Borrow less - I am trying to pay down my debt (mostly a mortgage) since my other investment opportunities seem so weak.

b. Hopefully about the same, as long as I stay employed, but as a part time university instructor at a number of schools - I may find reduced employment opportunities here in CA.

Borrowed nothing these past years and hope to do the same in next.
I cannot forecast my spending needs but it would be my nature to be very thrifty in the face of this kind of economy. I liked your interview with Bob Solow;it lasted long enough to be meaningful.

1. Borrow less
2. Spend 15% less

My husband and I have a stable income, but we are afraid anyway. Lots of people are going to lose their jobs, and even those who don't are terrified of the consequences if they do.

Borrow less (I paid off all my credit cards)

Spend less by 15%

1. In the next year, I intend to:

Continue to pay down my home equity loan (My ONLY debt)

2. In the next year, I'm going to

G. Spend less by 20%

a. Borrow less, I have actually been trying to pay some of my debt (mortgage) at an accelerated rate since investment opportunities seems so weak.

b. As long as I stay fully employed my spending habits will stay the same, yet I have already become more cautious. I teach part time at a number of colleges and universities and the employment opportunities here in CA are diminishing with the budget crisis.

1. Borrow nothing

2. F-spend at least 15%less

1. Borrow more to buy a larger boat
2. Spend more than last year

The economy has no effect on my pocketbook, other than limiting significant upside investment opportunities in equity markets(going beyond retrns of 5% CDs)

1. Borrow nothing more; continue to repay sole debt (mortgage).
2. Spend less by 15+%; less driving, cut dining out, etc. Will offset these savings by spending on son's college costs...

1. My goal is To Borrow Nothing!
2. I hope we can spend less than last year

We are in our early 60's. Time for recovery is not our friend.

1 a
2 g(at least i hope so-on the one hand,as i retired earlier this year my expenses should be less as i am no longer traveling over 50 miles each way 2 get 2 wrk-on the otherhand,my retirement was taken in a lump sum & i have lost over 30% of a not very large sum-without the market downturn,i was comfortably living on a set withdrawal monthly & still making a little bit of money-now my withdrawal of 6% of the lump sum is of course considerably less so i find myself needing to find a few extra hundred a month rather than having that cusion monthly & my lump sum balance is still being dipped into-i have switched now to bonds knowing that i will never be able to recoup my considerable losses,but needing to protect as much of the reduced balance i have left-i worked 38years to get this pension,& am now in a position of looking for a job so i can try to rebuild my balance-there just is no way that i will be able to save the amount of money i have lost,but i need 2 try while i am still young enough)

Borrow same (mortgage)

Spend as little as possible.

I've stopped all outflow I can, including prescriptions, doctor visits, am keeping the house cold and splurged on renting a rototiller so we'd have a garden. Lost my job and am losing my health care (CA survivor) but voted for Obama and live in hope.

1) Borrow the same (none)

2) Spend less by 15%

1. Borrow 0
2. Spend less, E.

Luckily I moved my IRA funds to MM in late September. A fantasy portfolio I created at the time is at 74% of its value (Apple, Google, AMD, IBM, GE, Schwab, TD Bank).

I was also "excessed" in late September. I am nearly 63 and married. Our COBRA insurance is $1350/mo. My unemployment benefit is $1700/mo. We own our home and two cars (10 and 16 years old) outright, have one fully independent 26-yr-old daughter, $15000 in student loan debt, $13000 in credit debt, and $2000 loan from IRA to pay the first month's COBRA.

With taxes and conservative monthly expenses, we are budgeting an astounding $47,000 in expense (COBRA=$16000!$6000=debt repayment) for next year with $21,000 income. What if we had a mortgage!

Paul... "Neither a borrower nor a lender be..." Ben Franklin.
It would take a catastrophe for me to borrow. As far as spending, I believe Grandma: "Watch the pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves."

1. In the next year, I intend to:

Borrow NOTHING, same as last several years--since car paid off(don't have any debt except mortgage)

2. In the next year, I'm going to:
F. Spend less by 10%+ - reduce spending on food, gasoline, electricity, gifts, charities, books

(Retirement-required & voluntary is already about half of income- goal is to increase non-retirement investments)

1 - borrow the same (none)
2 - spend less, 10% less if possible.

living off of our investments. tried to stick to the %4 rule. Will need to adjust that downwards reflecting the decrease of our portfolio.

1. Pay mortgage and home equity loans as scheduled. Will not increase debt

2. Spend less by 5%

I plan to spend less.
I plan to borrow nothing.
We have been impacted by the declining stock market because my husband's pension was set up to go up when stocks rose and go down when stocks fell. Probably not a good decision. Having two unemployed children in their 30's and 40's is also depressing. Permanent jobs for persons with a Masters degree in IT appear not to exist in the Denver metro area.

1. borrow hopefully not at all
2. spend less

I am 73 and my investments just keep spiraling downward. I intend to cut my discretionary spending as much possible. The last four years have been the loveliest time financially and I enjoyed spending for the first time in some 15 years. Now I just go back to where I was and cut corners as much as possible.

1. Have never had a credit card in my life (too low-income)... so, I guess, same (none).
2. Same, basic needs only unless there is a deflation period so I can actually buy something again.

1. I plan to borrow nothing if I can. However, if things keep getting worse, I might have to borrow just to pay my mortgage. Being retired and on a set income. My stocks and bonds have bottomed out, and I may get no quarterly dividends starting in December. In that case, I will be borrowing, just to pay all my bills. Not a happy time for me.

2. I am only spending money for essentials. I rent a few videos a week, and can't afford trips or dining out or buying any luxury items. It is the worst of times in my 64 years of life.

We plan to borrow nothing. If you do not have the money then there is nothing to use. Saving is the key and always has been.

1- Laid off, drawing unemployment insurance, therefore not an option. What, me borrow? I'm surprised to hear that it is even possible. It certainly isn't for the Detroit automakers. Perhaps the NBA Pistons will change their name to the Tin Cups.
2- F., G., or HIJKLMNOP. You get the idea.

1) A. Borrow less

2) C. Spend less by 2%

1-A. Not borrow at all
2-E. Spend 10% less (I am retired. I intend to withdraw 10% less from my retirement fund, which has declined by 30% so far)

I'm optimistic.
With no ties to stock market, and after many years of scrimping to pay off debt, it'll be paid off next year.
1. D: new car and maybe new house
2. A

1.F. Not borrow at all.
2.E. Spend less by 10% AND
H. Save 10%

Then I can borrow from myself. I am looking to get a new mattress in February sales--prices should be a bit lower by then. But beyond that--nope, don't need anything. Not that badly anyway. Feel we were sold a bill of goods with 401K as a retirement vehicle. Why can't we now withdraw those funds (w/o penalty) and invest in the real estate market--prices are good there, and we could help jump-start it! But 401K's are only for stocks/treasury notes. It's just wrong.

Spend less exceeding 15%

borrow nothing

pay off credit card balances and stop using the credit card. Cash and carry only.

1. A--Borrow less
2. G--spend less by 15% +

For us, the two are connected. We are just completing finishing our basement, for which we borrowed some and spent a lot! Now, we won't be borrowing, but will start paying back. We will be spending less in our family budget, but our big cut in spending will be in the building project.

Will not borrow any money.
I will spend less, for sure.

Remember when the intrest on car loans, and credit cards were tax deductable? What was wrong with that
plan? I would probably spend more then.(deduct maybe 40% would be good)

1. A. Borrow less and focus on paying down credit card debt.
2. D or E. Spend less by about 5-10%. Much of my family's spending is fixed living costs over which we have little control. Where we will focus our savings in 2009 will be discretionary spending, like Christmas (which we'll scale back this year), dining out, vacations, and the like.

Borrow less, pay down debt, plant more garden space, hunker down

1. A. Borrow less (I don't typically borrow money, and next year I hope to pay off our one car loan and as mortgage debt as I can).

2. A. Spend more (I need to travel more next year, but other expenses will likely remain similar to previous years. I may find myself investing more than usual if I have spare cash and stock market stays low).

1-A We do not borrow now, and will not next year.
2-E we are now a 1 income family, and likely will be for all of next year. Reducing spending is a must

Except for a mortgage, I only borrow what I have to and can pay off at the end of each month. I have stopped shopping for recreation and reduced spending by 75% in the last year. I do not plan to participate in spending more to boost our economic growth. Some call that unpatriotic, but I call it mad. The corporate bailouts and CEO bonuses are obscene when so many ordinary people are living hand to mouth.
1. A
2. G

My husband and I are retired and have a country home completely paid. We live on cash and will not be borrowing any money in the next 2 years. Our income will be 50% less from 120,000$ to 60,000$ because we will not be drawing from our investments until the market recovers. Luckily we know how to economize. We live in the beautiful Sonoma CA wine country and eat local produce and drink local wines. Will not be traveling or flying for vacations. All this means less taxes, more eating at home, and enjoying local free festivals and events. Luckily we have employer covered health care and lead a healthy lifestyle.

1. We want to borrow to purchase a house, but no one will lend.
2. Spend less by 5%.

1)I don't plan on borrowing anything.

2)I plan on saving more, so I'll spend less. Maybe 10-15%.

1. In the next year, I intend to: D. Borrow more, and will. I intend to buy a vehicle that I will finance 50% of. Currently no debt other than my primary mortgage.

2. In the next year, I'm going to: B. Spend the same

1) I will not incur new debt but will continue to pay one car and mortgage debt as usual; no lack of available credit, just unused at this time.
2) I will spend the same but try to purchase more carefully and get more for my money to fund additional savings (10%) through price and sales incentives that are being offered by many retailers now.

1. A
2. G

1. borrow same - (none)

2. spend more - was unemployed this year

Borrow the same (none)
Spend the same