Anyone being financially affected by the shutdown?

[atgcpaul]

Both wife (Fed) and I (contractor) are furloughed because of the shutdown. I was "essential" until this Monday so I will at least be paid through the end of this week. Other than that, my contracting company can't tell us if we'll get back pay if the Feds do. The Fed that manages the contract is furloughed. Back pay or not, bills still have to get paid on time. For the first time in my life, I considered not paying off the whole balance on my CC. Sadly, I stopped the automatic tithing to church and to our daughters' college funds.

My mom is furloughed, too, and she went through the last one, too.

Around here, you can't throw a rock without hitting someone who's connected to the govt. At least I've had some leisure time. Been really cleaning and reorganizing the shop and got in a bike ride yesterday. At a cross-, briefly chatted with a couple who was also furloughed.

The local businesses are definitely feeling the pinch. What's it like where you are?

[TB Roye]

My Daughter in Law work for the US Marshall in Idaho, she is working but doesn't know when she is getting paid. Both her and my son are just getting back on the financial feet after a tough time during the recession. Both are working but a the low end of the pay scales so it is still very tight. Any more and I will get political all I can say is the wrong people are being hurt. I don't know if we are getting our Social Security Checks next week or not either.

Tom

[Pappy]

my job isn't affected since the Post Office isn't tax supported. Both the wife and my brother are on SS so that remains to be seen. There is also some uncertainty in the winds about my VA disability and military retirement pay. The disability check goes into a separate savings account and won't hurt, but the retirement check makes the house payment.

[cwsmith]

On Social Security here; "so far, so good" as they say... but we're waiting for the other shoe to drop.

CWS

[sweensdv]

Go ahead Feds, stop sending out SS checks, I dare you! You saw what those Honor Flight old timers did at the WWII memorial when this shutdown first started. Stop sending them their rightfully earned monies and you'll have a few million of them knocking down your office doors.

[trungdok]

I'm sorry to hear that, Paul. Hopefully it won't go on long enough to affect you financially in the long run.

I'm a subcontractor for the DoD. The contracting company has enough money reserve to keep us all around with pay, but I'm not sure for how long.

[durango dude]

I'm not directly impacted - but I do work at a university, and a few of our federal grants have grounded to a halt.

I was planning to go elk hunting in two weeks ---- and there's some talk about the feds not permitting "recreation" on federal land (I don't think that would go over very well around here ---- almost everything around us is public land). The campgrounds are definitely off-limits (I hunt back-country - so that doesn't matter to me).

My son - on the other hand has a big problem. He's in training with the Navy --- but most of the personnel providing the training are civilians (nuclear energy electronics technician). I think they've been told to go back to work --- but I'm not 100 percent certain this has happened.

[capncarl]

I'm considered essential on this marine base, 900 were furloughed here. I hear that they messed up a bunch of folks pay that were working, shorting their hours. That figures.
capncarl.

[Brian G]

I'm on furlough, but I'd really rather be at the office, working.

I've found discussing the matter from my perspective as a furloughed employee to be difficult. Seems like too many people want to get mad right away and want to lump federal employees in with the mix of what caused the problem in the first place.

Don't blame the Park Ranger for standing at the closed entrance of the National Park; they are not getting paid to be yelled at over something which they cannot control. Don't think the furlough, despite the prospect of backpay, is a "free vacation;" the work and deadlines for completing the work are still there and will need to be done regardless. Remember that furloughed Federal employees buy stuff and pay taxes too; those that are scraping by won't buy as much stuff from local merchants and pay the taxes on the purchase.

As a point of clarification in this thread, the furlough isn't what will cause cessation of SS payments. http://www.ssa.gov/shutdown/ It's the debt ceiling fight that will.

Not looking for an argument.