[Platapus]

The jobs may never come back.

I don't think consumers will be spending like they did prior to the crisis. I think it scared a lot of people into pulling their head out of their butts and start really thinking of what they are spending their money on.

I know it is true in my family. We are cutting way back on our discretionary spending -- really looking at what we are buying and why we are buying it. For example, Christmas. There was a time when our total bill for Christmas shopping for the entire families was about $5,000. This year our budget for everyone is $1,000 and that includes for all the families. I am not going into debt any more for Christmas shopping. If I don't have the money in the bank, the money does not exist.

I am almost finished with moving my family to a cash only operation. If we want something we are saving our money and not just reaching for the credit cards like we used to. And we are closely examining why we are buying the stuff we need and frankly, often deciding that we really don't need to spend the money.

If a large number of families are of like minds with me, the businesses that cater to "discretionary" spending may be facing an uncertian future.

I am simply not buying the same stuff that I was buying a year ago, and when the economy gets better, I have no intention of changing back to my old wasteful ways. I was spending way too much way too fast. I could afford to do so, but did I really need to spend that much? Absolutely not!

I doubt I am the only one of this mind set.

So there may be some businesses that will never recover.