10 Inconveniences of the Recession

By Farnoosh Torabi
From job losses to bankruptcies, foreclosure and investment losses the recession's definitely taking a toll on our lives. The smaller, day-to-day inconveniences are adding up, as well.

Using the arrows at left, click through our gallery to see a run-down of the ways that people are being squeezed by more than just their finances.

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1. Fewer to Help in an Emergency

Local budget deficits are sparking layoffs at fire departments and police stations. That has some residents worried about safety and protection. Oakland, for example, a city known for a high crime rate, is thinking of laying off 140 police officers. The state of Michigan recently announced police layoffs starting this summer, including 100 state troopers and all 82 new troopers who graduated from a training academy in December. And in Boston a new proposed budget would make cities and towns downsize their police and firefighter staff. Fluffy may have to spend a few extra hours in that tree until help arrives.

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2. More Crowds at Libraries

Free books, DVDs and Internet access had Americans visiting their local library 1.4 billion times last year and checking out two billion items, both a 10 jump from the 2001 recession, according to the American Library Association. But the freebies are now coming at a price: time. At the C. Burr Artz Library in Baltimore, Maryland, student Megan Adkins says she's usually a few spots behind in line, while last year she never had to wait. At the Hoboken Public Library in New Jersey, cardholder Stuart Ginsberg also sees a noticeable slowdown. "There is a waiting list to use a computer," he says. For now it's not a major inconvenience, library goers say, but with proposed library budget cuts across the country conditions may worsen. Many of the 15 library branches in Annapolis, Maryland, for example, are planning for fewer help desk assistants, fewer materials and the removal of Sunday hours. In all more than 40 of states report a drop off in state funding for their public libraries this year.

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3. No More Trays in Some College Cafeterias

It makes total eco-sense: Colleges and universities, from New York University to The University of Minnesota are ditching those iconic plastic cafeteria trays to help reduce waste and water usage. Gradually most of the country's colleges and universities are expected to follow suit. A trial at Harvard last year concluded schools could save 20 more food by going tray-less. Schools also claim they can save thousands of gallons of water every month. But the move will also mean more plate juggling -- plus the risk of spillage and having to discover a new way to create a make-shift sled during snow season.

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4. Post Office Closures and Shortened Hours
Some post offices are shutting down entirely due to a budget shortfall and earnings losses. Overall The U.S. Postal Service lost $2.8 billion last year. In towns across the country residents are grumbling over early office closings and shutdowns. One business owner from Short Hills, New Jersey is angry his local post office has shortened its lobby hours during the week, since he now has to take time away from work to access his post office box. Before he could do it on the way to the office or on his way home from work. New York City's only 24-hour mailing center, the James A. Farley Post Office in Manhattan, will soon trim its hours and no longer be open all the time.

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5. Young Adults Are Moving Back Home

A shrinking job market and a desperate need to save has many young adults returning to live at home with mom and dad. The latest Census figures from 2008 show 20 million adults between the ages of 18 to 34 live at home with their parents -- that's a third of the age group! It's affecting college graduates the hardest, with about 50 expected to "boomerang" home after graduating in May. Jeremy Diamond 22, just graduated cum laude from American University. Despite three internships under his belt he's yet to land a job and, in the meantime, has moved back home. While his parents have been supportive, he's not thrilled with the situation. "I don't want to be putting more strain on my parents and their finances...I want to take responsibility for my own affairs. I want a change of scenery and I want to make a clean break into adulthood," says Diamond.

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6. It's Tougher to Get Into Grad School

Your chances of getting into a master's program may be tougher, as more college grads apply in an effort to dodge the sour job market. Companies plan to hire nearly a quarter fewer new college grads this year, according to The National Association of Colleges and Employers and that has some graduate programs reporting a jump in applications by 20 this year. MBA applications at Dartmouth's Tuck School of Business, for example, were up 10 over last year, and it was the most competitive year in the school's history. Ninety-five percent of accepted students ranked in the top 10 of their high school graduating class.

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7. Friends and Family Asking for More Money
It's always tough when a friend or relative asks for money. Deals often go sour. Just ask Richard Dreyfus, who's battling with family in court over a loan gone awry. In the recession we're likely to get hit up with more loan requests from friends and family. In fact total loan volume at Virgin Money USA, a peer-to-peer lending web site, has doubled to $400 million since 2007. Experts Jeanne Fleming and Leonard Schwarz, authors of Isn't It Their Turn to Pick Up the Check?, find that more than half of Americans say there's someone who's constantly asking them for money and now they view the economy as a prime time to ask again. But lenders beware! Fleming and Schwarz say a third of the time not a single penny ever gets returned.

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8. Shorter Store and Mall Hours
You may want to make a quick phone call to check store hours before driving on over to your local restaurant, retailer or mall. Many businesses are trimming their operating hours to curb expenses in the recession. It's occurring at popular stores like Best Buy and Barnes and Noble, as well as at local eateries and malls. Westfield Group, which runs 55 malls in the U.S., said most of its locations will open a half hour later and close a half hour earlier. This is troubling some shop owners within malls. For them, less time to be open may mean fewer sales. And if you visit a Walgreen to refill a prescription drug, double-check the schedule. The drugstore is scaling back hours at some of its pharmacies.

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9. Fewer Stores, More Shopping Annoyances

With store bankruptcy filings on the rise, you may need to drive further to find alternatives to your favorite retailers or reroute your trip. Circuit City, which liquidated this spring, emptied all 567 stores. Linens' and Things closed 370 stores last fall. The Sharper Image shut down 86 stores. Altogether 148,000 retail stores from big-box to mom-and-pop shops closed in 2008 - the most since the 2001 recession, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers. This year another 73,000 stores are forecast to go out of business.

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