Businesses for the new Depression.

[steve(thelil)]

Netflix Inc. shares advanced Monday evening after the company said its quarterly profit rose 45%.

Some observers feel that Netflix could actually benefit from hard economic times, on the theory that many people will sign up for (or continue to subscribe to) Netflix to be entertained by cheap at-home movie rentals in lieu of expensive evenings out.

Seems right to me. Let's make a gazillion bucks by to thinking of other businesses that could actually boom as the result of a really bad economy.

I's go first, but I got nothin'

[cookie]

Hormel reports Spam sales are up. So are ground beef sales. Syracuse Post-Standard ran an article saying this is a great time for the repo business, too.

If music doesn't work out, maybe I should become a repo-chick.

[tippy]

Soup has got to be up there too. I’ve been buying cans and cans (and cans and cans) of it – it’s taking over the place – but every week my grocery store is putting soup that is normally $2.79 to over $3 a can on sale for $1.50. Last week you could purchase 9 cans of Progresso for $1 each. This week I’ve discovered Chunky chicken corn chowder – it’s pretty yummy.

In the past I’ve spent a lot of time making vats of soup and I will still do that but the price on these canned soups that started with Healthy Choice was so enticing that I’ve gotten into it and save myself a lot of time from cooking on the weekends. I am done with eating out, at least for a while. We had our first layoffs last week and staff has been paired up to learn each other’s jobs, ostensibly to cover for each other when we’re out – “oh yeah, and while you’re at it write a comprehensive instruction manual for your desk.”

[Cem]

Originally Posted by cookie

If music doesn't work out, maybe I should become a repo-chick.

Or you could combine the two and make it more pleasant for everyone involved.

[Monte Smith]

I'm guessing anal bleaching is yesterday's luxury. Damn this global downturn!

[Gentle Giant]

Read an article last week saying that pasta makers are raking it in. Easy and cheap, and everyone on Atkins gained all their weight back anyway.

[steve(thelil)]

Originally Posted by Monte Smith

I'm guessing anal bleaching is yesterday's luxury. Damn this global downturn!

Yes and no. I'm no longer using the services of a professional. And I'm using new Tide with bleach alternative.

[stonemonkts]

Ticker symbol EZPW

EZCORP, Inc. lends or provides credit services to individuals who do not have cash resources or access to credit to meet their short-term cash needs. The Company offers pawn loans in 294 domestic pawn stores and 38 Mexico pawn stores. At these stores, the Company also sells merchandise, primarily collateral forfeited from its pawn lending operations, to customers looking for good value. In 477 EZMONEY stores and 71 of its domestic pawn stores, the Company offers short-term, non-collateralized loans or fee-based credit services to customers seeking loans. The Company operates in three segments. The EZPAWN US Operations segment offers pawn related activities in all 294 domestic pawn stores, and offers signature loans in 71 pawn stores and six EZMONEY stores. The Empeno Facil segment offers pawn related activities in all 38 stores in Mexico. The EZMONEY Operations segment offers signature loans in 471 EZMONEY stores in the United States.

[clinthopson]

I'm opening a chain of strip mall bankruptcy shops.

[Troll]

Store fronts for eBay. Folks have an attic full of crap that they'd part with in a second if they didn't have to go through the hassle of figuring out how ebay works.

The seller would take a % of each item sold and do all the eBay legwork - pictures, paypal, sending, etc.

[Dr Dave]

Counseling for people who put their money into "collectibles."

I've had a couple calls from people who want to sell their high-end California wines. I tell them I know a guy who will give them 1/2 the current wholesale price--that is, if they can prove provenance and storage. Oooh, they hate to hear that.

Also: Anybody wanna buy a 1956 Gibson Les Paul Junior for $18,999? I didn't think so.

[hornplayer]

Originally Posted by tippy

Soup has got to be up there too. I’ve been buying cans and cans (and cans and cans) of it – it’s taking over the place – but every week my grocery store is putting soup that is normally $2.79 to over $3 a can on sale for $1.50. Last week you could purchase 9 cans of Progresso for $1 each. This week I’ve discovered Chunky chicken corn chowder – it’s pretty yummy.

In the past I’ve spent a lot of time making vats of soup and I will still do that but the price on these canned soups that started with Healthy Choice was so enticing that I’ve gotten into it and save myself a lot of time from cooking on the weekends. I am done with eating out, at least for a while. We had our first layoffs last week and staff has been paired up to learn each other’s jobs, ostensibly to cover for each other when we’re out – “oh yeah, and while you’re at it write a comprehensive instruction manual for your desk.”

Tippy, you might want to check the salt content in those cans of soup. You wouldn't want to contribute to giving yourself high blood pressure needlessly. Turns out those "Healthy Choice" soups are not so healthy.

[Mike Schwartz]

Originally Posted by hornplayer

Tippy, you might want to check the salt content in those cans of soup. You wouldn't want to contribute to giving yourself high blood pressure needlessly. Turns out those "Healthy Choice" soups are not so healthy.

Watching my salt content these days,those Progresso soups have a whopping 30-33% sodium, which I found quite shocking.

[patricia]

Originally Posted by hornplayer

Tippy, you might want to check the salt content in those cans of soup. You wouldn't want to contribute to giving yourself high blood pressure needlessly. Turns out those "Healthy Choice" soups are not so healthy.

The only way that we can actually monitor how much salt we are eating is by making soup, stews etc. ourselves, from scratch.
I remember, vaguely, making huge vats of various stuff that lasted for days, refrigerated, when folding currency was tight during my college years.
By making your own you can actually leave salt, or anything else out or cut it down drastically, if you want to be healthy and save money too.

June can probably tell us what the alternatives are, seasoning-wise, for making this stuff taste good and be low-salt at the same time.

[clinthopson]

Originally Posted by patricia

June can probably tell us what the alternatives are, seasoning-wise, for making this stuff taste good and be low-salt at the same time.

I'm sure June can, but when I make soup, which is often, I use a very small amount of salt (a bit is essential, maybe 1/2 tsp per quart) but use lots of flavorful vegetables like garlic, onions, fennel, kale and dried porcini which always results in a flavorful soup. Actually, i don't just dump salt in the soup but sprinkle a bit over the vegs that are sweating before I add liquid. I almost always use just water for my liquid. Stocks tend to overwhelm the flavor of the vegs. If I do use prepared stock, it's either my homemade stock which contains no salt or low sodium canned stocks.

Most restaurant soups are way too salty.

The only canned soup I ever prepare is Juanita's menudo.

It's a bit chilly here so I think pasta fazool is on the menu.

[patricia]

Sounds yummy, Clint.

But, speaking of salt, I've found that if I don't put the salt on the table, which I don't, people tend not to automatically salt everything, without ever tasting it. Of course, they can ask for it. A lot of the salt that people eat is totally unnecessary and actually destroys the delicate taste of what they're eating.
You never have anyone ask for the garlic, thyme, oregano, or other seasoning that may have boosted the taste of whatever you've put in front of them. Salt is not the only seasoning that makes food taste better. It just makes it saltier.

[groover]

Originally Posted by patricia

You never have anyone ask for the garlic, thyme, oregano, or other seasoning that may have boosted the taste of whatever you've put in front of them.

You don't? Do the pizzerias up your way have garlic and oregano available, Patricia?

[clinthopson]

When they serve soups in my favorite local Mexican restaurants, they always have a collection of condiments on the table - oregano, dried chile, chopped onions and cilantro and chopped jalapenos.

[Jon Abbey]

Originally Posted by Troll

Store fronts for eBay. Folks have an attic full of crap that they'd part with in a second if they didn't have to go through the hassle of figuring out how ebay works.

The seller would take a % of each item sold and do all the eBay legwork - pictures, paypal, sending, etc.

except Ebay has fallen off a cliff the last six months or so, at least the parts I pay attention to (although Henry Rollins and whichever one person is bidding against him is singlehandedly making Wolf Eyes/American Tapes collectors rich, paying $300 or $400 apiece repeatedly).

[Cem]

Originally Posted by tippy

Soup has got to be up there too. I’ve been buying cans and cans (and cans and cans) of it – it’s taking over the place – but every week my grocery store is putting soup that is normally $2.79 to over $3 a can on sale for $1.50. Last week you could purchase 9 cans of Progresso for $1 each. This week I’ve discovered Chunky chicken corn chowder – it’s pretty yummy.

About a third of my diet consists of canned soup and sandwiches at the moment. I buy a ton of soup on sale, too. The rest of my diet consists of pasta, rice, whatever fruit (fresh and canned peaches and pears), veg and meat is on sale and omelets/other egg dishes. My big luxury is fresh Filone bread (though I buy dense, on sale multigrain too), which is pretty damn good, 3 bucks a loaf. Pretty boring, but cooking for one is no fun, so I don't often get into it. I almost never eat out anymore, because there's not much out here, anyway.

[Cem]

Originally Posted by patricia

You never have anyone ask for the garlic, thyme, oregano, or other seasoning that may have boosted the taste of whatever you've put in front of them. Salt is not the only seasoning that makes food taste better. It just makes it saltier.

Salt, pepper, sharp cheeses, hot seasonings and sauces are the only ones I can think of that help modify flavour right away. The others need to be added in the cooking process, because that's when they release flavour, no?

[Mike Schwartz]

The recent wave of pain among home owners trying to stay in their houses, has spawned the 'We'll help you get your mortgage adjusted' industry.

A close friend of mine is doing just that through another mutual friend, who has been working in the real estate industry for a number of years.

I hope they can come up with something that works.

[steve(thelil)]

Originally Posted by Mike Schwartz

The recent wave of pain among home owners trying to stay in their houses, has spawned the 'We'll help you get your mortgage adjusted' industry.

A close friend of mine is doing just that through another mutual friend, who has been working in the real estate industry for a number of years.

I hope they can come up with something that works.

The "We'll help you reduce your debt by negotiating and consolidating your loans" business seems thriving too, judging by how many radio ads I hear.

[kedoane]

Originally Posted by Mike Schwartz

The recent wave of pain among home owners trying to stay in their houses, has spawned the 'We'll help you get your mortgage adjusted' industry.

A close friend of mine is doing just that through another mutual friend, who has been working in the real estate industry for a number of years.

I hope they can come up with something that works.

My workplace has been airing a lot of infomercials about getting your mortgage adjusted and consolidating your loans. We have also been airing a lot of infomercials about foreclosure auctions.

Better than the colon cleanse infomercials.

[GoodSpeak]

New depression?


Nah.


I'll just stick with my same old depression...gotta go with whatcha know best, right?

[Dr Dave]

Originally Posted by stonemonkts

Ticker symbol EZPW

EZCORP, Inc. lends or provides credit services to individuals who do not have cash resources or access to credit to meet their short-term cash needs. The Company offers pawn loans in 294 domestic pawn stores and 38 Mexico pawn stores. At these stores, the Company also sells merchandise, primarily collateral forfeited from its pawn lending operations, to customers looking for good value. In 477 EZMONEY stores and 71 of its domestic pawn stores, the Company offers short-term, non-collateralized loans or fee-based credit services to customers seeking loans. The Company operates in three segments. The EZPAWN US Operations segment offers pawn related activities in all 294 domestic pawn stores, and offers signature loans in 71 pawn stores and six EZMONEY stores. The Empeno Facil segment offers pawn related activities in all 38 stores in Mexico. The EZMONEY Operations segment offers signature loans in 471 EZMONEY stores in the United States.

There is also First Cash Financial Services. Personally, I find these guys loathsome--let's face it, they make their money off poor people. But now that we have the New Downward Mobility, perhaps I'll have to revise my opinion.

[tippy]

Originally Posted by hornplayer

Tippy, you might want to check the salt content in those cans of soup. You wouldn't want to contribute to giving yourself high blood pressure needlessly. Turns out those "Healthy Choice" soups are not so healthy.

Gosh June, I have to thank you big time for bringing this to my attention. You’ve solved a mini-mystery for me cuz I was all happy that I made it through the holidays without gaining weight – rather a miracle (even though I still need to lose some anyway), but I came home sick, started eating canned soup and was “mysteriously” puffing up post holidays. I was completely unaware of how much salt was in these soups. I’m sure I’ve heard tell of it before but then I wasn’t a canned soup eater so since it didn’t apply to me, I didn’t bother to remember this salient fact.

Bag of chips I had for lunch – 160mg sodium

Soups anywhere from 130 to 200 (cream based) cals per serving, here’s the sodium per serving:

Healthy choice: 450mg (!)
Chunky: 890mg (!!!)
Progresso is the grand prize winner with more than 900mg sodium per serving.

So…anyone want to buy 35 cans of soup? LOL. I’m probably still going to eat them, but I’ll be watering them down, and maybe adding some fresh veggies, for sure. Who would ever think that a can of soup would have 7-8 times more sodium than a bag of freakin’ potato chips!!!

[tippy]

Oh and even more importantly, I don’t know about the new mortgages situation, but those consolidation companies are *most of the time* a racket. I’ve indirectly experienced the headache and misery that a bad consolidation company can cause someone. The rule is the company has to have been in business at least 10 years AND, more importantly, I would check out .gov sites for reputable consolidaters. There are some, but it looks to me like this has been a burgeoning business in recent years where people just open the doors to essentially rip people off.

[LennyH]

So many processed foods contain ridiculous amounts of salt. It's sad that companies put more salt in their products just for Americans. IIRC, McDonald's puts twice as much salt in the McNuggets in the US compared to Britain. Americans apparently expect this.

The FDA is finally examining this (not that I expect much).

[patricia]

Originally Posted by Cem

Salt, pepper, sharp cheeses, hot seasonings and sauces are the only ones I can think of that help modify flavour right away. The others need to be added in the cooking process, because that's when they release flavour, no?

Indeed.
The seasonings that you mention would indeed modify the flavour right away, if they are on the table.
Others, if they are not added while cooking are just not there at all, or not enough of whatever it is.

My point was that although it's true that more often now than used to be the case, other seasonings than salt and pepper are on people's, and restaurant's tables, there are still those who salt without tasting.
BTW, most cheeses are pretty high in sodium.
The other possible seasonings are not the same problem that automatic salting is.
At home try putting the other seasonings you all mentioned on the table, depending on what you're serving, and leave the salt off the table.
Maybe the family won't even miss it.
But, what Tippy said about high salt content in various processed foods, particularly soups is very true.
What is even more true, if you read the nutrition labels, is how many processed foods have way more salt than you would think, even the ones you don't think of as tasting salty at all.