Has the Crisis Affected You? How?

The main Bulgarian weekly Kapital is running an open forum (in Bulgarian) on these questions. I read the answers to-date and found some expected and some unexpected things. Expected: one in five people complained about job losses or increased job insecurity; the construction sector is down significantly; planned vacations are scrapped; new cars are not purchased.

On the positive side: rents went up (says one rentier), as few people can afford mortgages; several small businesses said their larger rivals are in such trouble that there is more opportunity for them; stopped watching TV (as the news is so gloomy); less social divide - the nouveau rich are only nouveau now; more time to read; take more interest in the rest of the world. My personal favorite: find economics more interesting.