My school tuition is rising substantially every year, but it's been that way long before the recession. There were always wage cuts and inflation and such, as a matter of fact this country had a big deficit even before 9/11 hit and before we started spending trillions on the war. My mother's real estate business has plunged. Boston city workers had their wages frozen and my friend's mother can't get a raise. It's not that bad, she makes enough really. But I guess it affects everything.