The Ferrells have cut back on dance lessons for their twin daughters. Vaccinations for the family\u2019s two cats and two dogs are out. Haircuts have become a luxury.<\/p>\n
And before heading out recently to the discount grocery store that has become the family\u2019s new lifeline, Sharon Ferrell checked her bank account balance one more time, dialing the toll-free number from memory.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour available balance for withdrawal is, $490.40,\u201d\u009d the disembodied electronic voice informed her.<\/p>\n
At the store, with that number firmly in mind, she punched the price of each item into a calculator as she dropped it into her cart, making sure she stayed under her limit. It was all part of a new regimen of fiscal restraint for the Ferrells, begun in January, when state workers, including Mrs. Ferrell\u2019s husband, Jeff, were forced to accept two-day-a-month furloughs.<\/p>\n
For millions of families, this is the recession: not a layoff, or a drastic reduction in income, but a pay cut that has forced them to thrash through daily calculations similar to the Ferrells\u2019.<\/p>\n