To begin with, not much difference - kept my job as the organisation went for voluntary redundancies (and I didn't volunteer!). Was more concerned about my partner who worked in the private sector.
Now it's beginning to bite - total external recruitment freeze means I can't bring in the trained specialist staff that are needed to do essential work, desperate rush to try to get work contracts out before a total budget freeze on programme money, working longer hours to cover for lack of experienced staff. But there is much worse to come, knowing that the 'best' outcome would be to be given the choice of personally taking a percentage paycut in order to try to protect the jobs of people in my team (and no, I'm not well paid so this would hit hard).
But overall, the worse effect at the moment is the increased stress and anxiety that this has brought. It's been combined with my partner ending our relationship, and having to sell the house and move. Knowing that I have to bear all the financial costs of living now on one income, makes the stress of potential redundancy and pay cuts seem pretty terrifying.
So, I guess, it started with a 2, currently at about a 5, heading rapidly towards the upper figures 
But hey, according to general opinion us layabouts / wasters in the public sector deserve it don't we ....
