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TOLEDO, OHIO -- No one is certain if the Federal Government will shut down at the stroke of midnight Friday, but those in Washington believe it is enough of a possibility that parts of the government must prepare for it.  The question remains: how will the impending shutdown affect life in America and life where you live?

If you're thinking that you won't notice if the government shuts down over the weekend, think again.

Officials say an estimated 800,000 federal workers across the country could be idled. It may become apparent, if the government stays shut down beyond a weekend, that Americans will discover all that they count on the federal government for.

If the shutdown continues:

...home buyers would not be able to get federal home loan guarantees, deepening the housing market crisis.
...new patients or new clinical trials would come to a halt at the National Institutes of Health.
...processing for new or renewed passports or visas would be suspended.
...all national parks, museums and monuments, including nearby Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, would close to visitors.
...the Internal Revenue Service would stop processing paper tax returns.

Taxpayers must still pay the IRS on-time to avoid penalties, even if the shutdown continues past the weekend.  Electronic tax refunds will be processed, if returns are filed prior to the shutdown.

What else would happen in the case of a government shutdown?

United States military personnel would remain on duty on military bases across the globe. Their pay, however, would be delayed. Air traffic controllers, airport security screeners, border patrol agents and federal prison guards would also stay on the job. VA hospitals, including the VA Clinic in South Toledo, will remain open. Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid benefits will also continue, unless the shutdown stretches into months.

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So if the federal government shuts down, taxpayers would save a lot of money, right? Not quite. Read more on how the shutdown will affect you at Yahoo! Finance.

So how do you think you will be affected by an impending government shutdown? Are you fearful that it will stretch beyond the next week and into the coming months? Leave your thoughts below.