Consumerist
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cost of living
Lower Cost Of Living Means Less Income For Some
The good news: the cost of living is decreasing, or at least isn't increasing. The bad news: Colorado is the first state to actually decrease its minimum wage, from $7.28 to $7.24, and Social Security recipients will not be receiving their routine cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA for 2010. More » -
Tastes Burnt
Starbucks Lowers Some Drink Prices, Raises Others
Starbucks has raised the prices of some of their drinks and lowered others, in an effort to differentiate their mixed coffee drinks from those currently offered at McDonald's. By making them more expensive, apparently. More » -
personal finance
The Five Universal Financial Truths
Saving can be boiled down to a few universal financial truths. The sooner you know and internalize them, the sooner you can start enjoying a responsible, sustainable lifestyle. More » -
the new job-free economy
Fed: The Economy Is Recovering — Even If Nobody Has A @#$*@* Job
Fed Chariman Ben Bernanke testified before the House Committee on Financial Services today, reassuring lawmakers that the bailouts were working — but cautioned that they shouldn't expect their constituents to have jobs again until 2012. More » -
recession watch
Stuff Is Cheaper Now Than It Was Last Year, Consumer Price Index Reveals
Even though gas prices keep rising, businesses haven't been sticking customers with price hikes. In fact, the bear economy has staggered the Consumer Price Index once again, with the index rising only 0.1 percent in May. The miniscule, less-than-expected increase, following a flat April, means that prices were 1.3 percent lower in May than they were a year ago — the largest year-over-year drop since 1950. More » -
inflation
If Gas Prices Fly As Expected, Busineses Need To Ground Themselves To Avoid Crashing
Things that are headed up these days: unemployment, foreclosures, adorable Pixar characters whose houses are attached to helium ballons, Daisuke Matsuzaka's ERA and, argh, gas prices. A Russian energy group is predicting oil, which is currently just over $70 a barrel, will eventually pierce the stratosphere at $250, meaning it'll pretty much be Mad Max time for everyone. More » -
recession watch
Consumer Prices Fall For The First Time Since 1955
Grab your nearest economist and hold them tight, prices are falling. The Labor Department says that the obsessed-over Consumer Price Index fell 0.4 percent for the year — the first annual drop since 1955. More » -
recession watch
Never Mind, People Still Aren't Buying Anything
Just when we thought we saw a light at the end of the tunnel, retail sales dropped "unexpectedly" in March after a three month period of growth. Why is this bad? Because it makes economists worry about deflation. More » -
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certificates of deposit
Certificates Of Deposit Aren't Risk-Free
With the stock market gyrating wilder than a dashboard hula doll, you probably want an investment that won't depress you when you open the paper. Certificates of Deposit or "CDs," an insured savings account with a guaranteed interest rate may sound like the antidote, but even they are not without risk. More » -
usps
Buy Your Forever Stamps Now, Price Going Up In May
The USPS is raising stamp prices in May, so stock up on your "Forever Stamps" before the hike. Starting May 11, the price for a first-class mail stamp will go from $0.42 to $0.44. More » -
comics
Comic Book Prices Creep To $3.99 Per Issue
Over at sci-fi publisher website Tor.com, Heather Massey points out that the ceiling on comic book pricing is being steadily pushed higher by the big publishers, especially Marvel, which now prices individual issues of some of its titles at $3.99 each. More » -
deflation
Consumer Prices Are Plummeting! Steepest Drop In History!
The Consumer Price Index, which measures how much Americans spend on consumer goods like groceries, clothing, entertainment and other goods and services, fell by 1 percent in October compared with prices in the previous month, says the NYT. "It was the steepest single-month drop in the 61-year history of the pricing survey." More » -
grocery store economics
Oil Prices May Go Down, But Don't Expect Your Grocery Bill To Shrink
Now that the price of oil has dropped — you should expect some of those skyrocketing grocery bills you've been paying to drop, right? Yeah... probably not. More » -
economy
Consumer Spending Will Shrink For The First Time In Nearly Twenty Years
Consumer spending, the engine that powers our economy, is probably going to shrink for the first time in nearly two decades, says the NYT — a move that will "all but guarantee" that the current economic crisis will deepen. More » -
money meltdown
Learn About Past Recessions With This Cool Interactive Graph
So you're probably sitting around thinking, "I want to know more about stagflation, but I want to have fun clicking stuff on the internet, too." Right? No? Who cares. We're still going to direct your attention to this neat interactive graph from the Harvard Business Review. More » -
99 Cents Only
99 Cents Only Stores Raise Prices To 99.99¢, Narrowly Avoid Having To Buy New Signs
99 Cents Only, the L.A.-based chain of not-quite-a-dollar stores, has come up with a novel approach to the growing losses it faces as the economy worsens: they're raising their top-priced items to 99.99 cents. More » -
dollar stores
This Dollar Store Taunts You With The Past
Can there be any sadder indication of our toilet-water economy than a dollar store that references its own happier, cheaper past? This New York City dollar store has pulled down its old sign, "Everything 99¢ Or Less," and rebranded. More »
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hershey
Hershey Hikes Candy Prices 11 Percent
Well, we've been saying it would be more honest to just raise prices instead of shrinking the product, and Hershey has taken us up on that. On Friday, only months after a 13% hike back in February, Hershey announced a price increase of 10-11% across the product line, citing higher costs for ingredients. More »
inflation
New York, 5:03 PM
Sun Nov 22
7 posts in the last 24 hours
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