It’s a good sign that consumer spending is up lately, but an even more telling trend shows that no one is forgetting how tough the times can get. In ongoing efforts to save money, it seems consumers are holding products close and never, ever letting go. Or at least waiting a long time to replace them. [More]
recession economy
Do You Have What It Takes To Be Working Poor?
By 2.18.11
You’re a savvy consumer used to pulling yourself up by your bootstraps. So if you were a jobless parent, down to your last $1,000, you could make it work, right? Spent is a new free online “game” that tests to see whether you have what it takes. Put out by the Urban Ministries of Durham, it’s less fun than a sobering dose of reality. I played it and in order to make it through the month I couldn’t let my kid go on field trips and I missed his baseball game in order to take a job helping a neighbor move. Also, I got fired for talking to a union organizer. The gas also got shut off and I drove away from an accident instead of paying the ticket. I had no choice, otherwise I would have gone broke and lost the game. [More]
