SavvySugar

How Costs Vary Across the US

SavvySugar — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 09:30:50 -0800

We can use cost of living calculators to determine approximately how far our salaries will take us in another city, but it's more difficult to put a number on the nickels and dimes of daily living expenses. Forbes surveyed cities across the US and used its findings to name which cities pay the most and least for certain costs. Unsurprisingly, New York, NY appears as the priciest city for several expenses. Do any of these numbers surprise you?

See the rest of the chart when you read more.

Source

Hollywood Changes to Play Along With the Economy

SavvySugar — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 04:00:15 -0700

As Wall Street tumbles, Hollywood stumbles to rewrite scripts that feature Wall Street as it used to be. That's not to say that every film or made-for-TV-movie will be a depressing commentary on current events, but investment bankers may need career changes and relocation from Wall Street. While Gossip Girl won't change a thing about its Upper East Siders, other shows are tweaking some details.

Some story lines are appealing to the public with Average Joe type characters and producers are coming up with series geared toward a budget-minded audience. Others are choosing to create stories that offer viewers a sense of escape and we can expect to see new attempts at fantasy world settings on the big screen.
In the past, troubled financial times have given way to feel good entertainment like smiley Shirley Temple, lavish film musicals ("The Wizard of Oz") and comedies where we see the upper class as "lovable fools."
Nicole Clemens of International Creative Management explains, “In bad times especially, people do not want to see on the screen what they’re living through."

Source

News Flash: Hungry Consumers Are Scooping Up Spam and Ramen

SavvySugar — Fri, 30 May 2008 06:31:39 -0700

I've never eaten Spam, but I don't think Hormel is missing my business. The company reported that strong sales pushed their profits up 14 percent last quarter, and the Associated Press reports that more people are buying cans of Spam and packages of ramen in an effort to combat rising food prices. The canned meat is actually more expensive than it was the same time last year (an average 12 oz. can costs about $2.62), but consumers are resorting to it as a substitute for other types of meat in their weekly meals. At about $3.49, per pound Spam doesn't seem like it's that much cheaper than buying meat on sale and freezing it.