TresSugar

Say What? Recession or No, Women Love Their Sex Toys!

TresSugar — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:00:00 -0800

"[Y]eah, money's tight. If people are going to spend their dollars, they want to know it's a good product. People are staying home more, so we've directed more marketing efforts toward cheap date nights - for the price of a movie and dinner, buy a vibrator, stay home and have fun."

- Good Vibrations rep Jackie Strano, responding to a question about what the sex business is like during the recession. Good Vibrations is a popular woman-friendly adult sex toy store in San Francisco, CA.

Photo by Alejandro Martínez-Cabrera

Men's Underwear Index Reflects State of Economy

TresSugar — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 13:00:00 -0700

Want to know the state of the economy? Look in your boyfriend's underwear drawer: therein lies a major clue. If it sounds crazy to you, don't worry, it sounds a little batty to me, too. But economists say that the MUI (Men's Underwear Index) is significant. And even Federal Reserve Chair Alan Greenspan believes this theory.

According to economists, during tough financial times, men will slow down their purchase of underwear. “It's like trying to drive your car an extra 10,000 miles,” says Marshal Cohen. Men's underwear purchases are usually stable because they’re a necessity, so when there's a dip in buying (or when you notice his tighty whiteys have become saggy raggies), this means that he's skimping, even on necessities.

When the recession took hold, research firm Mintel saw the growth in men’s underwear slow down; they expect sales to fall 2.3 percent this year. They predict that next year, however, sales will fall only by .5 percent. Target spokeswoman Jana O'Leary agrees that things are looking up, and that over the past two months even “multipair packs are moving.” Hooray!

This fascinates me for a couple reasons. First of all, according to Mintel, men buy an average of 3.4 pairs of underwear a year. (Say what?! I bet women buy more pairs than that in a month!) But mostly, I think it's an intriguing clue into the difference in men and women's psychological ways of handling the recession. Women, we're told, spend more on lipstick during a recession. Men? They just let their underwear fade and get saggy.

So what does it mean that during a recession, some women step up the unnecessary purchases while men step down the necessary ones! What's your theory?

Front Page: US Job Losses Finally Slow Down

TresSugar — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 08:00:38 -0700

The pace of US job losses finally appears to be slowing down. - Washington Post
Some economists say that the latest economic numbers, including lower-than-expected job losses, are partially due to the stimulus bill. - NY Times
A pro-Georgia blogger thinks that he was the target of the the cyberattack that brought down Twitter yesterday. He says the attack coincided with the one-year anniversary of the Russia-Georgia conflict. - CNN
Glenn Beck has lost advertisers after the host called President Obama a "racist." - Think Progress
The Taliban has confirmed that its leader in Pakistan has been killed. - Reuters

DIY Burials: Less Expensive, More Intimate?

TresSugar — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 14:00:00 -0700

Due to the recession, most of us focus on how much we spend going about our daily lives, but we don't often budget for death, which can be very pricey. An increasing number of people are finding ways to decrease the cost of burying a loved one - they're holding DIY funerals.

Compared to the average cost of a funeral, which runs about $6,000, taking over part or all of the burial preparations can cost family members as little as $250. In states where a funeral director is required, home funerals are still less expensive. And loved ones say it seems like "the natural, loving way to do things." It also sounds a little creepy. The New York Times explained the home burial process for 92-year-old Nathaniel Roe:

They washed Mr. Roe’s body, dressed him in his favorite Harrods tweed jacket and red Brooks Brothers tie and laid him on a bed so family members could privately say their last goodbyes.

There are countless organizations and individuals (called "death midwives") who help families with things like setting up cremation, moving the body to a cemetery, or securing a burial permit (if available) when a family decides to bury their loved one on their property. Would you ever consider this?

Source: Flickr User KaCey97007

Front Page: US Unemployment Rate Jumps to 9.4%

TresSugar — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 08:00:20 -0700

US unemployment has jumped to 9.4 percent, after 345,000 jobs were lost in May. Sorry, the recession's not over yet. - New York Times
President Obama is in Germany, where he visited a Nazi concentration camp in Buchenwald. - BBC News
Recovered debris found in Atlantic Ocean is in fact not from the missing Air France jet. - CNN
Tennessee lawmakers have approved a law that allows guns in bars. - AP
A nude photo of French first lady Carla Bruni has sold for $19,600 to an anonymous bidder. - AP

Source

Unemployeds Find Spirituality and Low Rent at Yoga Ashrams

CitizenSugar — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 11:00:54 -0700

Living off unemployment and scraping the bottom of your checking account each month? Well if you can stomach no meat, alcohol, and sex along with required meditation, tent cities may not be your worst-case scenario. A yoga "community" in the woods could be!

NPR reports that at least one yoga ashram has seen an uptick in newcomers since the economy nosedived last Fall. Yogaville, which rests in Virginia's Appalachian foothills, never intended to be a safe haven for the nouveau poor, but it welcomes new residents whether they've come for the unlimited yoga or the $300 rent.

While there's no credit check or competitive admission process, there are a few catches. To see where Yogaville gets you, read more.

In exchange for a dorm room, three vegetarian meals a day, and monthly rent, residents are expected to perform daily chores and practice the yogi lifestyle. What's that entail? Abstinence from meat, alcohol, and sex form the sacrificial trinity, and yoga classes and five meditation sessions per week meet the physical requirements.

One resident, who moved in after a layoff, found Yogaville's attitude toward unemployment as refreshing as a sun salutation. He said before people responded to his job loss with somber sympathy but not so in Yogaville. "That's so great!," people said, "All these doors are going to open up for you." Namaste!

Source

10 Upsides to the Recession

CitizenSugar — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 14:00:21 -0800

Is it possible to read anything that doesn't belabor the economy today? Nope. Not even here! But I've had it with the apocalyptic news and found 10 things that more than make do in a recession. Besides, someone other than alcohol and cigarette companies needs to profit, right?

So who looks up when money is down?

Movies: Ticket sales are up 17.5 percent this year.
Environment: Afford not, waste not.
Dating: Some of you said the rise in dating was just gold digging, but banker girlfriends say there's no pot.
Music: Finally! The music industry is not complaining.
European vacations: The euro and the pound still may be worth more than the dollar, but conversion rates are translating much better.
Psychics: Uncertain times call for uncertain methods of inquiry.
Entrepreneurs: It's a great time to have money!
Education: Graduate school is a time-honored way to weather a recession.
Careers: Short-staffed companies have opportunities for eager employees. Not applicable? See above.
Life: No, really. Death rates drop as unemployment rises.

Source

Fed Chairman Hopes Recession Will End This Year

LibertySugar — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 11:00:12 -0800

The Chairman of the Federal Reserve Ben Bernanke hopes that the current recession, already into its second year, will end in 2009. Bernanke shared the welcomed news with Congress today.

Before you let out a sigh of relief know that there is still reason to be anxious. Bernanke's rosy prediction that 2010 could be a year of recovery hinges on the success of the government's plan to stabilize the financial markets. So far just the announcement of housing and bank rescue plans have done little to soothe them. Let's hope actual implementation does more.

Risks that could bring the doom and gloom into the next decade include: financial troubles overseas that could hurt US exports and increased unemployment if the government can't bring up consumer spending by stopping current job loss, tanking homes values, and shrinking nest eggs.

Do you have faith that next New Year's Eve, you'll be ringing in the end of the recession?

View 5 Photos ›

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Is the Recession Ruining Your Sex Life?

DearSugar — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 09:00:00 -0800

We're all feeling the effects of the bad economy right now - having to cut back on vacations, expensive clothes, and dinners out - but some experts are saying that the recession is affecting people's love lives too. Couples are stressed about money so they're arguing more, going out less, and just not in the mood to have sex. Even though sex can take your mind off your problems, too much stress can be a major turnoff. According to a survey from the Daily Beast, 21 percent of people admitted to having less sex than usual. Some would call that a sexual recession, but what about you? Has the recent economic downtown put a damper on your sex life?

Source

Desperately Seeking Comfort: Dating Soars as Economy Falls

CitizenSugar — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 13:30:39 -0800

Turns out nobody wants to weather a recession alone. The New York Times reports interest in off- and online dating is way, way up.

While traffic typically peaks in the new year (will not be spinster!), the rise dating sites and matchmakers are seeing can only be compared to one other year - 2001, the last recession.

Of course, numbers only go back to 1994, and online dating has become more acceptable. But even if love is not in the air, other economic factors are. Experts (um, that would be owners of dating sites and services, sociologists, and their ilk) agree these sort-of-obvious factors, which all boil down to living with less, are at play:

The under- and unemployed have more time to be online
Online dating is a relatively inexpensive way to meet people
Organized dating events are cheaper than going on a multitude of first dates
With less money to go out, people spend more time on the Internet

But there is something more substantial going on in our collective consciousness: People don't want to be alone. They also aren't as interested in money, which could be a boon for those in the market for substance over salaries.

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