LOS ANGELES - As the Great Recession rolls on and more and people are out of luck, work and hope, families are finding it necessary to throw their misfortunes into the pot and partner up under a single roof.

"We're broke, but we're together!"

If you thought things were stressful now, just wait until you’re living back at home with your parents and siblings.

For more, see the Los Angeles Times.

CHICAGO - It’s called the “denomination effect.”

Ol' Ben says, "$100 saved is $100 earned."

According to a study that will soon be published in the Journal of Consumer Research, shoppers aren’t as likely to spend their money if they carry their cash in large denominations.

Experiments conducted over the course of the study showed that given an equal amount of cash — in this case $100 — those carrying a Benjamin were less likely to part with it than those carrying Franklins or Jacksons.

For more, visit the Journal of Consumer Research.

LOS ANGELES - Thank goodness for Newsday and its stunning grasp of the obvious.

Trust us. You'll save money and it will taste good.

In tough times, when we’re all looking to save a buck, reporter Erica Marcus has devoted several paragraphs to the revelation that cooking at home instead of going to restaurants and fast-food joints can save consumers money. The article can be found here.

Unfortunately, for many of us, cooking is a mysterious, time consuming and scary process.

That’s why we’re going to give you an easy recipe for tasty chicken noodle soup. Get cooking, people.

Ingredients:

One chopped carrot

Two chopped celery stalks

One quarter diced onion

Two chopped cloves of garlic

One skinless chicken thigh, diced

Fat-free chicken broth (if you want to be fancy)

Two handfuls brown rice pasta shells

Put everything but broth and pasta into a small pot and cover with chicken broth or tap water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add pasta shells and simmer for another 6 to 8 minutes or until they’re cooked. Salt and pepper to taste. Serves two.