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Recession Briefing 9.23: Candy is Dandy in Downturn

What you need to know today to survive and thrive in the recession.

In a broad recession-related shift, many Americans have lost their taste for fancy cars, clothes and vacations, but their appetite for candy, it seems, only has become more pronounced. (San Francisco Chronicle)

The recession is apparently prompting more women to try to delay having babies, according to the first survey aimed at documenting the effects of the economic downtown on childbearing. (Washington Post)

The recession is complicating job hunts — and the lives — of two-career couples, particularly when one lands an offer out of town. The search for employment is forcing more couples into long-distance relationships. (Wall Street Journal)

Among the possible casualties of the Great Recession are the gauges that economists have traditionally relied upon to assess societal well-being. So many jobs have disappeared so quickly and so much life savings has been surrendered that some argue the economic indicators themselves have been exposed as inadequate. (New York Times)

With businesses still reducing payrolls, bank lending still contracting, and anxious consumers determined to save more and spend less, a sustained recovery in 2010 isn’t looking very likely, writes Steven Pearlstein. (Washington Post)

The recession is forcing senior citizens out of retirement, leaving them fighting for jobs in a weak labor market or risk homelessness, according to a private study. (Reuters)

In the midst of the recession, Americans are looking for laughs. Humor sites on the Web scored the biggest gains of all categories of subject matter tracked by ComScore Media Metrix in August. (Los Angeles Times)

Almost a million young Britons are now classified as “neets” (not in education, employment, or training), a number that looks certain to rise in coming months. Already, social experts are talking about a new “lost generation” similar to the one decimated by the economic decline of the early 1980s. (Christian Science Monitor)

The recession has significantly changed the spending habits of shoppers, leading them to adopt cost-saving strategies that many say will last even after the economy recovers (Associated Press)

In these tight times, teen-clothing retailers are focusing on their core clientele: moms with money. (Wall Street Journal) Recessinwire pointed out months ago that grownups were shopping at Forever 21. (Recessionwire)

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Tags: economy, family, job-hunting, News, relationships, spending, style