Recession Briefing 8.12: Recession Gores Bullfighting

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

Spain’s steep recession has led dozens of cash-strapped local councils to scrap their annual bullfighting fiestas to save public money. (Agence France-Press)

Women on food stamp programs weigh an average of almost six pounds more than those who aren’t, and gained weight faster when on food stamps than when they were not. (New York Examiner)

In the midst of nationwide aquatic budget cutting, drownings are on a dramatic upswing this summer. Data is still being compiled, but researchers say the most likely victims are still toddlers and young people. (Aquatics International)…

Healthy—and Free—iPhone Apps

In a recession, health can become a much bigger issue. We get more stressed out, we have less money to spend on keeping ourselves healthy, some people have lost our healthcare coverage and many of us have more time to obsess about whether that new freckle might in fact be skin cancer.

That’s why we were psyched to find FierceHealthcare’s list of 15 free healthcare iPhone apps. Yes, some should be on a list of Apps Your Hypochondriac Boyfriend Shouldn’t Have…

Recession Briefing 7.29

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

Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama says the global economic crisis is an opportunity to re-think values related to finance. (AFP)

More retailers are accepting food stamps, as a record number of consumers are turning to government aid to pay for groceries. (USA Today)

Even as the recession has led to reduced budgets, it is also bringing forth a class of highly skilled volunteers who agree to work for only a thank you. This could be very valuable during hurricane season. (New York Times)

How Colleges Can Save You Money

Remember college? The late night study sessions, the lack of responsibility, the keg parties, and—best of all—all the stuff you used to get for free. (Or at least, it seemed free.) Who knew prescription medications and gym memberships would be so expensive in the real world?

You don’t need to re-enroll to take advantage of the many discounts given to college kids. Many universities offer reduced (or free!) services to alumni and non-students, too, assuming you’re willing to work out in a gym surrounded by 20-year-olds. Some of what you can get from campus…

Work Off Your Costs

These days it might not be easy to find the cash to pay all your monthly expenses, from rent to membership fees. Yes, you can negotiate for lower rates, but there are also ways to create your own discounts—with a little labor.

According to the Times, many landlords have started shaving hundreds off rent for tenants willing help out with tasks like changing lightbulbs and taking out the building’s trash. But these “super-tenants” aren’t the only ones getting discounts on their monthly costs. Across the country, more and more companies are letting their favorite clients handle work exchange for taking money off the dues and fees they’d otherwise be paying.

And why not? Everyone’s a winner, since the company gets a free service and the customer gets a discount on dues. Wondering what kind of businesses are up for letting you volunteer your time in exchange for a better rate? A few ideas:

Landlords
Whether you volunteer to pick up packages for other tenants or work as a weekend handyman—there’s no limit to the services you can offer to take over for your building’s landlord…

Recession Briefing 7.15

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

More than half of executive-level job seekers think the recession has been good for their children, as a lesson that opportunity will not be handed to them. (Reuters)

Buoyed by some positive forecasts, Daniel Gross is ready to call an end to this whole recession thing. (Slate)

Marion Maneker wonders whether our culture of narcissism unleashed the boom — and thus the recession. (The Big Money)

Recession Briefing 7.14

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

In Japan, even robots are starting to feel the effects of the recession. (New York Times)

Is the recession bad for your health? A recent study from Yale University found that job losses can make the fat fatter and the drinkers drunkards. (Wall Street Journal)

U.S. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner says that the American and world economies will be out of the recession in a matter of months. (Telegraph)

Recession Briefing: 7.8

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

Many of America’s high-end wineries are reeling from the economic downturn, as even wealthy drinkers slash spending on fine wines. (Wall Street Journal)

The recession is increasing the number of deaths from suicide, murder and heart attacks — but cutting the number of people killed in road accidents. (Financial Times)

The weak economy and a limp housing market have meant that many more people in this ordinarily footloose nation are staying put, unable to sell their homes, find a job, or just too uncertain about what the future may hold. (MSNBC)

Recession Briefing 6.22

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

More women are turning to sex work in the bad economy. Strip clubs, X-rated Web cam companies and escort managers across the country have reported an increase in job applications in the last several months — ironically, at the same time that business is largely going down. (Salon)

Healthcare without insurance is like construction without power tools. It can be done, but it will take longer and require a lot more effort. And at times you’ll feel like you’re hammering your thumb. (Los Angeles Times)

Some people are handing over vintage toys, sets of dishes, baseball cards, furniture and clothes to auction houses and online auction sites hoping to generate cash. (New York Daily News)

Keeping Healthcare Costs Down

The cost of medical care can be astonishing in the best of times. In a down economy you feel the pain even more—especially as policies change. For example, doctors may require you to pay up-front for services, then collect from your insurance company. Or, they may charge you for the remainder of their fees not fully covered by insurance. Then there are the health insurance companies, which are more prone to question, delay or deny insurance coverage for treatments.

You don’t have to feel helpless in the face of these challenges. Armed with some knowledge and the willingness to argue for your rights, you can keep those costs from killing you.

Be proactive: Before having a procedure, get preauthorization or clearance from the insurance company. This way you know what to expect in terms of coverage and payment responsibility.

Know your rights: Say you see an in-network surgeon at an in-network hospital, but have an out-of-network anesthesiologist. Often insurance companies will reject or limit coverage, claiming that you did not use an in-network provider…