It can be painful watching your young worker fritter away a summer's worth of lawn-mowing or baby-sitting income on video games, music downloads and frequent fill-ups of gas.

NEW YORK — When credit was flowing, stock portfolios were rising and jobs were plentiful, Americans bought and bought, stuffing their closets with everything from designer shoes to coats.

Developing informal partnerships at work is an emerging trend. While managementmight advocate specific ones, it's possible for you to form them on your own.

Are you in the market for a new car and wondering if, in these economic times, it's best to buy or lease? And what about a used car? Are you wondering if this is a good time to invest in stock? Get your answers on video.

Large recruiting firms maintain an extensive database of potential candidates and have staff members make as many as 100 calls per day to find new ones. The chance of getting yourself placed by one if you make the overtures is small.

The hottest thing in movie rentals is as old as the Coke machine — and just as red. Redbox movie kiosks, which stock DVDS that rent for $1 a day, are popping up by the thousands in supermarkets, drugstores, restaurants and convenience stores.

People who've had customers, both business and consumer, acknowledge that the differences in working with each may be significant. One, in fact, cautions against taking on a new customer base before you think hard about it. If your company opens a new revenue stream and your expertise with one is tapped for the other, you might be in for some surprises. Ditto if you're in customer service and accept a new job with an unfamiliar base.

As if saving for retirement weren't enough to worry about, now comes a study that shows a cou- ple retiring this year needs about a quarter of a million dollars to cover medical expenses.

Confused or concerned about the economy? You're not alone. Plenty of people are wondering where the economy is heading and what their next financial moves should be. To help address some of those questions, The Bee plans a special session with a financial adviser.

Going into retirement fully informed about health care costs and other expenses will help you avoid surprises.

Forget the pessimistic attitude, recessionistas. OK, we admit the outside world can appear pretty depressing these days, but your home still can be your haven. And it doesn't have to cost a lot of money to lift your spirits.

Beth Rogers is taking the family's finances into her own hands — literally.

A new kind of retro is taking hold in today's kitchen — cooking the way that baby boomers' parents did during leaner times.

Three first-grade teachers at Enslen Elementary School made a simple plea to parents, marked "Urgent" and copied on fluorescent orange paper. They were asking for donations of reams or boxes of copy paper.

Brian Fletcher has gone from the daily handling of motorcycle engines, brakes, clutches and gaskets to dealing daily with baby diapers, pacifiers, rattles and a stroller.

It may seem small consolation in these rough economic times, but our country has been through this before. And each time, food writers and cooks have offered up their wisdom for keeping food affordable.

The following utility service providers have ways to help pay your bill.

ON YOUR COVER LETTER — DO: E-mail applications; Stick to one page; Use good paper. DON'T: Repeat information that's in your résumé

The jobless rate in Stanislaus County surged to a 12-year high of 16 percent in January, the state reported Thursday.

Several people got right to work upon being asked this question: How can we create jobs?

Prepaid phones, which provide a set number of minutes, are becoming a more appealing financial option as careful household budgeting becomes paramount in a tight economy.

This is no time to let good food go bad. Food storage becomes all the more important in a tight economy. If you don't pack items properly, the result is spoiled food.

NEW YORK -- On-site day care -- it's the serene ideal so many parents pine for.

WASHINGTON -- Congress on Friday approved a $787 billion stimulus package that aims to spur millions of jobs through massive investments in energy, transportation, education and health care projects, while reviving social safety-net programs that have been shrinking for nearly three decades.

A few years ago, one love-struck Romeo bought the 6-foot window display meant to lure customers into Hart Floral. He left the Modesto shop with a big bunch of heart-shaped balloons strapped to the hood of his car.