Say What

You are an economist.

“Noohoohoo way,” you will likely reply. “I have kids and a job and a pair of jeans I aspire to wear again one day and really, there’s a limit to what I’m willing to do around here.”

But you are an economist – a Home Economist. And you make economic decisions every day.

Oranges or apples? Private school or public school? One, two or three children? (Just because you can’t put a price on love doesn’t mean it’s free of economic side effects). Green energy or conventional power? Jewelry or clothes? New home or old home? And the list goes on.

Sometimes your gut tells you what to do. Other times, your mother does. But always, you wield your great power as a Home Economist while being hit with a whirlwind of economic forces. You can’t control them. But you can travel through them skillfully...by reading the economic clues sent by Office Economists.

Office Economists – many of whom work for the government - spend a lot of time measuring each corner of our lives. They track the price increases we pay for cupcakes (they cost 10 percent more than they did last year), wine (that's 4 percent more expensive) and airline tickets (don’t ask).

They know that Beverly Hills High School in Beverly Hills, CA spends per student ($12,144,) that the student teacher ratio is 19.2 to 1, and that free lunches are not available. (And they have those stats for any two schools you might be considering). Speaking of students, Office Economists have determined that people earning about $61,000 will spend over $200,000 on each of their children from diapers to high school diplomas (college not included).

Office Economists know that residents of the Florida Keys can have solar power for $2.75 more per kilowatt hour. And that all of us can see that jewelry prices fall the same month, every year (December).

Office Economists forecast whether real estate prices are about to rise and when home sales will fall. They know that Canton, OH is the right now most affordable city in the country. There, people earning $54,600 can buy nearly 96.7 percent of the city’s homes. (The greater New York area is the least affordable).

They know that in Chicago, the most popular time to leave for work is between 7 a.m. and 7:29 a.m. And that for the largest number of residents, it takes between 30 and 34 minutes to get there.

Office Economists especially like to know what we’re thinking. During the onset of the latest recession, they found 9.2 percent of Americans had planned to buy a television in the coming six months and 8.9 percent of people thought jobs were plentiful.

Ah yes, jobs. They’re a critical component of the economy, which is why Office Economists make it a point to peek into paychecks. Multi-media artists in Denver, CO, for example, earn about $50,920 a year. (That information is available for over 800 occupations in over 400 metro areas).

Office Economists wouldn’t dare make a decision over their domains without looking at all the facts. Why should Home Economists work in the dark?

Office Economists are sending you economic signs. And they arrive in the form of your prices, your paychecks, your productivity -- your economic climate. You are a Home Economist. And here you'll find economic news to help you run your home.