The U.S. economy is like a horse... and should be playing baseball

• Americans spend big on Fido and Fluffy

  Americans spend more on their Fidos and Fluffies each year than they spend on booze or men's clothing.

  People shelled out an average of $502 annually on their pets in 2011, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That compares to the $456 they spent on alcohol and $404 they spent on men and boys' clothes.

  Just pet food alone cost the average household $183 -- which is more than folks spend MORE

  Tami Luhby - May 21, 2013 10:44 AM ET
  Posted in: BLS, bureau of labor statistics, cats, dogs, People, pet food, pet spending, pets, Spending

• Suburban poverty soars

  Poverty is growing faster in the suburbs than anywhere else in the United States, soaring 64% over the past decade.

  That was more than twice the growth rate of the urban poor population, according to the Brookings Institution, which released a book Monday titled Confronting Suburban Poverty in America. There are now almost 16.4 million suburban residents living below the poverty line, nearly 3 million more than in the cities.

  The MORE

  Tami Luhby - May 20, 2013 8:00 AM ET
  Posted in: brookings, low-income, poverty, suburbia, suburbs

• Where student loans are most delinquent

  Nearly 12% of student loans are at least 90 days delinquent, according to new federal data. But borrowers in some states are having more trouble paying their loans than their peers elsewhere.

  West Virginia has the highest share of delinquent loan balances, at 17.8%, while South Dakota has the lowest, at 6.6%, according to the latest quarterly data from the New York Federal Reserve Bank.

  Related: Class of 2013 grads average $35,200 MORE

  Tami Luhby - May 17, 2013 8:04 AM ET
  Posted in: college, delinquency, delinquent, student loans

• Retiring at 55? You'll need $372,000 just for medical expenses

  Thinking of retiring early? Hope you have a lot socked away for medical expenses.

  That's because health care costs can add up quickly when you aren't yet eligible for Medicare, which kicks in at age 65.

  Someone who retires today at age 55 will spend an average of $119,600 over the next 10 years on insurance premiums and out-of-pocket expenses, said Dale Yamamoto, who authored a report on medical spending on behalf MORE

  Tami Luhby - May 16, 2013 11:05 AM ET
  Posted in: health care, health care costs, health care spending, health insurance, medicare, retirement, society of actuaries

• Bring on the cupcake deflation!

  Not only is the cupcake craze truly winding down, it's leading to some Twitter fun among econ nerds this Thursday morning.

  When the Labor Department released its latest Consumer Price Index -- a key measure of inflation -- it contained a detailed breakdown that showed cupcake prices are falling.

  Follow the hashtag #CupcakeDeflation to get in on the meme, started by Justin Wolfers -- the same economist who brought us the beloved MORE

  Annalyn Kurtz - May 16, 2013 10:57 AM ET
  Posted in: Consumer Price Index, cpi, deflation

• Falling gas prices lead inflation lower for second month

  You paid less for gasoline in April, and that led overall inflation lower for the second month in a row.

  The Consumer Price Index, a key measure of inflation, fell 0.4% in April, according to the Labor Department. Compared to a year earlier, prices are up only 1.1%, a level of inflation that's considered rather low.

  Falling gas prices were the main driver for the broader decline for the second month in MORE

  Annalyn Kurtz - May 16, 2013 8:40 AM ET
  Posted in: cpi, gas prices, inflation

• Payroll tax hike prompts spending cuts

  Most Americans plan to cut spending to make up for income lost from the payroll tax hike, according to a New York Federal Reserve study released Wednesday.

  The payroll tax cut, which was in effect in 2011 and 2012, reduced the amount withheld from workers' paychecks to 4.2%, down from 6.2%. That put an additional $1,000 a year in the pocket of the average household earning $50,000 a year. The provision MORE

  Tami Luhby - May 15, 2013 9:11 AM ET
  Posted in: consumer spending, new york federal reserve, payroll tax, payroll tax hike

• CNNMoney reader visits the White House for Obamacare event

  When Suzanne Eva Lain praised Obamacare in a recent CNNMoney article, she never thought it would earn her a ticket to the White House.

  But after a member of the Obama administration read that she can't wait for Obamacare to start, officials invited her to attend an event at the White House on Friday at which the president expounded on how the Affordable Care Act has helped women and their families. MORE

  Tami Luhby - May 14, 2013 10:42 AM ET
  Posted in: affordable care act, economy, health care, health insurance, luhby, obamacare, state exchanges, suzanne lain

• Greece: Three years after the bailout

  By Mark Thompson

  It's been three years since Greece was granted 110 billion euros in the first of two bailouts by its EU partners and the International Monetary Fund. Harsh austerity measures have driven the economy into the ground since then. Unemployment has soared. More than 6 in 10 young workers are out of a job.

  But there may be light at the end of the tunnel. After six years of recession, MORE

  May 10, 2013 9:02 AM ET
  Posted in: austerity, Bailout, Europe, Greece, unemployment