Economic Report:

If you feel like you are living paycheck to paycheck, you aren't alone. According to a survey from AC Nielsen, a marketing information provider, 28 percent of consumers feel the same way. The cost of basic needs have consistently been on the rise, according to a recent article in the Clarion-Ledger. A loaf of white bread averaged 77 cents in 1995; in 2005 it is $1.08. The price of beef went from $1.86 per pound in '95 to $2.57 now. And of course the cost of gasoline has increased by 80 percent since 1995.