WE KNOW YOUR POCKETBOOK IS HURTING. WE’RE DEVOTING THIS SERIES TO FINDING OUT WHY. AND TO HELPING YOU SAVE SOME CASH.

At the gas pump, the doctor's office or the grocery check-out line, people across the South Shore are paying more for basic necessities -- and becoming more inventive about making their dollar stretch farther. Our "Dollar Drain" series looks at why everything costs more, for consumers and businesses alike, and what's being done to keep expenses in check.

ECONOMY: What’s happening to the economy?
Today’s economic downtown resembles the slowdown of the 1970s, when oil prices tripled, food prices soared and Americans worried.

Imported inflation
The nation’s heavy reliance on imports has contributed to local inflation because of the floundering value of the U.S. dollar.

The dollar in business
Notes about the dollar in Massachusetts.

FOOD: Dollar Drain: Balancing budgets with health
South Shore residents finding themselves pinched by high food prices are hunting for sales, doing more meal planning and avoiding expensive foods.

In a pinch
Call it a recession or not, restaurant owners and analysts have the same thing to say about the current state of the economy: we’re in a pinch.

Food prices strain nonprofits
More families are turning to help from food pantries and nonprofits to put food on the table, and those agencies say they’re feeling the strain.

UPDATE Food pantries fear shortages
Hunger relief agencies on the South Shore say their inventory levels are keeping up with increased demand, rising food prices and lagging donations - for now. That’s because volunteers have been buying food to re-stock their shelves when donations drop.  

LINKS:
Cheapcooking.com
Sensiblenutrition.com of Hingham
Cutting your grocery bill
Shopping tips

GASOLINE: Cost of gasoline forces drivers to pinch their pennies
Ornell was one of many South Shore people who told the Patriot Ledger recently that 1) Yes, the high price of gas is a problem, 2) They aren’t confident that prices will drop anytime soon, and 3) In the meantime, they are taking whatever steps they can think of to counter it.

UPDATE Staying close to port: High gas prices keep many boaters anchored
Many boat owners say they’ll treat their vessels more like floating cottages this season. Gone, they say, are the days of long trips – to Provincetown and Nantucket, for example. Maximize your fuel

Don’t blame gas stations
The price at the pump may be increasing rapidly, but your local corner store isn’t rolling in windfall profits.

Are hybrids worth it?
Gas prices and the number of consumers buying hybrid vehicles both have increased in recent years.

LINKS
Patriot Ledger Cheap Gas survery
American Automobile Association
U.S. Dept of Energy
Massachusetts Division of Energy Resources
Federal Trade Commission

HEALTH CARE: Rising health care costs cause headaches, desperation
Keith Lapides has two words to describe the rising cost of health insurance: It stinks.

High cost of health
Drugs, doctors and technologies drive up health care costWhat makes health care in America so expensive? Experts cite several key factors as driving up costs, from the use of new, expensive medical tests and treatments to soaring drug prices.

No slowdown in sight
Rising health care costs are putting increasing pressure on not only lower-income Americans but on the middle class as well.

OIL: Heating oil on roller coaster ride
The cost of heating oil in Massachusetts has been on a roller coaster, and no one is predicting where it will be tomorrow, let alone next heating season.

"We need it tomorrow"
Until the price of oil went above $100, the Norwell work-apparel firm WearGuard never got last-minute corporate orders. Now they’re expected.

Inside squeeze
As the price of oil and materials rise, South Shore corporations and retailers find ways to manage -- without raising prices for their own customers.

Traders are major factor behind oil prices
Heavy trading in oils futures push crude oil prices beyond what would be typically expected based on current demand levels.

Corn for ethanol
Once upon a time, corn was just food, but now it is used in fuel, increasing demand and price and making more expensive the cost for everything baked, mixed, added to or otherwise made with corn more expensive.