Friday Financials: Does the sex room come with a free box of pasta?

It’s never a rainy, gloomy Friday when Friday Financials is here to give you the scrap-metal lining in the lingering clouds.

• The largest spike in food prices in nearly 20 years is causing consumers to go on a “recession diet.” Thrifty and strapped consumers are going for meals made up of cheap pastas instead of nutritional goods like meat and veggies. (Dr. Atkins is rolling over in his bacon-y grave right now.) In some parts of the country, a gallon of milk costs as much as a gallon of gas. The good news? Americans waste nearly 14 percent of the food they buy. If only we could figure out how to be less gluttonous and frivolous, we just might break even on this whole food and gas thing.
• Hasn’t exactly been a banner year at the ol’ [your name here] house? You’re not alone. According to a recent survey, 43 percent of consumers have nothing left for saving after meeting expenses. And another 40 percent of respondents say their financial situation has gotten worse in the last year alone. The good news? “Just” 40,000 jobs were dumped in April.
• A glut of condos in the Twin Cities is creating more pain for developers and owners. The number of condos for sale in Minneapolis in April jumped more than 24 percent over last year, and the credit crunch and weak economy are forcing developers to stall or walk away from major plans like rebuilding the entire St. Paul riverfront. The good news? Price plummets have their benefits. For only $109,000, you can score a swank condo with a sex room in the basement. Maybe they’ll throw in some Ramen if you ask real nice-like.