Wallet Watch

Your guide to tracking prices, spending smart and understanding Long Island's real cost of living.

Wallet WatchSummer jobs are getting harder to find for LI teens

Long Island employers are hiring fewer seasonal workers, leaving teens competing for fewer openings as summer hiring is projected to hit a nearly 80-year low nationwide.

Wallet WatchLI renters say the 'American Dream' is slipping away

They've saved, worked extra jobs and kept looking. Many Long Island renters still can't find a path to homeownership.

Only in Newsday$20-$60 per tooth? The Tooth Fairy is taking a bite out of LI parents' budgets

Inflation has found its way to a certain fairy known for leaving bucks under the pillows of gap-toothed children on Long Island.

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Wallet WatchWhy LI childcare costs are so high — and why providers say they're struggling

Childcare costs can rival college tuition on Long Island, forcing some parents to cut work hours or leave the workforce. Yet providers say staffing, rent and regulations leave them with thin margins.

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MORE ON THIS TOPIC'The wages haven't caught up.' Why Long Islanders pay much more for basic needs.