This is not your father's recession. This is the real deal. Gas prices hit new records every day. Those prices have rippled through the economy, causing the price of everything else to spike. Wall Street experts have said that the credit recession could last two more years. And the price of a dozen bagels at Noah's just went up by a dollar. What's the world coming to?

How are you going to survive and thrive? At PeopleJam, we're not saying we have all the answers, but here are some tips, from practical to funny to unconventional, to help give you some perspective.

First, get real about your finances and your future with this article by Steve Graham.

Next, consider yourself lucky that you have a job and don't also have a gambling problem like comedian Matt Komen in this hilarious video.

And for those of you ready to take extreme measures, here's a great tongue-in-cheek set of suggestions from John Jorgensen to help you survive and thrive.

Matt Edelman, CEO Quote of the Week:

"When the going gets tough, take a walk...taking a drive is just too expensive."