billwixey.com

The dire economy is forcing a lot of folks to make some major changes, and some of those changes are a little bit surprising, and revealing.

For example, more families are switching schools to save money on tuition. According to a New York-based firm that tracks private school tuition nationwide, by the middle of this school year, 7% of private school students had transferred--that's twice the number of students who left private schools last year.

Another interesting stat: Even though mobile devices and the internet are offering up a wide array of viewing choices--Americans are watching more TV than ever before. According to Nielsen, the average American watched 151 hours of TV during the last quarter of 2008... up from 145 hours the previous year.

The conclusion? Maybe we're not willing to spend as much on gadgets, or maybe we're trying to find some comfort in front the boob tube, who knows...

But here's a trend that's easy to track. As the unemployment rate reaches double digits, a lot of Americans are now left without health insurance, and are looking for affordable alternatives in the supplement aisle.

As a result, vitamin sales are way up, rising nearly 8% this winter over the same period last year. One study found that Vitamin Shoppe reported a 20% surge in sales to new customers looking for cheap ways to stay healthy.