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Recently, Clark discussed safety issues on cruise ships.

The cruise industry has been so focused on Congressional hearings that would require standardized crime reporting among the carriers. The industry's focus historically has been on covering up crimes and not cooperating with investigators.

California had a push to put police on all ships that touch a Golden State port. While the effort passed in the state senate, the industry shot it down in the house. It's a shame because Clark thought California was on the right track.

Mind you, the penny-pinching guru does not want you to think that cruises are dangerous by their very nature. In fact, they're generally a safe form of vacation travel.

But the cruise industry is uniquely poised to crack down on crime -- their ships are controlled environments, after all -- and they're not doing it. If they need a model to follow, they should look to Disney World and its safety procedures.

Are you going on a cruise soon? Here are a few pointers Clark wants to share: Don't take nice jewelry on the ship and invite theft. And when you make port, don't buy from the local jewelers recommended by the ship. The cruise lines have kickback arrangements with these usually overpriced merchants, especially in Caribbean ports.

Again, if the cruise lines think they've been painted unfairly, Clark invites them to come on the show and rebut his comments.

Motorcycles have gotten extra cheap these days. We went through a time when people only wanted high-end motorcycles, but now there's a new marketplace for those who feel the need for speed -- on a budget.

Some freeway-legal 150 cc scooters and motorcycles made in communist China start at $1,000. So it is possible to get 55-70 mpg on the cheap and ride in the carpool lane in heavily congested urban areas.

One special caveat: Motorcycles are not without risk. Weekend joy-riders can be a danger to themselves and others. Clark advises taking a motorcycle safety course before riding -- even if it seems un-macho. Visit the Motorcycle Safety Foundation at MSF-USA.org to find a course near you.

Clark loves the idea of you saving money, but he wants you to be safe and careful out there. Car drivers are nearly incapable of seeing riders in traffic, as he's discovered while riding his scooter.

There have been a lot of media reports about curbside recycling being stolen by thieves. Clark read about criminal rings in the San Francisco Bay area that snatch aluminum cans and then sell them to recyclers!

We're in a time of commodity boom following a long period of commodity bust. The price of most commodities is on the upswing. Think about gasoline. There's an economic principle called "inertia bias," which refers to our perception that the price will just keeping going up.

But the boom and bust of commodity prices is cyclical and well-documented throughout history. There's nothing new about this. It's the drop in the value of the dollar, however, that is piling on the extra hurt right now.

Over the last several months, Clark has explained how the Federal Reserve devalued the dollar to help out Wall Street. But did you know that if the dollar weren't mismanaged, the price of a barrel of oil would be around $80 -- instead of $140?

Food (and fuel) for thought, indeed.

New polling data shows that 7 out of 10 people are worried they can't maintain their standard of living -- a much higher figure than just a few months ago.

The results of other ABC News/Washington Post polls found that 8 out of 10 people think the country is off-track. That's the highest level since 1981, when we had our most serious recession since the Great Depression.

Meanwhile, 6 in 10 of those who earn more than $100K/year are worried about falling behind.

The reality is that the average American will see a short-term decline in their standard of living during a recession. A drop in the standard of living can be defined as only going out to dinner once a month instead of 3 times a week, or going from eating steak every week to who can remember the last time we ate that?!

In the long run, our adaptability will help us survive. If the name brand paper towels are too much at the supermarket, buy the store brand. That's called brand substitution. Of course, some people get hit with financial Armageddon and that goes way beyond your personal taste in paper towels.

The bottom-line is this: It will take a while to work through the excess in the housing market, our gas-guzzling vehicles, etc. But we can deal with more than we give ourselves credit for.