Family togetherness a blessing (or a curse) of the recession

Whenever I hear stories about multiple generations living under one roof, I wonder how people don't wind up killing one another. My worries are heightened because of the recession.

According to USA Today, increasing numbers of people are living together out of economic necessity.

"Nearly 3.5 million brothers or sisters are living in a sibling's house, according to 2007 Census Data, up from 3 million in 2000," the paper said. " And 3.6 million parents live with their adult children, up from 2.3 million. About 6.7 million householders live with other relatives, such as aunts or cousins, compared with 4.8 million in 2000."

Of course, given the state of the economy, those figures have no doubt increased over the past year as the real estate market continues to plummet and foreclosures continue to soar. It's the hidden cost of the economic downturn, and it's scary.