Recession Briefing 12.21: Happy Holidays! No Foreclosures

What you need to know today to survive and thrive in the recession.

Mortgage finance companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are suspending foreclosures and evictions for about two weeks in a temporary break for borrowers during the holiday season. (Associated Press)

In nearly 200 years of recorded stock-market history, no calendar decade has seen such a dismal performance as the 2000s. Investors would have been better off investing in pretty much anything else, from bonds to gold or even just stuffing money under a mattress. (Wall Street Journal)

The recession has accentuated what was already a growing home-energy challenge for low-income and many middle-class households across the nation. Rising numbers have had their utilities shut off, causing desperate scrambles to pay arrears and penalties to get them restored. (New York Times)…

Screwed: 1,200 at Fujitsu

A daily review of the employment fallout around the country and the world.

Today’s Total: 3,109

Fujitsu‘s plan to cut spending, including the layoffs of 1,200 people, was met with protesting and walkouts… Virginia Governor Tim Kaine proposed cutting 664 jobs to close a $3.5 billion budget shortfall… The city of Cleveland is set to hand out 260 layoff notices next week… Air Canada announced its intentions to “temporarily” lay off 255 staffers… Aveos slashed 250 aerospace machinists in Winnipeg… The Dearborn Public Schools laid off close to 200 employees last week… Aramark will hand out 118 pink slips by the end of the month… The Ash Grove Plant in Durkee, Ore. will let go of 67 workers… The Utica Community Schools Board of Education voted to axe 43 office and clerical staff members… GE confirmed its intent to eliminate two departments from a plant in Fort Edward, N.Y., and cut 32 jobs… Eaton Corporation laid off its entire 20-person credit department in the Power Quality division… All four IAC factories in Sweden will be affected due to the demise of Saab… Nahan Printing plans to cut 15% of its current staff…

Unemployment-Friendly Gifts: Your Best Girl Friend

Just because you’ve been laid off doesn’t mean you feel good laying off on giving. We’ve come up with a list of thoughtful, unique and inexpensive gifts for every friend and family member.

Best Friend (Or Sister, Daughter, Or Niece!): Lipstick Queen Fired Up Gloss
This gorgeous, fire-engine-red lip gloss will look good regardless of her complexion…

5 Affordable Warm Winter Getaways

According to a recent poll on winter travel trends, more than half of the people responded that they planned on hitting the road—or the air—between December and the end of March. After all, ‘tis the season for gift-giving and splurging—as long as you’ve been good and spent the previous 11 months saving money and not wasting it. So, if you’ve been saving, here are a few fantastic destinations to help you ring in the New Year, escape the winter and, of course, take advantage of some great deals.

Going to California

No, not the chilly northern part of the Golden State where the weather is reliably unreliable. Head straight to the sunny, Mediterranean-like Hollywood (there’s a reason why the original movie moguls moved to southern California to build their empire). Stay at the luxe Sheraton Universal Hotel, which recently underwent a $30 million renovation, for only $239 per night. You’ll feel like an A-lister. Enjoy the free breakfast and chill out poolside with the would-be starlets; then use the money you saved from the free breakfast and go window-shopping—emphasis on the window part—at nearby Rodeo Drive…

Recession Briefing 12.18: Christmas Wallets Opening Up

What you need to know today to survive and thrive in the recession.

The average amount of money Americans predict they will spend on Christmas gifts this season is now $743, up from last month’s estimate and a healthy increase over Americans’ Christmas spending forecast at this time a year ago. (Gallup)

Are you wondering why you’re not getting as many holiday cards this year? The U.S. Postal Service says there was an 11% decline in cancellations of first-class cards and letters from Dec. 1-13 — when most Americans mail holiday cards — compared to 2008. (USA Today)

About 1.7 million homeowners were on the verge of foreclosure in the fall, a looming “shadow inventory” of homes that will be put up for sale in the coming years and weigh down prices, a report said. (Associated Press)…

Screwed: 461 at AT&T

A daily review of the employment fallout around the country and the world.

Today’s Total: 1,082

AT&T plans to cut 461 Florida jobs in its land-line operation… Paul Mueller manufacturing plant is laying off between 150 and 200 production workers… ST-Ericsson will be downsizing its Swedish workforce by 150 employees… Colorado Springs will be laying off 93 city employees, with layoffs occurring this month and through next March… The Hawthorne Army Depot of Mineral County, Nevada has laid off 91 workers… Up to 50 employees of Montana’s Great Falls Clinic have been laid off… Ohio’s Highland Local Schools Board of Education is laying off 22 staff beginning Jan. 19… Integrated ad agency Mullen has handed out 15 pink slips this week at its Boston office, cutting 5 percent of its Boston workforce… Layoffs are imminent inVirginia’s Hampton Schools as they prepare for new budget cuts…

Downturnaround Deals: Lucky Brand Jeans, Kohls, Harry & David, Griffin Technology, Express, Ann Taylor

Every week, we post online coupons for food, clothes, books, gadgets and more, hand-picked for Recessionwire readers by the nice people over at Savings.com.

Get $20 off orders of $100 or more at Lucky Brand Jeans. (See more Lucky Brand coupons.)

Receive 15% off orders of $100 or more at Kohls. (See more Kohls coupons.)

Take 20% off all orders at Harry & David. (See more Harry & David coupons.)…

5 Ways the Recession is Good for Your Marriage

Forget the notion that economic worries and stress cause strife within a marriage. Despite what you might think, there are a lot of ways that going through a recession together—and all the anxiety that comes with it—can actually be good for couples.

And no, we’re not just saying this because divorce rates are down—even though they are. The reasons a recession can be good for marriages are a lot more fun than that. After the jump, we’ve put together five of our favorite ways the recession is turning about to be pretty good news for a lot of married couples…

Recession Briefing 12.17: Months at the Museum

What you need to know today to survive and thrive in the recession.

Admissions at the majority of art museums in the US have been holding steady through the recession — and many are dramatically on the rise. Two-thirds of museums surveyed have experienced a clear increase in visitor numbers over the past three years. (Art Newspaper)

Businesses don’t expect American consumers to return to their spendthrift ways anytime soon. They see consumers emerging from the punishing downturn with a new mind-set: careful, practical, more socially conscious and embarrassed by flashy shows of wealth. (Wall Street Journal)

Despite an official unemployment rate of 27 percent, the real jobs problem in Detroit may be affecting half of the working-age population, thousands of whom either can’t find a job or are working fewer hours than they want. (Detroit News)…

Screwed: 400 at Reynolds American Inc.

A daily review of the employment fallout around the country and the world.

Today’s Total: 1,131

Reynolds American Inc. plans the layoff of 400 staff members by 2011… 140 workers have been laid off at the Eden Carpet Mill in N.C. due to the “sluggish economy”… Liberty Mutual is set to cut 125 jobs… Agrium plans the layoffs of 118 miners in southeast Idaho… The B.C. Institute of Technology anticipates the layoffs of 82 people as it tries to close a $12 million budget deficit… 75 pink slips were handed out at the GM plant in Bowling Green, Kent… SUNY Potsdam will trim 59 jobs from the payrolls as part of a $7.5 million budget cut…