Call me a Grinch, but the holidays are never more daunting than when you’re sitting down to make your shopping list for friends and family. After so many years, you’ve probably cycled through the same items many times over (I know I have!). So here are some ideas and commentary from the folks at Cardpool.com who suggest they’re for “lazy gift-givers.” I sure hope my family isn’t reading this, but I probably fall into that category. Hope you find this as helpful as I did, and if you’ve got additional please add to the list in the comments below. Happy holidays!

1.       Cardpool.com

Gift cards. That are up to 30% discounted. What’s not to love? That means you can buy the people on your “nice” list cards for some of the top retailers, restaurants, movie theaters and even airlines without breaking the bank.

2.       Whatever of the Month Clubs

For everyone on your list, there’s a gift of the month club – bacon of the month, beer of the month, jam of the month (for the Christmas Vacation fans out there) – get your creative juices flowing. Murray’s in New York even has a meat of the month club delivered nationwide – a gift that keeps giving year round.

3.       Netflix / Hulu

Who doesn’t love movies? Purchase a gift certificate for Hulu Premium so your gift recipient can stream the newest shows without all the ads.

4.       Shutterfly.com

You can use your own photos to print out aprons, coasters, mugs, key chains, etc. This is one of those gifts that will make you look like you really gave it the personal touch. Just upload a photo on a site and let it do all the hard work.

5.       Spafinder.com

Spafinder takes the spa gift certificate to the next level. Let your recipient pick out the spa and the treatment without putting your bank account in the red.

Those of you who are experiencing funemployment and traveling on the cheap may be interested in a deal that HostelBookers is promoting this season. It’s offering big discounts on already crazy cheap hostels in warm-weather locations like Miami, Lima, and Cancun. Discounts start at 20% and go up from there, which means you can stay in Brisbane, Australia for about $10 a night. Customers must book by Dec. 5 and travel by Jan. 31, so go find your backpack.

One of the upsides of the recession is that it cut back on the amount of unnecessary spending in America. We were shelling out too much for clothes, appliances, video games, cosmetics, car accessories—you name it. And then we were spending on stuff to store all the stuff we’d bought but didn’t have a place for.

But all that stuff, ironically, has been a boon in the recession, argues Virginia Postrel in an interesting Wall Street Journal story this weekend. When we had to cut back on spending, we could turn to our personal storehouses of tee shirts and tube socks.

As a result, we’ve been much better off, materially speaking, than people who lived through the Depression. In the Depression, your average middle-class worker’s wardrobe had fewer than 15 things in it. Today we’ve got an average of 92—not including PJs and underwear. That provides for an awful lot of shopping in your closet. And because we have so much clothing, things last longer, because we can rotate more often.

Good thing or bad thing? As Postrel points out, we might be more selective about what items we add to our closets, if we are going to have to wear them for a long, long time.

A couple of weeks ago, we wrote about the huge money-saving deal at Restaurant.com. It’s ending today–so get 80 percent off dining gift certificates ASAP, with the discount code PLATE.

Going to the movies was once a simple, inexpensive pleasure. Now a flick for two runs $25 in New York—and that’s before the popcorn. So we jumped on this deal when we spotted it yesterday: $4 for a ticket to any AMC, Loews, Cineplex Odeon, Magic Johnson, or Star theater. The catches are, you have to pay up front, you can only get one (I’m making my fiance buy his own) and they will only mail them in the five boroughs of New York City. Still, $4! Get it now at KGB, yet another daily deals site.

I just bought $200 worth of meals at great New York restaurants for $16.50. Seriously.

The website Restaurant.com offers discounted gift certificates at establishments around the country–usually $10 for a $25 credit. Now, it is offering an additional 80% off with the code “FUN.” That means meals for just a few bucks.

The site’s restaurant selection in New York used to be pretty underwhelming, but I purchased $25 certificates from Salt, Aleo, Kellari’s Parea–all places where I’ve happily paid full price.

Be sure to read the restrictions for each restaurant–some have minimum tabs and will only let you use the certificates on certain days of the week, for example. For these kinds of discounts, I’m happy to follow a few rules. The only risk is that I’ll forget to use the coupons…but even then, I’m down less than $20.

If obsessing about unemployment figures, market drops, and inflation rates hasn’t helped improve your financial situation over the past year, it might be time to try something else. Like, say, ignoring the recession entirely and pretending it doesn’t exist.

It’s not hard to do. With the swipe of a credit card and the purchase of a $2,500 Swarovski-embellished handbag, you can be right back where you were before the recession began—deep in debt and surrounded by shiny luxury goods.

Here, a round-up of our favorite ridiculous items and goods that might help take your mind off of the country’s financial crisis, at least until your next credit card statement arrives in the mail.

Cashmere Toilet Paper—It has been a rough recession, but your behind doesn’t need to suffer any longer. The UK supermarket chain Waitrose recently introduced what it calls “the most luxurious bathroom tissue” ever, made from cashmere extracts. At $3.50 for four rolls of paper, it may not be as cheap as the eco-friendly rolls you buy at Costco, but at least it’s a lot cheaper than the cashmere sweater you’ve been eyeing at Saks.

Louis Vuitton’s Trash Bag Purse—What better way is there to pay homage to the worst year of your life than by paying $1,996 for a trash bag? Not literally, of course, but the Louis Vuitton’s Raindrop Besace Trash Bag Purse, which is made of canvas and leather but designed to look like a trash bag. It’s not available until spring, though, which gives you a couple more months to save up.

iVIP Black iPhone App—Return to a time when everyone spent like millionaires no matter how much cash they had on hand by paying $999 for iVIP Black, an iPhone application that acts as a personal concierge service. The company says the app is for “available to high net worth individuals only,” although the number of individuals fitting that description is probably far fewer today than in pre-recession times.

Sugar Factor Couture Lollipops—Nothing says the recession is over like buying a couture lollipop, right? Then again, at $22 per lollipop it might be worth hoping that a candy-induced sugar coma ends up erasing the memory of how much you spent per lick.

The Plaza Hotel’s Presidential Suite—If you’ve been forced out of your home due to foreclosure, then checking in to the Plaza Hotel’s Presidential Suite ought to take your mind off of the situation. Of course, you could put the $20,000-a-night you’d be spending to stay at the hotel toward a down payment on a new house, but that wouldn’t be nearly as much fun.

It’s winter. Maybe you’re unemployed.  Man, those walls are feeling close together, aren’t they? It is possible to bring some freshness to your surroundings without buying anything new. Try our tips, and troll the web for more–we especially like Apartment Therapy and the blog at Design Public. (Though we’re a little biased on that second one.)

De-clutter

There are people who can make clutter look beautiful. You are probably not one of them. Put away all those tchotchkes–or even better, sell them or give them away. (Check out the tips for getting rid of castoff clothes for help.)

Move stuff around

It is sort of amazing what a difference you can make by rearranging seating or shoving a table over. About.com has ten tips for arranging furniture. Our advice: try out configurations that aren’t obvious. Worst that happens is, you need to move it back. This doesn’t just go for furniture, either–Rita Koenig shows in this piece how moving a basket and a stack of books can change the feel of a corner.

Fix little things

All those small rips, stains and scratches can add up to a general feeling of un-kempt-ness. So sew up tears in upholstery, re-attach buttons, polish metal, clean dingy areas on light switches, scrape stray paint from bathroom tiles. You can do almost all of it with common household items. Apartment Therapy even has a fun tip for repairing dings in wood furniture with a walnut.

Repurpose

Make old stuff feel new. Can an ottoman be a coffee table? A bookshelf be a nightstand? A nightstand be a hall table?

DIY (Demolish It Yourself)

Nothing revs up a cold Sunday morning like breaking some sh*t up. Have hideous kitchen cabinets? Consider whether they’d look better if you removed the doors and went with open shelving. Saw the legs off of a tall table to make it a low one. We’ve ripped out awful closets and torn down awkward shelving with a hammer and our bare hands.

Oysters may be an aphrodisiac and truffles might seem romantic, but there’s nothing sexier than offering to cook your date a simple meal at home.

Especially on Valentine’s Day, when the hottest restaurants in town are all packed to the brim and serving predictable prix fixe menus, a candlelit dinner at your own table can be just what Cupid ordered.

Whether you’re looking to save money or show off your skills in the kitchen, we have put together a super-simple, recession-friendly Valentine’s menu that anyone can cook at home.

Cocktail
Flirtini
Mixologist Dale DeGroff‘s cocktail recipes are legendary, but this simple concoction (adapted from his book, The Craft of the Cocktail) is made from ingredients you may already have stocked away at home.

Ingredients:
2 chunks of pineapple (fresh or canned)
1/2 oz. Triple Sec
1/2 oz. vodka
1 oz. pineapple juice
3 oz. champagne

Combine pineapple chunks and Triple Sec in a glass and muddle. Add vodka and juice, and stir with ice. Strain into a chilled glass, and top with a bit of champagne. (Save the rest of the champagne to serve as an after-dinner treat.)

Time: 5 minutes
Cost: $10 (assuming you already have most of the alcohol elements)

Appetizer
Butternut Squash Stew
If your date enjoys eating seasonally, then Dan Colarusso’s Butternut Squash Stew might be just the dish to serve. The wintertime appetizer is cheap, easy, and vegetarian friendly.

Ingredients:
2 bags of cut butternut squash
1 can of chickpeas
1 can of plain, diced tomatoes
4 cloves of garlic
1/2 onion
Curry powder
Nutmeg
Coriander
Cinnamon
Olive oil

Dump chickpeas into a strainer, rinse in cold water, and mince the garlic and onion. Coat the bottom of a stock pot with olive oil and sauté the garlic and onion. Add butternut squash, un-drained tomatoes, chickpeas, and lightly sprinkle with salt, curry powder, coriander and nutmeg, before bringing to a boil. Reduce heat and cover for 5 minutes. Add more curry powder (to taste), and simmer for another 10 to 12 minutes.

Time: 20 minutes
Cost: Less than $10

Main Course
Polenta with Broccoli
Avoid complicated recipes on a big night like Valentine’s, and stick with a simple entrée. Adapted from a spring 2007 issue of EAT (a special interest publication from Better Homes and Garden), this polenta recipe is light enough to leave room for the all-important Valentine’s dessert.

Ingredients:
I c. quick cooking polenta mix
1 c. vegetable or chicken broth
1 tbs. cornstarch
1 c. chopped onion
4 tsp. olive oil
3 tsp. minced garlic
3 c. chopped broccoli florets
1/2 c. roasted sweet peppers
1/4 c. sliced almonds

Prepare polenta according to package directions, then set aside and keep warm. Stir together broth and cornstarch, then set aside. In a skillet, cook onion and olive oil over high heat for 4 minutes. Add garlic, and stir for 30 seconds. Add broccoli, and stir for 4 minutes. Stir in sweet peppers. Combine vegetables mixture with cornstarch and broth.  To serve, place polenta on plates and spoon vegetable mixture over the top. Sprinkle with almonds.

Time: 30 minutes
Cost: $11

Dessert
Hot Fudge Sauce
Possibly the most important part any Valentine’s meal is the dessert. Ana Dane’s hot fudge sauce recipe is perfect to pour over a low-cost bowl of sliced strawberries or vanilla ice cream.

Ingredients:
2/3 c. heavy cream
1/2 c. light corn syrup
1/3 c. sugar
1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp. salt
6 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 tsp. vanilla

Add heavy cream, corn syrup, sugar, cocoa powder, salt and chocolate to a sauce pan over medium heat, then bring to a boil while stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, while stirring occasionally. Remove from heat to stir in butter and vanilla. Let sauce cool before serving.

Say what you will about commercialism and Valentine’s Day—it’s hard to reject a day that celebrates love in all its squishy glory.

Stop using money as an excuse to check out–who says you have to buy roses at inflated prices, or shell out for an overcrowded restaurant? In fact, sharing V-Day in a way that involves less spending (much, much less…) can be even more special. Start with our nine tips for gifts, meals and activities that will
make your Feb. 14 about connection, consideration and romance, not cash and cliches.

Say it with pictures

Or as PhotoJoJo puts it: “If you love someone, shoot them.” Go out and take portraits of each other, even if it’s with a crappy camera. For inspiration on your absurd/dark/surrealist/campy shots, check out the link to the Ones We Love project.

Turn out the lights

Spend the whole evening cooking, eating, and, uh, whatever elseing in candlelight. You’ll even save money on electricity, though not on your candle bill. Note: The glow from your Mac screen does not count as candles.

Do something you hate to do (or are really bad at)

Obviously, we’re aiming for something the person you heart would love for you to do, whether it’s going to the gym with them, washing the dishes without leaving crud on the plates or watching football without complaining. Extra points if the activity involves karaoke singing or generally making a jackass of yourself.

Make valentines

Tap your inner artist–or your inner second-grader.

Dress up

But eat in–or eat somewhere really, really cheap.

Write each other love letters

They’re free, revealing, and you’ll want to keep them foveever. I swore I would not tell my BF’s guy friends that we are doing this. So instead I’m putting it on the internet.

Picnic inside

Almost as sweet as camping in the living room! Spread a cloth on the floor, order in your favorite pizza, and (this is key) split a bottle of good wine.

Play hooky

It’s only February, so the gainfully employed among us should have plenty of vacation time in the bank. Take Monday off, sleep in, and then spend the entire day doing totally fun, frivolous stuff.

Go play in the snow

Assuming you have snow. Think snowball fights, snow forts, snow angels, and a sexy glow from the chill.

So you went from worshipping the “It” bag to feeling like a bag lady. Well, at least now you know just how versatile a purse can be.

But bet you hadn’t thought of this: In addition to broadcasting your social status and storing your worldly possessions, you can also use accessories to showcase your skills and experience.

That’s especially useful in the downturn, when you might feel like you need to pass out your C.V. out like sample sale flyers. Here are four cheeky tips for scoring a job interview with your bag. And please — don’t forget to have your resume stashed in it.

Your (Former) Company Tote Bag

Once upon a job, you proudly (or at least carelessly) toted a canvas bag emblazoned with your company’s name and logo. Chances are you still have it stuffed into your closet. Dig it out. Using a fabric marker, write “FIRED ME” in large letters underneath the logo. We bet you’ll at least get bought a Decaf Kenyan Home Roast.

The Hideous Academic Conference Tote

Nerd Alert: The leaders of academia loved going conference hopping until university budgets were slashed. Wear your “1997 New Horizons in Critical Theory Summit” bag and and use it to start conversations with other nerdy high-achievers.

A University Gym Bag

You probably paid a ridiculous amount of money for the right to name-drop your alma mater. Flaunt your mascot and school spirit in public places on a daily basis. You never know who might be looking to hire a fellow classmate.

Sorority, Chess Club, Drama Queen Duffels

Extra-curricular activities set you apart from the pack (or so they say.) Let people know your interests and hidden talents before they see your resume. Let them know that you’re competitive yet team-oriented with that “2001 State Cross Country Finals” sack.

KT Boyle is a graduate of Georgetown University. Follow her life on the recession runway at TheGreatReDression.com.

Bid goodbye to waiting lists for nail polish colors (at the risk of dating myself, remember Chanel’s Vamp?), figuring out how to work mustard yellow into your wardrobe, and short-lived fashion trends in general.

According to a recent Wall Street Journal story, the past few years have seen the death of the trend. (WSJ.com has a pay wall, but you can get around it by Googling the headline.) “Everything is in style,” the creative director of Doneger Group consultants told a group of retailers.

Christina Binkley reports that we’re in an age where women can more easily wear what looks good on them. The must-have of the month is gone. And before you bring up gladiator sandals and harem pants — gladiators had a good long run given how damn distinctive-looking they are, and harem pants seem to have died in the desert. Thank God.

One source tells Binkley that the trend is dead because designers have already referenced every era. If that were the case, trends would have faded out centuries ago.

I think it’s the recession, stupid. Risk-averse retailers are pushing fewer extreme trends on consumers, fearing they’ll be stuck with unwanted inventory. For their part, shoppers don’t have money to blow on things that don’t fit their lifestyle, shape or budget. And they have bigger fish to fry than getting their hands on what’s hot for an instant.

This doesn’t mean the death of creativity in clothing or self-expression in dressing. I vividly remember an article in Allure, when the magazine first launched, called How the Pros Do the Shows. Young and a little naive about how the real world worked, I was delighted to learn that the professionals who spot and report fashion trends often don’t indulge in them–they have their well-honed individual styles.

The downside: We’ll have to live with certain “trends” for a long time. Uggs, anyone?