Downturn’s Up!

The Sex and the City ladies may have been content sipping on Cosmopolitans at the city’s poshest restaurants on a nightly basis, but today’s economy calls for something different.

Luckily, savvy bartenders from around the country have stepped in the fill the void, creating recession-themed cocktail recipes that anyone can make at home.

Whether you’re throwing a recession-themed party or drowning your sorrows with a group of recently laid off friends, we’ve rounded up some of our favorite downturn drinks from around the Web…

8 Recession Road Trip Games

Even with the emergence of the “staycation,” many families will be hitting the road this Labor Day. So after the Harry Potter series ends on the DVD player, we suggest some timely car games to keep the fun rolling along. Print this guide and take it with you.

Spot a Sign
This one’s easy. In the wake of mortgage defaults and foreclosure-o-rama, for-sale signs dot the landscape like a new mutant weed. In a twist on “punch Buggy” or “slug a bug”—in which you punch the person next to you when you spot a VW Beetle—tag (we prefer it to a punch) the person next to you to signal you spotted a for-sale sign first…

7 Tips for Living with the Unemployed

The economy is supposedly in recovery, but layoffs are still prominent in virtually every industry. Many more people than usual can relate to a phenomenon usually restricted to the over-60 set: living with an unemployed spouse.

While being laid off and entering into retirement are far from the same, they both often leave one half of a couple with extra time on their hands, and plenty of pent-up energy that their significant other, coming home after a long day at work, can’t handle.Read: 4 Reasons To Date The Unemployed

WSJ.com recently wrote an article that shared a few words of wisdom on how to deal with this situation. Here are a few of their tips, plus some of our own…

Love in the Time of Layoff: Truisms from Our Time

Okay all you lovers out there, so what do you know about dating, living and loving in the recession? Budgets for lavish dates and gifts have shrunk; long-term plans for established relationships have been somewhat downsized; and we’re all perhaps a little more deliberate in our dating than we were in the boom times. Things have changed–not least in the way you appreciate your mate. Below, some of the new realities that have emerged in these tough times:

You don’t need to spend a lot to get a lot. In a guest post, “Funky Brown Chick” Twanna A. Hines wrote about getting laid without laying out too much for it. Try renting porn flicks, buy sex toys, and try mixing it up by getting out of town on the cheap.

There are countless options for romantic dates on a budget…

Dating on a Dime

Let’s face it: The economy may be improving, but blast that lagging economic indicator—unemployment is around to stay, at least for a little bit. And while you may have plenty of time on your hands, the reality is that, more likely than not, your pockets will be a little bit emptier than desired.

Never fear, necessity is the mother of invention! And there are plenty of ways you can save money on a date (without looking like a cheap skate). Clever, low-cost date ideas will get you out and about in the world with your sweetheart and allow you to get to know each other better than any fancy-schmancy dinner could ever facilitate…

Cheap Date: Blog with your Sweetie

Hey hey. Good news. Over at the New York Times, super sourpuss Paul Krugman thinks the economy may have cratered. Mr. Brightside warns that before we all buy jet skis and charter flights to Monaco to realize things are still grim. Saving more and spending less is a pretty good policy. But dating, mating and the whole relating shebang are tough to do without spending dough. That’s when you gotta get creative…

Love in the Time of Layoff: Back to Work

Last month, my husband Marco subbed for me here, since I was too busy throwing up to write a post. This month, the nausea has at last subsided and I’ve got lots to say.

The start-up I’ve helped launch has taken off, and Marco has freelance work again. His new gig starts this week. (Let’s hear it for the latest news about the economy!) While you’d think I’d be ecstatic about my partner going back to work, relieving me of sole breadwinner duties, I’m mixed. It’s been a blessing having him at home cooking meals, unpacking boxes, helping me get through the day. He set up my desk and I’ve been happily working from home, feet up on the radiator to relieve the constant swelling, but I’ve become something I never thought I, a woman who prides herself on her independence, would become in this particular relationship: clingy. When we’re home together, I don’t even like to be in separate rooms…

10 Things That Are Not So Weird in Recession

We all have our oddities—ah, idiosyncrasies. Difficult times can often accentuate personality quirks and neuroses. Don’t be ashamed, but rather flaunt them! People are more forgiving of weirdness then ever in a bad economy, probably because each person has their own anxieties to deal with. Here are 10 things that are completely acceptable during the economic downturn.

1. Using the 2012 end of the Mayan calender/Armageddon to relieve anxiety about your current unemployment. Hey, the world will be ending soon anyway.

2. Turning down an evening out for “financial reasons,” when you really just want to stay in to watch the newest round of the Real Housewives series. Further justification—you could learn a lot from the ladies of the OC/New Jersey/Atlanta/NYC…

8 Vacation Spots: What’s Hot and Not in Recession

“Staycation” may be the buzzword of the recession thus far, but that doesn’t mean everyone is spending their holidays at home. With cheap Caribbean deals around and a surge in house-swapping, it’s seeming like the biggest post-recession change isn’t how much we’re traveling so much as where we’re traveling to.

Destinations like Hawaii, Mexico, and the Disney amusement parks all report that they’ve been hit hard by the downturn, even while the cruise industry and campgrounds report record numbers of tourists. We took a closer look some of summer’s most popular destinations to see what’s hot (and not)–so you can see where there might be bargains, or too many recession travelers.

Hawaii
Worldwide economic fears have diminished Hawaii’s tourism industry, with the state experiencing its lowest month for tourism in 18 years back in April and hotel occupancy rates dropping to 75 percent…

Avoiding Money Fights with Your Mate

It’s no surprise that the recession has caused stress in people’s lives. Pressure of any sort has a negative impact on relationships, but financial strain can cause even more of a burden between loved ones. While the recession is affecting relationships worldwide, for some reason it’s having more of a negative impact on the marriages and relationships of American’s than in other countries. Read: Surviving A Breakup During The Recession

Reuters reported that in a recent poll, 30 percent of Americans attested to the recession adding stress or strain to their relationship or marriage—if not ruining it entirely. This compared to only 23 percent of Canadians, 24 percent of French and 12 percent of Germans admitting a similar effect…