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…

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.)…

Unemployment-Friendly Gifts: The Host/Hostess

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.

Hostess: Homemade Fudge
Hopefully you’ve got plenty of holiday parties that will take your mind off of the job situation for an hour or two. Instead of buying a bottle of wine for each, consider whipping up a few batches of fudge, using the easy Baker’s Chocolate recipe available here…

Unemployment-Friendly Gifts: For Grandparents

Just because you’ve been laid off doesn’t mean you feel good laying off on giving. The idea of entering my Mom’s house on Christmas Day empty-handed feels worse than charging up my credit card. So we’ve come up with a list of thoughtful, unique and inexpensive gifts for every friend and family member.

Grandparents: Charity Donation
Your grandparents are the last people you should actually buy something for. Why? Because they don’t need anything…

Unemployment-Friendly Gifts: For Dad

I was laid off in October, but the idea of entering my Mom’s house on Christmas Day empty-handed feels worse than charging up my credit card. So we’ve come up with a list of thoughtful, unique gifts for every friend and family member. The best part? They’re all inexpensive.

Dad: Something Practical-But-Entertaining
Of course he doesn’t want a tie, but what does Dad really want?…

Tips for Holiday Tipping

recession is a great excuse for cutting back on your spending—be it the amount you pay for a pair of shoes or the number of nights you’ll go out to expensive dinners each week. But try blaming the recession for your slimmer-than-usual tips. People are generally okay when others spend less on themselves, but they’re less forgiving when it comes to penny-pinching on gratuities—especially during the holiday season.

Not that they’re not cutting back on tipping themselves. A recent report released by PayScale found that hourly gratuities dropped an average of 5 percent in 2009 from the year before. Meanwhile, other surveys have shown that up to 26 percent of Americans plan on spending less on holiday tips this year. Only 6 percent plan on spending more…

Be Wary of Credit Card Offers in the Mail

The recession hasn’t only lightened our wallets but our pile of mail, as well. Credit card deals offered through the mail are quickly drying up. Because of the economy, credit card companies have made cutbacks in direct marketing, which has decreased the number of new credit card offers mailed to consumers by 71%. Not only are people receiving fewer credit card offers in the mail, but the ones still going out are becoming less and less desirable and legitimate. As a result, chances are that the offers mailed to your house aren’t the best.

The marketing agencies that send the deals choose to make offers that you are most likely to accept, not the ones that are best for you. The perks in unsolicited offers—cash back, awards points, free flights—often obscure the hazards, tricking you into accepting credit that could seriously threaten your financial health…

Unemployment-Friendly Gifts: Mom

I was laid off in October, but the idea of entering my Mom’s house on Christmas Day empty-handed feels worse than charging up my credit card.

So we’ve come up with a list of thoughtful, unique gifts for every friend and family member. The best part? They’re all wildly inexpensive. Happy Shopping!

Mom: Stationery
Mom’s love thank you notes–they love writing them, receiving them and nagging you to send them–so why not give her something you know she’ll use: A stunning stationery set…

Downturnaround Deals: Banana Republic, Gap, Flip, Urban Outfitters, Gamestop, Shoes.com

Every week, we post a handful of online deals hand-picked for Recessionwire readers by the nice people over at Savings.com. Feel free to pass them along to your friends. They also have a new service, Savings Little Helpers. Tweet @savings using #helpmesave and tell them what you’re shopping for. The Savings.com experts will dig up the best coupon and send it to you.

Get 20% off purchases of $100 or more at Banana Republic.
See more Banana Republic coupons.

All They Want for Christmas

The Black Friday shopping rush may be over, but if you’re like millions of people you’re probably still struggling with what to get the most difficult friends and family members in your life—your hippie aunt, your banker brother, your unemployed best friend. Choosing the right gift can be tricky business. Spend too much, and you’re flaunting your wealth. Spend too little, and you’re seen as cheap.

As you enter the home stretch of holiday shopping, let the recession be your guide: Recession-themed gifts are cheap (we’re still in an economic downturn, after all), they’re timely (what better exemplifies 2009 than the recession?), and they’re usually good for at least a chuckle—just so long as you have a little fun with it. After the jump, we’ve put together a roundup of our favorite cheap, chic, gift-giving strategies perfect for this holiday season…