Have the Cheapest and Awesomest V-Day Ever

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…

Cashing In on Wedding Gifts

In some circles, it’s considered totally ticky-tack to give cash as a wedding gift. Well, times are tight and with people getting married later and later, couples are likely to already own not one but two sets of salad servers.

We expect cash to become more acceptable–and frankly, think it’s far preferable to some of the junk guests call “gifts.”

Deposit a Gift is a new site that seems right on trend…

Unemployment-Friendly Gifts: Significant Other

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 holiday gifts for every friend and family member.

Significant Other: $25 Experience
It’s more than likely your partner has interests, right? Maybe it’s cooking, maybe it’s fashion. (Maybe it’s something weirder that you really don’t feel like sharing with others.) Anyways, if your boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife is curious about anything, consider booking two tickets to the next panel discussion, cooking class or lecture that focuses on their passion. While cooking courses can get expensive, events at a local winery, kitchen store or community center often don’t break the $30 mark…

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 12.9: Will Jobs Really Come Back?

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

“What if the job losses this time around aren’t temporary, the ‘ebb’ part of the ebb and flow of the business cycle?” Caroline Baum asks. “What if employers are hacking away at their permanent workforce?” (Bloomberg)

The recession has slashed U.S. output of planet warming gases and puts the country on track to reach President Barack Obama’s short-term emissions goal, but cutting the pollution further will take more effort as the economy recovers. (Reuters)

One of the oddest phenomena of the boom years was how kitchen appliances quickly morphed into sexy, high-maintenance trophies. These high-flying days flickered out when the real estate market imploded, but they may come back. (The Big Money)…

Recession Briefing 11.18: Downturn Brings Out the Werewolves

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

Why are werewolves so hot right now? Bob Powers and Ritch Duncan believe that the plight of the werewolf reflects the American economic mood at the current moment. (Huffington Post)

A Canadian real estate company was the winning bidder for Detroit’s Silverdome, snatching it up for just $583,000. The 80,000-seat Silverdome was the biggest stadium in the National Football League when it was built in 1975 for $55.7 million. (CNN/Assignment Detroit)

Will the shared experience (in some cases, shared indirectly — through family and close friends) of the recession move public opinions so dramatically that we see fundamental change in the economy or society as a result? (San Francisco Chronicle)…

Love in the Time of Layoff: Recession Helps Relationships Take Root

Timing-wise, it wasn’t the most promising beginning.

He was headed to the opposite coast. But the thousands of miles of separation was the least of our potential problems.

We started dating in the midst of one of the most stressful periods in both of our lives. I had just been laid off from a job I loved, and my industry seemed to be imploding. He would be gone for an unspecified period of time to reorganize his company and — he hoped — keep it from going under.

We were worried about money and questioning our careers. One of us had been stripped of title and paycheck, and was adjusting to a new identity. The other was wondering whether the enterprise he had built from scratch could survive the year…

I’m pretty certain that I would still be carrying on my relationship if I hadn’t lost my job. But it probably would have progressed more slowly. The downturn not only gave us more time and flexibility, it allowed us to see each other clearly and refocus our values.

Love in the Time of Layoff: Desperation Dating

Getting laid off in the throes of a recession is tough, but getting laid in a recession is, well, not.

It’s true: unemployment has done wonders for my dating life. Had I known it ten years ago, I would have surely done everything within my power to get canned. But like most women, I had rent to pay and dead-end jobs to contend with until I got kicked out of both places on the same day.

Now that I have all the time in the world to kill, there’s no end to the possibilities.

I’ve got a laptop and libido, what more do I need? Whether it’s online or on the streets of Boston, I’ve dated more men in the last six months that I have over the course of six years. Maybe it’s the fact that there are lotsa people out there with lotsa time on their hands. And because dating is so similar to the job search process they almost seem to go hand-in-hand (minus the alcohol). I toggle between Monster and Match…

Recession Briefing 9.23: Candy is Dandy in Downturn

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

In a broad recession-related shift, many Americans have lost their taste for fancy cars, clothes and vacations, but their appetite for candy, it seems, only has become more pronounced. (San Francisco Chronicle)

The recession is apparently prompting more women to try to delay having babies, according to the first survey aimed at documenting the effects of the economic downtown on childbearing. (Washington Post)

The recession is complicating job hunts — and the lives — of two-career couples, particularly when one lands an offer out of town. The search for employment is forcing more couples into long-distance relationships. (Wall Street Journal)…

6 Steps to a Financially Successful Relationship

Money is a reliable source of tension in relationships, in both married couples and those not yet in wedded bliss. Karin Mizgala wrote an article in the Canadian Financial Post with suggestions about how couples can ward off money problems. She says:

While talking about money can be often be more difficult and emotionally charged than talking about sex, religion or politics, a simple conversation about money can save you a lot of tension and resentments throughout married life.

Below, we’ve expanded on Karin’s tips and come up with six steps to ensuring a financially successful union. Are you financially compatible?

1. Each person makes a list of their expenses. This includes regular monthly costs, like rent, groceries and the gym; major purchases you hope to make, say, a new car or flat screen TV; occasional expenses like clothing, restaurants and iced lattes; and a bit of padding for expenses you can’t account for.