If you've been laidoff or are 3-plus months into a job-hunt that has no end in sight, you may have experienced that moment of epiphany where you think, "Wow, I have so much free time on my hands." Trolling through Craiglist and catching up on the Chelsea Lately may take the lion's share of the morning, but then what?

In the United States, there's often an assumption that everything costs how much it says it does and there's no room for deal-making. But with the economic downturn issuing a firm shake-up to the capitalist system we've come to know, bartering is back en vogue.

$200pp meal at Per Se in the cards? I think not. Ten-course tasting menu at Daniel. Nope. McDonald's happy meal? Now we're talking. But every meal doesn't have to default to Micky-D's quite yet

I had a blackberry. I loved it. It loved me back. And then it decided to break. The pearl (otherwise known as a trackball to the uninitiated) fell out. Well guess what?

During an economic upswing, people are totally cool with going to Best Buy when they're bored and buying five DVDs, or copping a few books on Amazon to put on their shelf to make it seem like they read. In a recession, such extravagance is frowned upon

There is a silver-lining to the news that the US has been in a recession since last year: it means that if you’re reading this, you’re already surviving a recession, so keep up the good work.

Christmas and Hanukkah are rapidly approaching and there are thousands of shoppers who plan on invading the stores over the next ten days to go shopping for the folks on their gift lists. If you're one of the unfortunate few who have hours of hectic holiday shopping ahead of you, you may want to keep the following money-saving tips in mind as you search for the perfect gift.

We're now entering the peak of holiday season, and you may be struck with the sudden urge to throw a holiday party or just make your apartment a little more Christmasy...or Hannukah-y...or Kwanza-y...or whatever. The good news is, it doesn't have to break the bank. Tiny Tim is in fashion this year, so don't be ashamed to make a budget and check it twice.

It’s fun to live in times like these when you can open up your browser and read articles with titles like Why the Jobs Report Is So Ominous. It really brightens up the day and puts a spring in one’s step

The hour draws nigh for “Black Friday," the post-Thanksgiving free-for-all where everyone celebrates the previous day’s gluttony by going on a huge holiday season shopping spree. If you want to snag the best deals, you’ve got to combine patience with a take-no-prisoners attitude—be prepared for traffics, crowds, and split-second spending decisions.