This economy, it’s kind of like a bad boyfriend. It used to be sweet. It bought you dresses and took you out for cocktails, but then it changed. Now it isn’t returning your calls and maybe you are running out of shopping therapy cash. But don’t load up those credit cards! Here are 10 things you can do to find yourself and feel better without getting a haircut or buying new shoes.

The recession is hitting everyone in their bank account, but there’s no reason it should slow down your man income. So, if you’re broke as a joke and can’t afford to go shellin’ out dough at bars, here are some ways you can meet new people without dropping a dime. Hey, the best things in life are free!

In this recession, we’re all tight with our spending, but we don’t want to scrimp on sexy time!  So, it’s not shocking adult toy sales are still strong (except in France), but why pay top dollar when the goods are free?  Yes we can get creative in these hard (no pun intended) times! Here are our suggestions to put the pinch in penny pinching with sexy stuff under five bucks…

On Monday it was finally made official: the U.S. is definitely in a recession. While most of us have been feeling the pinch for a while, the holidays bring an added challenge to stretch our dollars as far as we can. The good news is that from gift giving to decorating and dressing for parties, there are definitely stylish ways to celebrate this time of year on a tight budget. Learn a few tips after the jump.

Unless you’re living in a cave somewhere in, I don’t know, rural Alaska, far, far from civilization, you’ve probably noticed that our economy is in the crapper. And despite last week’s presidential election of Barack Obama and his message of change and hope, it will take some time before things stabilize and we’re back on track. In the meantime, many of us are choosing to embrace our inner recessionistas, shunning the big-budget shopping sprees and pricey meals out that we may have enjoyed in the past in favor of clothing swaps and cozy dinner parties in. But quaint as all that sounds, it isn’t always easy to go from spendista to recessionista, to save for a rainy day instead of splurging on a cute, new pair of Wellies the second we spot anything less than clear blue skies. After the jump, a few tips to try in the next 30 days to help you find your own inner recessionista and jump start a new lifestyle of living large, but spending small.

In my last column, when I gave five tips for staying chic for cheap during this economic crunch (and beyond), I promised to tell you everything you need to know for throwing a kick-ass clothing swap. Not only is a clothing swap a great excuse to organize your closets, get rid of stuff you no longer want, and gather a group of girlfriends for an afternoon or evening of cocktails and clothes, it’s also an opportunity to score some totally free new-to-you outfits and accessories. I mentioned in my last column that I found one of my favorite dresses — a vintage summer maxi dress — at a clothing swap a couple years ago, but I’ve also scored some cool jewelry, a couple silk vintage slips, a few purses, and once I even nabbed a pair of barely-worn Seven jeans that fit like a glove (for once, I was grateful for my curvy hips). Hey, one woman’s trash is another woman’s favorite pants, so after the jump, my top six tips for throwing a successful clothing swap…