Give the Gift of Love

No one wants to be alone, right? Especially during the holidays (and that's closing in faster than you can say Christmas). So if you know someone who's still a singleton or has been through a breakup, then why not give the gift of love. Here are some ways you can help:

* Give them a membership to a dating service. No, it's not weird. It's very considerate. Your lonely friend probably has wanted to join one anyway, but couldn't drum up the courage. But it's almost the easiest thing in the world to do. Certainly a lot easier than striking up a conversation with a handsome or beautiful stranger in a bar. There are many services, but here's a good one to try.

* Maybe your lonely pal is still pining away for their last love. If this is the case, here is another unusual little gift that could make their romantic dreams come true. Breakups don't necessarily mean that the relationship isn't meant to be. Sometimes men are just stupid, and don't know when they've got a great thing, or they're approaching an age they believe is their last chance to get a fresh, new model (you can take this either way and it'd be accurate!) and they start sniffing around every young skirt that passes by. Women can be pretty stupid, too, turning their noses up at that great guy who worshiped the ground she walked on in favor of some flashy fella who's probably a love 'em-and-leave 'em loser! Anyway... click right here for the perfect gift if your friend would love nothing more than to get back together with their former sweetheart.

Got Co-workers? Get Coffee!

Sure, chai and green tea and yerba mate -- whatever that is! : ) -- are growing in popularity as we try to become a leaner, greener society. Maybe you're sipping on some now yourself.

But I bet you know plenty of people who prefer the jolt of java. There's one probably in the cubicle next to yours.

With the giving season upon us, sometimes the hardest people to get gifts for are our colleagues. You don't want to spend too much and you don't want to look cheap and maybe you don't really know them that well to begin with. But you do know that you see them every day in the break room getting their coffee fix.

A great gift idea is to get a couple of different premium brews for a group of your co-workers. Per person, you won't be spending very much, but there's no doubt your gift will be appreciated. If you want, you can toss them in a nice basket and throw in coffee flavorings, creamers or sweeteners.

At ROASTe.com you can shop from your desk (on your lunch break, of course, wink!). The site is easy to navigate; you can shop by type (regular or espresso, for instance), roast, popularity, rating, brand and more. Right now you can get free shipping if you spend over $39. So set down your yerba mate, buy your co-workers some coffee and get some for yourself while you're at it.

UPDATE: Check it out - save $5 off your first coffee purchase! Use the coupon code BLOGME5

Ease Holiday Stress by Planning Ahead

'Tis the season … almost. But it'll be here before you know it! And while it's a fun time, filled with family and friends and food, it is also one of the more stressful times of year. One way to ease that stress is being prepared, and by that I mean, start shopping. NOW!

Well, at the very least begin planning your holiday purchases. Brainstorm gift ideas for everyone on your list and start researching. Once you have decided on on a gorgeous Bulova watch for your husband, for example, a dazzling blue diamond ring for your beloved wife, or a Wii console for the kids, the next step is to go comparison shopping. Deals are to be had and you have to take more than price into consideration when purchasing online. Remember to include taxes and shipping costs. One site might offer a rockbottom price, but charge an exorbitant shipping rate that makes your great gift more expensive than if you'd gone with the higher-priced place that had low-cost or free shipping.

You can save time and energy getting your gifts by using comparison shopping sites such as Pricegrabber, Shopzilla and Nextag, to name but a few. You've probably heard of them.

But what if you're wanting to compare cameras and camera accessories, say, for your favorite cousin in Canada? I just learned that www.Canadapost.ca has a comparison shopping section that includes deals from retailers across the border and the U.S., too. It provides lots of information, including price history, customer service numbers, warranty details and more. And my Canadian readers will benefit from the Cross-Border Comparison tab, which spells out if they're better off getting the item they're looking for from a local shop or one in the States.

The important thing, and I can't, um, stress this enough, is to get moving on your gift-buying! While everyone else is frantic as the holidays draws near, schlepping from store to store, fighting crowds and standing in long lines, you can kick back and relax knowing your holiday goods are wrapped and ready to go.

How do you ease holiday stress? I'd love to hear from you!