Student loan debt is one of those things that just hangs over your head. And for more and more students these days, they are an unavoidable burden if they'd like to attend college. I managed to avoid racking up too much debt during undergrad, but the idea of paying back my law school loans makes me a little sick to my stomach.

Fortunately, there are alternative  ways to escape student loan debt that doesn't require paying it back.  I knew about a handful of ways before, but a recent post on Moneyning has a round-up of  10 ways to eliminate student debt without paying them and there are many alternatives on the list that were new to me.

Some of programs they highlight are:  More Here...

Etiquette can be tricky, particularly around people you aren't close with yet. Over in Advice, Cara asks about dinner party etiquette:

In a couple of weeks, one of my friends from school is having a dinner party. Because it will be law school classmates, everyone will be older than my usual group of friends. Should I bring a hostess gift? I'm used to super casual hangouts with my old friends and I don't want to offend this newer acquaintance.  Do you think a hostess gift is required?

Haggling down prices is a classic way to score a deal, but it's one that intimidates most people. Either they don't know how to go start or how to actually go about it.  Fortunately, Wisebread.com has a really great post called "The 7 Laws of Negotiation". Check it out here.

The author, an old hat at negotiating, offers up these principles for successful haggling:

• Come Prepared
• Be Polite
• Don't Make the First Move
• Time It Right
• Get Creative
• Be Able to Walk Away
• Flash the Cash

Check out the original post for more explanation of these principles.

The recession brought with it plenty of commercials for debt consolidation companies that targeted people struggling to pay their bills. How do you know if it would really help?

Gir asks about debt consolidation over on our Advice page:

At what point should you consider a consolidation loan? I have several credit cards, but not that much overall debt. Still, it's hard making all the payments. Does consolidating hurt your credit?

In the tough economic times, everyone seems to be cutting back on something. But, according to a video on MSNBC.com, what men are not cutting back on is facial hair. Experts have observed an increasing number of men growing beards during the economic downturn.

The possibility of such a trend reminds me of the beard tax enacted by Czar Peter the Great in 17th Century Russia, in which men were taxed if they had a beard. This time, it's the opposite, and men seem to be growing more beards simply because of the price of shaving gear, and the freedom from corporate regulations caused by layoffs.

Granted, I can understand given the price of razors, especially the ones with refillable blades. As if you don't pay enough for the razor itself, the refills cost as much or more! Still, I don't think I'll be quitting shaving my legs anytime soon (although my feminist-hippie mom would be proud) - it's getting a little too close to shorts season.

Have you noticed any trends as a result of people cutting back on spending? What have you had to cut back on?

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