Get 20% off almost all regular- and sale-priced items at Bloomingdale's in the fashion, kids, and home departments. Get 10% off small electronics and men's electronics.

The sale starts today online and in stores Wednesday, Nov. 11. Online use coupon code HOLIDAY. To get the in-store coupon click here then email yourself the coupon via the "share with a friend" link.

Cosmetics and some brands are excluded, so check the fine print before you set your heart on a pair of Uggs or something.

There's no doubt that the current downturn has changed people's spending habits.

Since the peak in housing wealth, homeowners lost more than $5 trillion in equity and 15 million homeowners own homes that are now underwater (worth less than they owe). Unemployment is hovering near 10% with no clear signs of falling.

Homeowners' previous piggy bank -- home equity -- is no longer available for spending. Even if people still hold a job, many are worried that their jobs are at risk and won't spend except for necessities.

People, afraid for their future also changed their savings habits. In the first quarter of 2008, before the recession took hold people saved about 1% of disposable income. By the second quarter of 2009 the savings rate soared to 5% of disposable income. But now that we appear to be near the end of the recession the savings rate dropped back to slightly above 3% in the third quarter of 2009, as people see the end of the recession in sight.

While economists now don't believe this recession will be as deep as the Great Depression, its depth and length will certainly change people's spending and savings habits for a long time to come.

This week is National Retirement Week, which is a good thing since it is a topic weighing heavily on our minds. According to a recent survey by MoneyRates and GetRichSlowly, 52% of respondents didn't feel on track with their retirement. It's no wonder so many people are concerned about their retirement savings, since the Sun Financial Unretirement Index found that nearly two-thirds of Americans will delay retirement one year -- with 27% of those individuals delaying retirement by 5 years!

The most popular reason given for entering "unretirement" was to "to earn enough money to live well," a change from last year's top reason of, "staying mentally engaged," which is in second place this year. These changes are explained in part by the general pessimism of American workers, such as findings that:

• 58% of workers under 60 don't believe Social Security will be available to them upon retirement.
• 42% aren't confident about Social Security Benefits.
• 41% don't feel confident about prescription drug benefits.
• 38% are not confident in Medicare benefits.

If you've ever used a coupon to make a purchase you are part of the 94% of adults who have made couponing so prevalent in today's society. What is surprising is that when most shoppers encounter a bad coupon online or in the store, they just buy the item at full price!

A Harris poll commissioned by CouponCraze.com, a deal and coupon collection website, revealed some surprising insight into consumers' behavior. While close to 100 percent of shoppers use coupons in the store and online;

• 72% of in-store shoppers will make the purchase even if the coupon is declined.
• 57% of online shoppers will make a purchase if the coupon is declined.

I recently saw an incredible documentary about a Manhattan couple who lived "no impact" for a year. This means they did all they could to drastically reduce their carbon footprint, for a whole year.

The documentary, No Impact Man, which opens nationwide this Friday, and the book written by No Impact man himself, Colin Beavan, a historian, shows you easy and challenging ways to reduce your impact on the planet.

Check out Walletpop's interview with Colin and his wife, Michelle Conlin, a reporter for BusinessWeek, on how much money they saved using candles instead of electricity, cutting out their consumerism habits, and buying organic produce from local farms. Colin is now working to help others make sustainable choices in their hectic, modern lifestyles through his No Impact Project. (Can I say "no impact" anymore? Just watch the video to find out.)

If you've ever spent an entire paycheck in a single shopping trip, this video is for you!

It's easy to succumb to the lure of a shiny new gadget, replete with cutting-edge bells and whistles. But odds are that gadget you paid top price for probably has more power and features than you'll actually use.
Click through our feature.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. wants its actual, physical stores to be known as Walmart. The change, it seems was implemented a year ago but has gone pretty much ignored by the media, present company included. So, yesterday Wal-Mart, the company, issued a friendly reminder at the end of an earnings statement.

Here's how it's supposed to go: References to Wal-Mart the global company retain the hyphen while mentions of Walmart stores do not. It's such a small thing but part of the company's campaign to modernize the name and image with a new logo and remodeled stores. Wal-Mart is smartly using the bad economy to attract new customers and implement the changes needed to retain them when things get better.

Shoppers turn to stores like Walmart and the dollar store chains when money is tight. But a return to financial good health usually means a return to shopping at higher priced stores, especially for things like housewares, apparel and other extraneous items. By carving out a more, um, sophisticated image, bringing in better merchandise, cleaning up and decluttering stores, Wal-Mart hopes to keep these new customers even when their paychecks get fatter.

News media are very much creatures of habit. Adapting to new things like how to spell a corporate name is much more difficult than it should be. It's the rare copy editor who lets HP go by without a ridiculous amount of back and forth about how it should be spelled out -- Hewlett Packard -- never mind the actual company's preference of HP.

But we'll adapt, I suppose. I just wonder what's going to happen to the infamous Wal-Mart cheer. The chant, which starts with "Give me a W," has a fun little move in the middle. When they get to the hyphen there's a "Give me a squiggly!" and everyone does a variation of the twist, lowering down to the ground and back again. It's a shame to see that move retired.

Just because you're going to get your Geek on at Comic Con, July 23 - 27 at the San Diego Convention Center, doesn't mean your wallet is faster than a speeding bullet, or has mutant powers, or...well, you know what I'm getting at.

Yes, the opportunities to spend are many, but there are also a few common sense ways to save at Comic Con.

Bring cash -- Most vendors take credit and debit cards, but some don't, especially the small indie vendors. Why risk it? Cold hard semolians also makes it easier for you to budget what you're willing to spend at Comic Con and hold to it. There's so much to buy it's easy to blow your wad in the first hour. But if you've thought through what you want, you can make your dollar go further by not frittering it away on every cool little gizmo you see. And you'll see a lot of super cool stuff.

A tip: Don't waste your money on anything you can get at your local comic book store or game shop any day of the week. Save it for the stuff you won't find anywhere else. Comic Con is when vendors pull out the hard core, one-of-a-kind items.

Another upside of plentiful cash? You won't have to face that daunting ATM line (with those accompanying fees). The ATMS often run out of cash anyway later in the afternoon. Cash and carry, baby.

It sounds an awful lot like paradise, but what are its pitfalls? David Paul Appell, author of the affordable-travel guide book Pauline Frommer's Costa Rica, talks to WalletPop's Jason Cochran about the Central American dream destination, known for its rainforests and its wildlife.

Appell tips us off on how to pick the best region to explore, how to stay with a family that will teach you Spanish and cook your meals, and how to enjoy the tropical bounty without spending too much.

Appell, whom I worked with when he was former executive editor for Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel magazine, has written for National Geographic Traveler and GQ and also runs the value-travel social media site Go-Lo.net.

Listen in the widget below, or click for one of the earlier installments in this series.

Go for Less: Miami
Go for Less: Paris
Go for Less: Rome
Go for Less: New York City

The other day, I learned a valuable lesson: automatic withdrawals may make paying bills easier, but they can really turn your life into a financial nightmare. So I'm sharing my little tale of woe, in hopes of inspiring anyone else out there to stop and think before they agree to an automatic withdrawal.

I've been writing about bank fees for WalletPop quite a bit lately (like in this post and here), and while the fees themselves are egregious and punitive beyond belief, it is helpful to remember that quite often, the reason the fees are being lodged is that the bank user screwed up.

In my case, I knew something was up with my bank account when my wife called me from her cell phone and asked: "Did you know our checking account was $50 in the negative?"

From the agonized scream that followed, my wife said, "I'm guessing not."

One of my personal style gurus in New York City (ok, it's a friend I bug for tips) is
Holly Getty, a personal stylist. As someone who's hated the idea of shopping
and just wishes we could all wear the same outfit every day, I love knowing someone like Holly who makes personal style easy.

Getting dressed in the morning is all about comfort and wearing something that makes you feel alive, according to Holly. Walletpop has shown you the difference a sophisticated outfit can make through our funny, short video "Bargain Eye for the Laid-Off Guy: Get a GQ look for under $50." Now Holly gives you a money-saving tip when it comes to resisting all those summer sales. Here's what she has to say:

"Even before it is officially summer, summer sales are everywhere. Given the economy, people are catching on to the drill. Retailers put out over-priced clothes, you wait, they mark them down. You think you are getting a deal, when in reality, the entire process is carefully orchestrated.

On the eve of my friend Bill Frank's 80th birthday, his wife Winnie announced that if Bill made the decision to retire she would be forced -- after 60 years of wedded bliss -- to pack up and move in with her sister in Indiana.

I used to think Bill and Winnie were unique. But now as my husband and I approach retirement and the crabby-old-goat stage ourselves, it's clear that arguing over what comes next is hard to avoid.

A survey by Fidelity Investments featured in this USAToday.com story, concludes that 80% of couples don't see eye to eye on retirement.

Warehouse clubs have introduced millions to low prices via buying in bulk, but applying the power of the group is now getting discounts on everything from restaurants to sporting events.

I stumbled upon Groupon fairly recently. One of those "heard it from a friend who heard it from a friend" kind of things. I don't usually go for coupons, too many hoops to jump through, but one buy and I was hooked.

A recent survey by online banking business HSBC Direct reports that people who are longtime active savers are enduring this economic downtown virtually unscathed.

Nearly half, or 46%, said they remain comfortable with their financial situation and have not had to cut back on spending, eating out or making large purchases. By contrast, 37% of non-active or periodic savers said they had to scale back on living expenses.

The old adage of saving for a "rainy day" is still good wisdom. But how many people are really willing to save? According to the survey, 85% were wiling to save more and spend less in order to get through the recession but more than 76% indicated they would return to old ways once the economy improves.

The survey also showed that most active savers started at a young age with the "saving" value taught early by their parents. Makes me wonder how many parents are teaching the value of saving in this age of "affuensa."

Gregory Karp, author of The 1-2-3 Money Plan (FT Press) and the nationally syndicated column "Spending Smart," shares with WalletPop's Lan Nguyen tips on where and how to save money.

Cut down food costs by shopping by sales circular. Lower cable bills by watching your favorite shows on Hulu.com. Eliminate those annoying cellphone contracts by turning to pre-paid cellphones. Give yourself a money makeover.